Variability in Foliar Ellagitannins of Hippophaë rhamnoidesL. and Identification of a New Ellagitannin, Hippophaenin C

Berries of common sea-buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoidesL.) are well-known and used for their bioactive components, and while there is a considerable amount of research on the leaves as well, their ellagitannins (ETs) have not been a prominent focus of research. We identified and quantified ten major hydrophilic polyphenols, all ETs, in H. rhamnoidesleaves and compared their abundance between 58 plant individuals. Of these compounds, hippophaenin C was characterized as a new ellagitannin by various spectrometric methods. The total concentrations of ETs ranged from 42.5 mg g–1dry weight (DW) to 109.1 mg g–1DW between individual plants. Among the ETs, hippophaenin C, stachyurin, and casuarinin were on average the most abundant compounds. Sexes did not differ significantly, while cultivars showed variation in some ETs. These results suggest that H. rhamnoidesleaves could be a potential and rich source of several ETs.