Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition

Etlingera elatior is a perennial, aromatic herb with attractive flavour and fragrance afforded by organic compounds that are stored and released from specialised structures; however, the secretory structures remain undefined. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the secretory cells in the l...

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Main Authors: Lee, Yee-Ling, Abas, Faridah, Ismail, Intan Safinar, Ding, Phebe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia 2025
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/1/120940.pdf
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author Lee, Yee-Ling
Abas, Faridah
Ismail, Intan Safinar
Ding, Phebe
author_facet Lee, Yee-Ling
Abas, Faridah
Ismail, Intan Safinar
Ding, Phebe
author_sort Lee, Yee-Ling
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Etlingera elatior is a perennial, aromatic herb with attractive flavour and fragrance afforded by organic compounds that are stored and released from specialised structures; however, the secretory structures remain undefined. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the secretory cells in the leaves, inflorescences, and peduncles of E. elatior by using scanning electron and light microscopies. Histochemical tests were performed to localise and ascertain the nature of secretion materials, while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to characterise the composition of essential oils (EO). Findings indicate the presence of a heterogeneous mixture comprising EO, mucilaginous and/or lipophilic substances in the secretory cells. A total of 50 compounds were identified in the EO, with the predominance of alcohol. The presence of several terpenic compounds (α-pinene, (E, E)α-farnesene, (E)-caryophyllene, E-β-farnesene, (E)-nerolidol) suggests a potential involvement of the secretory structures in plant signalling. The widespread distribution of secretory cells throughout the plant tissues indicates adaptive features of the plant’s secretory system. These cells emerged as the main secretory system of E. elatior that renders the EO.
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spelling upm-1209402025-10-16T04:00:34Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/ Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition Lee, Yee-Ling Abas, Faridah Ismail, Intan Safinar Ding, Phebe Etlingera elatior is a perennial, aromatic herb with attractive flavour and fragrance afforded by organic compounds that are stored and released from specialised structures; however, the secretory structures remain undefined. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the secretory cells in the leaves, inflorescences, and peduncles of E. elatior by using scanning electron and light microscopies. Histochemical tests were performed to localise and ascertain the nature of secretion materials, while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to characterise the composition of essential oils (EO). Findings indicate the presence of a heterogeneous mixture comprising EO, mucilaginous and/or lipophilic substances in the secretory cells. A total of 50 compounds were identified in the EO, with the predominance of alcohol. The presence of several terpenic compounds (α-pinene, (E, E)α-farnesene, (E)-caryophyllene, E-β-farnesene, (E)-nerolidol) suggests a potential involvement of the secretory structures in plant signalling. The widespread distribution of secretory cells throughout the plant tissues indicates adaptive features of the plant’s secretory system. These cells emerged as the main secretory system of E. elatior that renders the EO. Universiti Putra Malaysia 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_nd_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/1/120940.pdf Lee, Yee-Ling and Abas, Faridah and Ismail, Intan Safinar and Ding, Phebe (2025) Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, 48 (2). pp. 411-423. ISSN 1511-3701; eISSN: 2231-8542 http://pertanika2.upm.edu.my/pjtas/browse/regular-issue?article=JTAS-3072-2024 10.47836/pjtas.48.2.05
spellingShingle Lee, Yee-Ling
Abas, Faridah
Ismail, Intan Safinar
Ding, Phebe
Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title_full Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title_fullStr Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title_full_unstemmed Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title_short Secretory cells in Etlingera elatior (Jack) R. M. Smith (Zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
title_sort secretory cells in etlingera elatior (jack) r. m. smith (zingiberaceae): morphology, histochemistry, and essential oil composition
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120940/1/120940.pdf