Document Type : Letters to the Editor
Authors
1
Department of Genetics ,Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, TeMSC,Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2
Integrative Oncology Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Go.C, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran
4
SMK Collega of Applied Sciences, Vilnius, Lithuania
5
Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
6
Department of Plant Sciences, Go.C, Faculty of Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran
10.22087/hmj.2026.570190.1040
Abstract
Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit. is a lesser-known member of the family Apocynaceae, distributed mainly across temperate regions of Asia and Europe. According to GBIF data, its confirmed occurrence in Iran is limited to northern provinces along the Alborz Mountains. The Apocynaceae family is rich in monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) such as vincamine, vinblastine, and vincristine, known for their anticancer, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities. In this study, the aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of Vinca herbacea were collected in June 2024 from the Baleskuh protected area, Tonekabon County, Mazandaran Province, Iran, and authenticated by the Iranian Biological Resource Center (IBRC, code: IBRC P1006834). The dried samples were extracted using 96% ethanol and 96% n-propanol by cold maceration, followed by LC–MS (ESI⁺) analysis. In the ethanolic extract, Vincaminoreine was identified in flowers (m/z = 355.25, RT = 12.55 min) and leaves (m/z = 355.29, RT = 12.41 min), but not in stems. In the n-propanol extract, the compound was detected in all three organs with m/z values around 355.25–355.27 and retention times near 10.3 min. MassLynx analysis confirmed isotopic and molecular ion matches with reference data, validating the presence of Vincaminoreine. This study reports, for the first time worldwide, the occurrence of Vincaminoreine in Vinca herbacea, and it is also the first record from northern Iran. The results suggest that biosynthesis of this alkaloid is more active in photosynthetic tissues and provide a foundation for future research on phytochemistry, plant biotechnology, and natural product-based drug development.
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