Untargeted Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) Metabolomics Reveals Propolis Markers of Greek and Chinese Origin
Maria-Ioanna Stavropoulou,
Aikaterini Termentzi,
Konstantinos M. Kasiotis,
Antigoni Cheilari,
Konstantina Stathopoulou,
Kyriaki Machera,
Nektarios Aligiannis
Affiliations
Maria-Ioanna Stavropoulou
Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 11527 Athens, Greece
Aikaterini Termentzi
Laboratory of Pesticides’ Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece
Konstantinos M. Kasiotis
Laboratory of Pesticides’ Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece
Antigoni Cheilari
Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 11527 Athens, Greece
Konstantina Stathopoulou
Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 11527 Athens, Greece
Kyriaki Machera
Laboratory of Pesticides’ Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece
Nektarios Aligiannis
Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 11527 Athens, Greece
Chemical composition of propolis depends on the plant source and thus on the geographic and climatic characteristics of the site of collection. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical profile of Greek and Chinese propolis extracts from different regions and suggest similarities and differences between them. Untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) method was developed and 22 and 23 propolis samples from Greece and China, respectively, were analyzed. The experimental data led to the observation that there is considerable variability in terms of quality of the distinctive propolis samples. Partial least squares - discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were constructed and allowed the identification of significant features for sample discrimination, adding relevant information for the identification of class-determining metabolites. Chinese samples overexpressed compounds that are characteristic of the poplar type propolis, whereas Greek samples overexpress the latter and the diterpenes characteristic of the Mediterranean propolis type.
