Background: The yellow-leaf gl1 mutant of Lagerstroemia indica exhibits an altered phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway compared to wild-type (WT). However, details on the metabolites associated with leaf color variation, including color-specific metabolites with bioactive constituents, are not fully understood.
Methods: Chemical and metabolomics approaches were used to compare metabolite composition and antioxidant capacity between the gl1 mutant and WT leaves.
Results: The mutant exhibited an irregular xylem structure with a significantly lower phenolic polymer lignin content and higher soluble phenolic compounds. Untargeted metabolomics analysis identified phenolic compounds, particularly lignans, as key differential metabolites between gl1 and WT, with a significant increase in the mutant. The neolignan derivative balanophonin-4-O-D-glu was identified as a characteristic metabolite in the gl1 mutant. The soluble phenolic compounds of the gl1 mutant exhibited higher FRAP, ABTS, DPPH, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity than in WT. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds in L. indica.
Conclusions: Metabolites associated with leaf color variation in the L. indica yellow-leaf gl1 mutant demonstrated high antioxidant capacity, particularly in scavenging hydroxyl radicals.
Keywords: Lagerstroemia indica; antioxidant activity; metabolomics; phenolic compounds; yellow-leaf mutant.