Comprehensive LC-MS/MS and HPLC-based profiling of secondary metabolites in Aster incisus from diverse cultivation regions

Abstract

Aster incisus is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, known for its pharmacologically active secondary metabolites. In this study, we conducted a comparative profiling and quantification of secondary metabolites in A. incisus extracts cultivated in two regions, Eumseong (AIE) and Inje (AII), using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography with a variable wavelength detector (HPLC/VW). LC-MS/MS analysis conducted in negative ion mode enabled the identification of 13 secondary metabolites, including key flavonoids and phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid, narcissoside, isorhamnetin, and rutin. HPLC quantification revealed distinct compositional differences between the AIE and AII samples. The AII extract contained significantly higher levels of chlorogenic acid (35.97 mg/g extract), narcissoside (8.08 mg/g extract), and isorhamnetin 3-galactoside (23.79 mg/g extract), while the AIE extract exhibited greater concentrations of protocatechuic acid (0.77 mg/g extract), rutin (2.08 mg/g extract), and hirsutrin (2.05 mg/g extract). Isorhamnetin was detected exclusively in AII (0.24 mg/g extract), and a number of other compounds were present only in trace amounts in both samples. These results suggest that environmental and geographical factors play a significant role in the biosynthesis of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in A. incisus. These findings provide critical chemotaxonomic and pharmacological insights into the region-dependent accumulation of bioactive metabolites, highlighting their potential relevance in drug discovery and therapeutic formulation based on natural products.