Large-scale bioprospection of the Italian flora: from drug discovery to the study of metabolome diversification in land plants

During their history, plants have evolved various physiological adaptations and a vast arsenal of biomolecules to thrive in diverse environments and coexist with other living organisms. The extensive diversity in structures, functions, and bioactivities exhibited by plant specialized metabolites represents a valuable resource for bioprospecting, i.e. the exploration of biodiversity for new resources of social and commercial value. At the same time, it poses a significant challenge in studying the chemo-evolutionary dynamics affecting biosynthesis and diversification of specialized metabolites among the various taxa of land plants. In the frame of the National Biodiversity Future Center, dedicated to the monitoring, conservation, restoration, and valorization of biodiversity, we set up a large-scale bioprospection plan to cover the huge phytochemical diversity expressed within the vascular and non-vascular Italian flora (more than 11,000 taxa1,2). We selected about 700 species on a phylogenetic basis to create a core collection in which all Italian plant families are represented in accordance to their relative amplitudes (e.g., for the Angiosperms, in order: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, etc.). Plants were sampled from Italian botanic gardens, nurseries, and open fields from various geographical regions of Italy. Among the vascular section of the collection, about 75% of the species are native (comprising 53 endemic species), and 25% are alien (including 48 casual and 92 naturalized species, of whom 38 are invasive). The collection is being currently characterized through UPLC-HR-MS, and the species with the most interesting phytochemical profiles are entering a downstream bioactivity screening program focused on non-communicable diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, metabolic syndrome, etc.) and crop enhancement and protection. This screening aims to identify specific phytochemicals that can be exploited to produce drugs, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and products for more sustainable agricultural practices. In parallel, comparative data generated from the untargeted metabolomics analysis of our collection will show how plant-specialized metabolites chart within the various lineages of the Italian flora, providing further knowledge to understand metabolome diversification in land plants. 1 Portale della flora d’Italia - Portal to the flora of Italy, 2023.1. (https://dryades.units.it/floritaly/; retrieved on 21 March 2024) 2 Muschi ed epatiche d’Italia - Mosses and liverworts of Italy (https://dryades.units.it/briofite/index.php; retrieved on 21 March 2024)