Metagenomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Organ- and Population-Specific Interactions Between Bacterial Communities and Metabolites in Medicinal Plants Tinospora cordifolia and Gynura procumbens

Anjar Tri Wibowo, Arif Luqman, Fahmi Ikhlasul Amalludin, Edo Danilyan, Yohanes Kartjito Putro, Elsalisa Ainur Rofiqa, Almando Geraldi, Yosephine Sri Wulan Manuhara, Hoang Dang Khoa Do, Minh Thiet Vu, Le Minh Bui, Wahyu Aristyaning Putri

Abstract


Background: Tinospora cordifolia and Gynura procumbens are important medicinal plants native to South and Southeast Asia. This study integrates metagenomic and metabolomic approaches to compare microbial communities and bioactive compound profiles in wild and cultivated populations of T. cordifolia and G. procumbens.

Methods: Microbiome analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomic profiling via LC-MS/MS were performed on root and leaf of both plants.

Results: Bacterial communities in T. cordifolia and G. procumbens varied significantly between leaf and root. Proteobacteria dominated all samples, while roots harbored higher bacterial diversity, including Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi, particularly in wild populations. Metabolomic analysis revealed distinct profiles between organs, with leaves showing greater population-dependent variability, especially in T. cordifolia, where 482 metabolites differed significantly between wild and cultivated plants. Notably, turmerone was upregulated in wild leaves, while cinnamic acid was downregulated. Root metabolomes were more stable but still exhibited population-specific patterns in G. procumbens. In T. cordifolia, bis(4-ethylbenzylidene)sorbitol positively correlated with Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi, while vicenin and 2-methoxyestradiol showed negative correlations with several phyla, suggesting antimicrobial potential. In G. procumbens, ethamivan positively correlated with Firmicutes and Chloroflexi.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the role of ecological and organ identity in driving plant-microbiome-metabolite dynamics, with implications for medicinal plant quality, bioactivity, and cultivation.

Keywords: Bioactive Compounds, Biological Diversity, Gynura procumbens, Metagenomics, Microbial Communities, Tinospora cordifolia

 

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.62940/als.v13i2.3925

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