Influence of altitude, precipitation, and temperature factors on the phytoconstituents, antioxidant, and α-amylase inhibitory activities of Pistacia atlantica

In this study, we investigate the effect of different abiotic environmental factors on the chemical constituents of Pistacia atlantica Desf and their bioactive potential. Altitude, temperature, precipitation, and harvest season were the key factors. Forty-three samples of P. atlantica, including leaves and galls, were collected from two different bioclimatic areas (Tilghemt and Aflou), at two separate seasons (2018 and 2019). Phytochemicals were quantified for each sample, and the biological activities were also determined. The present study aimed for the first time to highlight the relationship and the interactions between the environmental factors and the active substance contents of P. atlantica crude oils and phenolic extracts, by the implementation of multivariate statistical analyses. Four principal components were identified with an information percentage varied between 63.47% and 72.67%. The PCA analysis allowed us to classify the phytoconstituents of P. atlantica and their biological activities according to the geographical origin and the climatic conditions into two clouds of points. It seems from our findings that the harvest season factor could tip the scales and affected inversely the phytochemical constituents of P. atlantica leaves and their antioxidant potential. All results consistently supported the conclusion that the variation on the environmental factors had a significant influence on the chemical constituents of crude oils and phenolic extracts as well as their antioxidant activity and EC 3.2.1.1-α-amylase inhibitory effect.