Secondary metabolites of Hypericum species from the Drosanthe and Olympia sections

• There are a total of 96 Hypericum species in Turkish flora.
• In this study, eight of them from two different sections were analyzed by HPLC for the presence of main Hypericum chemicals for the first time.
• Results support the taxonomic value of hypericins, rutin, and mangiferin at the sectional level.
• Such kind of data could also be beneficial for phytochemical evaluation of the species tested.

Eight Hypericum species native to Southern Turkey from Drosanthe and Olympia sections were investigated for the presence of several bioactive compounds, namely, hypericin, pseudohypericin, hyperforin, adhyperforin, the chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, caffeic and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acids, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, quercetin, avicularin, rutin, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, mangiferin, I3, II8-biapigenin, and amentoflavone for the first time. Plants were harvested at flowering, dried at room temperature, dissected into different tissues, and assayed for chemical contents. HPLC analysis of methanolic fractions displayed similar chemical profile and significant quantitative differences among the investigated taxa. The present results support the taxonomic value of hypericins, rutin, and mangiferin at the sectional level and make an important contribution to our current knowledge about Hypericum chemistry. Such kind of data could also be beneficial for explanation of the chemotaxonomic utility of the corresponding compounds as well as phytochemical evaluation of the species tested.