Summary: | Several members of <i>Stachys</i> L. (among the largest Lamiaceae genera) have been traditionally used as medicinal plants. With 54 <i>Stachys</i> taxa (species and subspecies) occurring in mainland and/or insular Greece, the present study aimed to investigate the metabolic profiling of four range-restricted local <i>Stachys</i> members: <i>Stachys candida</i> and <i>S. chrysantha</i> (protected and endangered local Greek endemics), <i>S. leucoglossa</i> subsp. <i>leucoglossa</i> (local Balkan endemic), and <i>S. spinulosa</i> (local Balkan subendemic). In this investigation, the infusions of their above-ground parts were characterized using NMR and HPLC-PDA-MS techniques. Thus, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectra were obtained to compare the chemical fingerprints of these plants. Furthermore, previously isolated compounds from <i>Stachys</i> spp. were used to identify specific constituents. NMR screening revealed the presence of: (i) phenylethanoid glycosides, mainly acteoside in <i>S. candida</i> and <i>S. chrysantha</i> (section <i>Candida</i>, <i>Swainsoniana</i> phyloclade), and (ii) flavone 7-<i>O</i>-allosylglucoside (isoscutellarein 7-<i>O</i>-[6‴-<i>O</i>-acetyl-β-D-allopyranosyl]-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside) and iridoids (monomelittoside or/and melittoside) in <i>S. leucoglossa</i> subsp. <i>leucoglossa</i> (section <i>Olisia</i>, <i>Swainsoniana/Olisia</i> phyloclade, <i>Swainsoniana</i> phyloclade) and caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) in <i>S. spinulosa</i> (section <i>Campanistrum</i>, <i>Stachys</i> phyloclade). In total, 26 compounds were detected by HPLC-PDA-MS belonging to flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, and phenolic acids. Among them, chlorogenic acid was identified in all samples as one of their main metabolites. The present study complements previous studies with first reports of constituents detected in the studied taxa, reports for the first time on the metabolic characterization of <i>S. spinulosa</i>, and discusses the chemotaxonomic significance of such findings.
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