Changes in the content of bioactive substances among Hypericum montbretii populations from Turkey

In the present study, we investigated the variation in the content of seventeen secondary metabolites among Hypericum montbretii Spach., Hypericaceae, populations from five different growing zones in Turkey for the first time. The plants were collected at full flowering, and after they were dried at room temperature, they were assayed for chemical contents by HPLC. Chemical constituents of plants varied significantly among populations except for 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid which was accumulated at similar levels. Plants from population - 1 yielded the highest amount of hypericin and pseudohypericin (1.27 and 2.97mg/g, respectively) while hyperforin and adhyperforin accumulations were the highest in plants from population - 2 (6.64 and 1.24mg/g, respectively). (+)-Catechin and (−)-epicatechin were accumulated at significantly higher levels by plants of population - 4 (1.54 and 4.35mg/g, respectively). The highest accumulation level of the rest compounds namely, chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, amentoflavone, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, quercetin, avicularin and rutin was reached in plants from population-5 (2.64, 4.37, 2.35, 10.26, 3.52, 4.37, 1.55, 1.56 and 20.54mg/g, respectively). The pronounced chemical diversity between populations is discussed to possibly be the result of different environmental, morphological and genetic factors.