Effect of Oxylipins, Terpenoid Precursors and Wounding on Soft Corals’ Secondary Metabolism as Analyzed via UPLC/MS and Chemometrics

The effect of three oxylipin analogues, a terpenoid intermediate and wounding on the secondary metabolism of the soft corals Sarcophyton glaucum and Lobophyton pauciflorum was assessed. Examined oxylipins included prostaglandin (PG-E1), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and arachidonic acid (AA) in addition to the diterpene precursor geranylgeranylpyrophosphate (GGP). Post-elicitation, metabolites were extracted from coral heads and analyzed via UPLC-MS followed by multivariate data analyses. Both supervised and unsupervised data analyses were used for sample classification. Multivariate data analysis revealed clear segregation of PG-E1 and MeJA elicited S. glaucum at 24 and 48 h post elicitation from other elicitor samples and unelicited control group. PG-E1 was found more effective in upregulating S. glaucum terpene/sterol levels compared to MeJA. Metabolites showing upregulation in S. glaucum include campestene-triol and a cembranoid, detected at ca. 30- and 2-fold higher levels compared to unelicited corals. Such an elicitation effect was less notable in the other coral species L. pauciflorum, suggesting a differential oxylipin response in soft corals. Compared to MeJA and PG, no elicitation effect was observed for GGP, AA or wounding on the metabolism of either coral species.