Simultaneous determination of taxoids and flavonoids in twigs and leaves of three Taxus species by UHPLC-MS/MS

HPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS/MS based untargeted metabolomics authentication of Taxus × media six tissues

INTRODUCTION

Taxus media (Taxus × media Rehder) is renowned for its high paclitaxel content, serving as a major source for industrial paclitaxel production. In addition to paclitaxel, T. media contains a diverse range of metabolites, including flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids, which have been shown to possess antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. However, these compounds have not been thoroughly studied as key metabolites in T. media.

OBJECTIVE

The untargeted metabolomics analysis of six T. media tissues provides new insights into the development and utilization of T. media metabolites.

METHOD

The extracts from six tissues of T. media were analyzed and subjected to analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) and chemometric techniques.

RESULTS

Using a reliable HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method, we identified 312 compounds in six T. media tissues, including 214 previously unreported in T. media. To identify characteristic compounds across different tissues, 34 metabolites were further screened. KEGG metabolic pathway analysis revealed that these compounds primarily occur in the metabolic pathways of terpene glycosides, flavans, and O-methylated flavonoids.

CONCLUSION

This study initially utilized an HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics approach to assess the metabolites in different tissues of T. media, providing a basis for their utilization and management.

Microscopic distribution of taxanes in freeze-fixed stems of Taxus cuspidata

Introduction

Taxus species contain the anticancer alkaloid paclitaxel, as well as other taxanes similar in structure and potentially in effect to paclitaxel. Tissue-specific distribution patterns and seasonal variations of taxanes in some Taxus species have been reported; however, it is still under-presented for the taxanes in Taxus cuspidata.

Methods

The radial distributions of eight taxanes in the transverse surface of freeze-fixed T. cuspidata stems from the late summer and the spring seasons were investigated by cryo-time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (cryo-TOF-SIMS/SEM) visualization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) quantitative analysis. By optical microscopic observation, seasonal differences in the amounts and distribution patterns of target taxanes were further characterized in specific tissues.

Results and Discussion

The overall amount of taxanes was higher in the late summer than in the spring. Also, taxanes' radial distribution was generally found at higher concentration in the phloem, the cambium and lower level in the periderm, the latest-forming xylem, with different taxanes showing several patterns with distinction between seasons, which were considered related to seasonal plant physiological behaviors. In addition, the distribution of baccatin III (BAC) was investigated at the cellular level, which was regarded in specific cells suggesting its transport in the radial and axial directions in the T. cuspidata stem. Characterizing the microscopic distribution of taxanes in the T. cuspidata stem is expected to play a role in the further study of their biosynthesis and in planta behaviors.

Mass Spectrometry-Imaging Analysis of Active Ingredients in the Leaves of Taxus cuspidata

BACKGROUND

Taxus cuspidata is an endangered evergreen conifer mainly found in Northeast Asia. In addition to the well-known taxanes, several active ingredients were detected in the leaves of T. cuspidata. However, the precise spatial distribution of active ingredients in the leaves of T. cuspidata is largely unknown.

RESULTS

in the present study, timsTOF flex MALDI-2 analysis was used to uncover the accumulation pattern of active ingredients in T. cuspidata leaves. In total, 3084 ion features were obtained, of which 944 were annotated according to the mass spectrometry database. The principal component analysis separated all of the detected metabolites into four typical leaf tissues: mesophyll cells, upper epidermis, lower epidermis, and vascular bundle cells. Imaging analysis identified several leaf tissues that specifically accumulated active ingredients, providing theoretical support for studying the regulation mechanism of compound biosynthesis. Furthermore, the relative accumulation levels of each identified compound were analyzed. Two flavonoid compounds, ligustroflavone and Morin, were identified with high content through quantitative analysis of the ion intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

our data provides fundamental information for the protective utilization of T. cuspidata.

Migration and Transformation of Taxane Allelochemicals in Soil

The migration and transformation of allelochemicals are important topics in the exploration of allelopathy. Current research on the migration of allelochemicals mostly uses soil column and thin layer methods and verifies it by sowing plant seeds. However, traditional methods inevitably ignore the flux caused by the movement of allelochemicals carried by water. In fact, the flux determines the amount of allelochemicals that directly affect plants. In this work, a method of microdialysis combined with a soil column and UPLC-MS/MS to detect the flux of allelochemicals was developed for the first time and successfully applied to the detection of five taxane allelochemicals in soil. Meanwhile, by adding taxane allelochemicals to the soil and detecting their transformation products using UPLC-MS/MS, the half-life of taxane in the soil was determined, and the transformation pathway of taxane allelochemicals in the soil was further speculated.

Effects of lactic acid bacteria on antioxidant activity in vitro and aroma component of Eucommia ulmoides tea

Eucommia ulmoides tea is a popular functional health drink in Asian countries, but its unique herbal aroma is difficult for consumers to accept. The effects of four lactic acid bacteria strains (Lactobacillus plantarium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus) fermentation on the physicochemical property, antioxidant activity in vitro and aroma component of E. ulmoides leaves were studied. Within the four strains, the sample by L. bulgaricus fermentation showed the higher concentrations of chlorogenic acid, geniposidic acid and stronger antioxidant activity in vitro. Moreover, the sample by L. bulgaricus fermentation produced a stronger fruity and floral flavor. These results suggested that L. bulgaricus was the best strain for fermentation E. ulmoides tea. The differences between different strains should be considered when selecting lactic acid bacteria for raw material fermentation of fruits and vegetables.

Increased paclitaxel recovery from Taxus baccata vascular stem cells using novel in situ product recovery approaches

In this study, several approaches were tested to optimise the production and recovery of the widely used anticancer drug Taxol® (paclitaxel) from culturable vascular stem cells (VSCs) of Taxus baccata, which is currently used as a successful cell line for paclitaxel production. An in situ product recovery (ISPR) technique was employed, which involved combining three commercial macro-porous resin beads (HP-20, XAD7HP and HP-2MG) with batch and semi-continuous cultivations of the T. baccata VSCs after adding methyl jasmonate (Me-JA) as an elicitor. The optimal resin combination resulted in 234 ± 23 mg of paclitaxel per kg of fresh-weight cells, indicating a 13-fold improved yield compared to the control (with no resins) in batch cultivation. This resin treatment was further studied to evaluate the resins' removal capacity of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause poor cell growth or reduce product synthesis. It was observed that the ISPR cultivations had fourfold less intracellular ROS concentration than that of the control; thus, a reduced ROS concentration established by the resin contributed to increased paclitaxel yield, contrary to previous studies. These paclitaxel yields are the highest reported to date using VSCs, and this scalable production method could be applied for a diverse range of similar compounds utilising plant cell culture.

Quality evaluation of compounds in leaves of six Taxus species based on UPLC-MS/MS and chemometrics

Introduction: Taxus species are used as medicinal plants all over the world. The leaves of Taxus species are sustainable medicinal resources that are rich in taxoids and flavonoids. However, traditional identification methods cannot effectively identify Taxus species on the basis of leaces used as raw medicinal materials, because their appearance and morphological characteristics are almost the same, and the probability of error identification increases in accordance with the subjective consciousness of the experimenter. Moreover, although the leaves of different Taxus species have been widely used, their chemical components are similar and lack systematic comparative research. Such a situation is challenging for quality assessment. Materials and methods: In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics was applied for the simultaneous determination of eight taxoids, four flavanols, five flavonols, two dihydroflavones, and five biflavones in the leaves of six Taxus species, namely, T. mairei, T. chinensis, T. yunnanensis, T. wallichiana, T. cuspidata, and T. media. Chemometric methods, including hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, orthogonal partial least squares-discriminate analysis, random forest iterative modeling, and fisher linear discriminant analysis, were utilized to differentiate and evaluate the six Taxus species. Results: This proposed method exhibited good linearity (R ² = 0.9999-0.9972) with a lower quantification limits of 0.94-3.05 ng/mL for all analytes. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 6.83%. Six compounds, namely, 7-xylosyl-10-deacetyltaxol, ginkgetin, rutin, aromadendrin, 10-deacetyl baccatin III, and epigallocatechin, were identified through chemometrics for the first time. These compounds can be used as important chemical markers to distinguish the above six Taxus species rapidly. Conclusion: This study established a method for determination of the leaves of six Taxus species, and revealing the differences in the chemical components of these six Taxus species.

Analysis of the utilization value of different tissues of Taxus×Media based on metabolomics and antioxidant activity

BACKGROUND

Taxaceae, is a class of dioecious and evergreen plant with substantial economic and ecology value. At present many phytochemical analyses have been performed in Taxus plants. And various biological constituents have been isolated from various Taxus species. However, the difference of compounds and antioxidant capacity of different tissues of T. media is not clear.

RESULTS

In the present study, we investigated the metabolites and antioxidant activity of four tissues of T. media, including T. media bark (TB), T. media fresh leaves (TFL), T. media seeds (TS), T. media aril (TA). In total, 808 compounds, covering 11 subclasses, were identified by using UPLC-MS/MS. Paclitaxel, the most popular anticancer compound, was found to accumulate most in TS, followed by TB, TFL and TA in order. Further analysis found that 70 key differential metabolites with VIP > 1.0 and p < 0.05, covering 8 subclasses, were screened as the key differential metabolites in four tissues. The characteristic compounds of TFL mainly included flavonoids and tanninsis. Alkaloids and phenolic acids were major characteristic compounds of TS and TB respectively. Amino acids and derivatives, organic acids, saccharides and lipids were the major characteristic compounds of TA. Additionally, based on FRAP and ABTS method, TS and TFL exhibited higher antioxidant activity than TB and TA.

CONCLUSION

There was significant difference in metabolite content among different tissues of T. media. TFL and TS had higher metabolites and antioxidant capacity than other tissues, indicating that TFL and TS were more suitable for the development and utilization of T. media in foods and drinks.

Profiling of Taxoid Compounds in Plant Cell Cultures of Different Species of Yew (Taxus spp.)

Plant cell cultures of various yew species are a profitable source of taxoids (taxane diterpenoids) with antitumor activity. So far, despite intensive studies, the principles of the formation of different groups of taxoids in cultured in vitro plant cells have not been fully revealed. In this study, the qualitative composition of taxoids of different structural groups was assessed in callus and suspension cell cultures of three yew species (Taxus baccata, T. canadensis, and T. wallichiana) and two T. × media hybrids. For the first time, 14-hydroxylated taxoids were isolated from the biomass of the suspension culture of T. baccata cells, and their structures were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy as 7β-hydroxy-taxuyunnanin C, sinenxane C, taxuyunnanine C, 2α,5α,9α,10β,14β-pentaacetoxy-4(20), 11-taxadiene, and yunnanxane. UPLC-ESI-MS screening of taxoids was performed in more than 20 callus and suspension cell lines originating from different explants and grown in over 20 formulations of nutrient media. Regardless of the species, cell line origin, and conditions, most of the investigated cell cultures retained the ability to form taxane diterpenoids. Nonpolar 14-hydroxylated taxoids (in the form of polyesters) were predominant under in vitro culture conditions in all cell lines. These results, together with the literature data, suggest that dedifferentiated cell cultures of various yew species retain the ability to synthesize taxoids, but predominantly of the 14-OH taxoid group compared to the 13-OH taxoids found in plants.

Flavonoid Components, Distribution, and Biological Activities in Taxus: A review

Taxus, also known as "gold in plants" because of the famous agents with emphases on Taxol and Docetaxel, is a genus of the family Taxaceae, distributed almost around the world. The plants hold an important place in traditional medicine in China, and its products are used for treating treat dysuria, swelling and pain, diabetes, and irregular menstruation in women. In order to make a further study and better application of Taxus plants for the future, cited references from between 1958 and 2022 were collected from the Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), SciFinder, and Google Scholar, and the chemical structures, distribution, and bioactivity of flavonoids identified from Taxus samples were summed up in the research. So far, 59 flavonoids in total with different skeletons were identified from Taxus plants, presenting special characteristics of compound distribution. These compounds have been reported to display significant antibacterial, antiaging, anti-Alzheimer's, antidiabetes, anticancer, antidepressant, antileishmaniasis, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antiallergic, antivirus, antilipase, neuronal protective, and hepatic-protective activities, as well as promotion of melanogenesis. Flavonoids represent a good example of the utilization of the Taxus species. In the future, further pharmacological and clinical experiments for flavonoids could be accomplished to promote the preparation of relative drugs.

Active Ingredient Paeonol of Jijiu Huiyang Decoction Alleviates Isoproterenol-Induced Chronic Heart Failure via the GSK3A/PPARα Pathway

Background

The pharmacological mechanism of the traditional Chinese medicine formula-Jijiu Huiyang decoction (JJHYD), which contains several herbal medicines for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF), is yet unknown. Method and Materials. The main active components of JJHYD were analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The target genes of JJHYD and CHF were retrieved through multiple databases, a drug-ingredient-target-disease network was created, and KEGG enrichment and GO analyses were carried out. The binding ability of paeonol and Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 alpha (GSK3A) was confirmed by molecular docking. CHF animal model and cell model were constructed. The effects of paeonol on cardiac dysfunction, myocardial hypertrophy, cardiac lipid accumulation, and myocardial apoptosis were detected by echocardiography, histopathology, and flow cytometry, respectively. The effects of paeonol on the expression of myocardial hypertrophy index, GSK3A, and genes or proteins related to the PPARα pathway were determined by qRT-PCR or western blot.

Result

UHPLC-MS/MS analysis combined with database verification showed a total of 227 chemical components in JJHYD, among which paeonol was the one with heart-protective roles and had the highest content. Paeonol alleviated isoproterenol-induced cardiac lipid accumulation, cardiac hypertrophy, and myocardial dysfunction and inhibited the activation of the PPARα pathway, while overexpression of GSK3A reversed these effects of paeonol. However, the reversal effects of GSK3A overexpression could be offset by siPPARα.

Conclusion

As the main active substance of JJHYD, paeonol participates in the protection of CHF by targeting the GSK3A/PPARα signaling pathway to reduce lipid toxicity.

Quick and In Situ Detection of Different Polar Allelochemicals in Taxus Soil by Microdialysis Combined with UPLC-MS/MS

The action of allelopathy need that allelochemicals exist in the soil and reach a certain concentration. Also, the detection of allelochemicals in the soil is one of the most important research topics in the process of exploring allelopathy. To solve the problem of the simultaneous detection of allelochemicals with low concentrations and different polarities, a novel strategy for the quick detection of the allelochemicals in Taxus soil by microdialysis combined with UPLC-MS/MS on the basis of in situ detection without destroying the original structure of soil was developed for the first time in the work. The dialysis conditions were optimized by the Box-Behnken design (BBD): 70% methanol, 3 μL/min flow rate, and 3 cm long membrane tube. A reliable UPLC-MS/MS program was systematically optimized for the simultaneous detection of nine allelochemicals with different polarities. The results proved the differences in the contents and distributions of nine allelochemicals in three different Taxus soils.

Natural Taxanes: From Plant Composition to Human Pharmacology and Toxicity

Biologically active taxanes, present in small- to medium-sized evergreen conifers of various Taxus species, are widely used for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, but mostly for their antitumour effects used in the treatment of solid tumours of the breast, ovary, lung, bladder, prostate, oesophagus and melanoma. More of the substances found in Taxus plant extracts have medical potential. Therefore, at the beginning of this review, we describe the methods of isolation, identification and determination of taxanes in different plant parts. One of the most important taxanes is paclitaxel, for which we summarize the pharmacokinetic parameters of its different formulations. We also describe toxicological risks during clinical therapy such as hypersensitivity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, haematological, skin and renal toxicity and toxicity to the respiratory system. Since the effect of the drug-form PTX is enhanced by various Taxus spp. extracts, we summarize published clinical intoxications and all fatal poisonings for the Taxus baccata plant. This showed that, despite their significant use in anticancer treatment, attention should also be focused on the risk of fatal intoxication due to ingestion of extracts from these plants, which are commonly found in our surroundings.

Effects of LED supplemental lighting on the growth and metabolomic profile of Taxus baccata cultivated in a smart greenhouse

Light emitting diode (LED) lamps are increasingly being studied in cultivation of horticultural, ornamental and medicinal plants as means to increase yield, quality, stress resistance, and bioactive compounds content. Enhancing the production of metabolites for medicinal or pharmaceutical use by regulating LED intensity and spectra is a challenging subject, where promising results have been achieved. Nevertheless, some species have been poorly investigated, despite their interest as a source of medicinally active substances, with particular reference to LED effects at the plant cultivation level. This study evaluates the effects of supplementary top-light LED treatments on Taxus baccata, one of the main sources of taxane precursors. Blue, red and mixed red–and-blue spectra were tested at 100 μM m^-2 s^-1. Moreover, 50 and 150 μM m^-2 s^-1 intensities were tested for the mixed spectrum. All treatments were set for 14 hours a day and were tested against natural light as control treatment, in a controlled environment, from 19 August to 9 December 2019, this latter date representing 112 days after treatment (DAT) began. A smart monitoring and control system powered by environmental and proximal sensors was implemented to assure homogeneity of temperature, humidity, and base natural light for all the treatments. It resulted in negligible deviations from expected values and reliable exclusion of confusing factors. Biometric measurements and ¹H-NMR based metabolomic analysis were performed to investigate growth and phytochemical profile throughout the trial. One-way ANOVA showed that supplemental LED lighting increased plant height and number of sprouts. Considering the mixed red–and-blue spectrum, plant height increased almost proportionally from control to 100 μM m^-2 s^-1 (+20% at 112 DAT), with no further increase at higher intensity. The number of sprouts was strongly enhanced by LED treatments only in the early phase (48.9 vs. 7.5 sprouts in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m^-2 s^-1 vs. the control at 28 DAT), with no differences related to intensity in the very early stage, and more persisting effects (up to 56 DAT) for higher intensities. After the very early growth stages (28 DAT), plant vigor showed a modest although significant increase over time compared to the control, with no differences related to light intensity (0.81 vs. 0.74 of NDVI in the averaged 50, 100 and 150 μM m^-2 s^-1 vs. the control, across 56, 84 and 112 DAT). The different spectra tested at 100 μM m^-2 s^-1 showed no significant differences in growth parameters, except for a slight beneficial influence of blue (alone or with red) compared to only red for sprouting. According to the metabolomic analysis, treated plants at 28 DAT were characterized by the highest content of sucrose and aromatic compounds. Signals of a putative taxane were detected in the ¹H NMR profiles of plants, which were compared to the spectrum of baccatin III standard. However, the intensity of these spectral signals was not affected by the treatment, while they increased only slightly during time. Light at 150 μM m^-2 s^-1 induced the strongest variation in the metabolome. Conversely, light composition did not induce significant differences in the metabolome.

Identification of genes associated with biosynthesis of bioactive flavonoids and taxoids in Taxus cuspidata Sieb. et Zucc. plantlets exposed to UV-B radiation

UV-B radiation is a typical environmental stressor that can promote phytochemical accumulation in plants. Taxus species are highly appreciated due to the existence of bioactive taxoids (especially paclitaxel) and flavonoids. However, the effect of UV-B radiation on taxoid and flavonoid biosynthesis in Taxus cuspidata Sieb. et Zucc. is largely unknown. In the present work, the accumulation of taxoids and flavonoids in T. cuspidata plantlets was significantly induced by 12 and 24 h of UV-B radiation (3 W/m²), and a large number of significantly differentially expressed genes were obtained via transcriptomic analysis. The significant up-regulation of antioxidant enzyme- and flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase 1, chalcone synthase 2, flavonol synthase 1, and flavonoid 3', 5'-hydroxylase 2), suggested that UV-B might cause the oxidative stress thus promoting flavonoid accumulation in T. cuspidata. Moreover, the expression of some genes related to jasmonate metabolism and taxoid biosynthesis (taxadiene synthase, baccatin III-3-amino 3-phenylpropanoyltransferase 1, taxadiene-5α-hydroxylase, and ethylene response factors 15) was significantly activated, which indicated that UV-B might initiate jasmonate signaling pathway that contributed to taxoid enhancement in T. cuspidata. Additionally, the identification of some up-regulated genes involved in lignin biosynthesis pathway indicated that the lignification process in T. cuspidata might be stimulated for defense against UV-B radiation. Overall, our findings provided a better understanding of some potential key genes associated with flavonoid and taxoid biosynthesis in T. cuspidata exposed to UV-B radiation.

Bioactive Components, Volatile Profile and In Vitro Antioxidative Properties of Taxus baccata L. Red Arils

This study aimed at assessing the composition of bioactive compounds, including ascorbic acid, carotenoids and polyphenols, the volatile compound profile and the antioxidant activity of red arils (RAs) of Taxus baccata L. grown in diverse locations in Poland. Among the carotenoids assayed in high quantities (3.3-5.42 μg/g), the lycopene content (2.55-4.1 μg/g) was remarkably higher than that in many cultivated fruits. Samples collected from three sites were distinguished by higher amounts of ascorbic acid (125 mg/100 g, on average) than those found in many cultivated berries. Phenylpropanoids quantitatively dominated among the four groups of phenolic compounds. Chromatographic separation enabled the detection of two phenylpropanoid acids: ferulic and p-coumaric. Irrespectively of the growth site, RAs contained substantial amounts of (-)-epicatechin (1080 μg/100 g, on average). A higher ability to scavenge DPPH^● and ABTS^●+ radicals was found in the hydrophilic fraction of RAs from two sites (Warsaw and Koszalin) compared with the other two sites. The volatile compound profile of RAs was dominated by alcohols, followed by ketones, esters and aldehydes. The presence of some volatiles was exclusively related to the specific growth site, which may be regarded as a valuable indicator. The combination of bioactive and volatile compounds and the fairly good antioxidant potential of RAs render them an attractive source for preparing functional foods.

Investigation of bioactivities of Taxus chinensis, Taxus cuspidata, and Taxus × media by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Taxus species have attracted much attention for their potency in cancer treatment. However, investigating the bioactivities of Taxus species is a complex task, due to their diversity, slow growth, and endangered state. The most important Taxus species in China are Taxus chinensis (T. chinensis), Taxus cuspidata (T. cuspidata), and Taxus × media (T. media), which mainly grow in the northeastern region. This article probes deep into the differences among the leaves of T. chinensis, T. cuspidata, and T. media, with the aid of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Through GC-MS, 162 compounds were detected in the samples and found to contain 35 bioactive metabolites. On this basis, 20 metabolites with significant bioactivities (antibiotic, antioxidant, anticancer, and antiaging effects) were identified via unsupervised learning of principal component analysis and supervised learning of partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The results show that T. media has the most prominent antibiotic, antioxidant, and anticancer effects, while T. cuspidata has the most diverse and abundant metabolites that slow down aging.

Red Arils of Taxus baccata L.-A New Source of Valuable Fatty Acids and Nutrients

The aim of this study, focused on the nutritional value of wild berries, was to determine the contents of macronutrients, profiles of fatty (FAs) and amino acids (AAs), and the contents of selected elements in red arils (RA) of Taxus baccata L., grown in diverse locations in Poland. Protein (1.79–3.80 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (18.43–19.30 g/100 g) contents of RAs were higher than in many cultivated berries. RAs proved to be a source of lipids (1.39–3.55 g/100 g). Ten out of 18 AAs detected in RAs, mostly branched-chain AAs, were essential AAs (EAAs). The EAAs/total AAs ratio approximating were found in animal foods. Lipids of RA contained seven PUFAs, including those from n-3 family (19.20–28.20 g/100 g FA). Polymethylene-interrupted FAs (PMI-FAs), pinolenic 18:3Δ5,9,12; sciadonic 20:3Δ5,11,14, and juniperonic 20:4Δ5,11,14,17, known as unique for seeds of gymnosperms, were found in RAs. RAs may represent a novel dietary source of valuable n-3 PUFAs and the unique PMI-FAs. The established composition of RAs suggests it to become a new source of functional foods, dietary supplements, and valuable ingredients. Because of the tendency to accumulate toxic metals, RAs may be regarded as a valuable indicator of environmental contamination. Thus, the levels of toxic trace elements (Al, Ni, Cd) have to be determined before collecting fruits from natural habitats.