Metabolomic and Pharmacological Approaches for Exploring the Potential of L. Root Culture as a Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals.

(Asteraceae) has been traditionally used worldwide for medicinal purposes, and some of its therapeutic uses have been attributed to the pharmacological effects of its secondary metabolites. The root culture of this species might represent a sustainable source of several pharmacologically active compounds. The biomass of a root culture was extracted with methanol and fractionated using column chromatography. Three selected fractions (4TP, 5TP, and 8TP) were analyzed via spectrophotometric, chromatographic, and mass spectrometry techniques and in vitro pharmacological assays. The greatest values for total phenolic and phenolic acid contents and antibacterial activity against were determined for 4TP. The highest values for total flavonoid and sesquiterpene lactone contents, antioxidant potential, and α-amylase inhibitory effect were determined for 8TP. The antibacterial effect against was not significantly different among the three fractions. The root culture of is a potential source of several metabolites, such as phenolic acids, fatty acids, coumarins, sesquiterpenoids, and triterpenoids, which are capable of exerting α-amylase inhibition and antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects. Among eight phenolic compounds detected and quantified in the fractions, chlorogenic acid was the most abundant.