Berardia subacaulis Vill. (syn.: Berardia lanuginosa (Lam.) Fiori) represents a monospecific genus within the Tribus Cynareae of the sunflower family and is endemic in the South-western Alps. Up to now no phytochemical investigations of this rare species, which grows exclusively on high-altitudes (> 1700 m asl) were performed. In order to protect the rare natural populations, our investigations used exclusively material of cultivated sources. Investigation of a lipophilic extract (CH2Cl2) of the leaves by HPLC-MS showed two major compounds at 205 nm which after isolation were identified by 1D- and 2D-NMR and LC-MS as artemisiifolin [1] and its ester in position 6 with 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-propanoic acid, representing a new natural compound. Investigations of different plant parts by HPTLC and HPLC-DAD showed that the identified sesquiterpene lactones can be found in leaves (green and mature) and mature flower heads without fruits but are absent in roots/rhizomes and fruits. Phytochemical analysis of a methanolic extract (after CH2Cl2 extraction) of the leaves revealed the presence of chlorogenic acid and 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid as well as rutin and isoquercitin as major compounds.
References: [1] Jimeno ML, Apreda-Rojas MC, Cano FH, Rodríguez B. Magn. Reson. Chem. 2004; 42: 474–483