Bioactive compounds from Capparis spinosa subsp rupestris

Aim of this study was to determine the content of bioactive phytochemicals in Capparis spinosa subsp. rupestris (syn. C. orientalis), a less investigated species of caper and compare the chemical profile of this species with that of other studied Capparis sp. and especially with the related cultigen C. spinosa subsp. spinosa. Chemical composition of seed oil and glucosinolates, as well as of glucosinolates and flavonoids from the aerial parts of the plant have been determined and data reported here. Oil from the plant seeds is rich in unsaturated and rare lipids such as cis-vaccenic acid; the main glucosinolate is glucocapperin. The aerial parts are characterized by rutin as the dominant flavonoid. The overall phytochemical data obtained from the analysis of C. spinosa subsp. rupestris indicate that this species represents a very rich source of bioactive compounds of nutraceutical relevance although the compositional profile does not differentiate this subspecies from C. spinosa subsp. spinosa. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.