Taxonomical, Molecular and Phytochemical Characterization of an Endangered Medicinal Plant Species Gathered from the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley in Mexico

Despite the wide and accepted implementation of contemporary pharmaceutical medicine, the use of medicinal plants still prevails in several regions around the world, including Mexico. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of incorrect species in natural and complementary medicine is a threat to consumer safety. Therefore, there is a need to characterize properly those plant species used in traditional medicine. In this study, a medicinal plant called Calanca, which is traded in the local market of a small community within the State of Puebla (Mexico), was characterized by different approaches. Conventional and molecular taxonomy analyses showed that Calanca belonged to the Asteraceae family, genus Chrysactinia. On one hand, molecular markers (rbcL, matK and ITS) helped to identify Calanca at the species level, being identified as C. mexicana. On the other hand, although not used for molecular taxonomy, additional gene markers were amplified and submitted to the GenBank database to expand the toolkit for C. mexicana identification. In addition, soil taxonomy and quantitative chemical analyses provided insights into the relationship between growing conditions and the chemical compounds produced by C. mexicana. Chemical compounds associated with medicinal properties such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenes, and anthocyanins were identified in C. mexicana extracts. Finally, greenhouse conditions for the cultivation of this species were also investigated. Overall, this comprehensive characterization provides the essential botanical and chemical foundation required for future toxicological and clinical safety assessments, while establishing a robust framework for the long-term conservation of this endangered medicinal resource.