Amino acid profiling in wild Chamaenerion angustifolium populations applying chemometric analysis

Abstract

Evaluation of the amino acid composition of plants is a determining parameter in assessing their potential effect as food supplements. Chamaenerion angustifolium (Onagraceae), commonly known as “fireweed,” is a traditional food and medicinal plant in Europe. Current research has focused on comparative analysis of the aerial part of 15 fireweed samples collected in Ukraine and Lithuania using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The overall amino acid composition in samples of C. angustifolium was similar. Sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) were absent in all samples. The alanine content in the samples was the highest, and in the samples from Kharkiv (Ukraine), Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine), and Plungė district (Lithuania), it ranked first among others (its content in samples was 2.350, 6.090, and 2.44 mg/g, respectively). The high amount of free amino acids was recorded in the sample from Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine). The results of chemometric analysis indicated L-alanine and L-phenylalanine could be used as potential quality markers for the evaluation of the plant quality. The results indicate the potential for further pharmacological studies of fireweed raw material. Considering the content of amino acids in the aerial parts of C. angustifolium, its raw material could be used for development of medicines and dietary supplements.