Glucosinolate profiles in Cardamine fauriei and effect of light quality on glucosinolate concentration

- Three glucosinolates (GSL) were isolated from Cardamine fauriei, a wild, edible herb.
- The major GSL was gluconapin and minor GSLs were glucoibarin and glucobrassicin.
- Total GSL concentration in leaf blade was higher than those in petiole and root.
- Total GSL content became highest when plants were irradiated by red + blue LEDs.
- The ratio of indolic/aliphatic GSL decreased by irradiation with blue wavelengths.

Most Brassicaceae plants produce glucosinolates (GSLs), which are hydrolyzed to form isothiocyanates (ITCs) that contribute to a stimulative flavor and antibiotic activity beneficial to human health. Three glucosinolates (GSLs), gluconapin, glucoibarin and glucobrassicin, were isolated from plants of Cardamine fauriei Maxim. (Brassicaceae; Ezo-wasabi in Japanese), a wild, edible herb originating from Hokkaido, Japan. These GSLs comprise two types: aliphatic (gluconapin and glucoibarin) and indolic (glucobrassicin). Total GSL concentration in the leaf blade, petiole and root of the plant grown in natural light were 62.81, 43.94 and 17.63 mg g−1 dry mass, respectively. When the plants were grown under various wavelengths of light supplied by LEDs, total GSL content in the leaf blade was highest when plants were irradiated by red + blue light. In addition, the ratio of the content of the indolic GSL to that of aliphatic GSL was greater after irradiation with by red or green alone rather than blue alone, red + blue, or white (red + blue + green). Because the last three types of irradiation include blue wavelengths, aliphatic GSL content can be increased by irradiation with blue light wavelengths, whereas the indolic GSL levels decreased. The results indicate that it is possible to control the GSL component ratio in C. fauriei by irradiating plants with particular wavelengths.