ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Unveiling the phytochemical constituents of Berberis ulicina through HR-LCMS-QTOF profiling and spectrophotometric quantification of secondary metabolites in methanolic extracts

Kanize Fatima, Seema Singh, Zarina Khatoon, and Sharada Mallubhotla

Plant Tissue Culture Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India

E-mail: kanize.boscholar@kashmiruniversity.net

Received: 8 July 2025  Accepted: 4 February 2026

Abstract:

Traditional medicinal plants have long served as therapeutic agents in various cultural healthcare systems worldwide. Berberis ulicina, traditionally used to treat various diseases, remains unexplored. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical composition of the root (including the primary root and root hairs) and the shoot (including the stems, leaves, and flowers) extracts. Solvents of varying polarity were evaluated for their effect on extraction yield, preliminary phytochemical profile, and quantitative phytochemical contents using rapid preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening followed by spectrophotometric quantification. The results demonstrated that solvent selection significantly influenced extraction yield and phytochemical composition. Based on an integrated assessment of extraction yield, preliminary qualitative phytochemical analysis, and quantitative phytochemical estimation, methanol was identified as the most effective solvent for extraction, yielding the highest extraction efficiency (root: 7.84 ± 0.13%, shoot: 10.77 ± 0.015%). Accordingly, methanolic extracts of root and shoot were subsequently subjected to high-resolution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-quadrupole time-of-flight (HR-LCMS–QTOF) analysis for detailed metabolite profiling. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, tannins, lignin, phytosteroids, glycosides, terpenoids, and saponins in the root and shoot extracts. During the current study, it was observed that the methanolic shoot showed the highest phenolics (54.32 ± 1.12 mg GAE g⁻¹ DE), flavonoids (1.69 ± 0.66 mg QE g⁻¹ DE), and tannins (53.96 ± 0.32 mg TA g⁻¹ DE) content compared to the methanolic root (18.28 ± 0.52 GAE g⁻¹ DE, 0.56 ± 0.28 QE g⁻¹ DE, 22.52 ± 0.68 mg TA g⁻¹ DE), respectively. On the other hand, terpenoids were found in higher amounts in the methanolic root (4.03 ± 0.68 mg UAE g⁻¹ DE) than in the methanolic shoot (0.39 ± 0.44 mg UAE g⁻¹ DE). Untargeted HR-LCMS–QTOF analysis led to the tentative identification of 28 and 21 compounds in the root and shoot, respectively. The common compounds detected in both the root and shoot are Huratoxin, Syndesine, and Leonurine at positive ESI, whereas 3,5-Dihydroxyphenyl 1-O-(6-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and Fetidine are at negative ESI. Overall, the HR-LCMS–QTOF analyses showed the presence of a number of metabolites, many of which have been previously reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial properties. Our current findings support that Berberis ulicina, previously uninvestigated plant, is rich in a diversity of bioactive molecules with potential pharmaceutical applications. Our study laid the foundation for further pharmacological and bioactivity studies of this species. This study presents the first phytochemical profiling of this plant, thereby contributing valuable insights for natural product research and drug discovery.

Graphical abstract

Keywords: Berberis ulicina; Preliminary phytochemical analysis; Secondary metabolites; Untargeted HR-LCMS-QTOF metabolite profiling; UV–Vis spectrophotometry

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04725-5

Chemical Papers 80 (5) 5499–5515 (2026)