Influence of the flowering stage in the production of urechitol A in Agrobacterium rhizogenes-transformed plants of Pentalinon andrieuxii

Background: Pentalinon andrieuxii, is a medicinal plant used in Mayan folk medicine against leishmaniosis. It is an important source of terpenoids whose biosynthesis has been reported to be influenced by the ontogeny of the plant. Hypotheses: Flowering positively influences the production of urechitol A in Pentalinon andrieuxii. Studied species: Pentalinon andrieuxii (Müll. Arg.) B.F. Hansen & Wunderlin (Apocynaceae) Study site and dates: Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, 2019 and 2020. Methods: Flowering was induced by exposing plants to temperatures above 32 °C. Plant tissue samples were collected before flowering induction and at full bloom and extracted with methanol. Analyses of the dichloromethane-soluble fraction of the crude extract by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry allowed the detection and quantification of urechitol A. Results: Flowering stage of P. andrieuxii has a positive influence on the production of urechitol A in the root of the plant, with the contents of the tri-nor-sesquiterpene increasing from a minimum of 43 to a maximum of 91 times during the flowering stage of plants, both transformed and wild type. Conclusions: P. andrieuxii perceives high temperatures as an important environmental cue to flower; flowering positively influences the production of urechitol A in the roots of the plant; production of the tri-nor-sesquiterpene is controlled by the plant.