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Licorice, as a traditional medicinal and edible plant, exhibits variations in quality and applications due to differences in geographic origin and growth year. However, the intricate and complex relationship between quality and sensory characteristics of licorice remains elusive. In order to explore this relationship, this study assessed the quality and sensory characteristics of 28 batches of licorice samples. This work integrated various technologies, including electronic nose, GC–MS, UPLC, and sensory panel analysis, covering both physicochemical and sensory parameters. Through LASSO regression analysis, a discrimination model comprising 9 key sensory parameters was developed. The results indicated that the use of key sensory parameters enables effective discrimination of the quality characteristics of licorice. The study provided guidance for consumers in selecting licorice.

Ganoderma lucidumis a valuable medical macrofungus with a myriad of diverse secondary metabolites, in which triterpenoids are the major constituents. This paper introduced the germplasm resources of genus Ganodermafrom textual research, its distribution and identification at the molecular level. Also we overviewed G. lucidumin the components, the biological activities and biosynthetic pathways of ganoderic acid, aiming to provide scientific evidence for the development and utilization of G. lucidumgermplasm resources and the biosynthesis of ganoderic acid.

Spaceflight has long been perceived as an effective way to improve the quantity and quality of plants with wide applications. In order to obtain stable and inheritable descendants of spaceflight-induced Salvia miltiorrhizalines, we investigated and analyzed four lines m16, m50, m51, m57 (three individuals of each line) and the ground control (three individuals) of the third generation of spaceflight-induced S. miltiorrhizafrom primary/secondary metabolism and antioxidative abilities.

Objectives:The differences in chemical constituents in different parts of Tetrastigma hemsleyanumwere analyzed. Methods:The contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, and polysaccharides in methanol extracts from different parts of T. hemsleyanumin Zhejiang were determined, and the chemical components of different parts of T. hemsleyanumwere collected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The differential index components of different parts of T. hemsleyanumwere identified and analyzed by accurate mass-to-charge ratio of primary mass spectrometry and fragment ion of secondary mass spectrometry with reference spectrum and software database search and related literature reports. Results:A total of 20 components were identified, including 13 identified in root tubers, 7 in fibrous roots and 8 in leaves, and the structural cleavage of its compounds was analyzed. Conclusion:It provides a possibility and theoretical basis for the future use of the whole plant of T. hemsleyanumas medicine.

Background: Although chromatography and spectrometry-based methods have been used to analyse phenolic acids in Chinese traditional medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB), quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) has never previously been used to analyse fresh SMB root extracts. Objective: To establish a fast and simple method of quantitating danshensu, lithospermic acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B content in fresh SMB root using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Method: Fresh SMB root was extracted using a 70% methanol aqueous solution and quantitatively analysed for danshensu, lithospermic acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Different internal standards were compared and the results were validated using highperformance liquid chromatography. Results: The established method was accurate and precise with good recovery. The LOD and LOQ indicated the excellent sensitivity of the method. The robustness was testified by the modification of four different parameters, and the differences among each parameter were all less than 2%. Conclusion: qNMR offers a fast, reliable, and accurate method of identifying and quantifying danshensu, lithospermic acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B in fresh SMB root extracts.

Background: Tetrastigma hemsleyanum (THL) is a traditional medicinal plant with various biological activities, it has been validated that several THL extracts have strong pharmacological activities. Until now, there is no complete and systematic germplasm identification and quality evaluation standard.Objective: Establishing fingerprint spectra of THL from different sources, evaluating their antioxidant activity and identifying quality markers.Methods: In this paper, establishing fingerprints and identifying quality markers through UPLC-QTOF- MS/MS. The antioxidant capacity of forty-one batches of THL from multiple regions was determined by 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonate) (ABTS), and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays.Results: The results indicated that THL methanol extracts showed good antioxidative activity and eight THL samples, including THL aerial parts, showed high antioxidative activity. Besides, Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) fingerprints of THL from different places were established and chromatographic peaks probably correlated with antioxidant capacity were screened by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square regression (PLS) analysis.Conclusion: The chemical constituents of these peaks were identified as possible quality markers for THL quality evaluation. In this study, twelve effective substances were preliminarily determined, such as isovitexin, L-epicatechin, procyanidin B, sitosterol, etc.

Background: Dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) has been traditionally used as an herbal medicine in Eastern Asia. Because of its ambiguous chemical characteristics, an authentic quality evaluation system is urgently needed. The aim of this work is to establish a comprehensive method for the evaluation of D. officinale based on volatile constituents, methanol extracts and polysaccharide analysis. Methods: We identify the volatile constituents via headspace solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. We establish a standard fingerprint for the methanol extracts of D. officinale leaves by high performance liquid chromatography analysis. This work also compares the content of polysaccharide using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. Results: We identify 37 volatile constituents in D. officinale. Thirty compounds obtained in flowers, 18 in leaves, and 11 in stems. We then assess the quality of D. officinale leaves collected from four different regions by comparing volatile constituents. We further identify 22 volatile components from the sample from Anhui Huoshan, which contains more volatile components than the others. Besides, we establish a standard fingerprint for the methanol extracts of D. officinale leaves, which confirms 21 common peaks in six different regions. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis show that the samples from these six regions are classified into two main groups. The three samples from Zhejiang province are clustered into one subgroup. The sample from Zhejiang Deqing contains the most abundant polysaccharides both in stems and leaves. As the years of growth increase, the content of polysaccharide is also improved. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive method for quality evaluation of D. officinale. This study also explores the possible reasons for the discrepancies in the flavor of D. officinale in production.

Salvia miltiorrhizaand S. grandifoliaare rich in diterpenoids and have therapeutic effects on cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the spatial distribution of diterpenoids in both species was analyzed by a combination of metabolomics and mass spectrometry imaging techniques. The results indicated that diterpenoids in S. miltiorrhizawere mainly abietane-type norditerpenoid quinones with a furan or dihydrofuran D-ring and were mainly distributed in the periderm of the roots, e.g. cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA. The compounds in S. grandifoliawere mainly phenolic abietane-type tricyclic diterpenoids with six- or seven-membered C-rings, and were widely distributed in the periderm, phloem, and xylem of the roots, e.g. 11-hydroxy-sugiol, 11,20-dihydroxy-sugiol, and 11,20-dihydroxy-ferruginol. In addition, the leaves of S. grandifoliawere rich in tanshinone biosynthesis precursors, such as 11-hydroxy-sugiol, while those of S. miltiorrhizawere rich in phenolic acids. Genes in the upstream pathway of tanshinone biosynthesis were highly expressed in the root of S. grandifolia, and genes in the downstream pathway were highly expressed in the root of S. miltiorrhiza. Here, we describe the specific tissue distributions and mechanisms of diterpenoids in two Salviaspecies, which will facilitate further investigations of the biosynthesis of diterpenoids in plant synthetic biology.

Although magnesium (Mg) is one of the most important nutrients, involved in many enzyme activities and the structural stabilization of tissues, its importance as a macronutrient ion has been overlooked in recent decades by botanists and agriculturists, who did not regard Mg deficiency (MGD) in plants as a severe health problem. However, recent studies have shown, surprisingly, that Mg contents in historical cereal seeds have markedly declined over time, and two thirds of people surveyed in developed countries received less than their minimum daily Mg requirement. Thus, the mechanisms of response to MGD and ways to increase Mg contents in plants are two urgent practical problems. In this review, we discuss several aspects of MGD in plants, including phenotypic and physiological changes, cell Mg2+homeostasis control by Mg2+transporters, MGD signaling, interactions between Mg2+and other ions, and roles of Mg2+in plant secondary metabolism. Our aim is to improve understanding of the influence of MGD on plant growth and development and to advance crop breeding for Mg enrichment.

Blind and excessive application of fertilizers was found during the cultivation of Panax notoginsengin fields, as well as increase in root rot disease incidence.

Salvia miltiorrhiza, a popular traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used for treatments in cardiotonic disease. Tanshinones are a group of bioactive ingredients in S. miltiorrhiza.In this study, Ce3+was used as an elicitor to enhance tanshinones production in S. miltiorrhizahairy roots. The results showed that contents of dihydrotanshinone I (DTI) and cryptotanshinone (CT) were significantly enhanced by 50 μmol/L Ce3+, and reached to 0.875 mg/g and 0.271 mg/g, respectively. However, tanshinone II A (TIIA) and tanshinone I (TI) contents were significantly decreased to 59% and 62% of the control. Simultaneously, expressions of genes (HMGR, DXR, DXS1, DXS2and GGPPS) involved in tanshinone biosynthesis were upregulated by Ce3+. Responses of DXS1, DXS2and GGPPSto Ce3+treatments were later than HMGRand DXR. We speculated that branch pathways of DTI and CT biosynthesis were probably different from TIIA and TI. This work will help us understand biosynthetic mechanism of tanshinones in plants.

Panax notoginseng(Burk.) F.H. Chen (commonly known as Tianqi or Sanqi) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine and has been widely used in the treatment of cardio- and cerebro-vascular diseases. However, the quality assessment of Sanqi is quite difficult because of the ingredient complexity. In this work, the chemical fingerprints of 15 batches of P. notoginsengfrom different sources were investigated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Fourteen common peaks in these samples were detected including 20(S)-protopanaxatriol saponins (PTS) and 20(S)-protopanaxadiol saponins (PDS). These samples were divided into three clusters by hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Clusters I and III possessed stronger anti-coagulation effects than Cluster II. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) showed that notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rd and an unknown compound might be the major effective compounds for the quality control of Sanqi. PDS (Rb1, Rd, and the unknown compound) possesses a stronger anticoagulant activity than PTS (R1 only). This conjecture was confirmed by the dose–effect relationship evaluation of PDS and PTS. This study provides a general correlation model of the fingerprint and efficacy relationship for the quality control of Sanqi and other TCMs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in post-transcriptional regulation. Their target genes are involved in a variety of biological processes such as development, metabolism, and stress response. Panicum miliaceumL. (Panicum) is an important grain crop, but, until now, no miRNAs have been identified in this plant. Using a homology search based on expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis and miRNA precursor secondary structure, a total of 43 new miRNAs were identified. The miRNAs were found to be unevenly distributed among 11 miRNA families. Target analysis using the plant small RNA target analysis server psRNATarget showed that the newly identified miRNAs can potentially regulate 68 target genes. Ten of the 11 miRNA families were annotated as involved in RNA regulation, suggesting they may play an essential role in post-transcriptional regulation in Panicum. Selected miRNAs representing eight of the families were verified by northern blotting, indicating that the prediction method that we used to identify the miRNAs was effective.

Elucidate whether genistein (a soy-derived isoflavone) possesses the capacity to alleviate hyperglycemia and minimize islet cell loss after the onset of diabetes and whether the beneficial effect of genistein is dosage dependent.

Jasmonate (JA) signaling regulates plant growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and primary and secondary metabolism biosynthesis. It is extensively modulated by JA-ZIM-domain (JAZ) family genes. In previous work, we obtained nine SmJAZgenes of Salvia miltiorrhizaand proved that SmJAZ8 was the core repressor of JA-induced tanshinone and phenolic acid biosynthesis. Here, we demonstrate that SmJAZ3and SmJAZ4act as repressors of JA-induced biosynthesis of tanshinones and salvianolic acid B (Sal B). This suggests that SmJAZ3/4are functionally redundant in tanshinone and Sal B biosynthesis. SmJAZ1/2/5/6/9are activators of JA-induced tanshinone biosynthesis and repressors of JA-induced Sal B biosynthesis. This demonstrates the redundancy and diversity of SmJAZ1/2/5/6/9functions. Besides, SmJAZ10inhibited JA-induced Sal B synthesis, but had no effect on the synthesis of tanshinone. Two-hybrid screening (Y2H) showed that SmJAZs formed homologous or heterogeneous dimers. Y2H and firefly luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) assays revealed that SmJAZs also formed a complex regulatory network with SmMYC2a, SmMYC2b, SmMYB39, and SmPAP1. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated that SmJAZsregulated each other at the transcriptional level. Herein, we prove that SmJAZs have functional pleiotropism, diversity, and redundancy in JA-induced tanshinone and phenolic acid biosynthesis. This study provides an important clue for further understanding the inherent biological significance and molecular mechanisms of the JAZfamily as the gene number increases during plant evolution.

Polygonatum sibiricumis widely consumed as a traditional Chinese herb and edible plant in China. Despite its nutritional and medical values, research on PolygonatumMill. has been scarce, particularly as far as its genetic diversity is concerned. In this study, fourteen expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) and seven sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity in fifty PolygonatumMill. accessions. The EST-SSRs and SRAPs produced 173 (90.58%) and 113 (93.39%) polymorphic bands, respectively. Unweighted Pair-Group Method Analysis (UPGMA) based on the combined data matrices of EST-SSRs and SRAPs divided the fifty PolygonatumMill. accessions into fourteen groups. In addition, accessions of P. cyrtonemaHua obtained from Anhui and Zhejiang provinces were clustered according to their geographic origin. Furthermore, some accessions were gathered together based on species, such as P. kingianumColl. et Hemsl, P. punctatumRoyle ex Kunth, P. odoratum(Mill.) Druce, and P. sibiricumRed.,and bootstrap analysis for clustering fully supported the grouping of the accessions. The Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) results revealed higher variation within populations (95%) rather than among populations (5%), indicating that PolygonatumMill. has a low genetic differentiation between populations, and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) greatly supported the results of cluster analysis and AMOVA analysis. Finally, five markers which could produce abundant and stable bands were used to construct DNA fingerprinting database of PolygonatumMill..Our results demonstrated the utility of both EST-SSR and SRAP markers to successfully evaluate and identify PolygonatumMill..

Magnesium (Mg) is one of the most important nutrients, involves mainly in plant growth and development. However, the signaling pathways response to magnesium stresses (MgSs) is known little, but several studies lately may improve the research development. Several phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, auxins, and their factors were found responding to MgSs, and there may be some signal pathways linking these hormones and downstream reactions together, e.g., carbon fixation and transfer, starch and sugar metabolism, ion uptaking and reactive oxygen species (ROS) increasing. Consequently, Arabidopsis morphogenesis is remodeled. In this review, we mainly discussed recent literatures involving in plant response to MgSs (Mg deficiency (MgD) and Mg toxicity (MgT)), including plant morphogenesis remodeling, magnesium transporters and signaling transductions. Moreover, the future study challenges related to the responding signalings to MgSs in plants are also presented. Regardless, the iceberg of signal transduction of MgSs in plants is appeared.

Ophiopogon japonicus tubers have been widely used as food and traditional Chinese medicine in China. However, their nutritional composition has not been fully reported yet. This study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition of O. japonicus tubers. The α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the extracts obtained from O. japonicus tubers were also evaluated by in vitro assays. The results indicated that O. japonicus tubers are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and amino acids. Among four extracts, the n-butanol fraction (nBF) and chloroform/methanol extract (CME) of O. japonicus tubers had high amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and exhibited good α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities. The α-glucosidase inhibition of nBF was higher than acarbose. Overall, O. japonicus tubers are full of nutritional compounds and have good α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities.