Valorisation of an Italian mountain variety of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench: a sustainable strategy for medicinal plant production

Background: Medicinal plants are exploited worldwide as traditional remedies and as ingredients of nutraceuticals and dietary supplements [1]. Their production has been limited, due climate change and environmental pollution, leading to the risk of biodiversity extinction [2]. Therefore, different conservation and sustainable strategies has been approached to retain plant biodiversity [1,2]. In the present study an Italian mountain variety of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, grown in the south-western of Trentino, has been evaluated for the phytochemical composition and bioactivities. The interest in this species arises from its countless properties [3] and the increased demand due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Methods: A dry extract from aerial parts of Italian mountain variety of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (namely ECH), prepared and provided by EPO Srl (Milan, Italy), has been studied and compared with a similar extract (EC), obtained from commercial echinacea varieties. Total polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids, along with phenolic composition were determined [4]. A bioactivity screening, including radical scavenging, antiglicative, cytoprotective, antiviral and immunomodulating ones, was performed too [4]. To this end, BEAS-2B (human bronchial epithelial cells), A549 (human lung cancer cells), and murine macrophages RAW 264.7, were used. The cytoprotective effects were evaluated towards damage induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and lipopolysaccharides (LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4). Results: ECH contained higher levels of total polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids respect to EC samples; however, the samples exhibited similar radical scavenging, chelating and antiglycative activity. HPLC analysis showed chicoric acid, caftaric acid, and 2-hydroxytyrosol as the major compounds, which were especially abundant in ECH sample. Despite a low cytoprotection towards damage induced by tBOOH, the extracts stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and to counteract nitric oxide secretion induced by LPS. Conversely, antiviral effects were weak or lacking. Present findings highlight interesting antioxidant, immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory properties of ECH, in line with those of EC. Moreover, the marked content of chicoric acid, caftaric acid, and 2-hydroxytyrosol suggest possible peculiar properties which deserves further studies. Conclusions: Present findings encourage the production of this local variety of echinacea, which could be of interest in pharmaceutical/ nutraceutical fields, with positive relapse on the market of medicinal plants and on local economy. References [1] Chen et al. Chin Med. 2016,11,37. [2] Applequist et al. Planta Med. 2020,86,10-18. [3] EMA/HMPC/557979/2013 e EMA/HMPC/424584/2016 [4] Di Sotto et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018, 2018,5919237.