Alkaloid biosynthesis in medicinal crop kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) varies with postharvest, genetic, and seasonal factors.

IF 4.1 2区生物学 Q1 PLANT SCIENCES

Frontiers in Plant Science Pub Date : 2025-09-29 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fpls.2025.1653916

Mengzi Zhang, Annabella Lyndon, Siva Rama Raju Kanumuri, Abhisheak Sharma, Brian J Pearson, Christopher R McCurdy, Jianjun Chen

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Abstract

Introduction: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), a medicinally valuable ethnobotanical tree native to Southeast Asia, has traditionally been used to combat fatigue and enhance productivity. Recently, it has gained attention in North America and Europe for its potential therapeutic applications, particularly in pain management and opioid withdrawal, positioning it as a candidate for drug development. Postharvest processing is a critical stage that influences chemical transformations of bioactive compounds, yet its impact on kratom remains poorly understood.

Methods: This study investigated the effects of withering duration, drying temperature, cultivar, and season on kratom alkaloid composition and concentration. In Study I, leaves of cultivar Hawaii underwent four withering durations (0, 12, 24, 72 h) followed by drying at five temperatures (-40, 25, 40, 60, 80 °C). In Study II, leaves of cultivar MR-Malaysian were tested under two withering durations (0, 12 h) and two drying temperatures (25, 60 °C). Both studies were conducted across two seasons.

Results: Withering generally increased mitragynine concentrations by 14-65% (w/w) in 'Hawaii' and 3-8% in 'MR-Malaysian' in leaf alkaloid extracts. A 12-h withering followed by drying below 40 °C enhanced speciogynine and paynantheine in 'Hawaii' by 37-48% and 35-67%, respectively. Low drying temperatures preserved mitragynine, speciogynine, and paynantheine across cultivars. The average 7-hydroxymitragynine content in leaf alkaloid extracts ranged from 0.02-0.04% and was detected only in specific seasons, varying by cultivar, suggesting genotype-environment interactions.

Discussion: This study demonstrates for the first time that kratom alkaloid composition and concentration are substantially influenced by genotype, season, and postharvest handling. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing postharvest processing strategies to enhance beneficial alkaloid profiles in kratom.

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药用作物kratom （Mitragyna speciosa）的生物碱合成随采后、遗传和季节因素而变化。

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa)，一种原产于东南亚的有药用价值的民族植物树，传统上被用来对抗疲劳和提高生产力。最近，它在北美和欧洲因其潜在的治疗应用而受到关注，特别是在疼痛管理和阿片类药物戒断方面，将其定位为药物开发的候选药物。采后加工是影响生物活性化合物化学转化的关键阶段，但其对kratom的影响仍知之甚少。方法：研究萎凋时间、干燥温度、品种和季节对苦参生物碱组成和浓度的影响。在研究1中，夏威夷品种的叶片经历了4个枯萎期（0、12、24、72 h），然后在5个温度（-40、25、40、60、80℃）下干燥。在研究II中，对栽培品种mr - malaysia的叶片进行了两种枯萎时间（0,12 h）和两种干燥温度（25,60°C）的测试。这两项研究都是在两个季节进行的。结果：叶片生物碱提取物中“夏威夷”的米特拉吉碱浓度一般增加14-65% (w/w)，“mr - malaysia”的米特拉吉碱浓度一般增加3-8%。在40°C以下干燥12 h后，“夏威夷”植株的物种碱和paynantheine分别提高了37-48%和35-67%。低温干燥保存了不同品种间的米特拉金碱、特种金碱和paynantheine。叶片生物碱提取物中7-羟米特拉甘碱的平均含量在0.02 ~ 0.04%之间，仅在特定季节检测到，不同品种之间存在差异，表明基因型-环境相互作用。讨论：本研究首次证明了苦参生物碱的组成和浓度受到基因型、季节和采后处理的显著影响。这些发现强调了优化采后加工策略以提高苦参中有益生物碱谱的重要性。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Plant Science PLANT SCIENCES-

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

14.30%

发文量

4844

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： In an ever changing world, plant science is of the utmost importance for securing the future well-being of humankind. Plants provide oxygen, food, feed, fibers, and building materials. In addition, they are a diverse source of industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals. Plants are centrally important to the health of ecosystems, and their understanding is critical for learning how to manage and maintain a sustainable biosphere. Plant science is extremely interdisciplinary, reaching from agricultural science to paleobotany, and molecular physiology to ecology. It uses the latest developments in computer science, optics, molecular biology and genomics to address challenges in model systems, agricultural crops, and ecosystems. Plant science research inquires into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution and uses of both higher and lower plants and their interactions with other organisms throughout the biosphere. Frontiers in Plant Science welcomes outstanding contributions in any field of plant science from basic to applied research, from organismal to molecular studies, from single plant analysis to studies of populations and whole ecosystems, and from molecular to biophysical to computational approaches. Frontiers in Plant Science publishes articles on the most outstanding discoveries across a wide research spectrum of Plant Science. The mission of Frontiers in Plant Science is to bring all relevant Plant Science areas together on a single platform.