Synthesis and quantitation of six phenolic amides in Amaranthus spp

J Agric Food Chem. 2010 May 26;58(10):6306-11. doi: 10.1021/jf100002v.

Abstract

Cinnamoylphenethylamines are phenolic amides in which cinnamic acid provides the acid moiety and phenethylamine the amine moiety. Single ion monitoring (SIM) in LC-MS was performed on amaranth leaf extracts. Masses corresponding to sets of regioisomers, including previously reported compounds, were examined. Six peaks were detected and their corresponding standards synthesized for a quantitative LC-MS/MS investigation of cinnamoylphenethylamines in amaranth. Four cinnamoylphenethylamines (caffeoyltyramine, feruloyldopamine, sinapoyltyramine, and p-coumaroyltyramine) are reported in the Amaranthaceae for the first time; also, one rare compound, feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, appeared to be quite common in the genus Amaranthus. Feruloyldopamine showed moderate antifungal activity toward an isolate of Fusarium culmorum. Our LC-MS approach, in conjunction with the straightforward synthesis, provides a simple, reliable way of quantitatively investigating cinnamoylphenethylamines in plants. Concentrations of cinnamoylphenethylamines vary widely: feruloyltyramine was present in quantities of 5.26 to 114.31 microg/g and feruloyldopamine in quantities of 0.16 to 10.27 microg/g, depending on the plant sample.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amaranthus / chemistry*
  • Amaranthus / metabolism*
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Cinnamates / analysis*
  • Cinnamates / metabolism*
  • Cinnamates / pharmacology
  • Coumaric Acids / analysis
  • Dopamine / analogs & derivatives
  • Dopamine / analysis
  • Dopamine / biosynthesis
  • Fungicides, Industrial / pharmacology
  • Phenethylamines / analysis*
  • Phenethylamines / metabolism*
  • Phenethylamines / pharmacology
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Plant Leaves / metabolism
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Cinnamates
  • Coumaric Acids
  • Fungicides, Industrial
  • Phenethylamines
  • feruloyldopamine
  • Dopamine