# Metabolomic and Pharmacological Approaches for Exploring the Potential of Tanacetum parthenium L. Root Culture as a Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals

## TL;DR

This study explores the root culture of Tanacetum parthenium as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antibacterial, and health benefits.

## Contribution

The study identifies and quantifies bioactive metabolites from root cultures of T. parthenium, highlighting their pharmacological potential.

## Key findings

- Fraction 4TP showed the highest phenolic content and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli.
- Fraction 8TP exhibited the highest flavonoid content, antioxidant potential, and α-amylase inhibition.
- Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant phenolic compound detected in the root culture fractions.

## Abstract

Tanacetum parthenium (Asteraceae) has been traditionally used worldwide for medicinal purposes, and some of its therapeutic uses have been attributed to the pharmacological effects of its secondary metabolites. The root culture of this species might represent a sustainable source of several pharmacologically active compounds. The biomass of a root T. parthenium culture was extracted with methanol and fractionated using column chromatography. Three selected fractions (4TP, 5TP, and 8TP) were analyzed via spectrophotometric, chromatographic, and mass spectrometry techniques and in vitro pharmacological assays. The greatest values for total phenolic and phenolic acid contents and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli were determined for 4TP. The highest values for total flavonoid and sesquiterpene lactone contents, antioxidant potential, and α-amylase inhibitory effect were determined for 8TP. The antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus was not significantly different among the three fractions. The root culture of T. parthenium is a potential source of several metabolites, such as phenolic acids, fatty acids, coumarins, sesquiterpenoids, and triterpenoids, which are capable of exerting α-amylase inhibition and antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects. Among eight phenolic compounds detected and quantified in the fractions, chlorogenic acid was the most abundant.