Seasonal Effect on the Chemical Composition of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir Stem Bark from the Semi‐Arid Region of Pernambuco, Brazil
Nathália Andrezza Carvalho de Souza, Pedro Guilherme Sousa de Sá, Tarcísio Cícero de Lima Araújo, Victória Laysna Dos Anjos Santos, Guilherme Urias Menezes Novaes, Emerson de Oliveira Silva, Heberte Fernandes de Figueredo, Raimundo Gonçalves de Oliveira Júnior, Raphaë͏l Grougnet, Larissa Araújo Rolim
Chemistry & Biodiversity September 23, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202502234 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe chemical composition of Mimosa tenuiflora (Jurema-preta), a plant used in traditional medicine, varies with seasons. Over two years of bimonthly collections in northeastern Brazil, phenolic compounds (especially flavonoids) increased with water stress, radiation, and temperature. Production of the psychoactive compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) decreased with higher radiation and temperature but was unaffected by rainfall. Total alkaloids and overall yield showed little connection to climate. These findings highlight the importance of considering season when harvesting the plant for pharmacological use.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mimosa tenuiflora plants collected in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil |
| Duration | 24-month period with bimonthly collections |
| Keywords | Chemical composition Seasonality Principal component analysis Chemical constituents Positive correlation |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key finding | Phenolic compounds increased with water stress, radiation, and temperature, while DMT production decreased with radiation and temperature but not precipitation. |
Abstract
Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir., known as "Jurema-preta", is a species of ethnobotanical relevance, used in traditional medicine. The northeastern backland is characterized by climatic variability, which makes it essential to carry out studies that assess the seasonal influence on the chemical profile of native species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonal variation in the chemical constituents of M. tenuiflora over a 24-month period. Plant collections were made bimonthly in the municipality of Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. The plant material was dried, pulverized, and extracted with ethanol (1:10, w/v) for 72 h under magnetic stirring. The analyses included the quantification of secondary metabolites, the development of a method using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector for the quantification of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and multivariate statistical analysis using principal component analysis. The results indicated that phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids, are associated with water stress, radiation, and temperature. DMT production showed a negative correlation with radiation and temperature, but not with precipitation. Total alkaloids and yield showed little correlation with climatic variables. This study reinforces the importance of seasonality in the planning of plant collection and the pharmacological use of M. tenuiflora. M. tenuiflora, "Jurema preta", seasonality, HPLC-DAD, PCA.