Secondary metabolites may be affected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which
are beneficial symbionts associated with the roots of most plant species. Bituminaria
bituminosa (L.) C.H.Stirt is known as a source of several phytochemicals and therefore
used in folk medicine as a vulnerary, cicatrising, disinfectant agent. Characteristic
metabolites found in B. bituminosa are furanocoumarins and pterocarpans, which are
used in cosmetics and as chemotherapeutic agents. Here we address the question
whether AMF inoculation might affect positively the synthesis of these phytochemicals.
• B. bituminosa plants were inoculated with different AMF and several metabolites
were assessed during full vegetative stage and flowering phase. Pigments (chlorophylls
and carotenoids), polyphenols and flavonoids were spectrophotometrically
determined; specific isoflavones (genistein), furanocoumarins (psoralene and angelicin),
pterocarpans (bitucarpin A and erybraedin C) and plicatin B were assessed with
HPLC; leaf volatile organic compounds were analysed using SPME and identified by
GC-MS.
• During the vegetative stage, the inoculated plants had a high amount of furanocoumarins
(angelicin and psoralen) and pterocarpans (erybraedin C and bitucarpin
A). The analysis of volatile organic compounds of inoculated plants showed different
chemical composition compared with non-mycorrhizal plants.
• Given the important potential role played by furanocoumarins and pterocarpans in
the pharmaceutical industry, AMF inoculation of B. bituminosa plants may represent a
suitable biotechnological tool to obtain higher amounts of such metabolites for pharmaceutical
and medicinal purpose
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