Extended Abstract

Evaluation of Biochemical Diversity and Antioxidant Activity of Anisosciadium orientale DC. Populations in Fars Province

Introduction

Anisosciadium orientale is a native medicinal and aromatic plant of Iran belonging to the Apiaceae family and is naturally distributed in southern regions of the country. The plant is locally known as Khalilou, Khalilouk, and Jalilou and has long been used in traditional medicine and local cuisine. Different parts of the plant are consumed as fresh vegetables, spices, pickles, and traditional foods. Ethnobotanical reports indicate its application in alleviating toothache, treating diarrhea, and controlling epilepsy. Previous phytochemical investigations have revealed the presence of valuable bioactive compounds and demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of this species. The quantity and quality of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Variations in ecological conditions such as altitude, temperature, precipitation, soil characteristics, and solar radiation may significantly affect the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and other phytochemicals. Therefore, evaluating biochemical diversity among natural populations is an important step toward identifying superior germplasm for domestication, breeding programs, and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. Despite its medicinal and nutritional importance, information regarding biochemical variation among natural populations of A. orientale remains very limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate biochemical traits and antioxidant activity among seven natural populations of A. orientale collected from different regions of Fars Province.

Materials and Methods

Seven wild populations of A. orientale were collected from different regions of Fars Province, including Khafr, Jahrom, Gorm mount, Zarrindasht, Khonj, Darab, and Fasa during the early flowering stage in April 2024. The aerial parts of plant materials were dried under shade at laboratory temperature and used for biochemical analyses. A completely randomized design with three replications (about 50 plants) was employed. Total phenolic content, total flavonoids, flavones and flavonols, the ratio of flavones and flavonols to total flavonoids, tannins, total soluble carbohydrates, antioxidant activity and biomass were evaluated. Extraction was performed using ethanol solvent and a Soxhlet apparatus. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Total flavonoids, flavones and flavonols, tannins, and total soluble carbohydrates were quantified spectrophotometrically following standard analytical procedures. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and mean comparisons were conducted using Tukey’s test at the 5% probability level. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed in Minitab v.16 using Euclidean distance and average linkage to assess the similarity among Anisosciadium populations based on biochemical traits.

Results and Discussion

Significant differences were observed among populations for all evaluated biochemical traits (P ≤ 0.01), indicating substantial biochemical diversity within the species. The highest total phenolic content was recorded in the Jahrom population (15.02 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW), whereas the lowest value was observed in Zarrindasht (7.68 mg GAE g⁻¹ DW). Similar trends were observed for total flavonoids and flavones/flavonols, with Jahrom exhibiting the highest concentrations. These findings suggest enhanced activity of the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway in this population. Phenolic compounds and flavonoids play important roles in plant defense mechanisms against oxidative stress and environmental challenges (Sharma et al., 2019; Zagoskina et al., 2023). The Fasa population exhibited the highest tannin content (5.96 mg catechin equivalent g⁻¹ DW). Elevated tannin accumulation may be associated with environmental adaptation and ecological conditions of the habitat, particularly altitude-related stresses. Tannins contribute significantly to plant defense against herbivores, pathogens, and abiotic stress factors (Iqbal & Poór, 2025). The highest soluble carbohydrate content was observed in the Kouh-Gorm population (100.40 mg glucose equivalent g⁻¹ DW), while the lowest amount was recorded in Zarrindasht (30.03 mg glucose equivalent g⁻¹ DW). Soluble carbohydrates are known to participate in osmotic adjustment and stress tolerance mechanisms under adverse environmental conditions (Blum, 2017; Rosa et al., 2009; Sami et al., 2016). Interestingly, the highest antioxidant activity was found in the Zarrindasht population (94.43%), despite its relatively low phenolic and flavonoid contents. This observation suggests that compounds other than phenolics, such as terpenoids, vitamins, and other antioxidant metabolites, may substantially contribute to the antioxidant capacity of this population. Previous studies have similarly reported that antioxidant activity is not always directly correlated with total phenolic concentration (Shahidi & Ambigaipalan, 2015; Apak et al., 2016). Overall, the observed biochemical variability among populations can be attributed to the combined effects of genetic background and environmental conditions. Such diversity represents a valuable resource for selecting superior populations with desirable phytochemical characteristics. Biomass varied significantly among populations (p ≤ 0.01), ranging from 0.48 to 3.57 g dry weight plant⁻¹, with the highest value recorded in Kuh-Garm and the lowest in Khafr. The approximately 4.7-fold difference suggests substantial population-level variation in biomass production, likely reflecting the combined effects of population characteristics and site-specific environmental conditions rather than a single climatic factor.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated considerable biochemical diversity among natural populations of Anisosciadium orientale in Fars Province. The Jahrom population showed superior performance regarding phenolic compounds and flavonoids, whereas Fasa exhibited the highest tannin content and Gorm mount accumulated the greatest amount of soluble carbohydrates. In contrast, the Zarrindasht population displayed the strongest antioxidant activity. These findings highlight the existence of valuable biochemical variation within natural populations of A. orientale and emphasize the potential of selected populations for future breeding programs, domestication efforts, conservation strategies, and the commercial production of bioactive compounds.