LC-MS Based Metabolomics Analysis to Identify Potential Allelochemicals in Wedelia trilobata

Wedelia trilobata is a noxious invasive weed that has been widely cultivated as a decorative and groundcover plant. The plant has been reported to contain diverse bioactive compounds with a broad spectrum of biological activities including allelochemicals. Allelochemicals contribute to allelopathy interactions that suppress the growth and development of nearby plants. Several studies have reported the allelopathic potential of W. trilobata and its negative effects to crop plants. However, relatively little is known about the allelochemicals’ composition and how allelochemicals contribute to the allelopathic behavior of this plant. In order to prove allelopathy, the identification of the causative allelochemicals is required. The identification of potential allelochemicals that serve as biomarkers could be useful for assessing allelopathy interactions. In this study, a liquid chromatography (LC) based metabolomics approach was applied to find biomarkers with allelopathic effects from W. trilobata. Ethanol and water were used to extract metabolites from the leaves of W. trilobata and analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole high-resolution time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Using multivariate statistical analysis (MVA), we identified eight Rt-m/z pairs as candidate marker compounds for assessing allelopathy interactions of W. trilobata. The results highlight the application of metabolomics for understanding of the role of allelochemicals in allelopathy interactions of W. trilobata .