Natural compounds are important source of desired biological activity which helps to improve nutritional status and brings many health benefits. Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill. which belongs to the family Aquifoliaceae is a plant rich in bioactive substances (polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids) with therapeutic potential including hepatic and digestive disorders, arthritis, rheumatism, and other inflammatory diseases, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia. In terms of phytochemical research I. paraguariensis has been the subject of most intensive investigations among Ilex species. Therefore, we concentrated on other available Ilex varieties and focused on the content of fatty acids of these shrubs. The fatty acid compounds present in Ilex sp. samples were analyzed by GC-MS. 27 different fatty acids were identified in the extracts. The results showed that many constituents with significant commercial or medicinal importance were present in high concentrations. The primary component in all samples was α linolenic acid(18:3 Δ9,12,15). Differences of this component concentration were observed between cultivars and extensively analyzed by PCA, one- way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA. Significant correlations between compound concentrations were reported.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostics Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Charles University Sokolska Str 581 500 05 Hradec Kralove Czech Republic

Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences Norwida 25 50 375 Wrocław Poland

Department of Horticulture Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences pl Grunwaldzki 24A 50 363 Wrocław Poland

Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicines Wrocław Medical University Borowska 211A 50 556 Wrocław Poland

Institute of Animal Breeding Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences Chełmońskiego 38c 51 630 Wrocław Poland

Laboratory of Tissue Culture Botanical Garden Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Wrocław 50 234 Wrocław Poland

See more in PubMed

Czekalski M. Liściaste Krzewy Ozdobne II. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Rolnicze i Leśne; Warszawa, Poland: 2015. pp. 95–98.

Czekalski M. Krzewy ozdobne mało znane: Ostrokrzew kolczasty. Zieleń Miejska. 2015;3:28.

Tumiłowicz J., Banaszczak P. Drzewa i krzewy z rodziny Aquifoliaceae w arboretach w Rogowie i Glinnej. Rocz. Dendr. 2007;55:41–56.

Seneta W., Dolatowski J. Dendrologia. PWN; Warszawa, Poland: 2009.

Galle F.C. Hollies–The genus Ilex. Timber Press; Portland, OR, USA: 1998.

Czekalski M. Ostrokrzew Meservy. Zieleń Miejska. 2012;12:27.

Yao X., Zhang F., Corlett R.T. Utilization of the Hollies (Ilex L. spp.): A Review. Forests. 2022;13:94. doi: 10.3390/f13010094. DOI

Cansian R.L., Mossi A.J., Mosele S.H., Toniazzo G., Treichel H., Paroul N., Oliveira J.V., Mazutti M., Echeverrigaray S. Genetic conservation and medicinal properties of mate (Ilex paraguariensis St Hil.) Phcog Rev. 2008;2:326–338.

Zwyrzykowska A., Kupczyński R., Jarosz B., Szumny A., Kucharska A.Z. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of polyphenolic compounds in Ilex sp. Open Chem. 2015;13:1303–1312. doi: 10.1515/chem-2015-0142. DOI

Paluch E., Okińczyc P., Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska A., Szperlik J., Żarowska B., Duda-Madej A., Bąbelewski P., Włodarczyk M., Wojtasik W., Kupczyński R., et al. Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Ilex Leaves Water Extracts. Molecules. 2021;26:7442. doi: 10.3390/molecules26247442. PubMed DOI PMC

Balzan S., Hernandes A., Reichert C.L., Donaduzzi C., Pires V.A., Gasparotto A., Cardozo E.L. Lipid-lowering effects of standardized extracts of Ilex paraguariensis in high-fat-diet rats. Fitoterapia. 2013;86:115–122. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2013.02.008. PubMed DOI

Bracesco N., Sanchez A.G., Contreras V., Menini T., Gugliucci A. Recent advances on Ilex paraguariensis research: Minireview. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2011;136:378–384. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.06.032. PubMed DOI

Heck C.I., de Mejia E.G. Yerba Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis): A comprehensive review on chemistry, health implications, and technological considerations. J. Food Sci. 2007;72:138–151. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00535.x. PubMed DOI

Rustan A.C., Drevon C.A. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; Hoboken, NJ, USA: 2005. Fatty Acids: Structures and Properties.

Avato P., Tava A. Rare fatty acids and lipids in plant oilseeds: Occurrence and bioactivity. Phytochem. Rev. 2022;21:401–428. doi: 10.1007/s11101-021-09770-4. DOI

Yao X., Song Y., Yang J.B., Tan Y.H., Corlett R.T. Phylogeny and biogeography of the hollies (Ilex L., Aquifoliaceae) J. Syst. Evol. 2021;59:73–82. doi: 10.1111/jse.12567. DOI

Wang J., Liu Z., Liu H., Peng D., Zhang J., Chen M. Linum usitatissimum FAD2A and FAD3A enhance seed polyunsaturated fatty acid accumulation and seedling cold tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Sci. 2021;311:111014. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.111014. PubMed DOI

Saffaryazdi A., Ganjeali A., Farhoosh R., Cheniany M. Variation in phenolic compounds, α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid contents and antioxidant activity of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) during phenological growth stages. Physiol. Mol. Biol. Plants. 2020;26:1519–1529. doi: 10.1007/s12298-020-00836-9. PubMed DOI PMC

Zhukov A.V. Palmitic acid and its role in the structure and functions of plant cell membranes. Russ. J. Plant Physiol. 2015;62:706–713. doi: 10.1134/S1021443715050192. DOI

Kunst L., Browse J., Somerville C. Enhanced thermal tolerance in a mutant of Arabidopsis deficient in palmitic acid unsaturation. Plant Physiol. 1989;91:401–408. doi: 10.1104/pp.91.1.401. PubMed DOI PMC

Ma K., Kou J., Rahman M.K.U., Du W., Liang X., Wu F., Li W., Pan K. Palmitic acid mediated change of rhizosphere and alleviation of Fusarium wilt disease in watermelon. Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 2021;28:3616–3623. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.03.040. PubMed DOI PMC

Kurima K., Jimbo H., Fujihara T., Saito M., Ishikawa T., Wada H. High myristic acid in glycerolipids enhances the repair of photodamaged photosystem II under strong light. Plant Cell Physiol. 2024;65:790–797. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcae021. PubMed DOI PMC

Li S., Xu C., Wang J., Guo B., Yang L., Chen J., Ding W. Cinnamic, myristic and fumaric acids in tobacco root exudates induce the infection of plants by Ralstonia solanacearum. Plant Soil. 2017;412:381–395. doi: 10.1007/s11104-016-3060-5. DOI

Jimbo H., Takagi K., Hirashima T., Nishiyama Y., Wada H. Long-chain saturated fatty acids, palmitic and stearic acids, enhance the repair of photosystem II. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020;21:7509. doi: 10.3390/ijms21207509. PubMed DOI PMC

Ullah S., Khan M.N., Lodhi S.S., Ahmed I., Tayyab M., Mehmood T., Din I.U., Khan M., Sohail Q., Akram M. Targeted metabolomics reveals fatty acid abundance adjustments as playing a crucial role in drought-stress response and post-drought recovery in wheat. Front. Genet. 2022;13:972696. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.972696. PubMed DOI PMC

Lakhssassi N., Colantonio V., Flowers N.D., Zhou Z., Henry J., Liu S., Meksem K. Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase mutations uncover an impact of stearic acid in leaf and nodule structure. Plant Physiol. 2017;174:1531–1543. doi: 10.1104/pp.16.01929. PubMed DOI PMC

Bach L., Faure J.D. Role of very-long-chain fatty acids in plant development, when chain length does matter. C R. Biol. 2010;333:361–370. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2010.01.014. PubMed DOI

McDonald P., Greenhalgh J.F.D., Morgan C., Edwards R., Sinclair L., Wilkinson R. Animal Nutrition. 8th ed. Pearson Education; Harlow, UK: 2022.

Grela E.R. Optymalizacja żywienia świń z wykorzystaniem nowej generacji dodatków paszowych. Pr. Mat. Zootech. 2004;15:53–63.

[(accessed on 9 June 2024)]. Available online: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/from-farm-to-fork/

[(accessed on 9 June 2024)]. Available online: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en.

Prost E.K. Zwierzęta Rzeźne i Mięso-Ocena i Higiena. LTN; Lublin, Poland: 2006.

Sears A., Gonzalez O., Alberto A., Young A., de Souza J., Relling A., Batistel F. Effect of feeding a palmitic acid-enriched supplement on production responses and nitrogen metabolism of mid-lactating Holstein and Jersey cows. J. Dairy Sci. 2020;103:8898–8909. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-18232. PubMed DOI

Odongo N.E., Or-Rashid M.M., Kebreab E., France J., McBride B.W. Effect of supplementing myristic acid in dairy cow rations on ruminal methanogenesis and fatty acid profile in milk. J. Dairy Sci. 2007;90:1851–1858. doi: 10.3168/jds.2006-541. PubMed DOI

Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska A., Bielas W., Niżański W., Jankowska-Mąkosa A., Knecht D. Dietary Supplementation with Linseed Oil Ethyl Esters Improves Sexual Behavior and Chosen Seminal Parameters in Porcine Species. Animals. 2023;13:1347. doi: 10.3390/ani13081347. PubMed DOI PMC

Sierżant K., Korzeniowska M., Półbrat T., Rybarczyk A., Smoliński J. The use of an optimised concentration of quercetin limits peroxidation of lipids in the meat of broiler chickens fed a diet containing flaxseed oil rich in omega-3. Animal. 2022;16:100603. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100603. PubMed DOI

Po E., Horsburgh K., Raadsma H.W., Celi P. Yerba mate (Ilex paraguarensis) as a novel feed supplement or growing lambs. Small Rumint Res. 2012;106:131–136. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.05.016. DOI

Po E., Xu Z., Celi P. The effect of yerba mate (Ilex paraguarensis) supplementation on the productive performance of Dorper ewes and their progeny. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci. 2012;25:945–949. doi: 10.5713/ajas.2012.12031. PubMed DOI PMC

Celi P., Gabai G. Oxidant/Antioxidant Balance in Animal Nutrition and Health: The Role of Protein Oxidation. Front. Vet. Sci. 2015;2:48. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2015.00048. PubMed DOI PMC

Celi P., Robinson A. Effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) supplementation on the performance of dairy calves. Anim. Prod. Sci. 2010;50:376–381. doi: 10.1071/AN09169. DOI

Celi P. Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) as strategic supplement for dairy cows. In: Makkar H.P.S., editor. Enhancing Animal Welfare and Farmer Income through Strategic Animal Feeding—Some Case Studies. FAO Animal Production and Health; Rome, Italy: 2013.

Hartemink E., Giorgio D., Kaur R., Di Trana A., Celi P. The Effect of Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) Supplementation on Nutrient Degradability in Dairy Cows: An In sacco and In vitro Study. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci. 2015;28:1606–1613. doi: 10.5713/ajas.15.0206. PubMed DOI PMC

Folch J., Lees M., Stanley G.H.S. A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues. J. Biol. Chem. 1957;226:497–509. doi: 10.1016/S0021-9258(18)64849-5. PubMed DOI