Nine lignans were isolated from the 75% ethanol extract of the dried root bark of Lycium chinense Miller. Among them, (−)- and (+)-lycinseol A (1a and 1b) represent a pair of new nor-lignans, while curlignan (2), nectandrin B (3), odoratisol C (4), (−)-licarin A (5), 5′-demethoxydaphneticin (6), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (7) and macelignan (8) were isolated from the genus Lycium for the first time. Their structures including absolute configurations were comprehensively elucidated using HR-MS, NMR, ECD and computational chemistry. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance of these lignans were elaborated upon.
Volatile composition in fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) may vary among plant populations and cultivation environments, potentially affecting the consistency of its chemical profile. In the present study, fruit volatile profiles of 30 fennel populations were evaluated across three contrasting experimental environments in Türkiye: Artvin–Ardanuç (humid mountainous), Burdur–Tefenni (continental transition), and Mardin–Midyat (semi-arid). Volatile compounds were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME–GC/MS), and 43 compounds were identified. Trans-anethole was the dominant constituent across all environments, with mean abundances ranging from 34.70% in Mardin–Midyat to 45.50% in Burdur–Tefenni. Mardin–Midyat showed comparatively higher mean abundances of d-limonene (27.46%), fenchone (8.00%), trans-β-ocimene (6.20%), and γ-terpinene (1.19%), whereas Burdur–Tefenni showed the highest mean anisaldehyde abundance (5.34%). Combined analysis of variance revealed highly significant effects of environment, population, and population × environment (P × E) interaction on all major volatile compounds evaluated (P < 0.001), demonstrating that differences among populations were not consistent across environments. PCA and hierarchical clustering showed environment-associated structuring of volatile profiles, while PERMANOVA confirmed significant differences in overall composition among experimental environments (P < 0.001). SIMPER and Random Forest analyses further identified volatile compounds contributing to between-environment differentiation. Overall, the investigated fennel material exhibited a predominantly anethole-rich profile with substantial quantitative variation rather than completely discrete chemotypes. The significant P × E interactions emphasize the importance of considering both population identity and cultivation environment when characterizing fennel volatile diversity and evaluating the consistency of chemical profiles across environments.
In this study, twenty known alkaloids, including nineteen monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) and one rare β-carboline alkaloid, were isolated and identified from the stems and leaves of Melodinus axillaris. Their structures were unambiguously confirmed by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR), as well as by comparison with previously reported literature data.Among these isolates, compounds 3, 8, 16, and 18–19 were obtained from this species for the first time, whereas compounds 2, 9–10, 17, and 20 are reported from the genus Melodinus for the first time. Notably, the vindolinine-type alkaloids (9–10) and the β-carboline alkaloid (20) represent chemotypes that have been rarely documented in M. axillaris. The vindolinine subtype, together with compounds 2 and 17, may act as potential chemotaxonomic markers for M. axillaris. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance and distribution patterns of these compounds within the genus Melodinus are systematically discussed.
