# Exploring the Chemical Fingerprint and In Vitro Biocompatibility of Wild‐Growing and Ex Situ Cultivated Stachys cretica subsp. cretica in the Same Region (Crete, Greece)

## TL;DR

This study compares the chemical makeup and safety of wild and cultivated Stachys cretica plants from Crete, finding they are chemically similar and safe for biomedical use.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that ex situ cultivation of Stachys cretica subsp. cretica preserves its chemical profile and biocompatibility.

## Key findings

- Methanol extracts showed higher chemical diversity compared to infusions, especially in flavonoids.
- Wild and cultivated samples exhibited limited phytochemical variation, indicating preserved chemical profiles.
- Stachys cretica subsp. cretica extracts were confirmed biocompatible using HEK293 cell viability tests.

## Abstract

The genus Stachys (Lamiaceae) comprises numerous species recognized for their ethnopharmacological importance and rich chemical profiles. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition and biocompatibility of both wild‐growing Cretan samples and asexually propagated samples of Stachys cretica L. subsp. cretica that were ex situ cultivated in the same region (Crete). The methanol (MeOH) extracts and infusions were analyzed using high‐performance liquid chromatography‐photodiode array detection coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC‐PDA‐MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) spectroscopy. A total of 23 compounds were identified in the analyzed samples by HPLC‐PDA‐MS, classified as flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, and phenolic acids. The NMR screening confirmed the presence of chlorogenic acid, acteoside, lavandulifolioside, and leucosceptoside A in the MeOH extract of wild‐growing S. cretica subsp. cretica. Methanol extracts exhibited higher chemical diversity compared to infusions, particularly in flavonoids. Moreover, biocompatibility is crucial for most biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, ensuring that drugs, drug delivery systems, and cosmetics avoid possible side effects or cytotoxicity. Thus, normal human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) were cultivated and cell viability (%) was estimated. This confirmed that S. cretica subsp. cretica extracts are biocompatible. The limited phytochemical variation observed between wild‐growing and cultivated samples suggests that cultivation within the species’ native range may preserve its chemical composition.

Methanol extracts and infusions of wild and cultivated Stachys cretica subsp. cretica share similar profiles.