Phytochemical and Chemotaxonomic Investigations on Coussapoa Microcarpa (Cecropieae, Urticaceae)

Background: The Coussapoa genus (Urticaceae, tribe Cecropieae) contains 50 species mainly distributed throughout the Neotropical region. Although some genera belonging to the Cecropieae tribe have been well-assessed, the chemical profile of Coussapoa members has not yet been investigated. Objective: In this context, the aim of the present study was to characterize phenolic substances present in a methanol extract obtained from Coussapoa microcarpa leaves employing UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS analyses. Methods: Several condensed tannins (epi-afzelechin-epi-catechin, B-type and C-type procyanidins), flavan-3-ols ((+) -catechin and (-) - epicatechin), phenolic acid (O-caffeoylquinic acid) and C-glycosyl flavones (orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, isoorientin-2″-O-rhamnoside, vitexin-2″-Ohexoside, vitexin-2″-O-xyloside and isovitexin-2″-O-xyloside) were identified. Results: The determined chemical profile observed for C. microcarpa exhibits chemo-taxonomic significance compared to other neotropical genera. Conclusion: Structural variability of the identified secondary metabolites is of significant value for chemosystematic studies concerning the Coussapoa genus and the Cecropieae tribe, both still unexplored with respect to their chemodiversity.