Chemotaxonomy of the Genus Citrus Based on Polymethoxyflavones

• Published in: Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 945 - 949
• Main Authors: MIZUNO, Mizuo, IINUMA, Munekazu, OHARA, Mitsuharu, TANAKA, Toshiyuki, IWAMASA, Masao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 1991; Maruzen; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Aromatic and heterocyclic compounds; Biological and medical sciences; chemotaxonomy; Citrus species; flavone-pattern; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heterocyclic compounds, pigments; Other biological molecules; polymethoxyflavone; Rutaceae; Citrus; Molecular structure; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Rutaceae; Chemotaxonomy; HPLC chromatography; Isolation; Spermatophyta; Flavonoid; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0009-2363; 1347-5223
• DOI: 10.1248/cpb.39.945

The contents of seven polymethoxylflavones [5, 6, 7, 8, 4'-pentamethoxy- (1), 5, 6, 7, 8, 3', 4'-hexamethoxy- (2), 5, 7, 4'-trimethoxy- (3), 5, 6, 7, 3', 4'-pentamethoxy- (4), 5, 7, 3', 4'-tetramethoxy- (5), 5, 7, 8, 4'-tetramethoxy- (6) and 5, 7, 8, 3', 4'-pentamethoxyflavones (7)] in the fruit peels of Citrus species (Rutaceae) were determined by use of high performance liquid chromatography. On the basis of their composition, relative ratio and the total contents, seven distinct flavone-patterns (types I-VII) were designated. These flavonone-patterns facilitate the chemotaxonomy of the genus Citrus. The results obtained in the present study support the morphological classification systems presented by Swingle or Tanaka except several taxa.