Phytochemical characterization and bioprospection of Asterid clade in the Italian territory

Asterid clade is the largest subgroup of eudicots, with approximately 100.000 species grouped into 17 orders representing almost 25% of all angiosperm species [1]. In the frame of Italian flora, Asterids represent around 40% of all land plants and amounts to 45% of Italian angiosperms [2]. Plant species belonging to Asterid clade are known for production and accumulation of different bioactive metabolites. A significant example is represented by the antimalarial drug artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from A. annua leaves [3]. The aim of this work is the bioprospection and chemical characterization of plant metabolites inside the Asterid clade within the Italian flora, with a focus on the identification of new natural sources for high value secondary metabolites. Additionally, data obtained from metabolomic analysis will enable us to conduct a comparative investigation of the phytochemodiversity of Asterids specialized metabolome. In order to cover the chemical diversity of the Italian flora inside this group, all the 47 plant families of Asterid clade were included in the sampling plan, for a total of 221 species. The number of selected species per family was chosen proportionally, according to the dimension of each family. Plants were sampled from nurseries, botanical gardens and open field. So far, 206 species out 221 were sampled during the sampling campaign, resulting in a coverage of 85% for the families and 90% the genera of the Asterid clade included in the project. The UPLC-HR-MS analysis is currently on going, with 75 species already analyzed.