Metabolic changes in Euphorbia palusrtis latex after fungal infection.

The variations of metabolic profile of the latex of wild-growing Euphorbia palustris was carried out using multivariate analysis of 1H NMR spectral data. One population was infected with fungi Fusarium sporotrichioides, Fusarium proliferatum and Alternaria alternata, while the other consisted of healthy plant species. The non-polar metabolites of latex extracts such as benzoyl ingenol-laurate, amyrin decadienoate esters, cis-1,4-polyisoprene, and 24-methylenecycloartanol were identified using 1H and 2D NMR spectra. Principal component analysis of 1H NMR data provided a clear discrimination between the latex of infected and healthy plants. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration values of the latex extracts of healthy and infected plants were determined. The latex of infected plants was found to contain higher levels of benzoyl ingenol-laurate and 24-methylenecycloartanol, of which concentrations were strongly correlated with the antifungal activities of the latex.