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Tetrastigmae Radix, also known as Sanyeqing (SYQ) in Chinese, is an important traditional Chinese medicine with a long history. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg mainly grows in the south of the Yangtze River and is widely distributed. The content of bioactive constituents in SYQ varies greatly in different habitats, and there are obvious differences in the content of bioactive constituents between southwestern SYQ (WS) and southeastern SYQ (ES). To distinguish and evaluate the quality of ES and WS, an analytical method based on ultrafast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of 60 constituents including 25 flavonoids, 9 phenolic acids, 15 amino acids, and 11 nucleosides in 47 samples from ES and WS. In addition, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), t-test, and gray correlation analysis (GRA) were used to discriminate and evaluate the ES and WS samples based on the contents of 60 constituents. The results showed that there were significant differences in the bioactive constituents between ES and WS, and ES was superior to WS in terms of quality evaluation. This study not only provides basic information for differentiating ES and WS but also provides a new perspective for the comprehensive evaluation and quality control of SYQ from two different habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition), Abelmoschi Corolla (AC) is the dried corolla of Flos Abelmoschus manihot (FAM). Market research has found that AC is often mixed with the non-medicinal parts in FAM, including calyx, stamen, and pistil. However, previous studies have not clarified the relationship between the medicinal and non-medicinal parts of FAM. In this study, in order to investigate whether there is any distinction between the medicinal and non-medicinal parts of FAM, the characterization of the constituents in calyx, corolla, stamen, and pistil was analyzed by UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to classify and screen differential constituents between medicinal and non-medicinal parts of FAM, and the relative contents of differential constituents were compared based on the peak intensities. Results showed that 51 constituents in medicinal and non-medicinal parts of FAM were identified, and the fragmentation pathways to different types of constituents were preliminarily deduced by the fragmentation behavior of the identified constituents. Furthermore, multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the medicinal and non-medicinal parts of FAM differed significantly; 20 differential constituents were screened out to reveal the characteristics of metabolic differences. Among them, the relative contents of 19 differential constituents in the medicinal part were significantly higher than those in non-medicinal parts. This study could be helpful in the quality evaluation of AC as well as provide basic information for the improvement of the market standard of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt stress affects the metabolic homeostasis of medicinal plants. However, medicinal plants are sessile organisms that cannot escape from salt stress. They acclimatize themselves to the stress by reprogramming their metabolic pathways. Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) with strong antioxidant activity is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, tea, and beverage. Nevertheless, the variation of integrated metabolites in LJF under different salt stresses remains unclear. In this study, High Performance Liquid Chromatography tandem triple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC- triple TOF-MS/MS) coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was applied to comparatively investigate the metabolites changes in LJF under different salt stress (0, 100, 200, 300 mM NaCl). Total 47 differential metabolites were screened from 79 metabolites identified in LJF under different salt stress. Low salt-treated group (100 mM NaCl) appeared to be the best group in terms of relative contents (peak areas) of the wide variety in bioactive components. Additionally, the phenylpropanoid pathway, monoterpenoid biosynthesis, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and alkaloid biosynthesis were disturbed in all salt-stress LJF. The results showed that LJF metabolisms were dramatically induced under salt stress and the quality of LJF was better under low salt stress. The study provides novel insights into the quality assessment of LJF under salt stress and a beneficial framework of knowledge applied to improvement the medicinal value of LJF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophiopogonis Radix, also known as Mai-dong in Chinese, was a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and functional health food. Two products of Ophiopogonis Radix are largely produced in the Sichuan and Zhejiang province, which are called "Chuan maidong (CMD)" and "Zhe maidong (ZMD)" respectively. To distinguish and evaluate the quality of CMD and ZMD, an analytical method based on ultra-fast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for simultaneous determination of 32 constituents including 4 steroidal saponins, 3 homisoflavonoids, 15 amino acids, and 10 nucleosides in 27 Mai-dong samples from Sichuan and Zhejiang. Furthermore, principal components analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), t-test, and grey relational analysis (GRA) were applied to discriminate and evaluate the samples from Sichuan and Zhejiang based on the contents of 32 constituents. The results demonstrated that the bioactive constituents in CMD and ZMD were significantly different, and CMD performed better in the quality assessment than ZMD. This study not only provides a basic information for differentiating CMD and ZMD, but offers a new insight into comprehensive evaluation and quality control of Ophiopogonis Radix from two different producing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysimachiae Herba (LH), called Jinqiancao in Chinese, is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice. Doctors in the Qing Dynasty recorded that it tastes bitter, sour, and slightly cold, and it belongs to the liver, gallbladder, kidney, and bladder meridians. It has the effects of removing dampness and jaundice, eliminating gallstones, and reducing blood stasis. Because of its potent pharmacological effects, it is extensively utilized in the treatment of hepatobiliary and urinary system stones, jaundice, hepatitis, and cholecystitis. Although LH is included in "Sichuan authentic Chinese herbal medicine records", the quality of it from different origins still lacks reliable evaluation methods, which is difficult to reflect the high quality of LH from Sichuan. This study aimed to establish a fingerprint-activity relationship model between the fingerprint of LH and its protective effect on cholestatic liver injury, and to evaluate the quality of LH from Sichuan and Guizhou by multivariate statistical analysis. 20 batches of LH samples were collected from Sichuan and Guizhou. Characteristic fingerprints of samples were established by UHPLC−Triple TOF−MS/MS and the chemical pattern recognition analysis was carried out by HCA. Then, a rat model of cholestatic liver injury was established by intragastric administration of ANIT. Combined with the common peak information of fingerprint and pharmacodynamic index results, GCA and BCA were used to screen the efficacy markers. Finally, based on UHPLC−QTRAP−MS/MS, the content of efficacy markers was simultaneously determined, and the overall quality of LH from two origins was evaluated by PCA and TOPSIS. In the fingerprint of 20 batches of LH, 15 common peaks were identified in the negative ion mode, and the similarity was between 0.887 and 0.981. Pharmacological results showed that, compared with the control group, the content of AST, ALT, ALP, TBA, TBIL, and MDA in serum increased, and the content of GSH and SOD activity decreased after 48 h of ANIT administration. In addition, compared to the model group, different doses of LH from the two origins could decrease the serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, TBA, TBIL, and MDA, raise the levels of GSH and SOD activity, reduce the infiltration range of inflammatory cells, and improve the cholestatic liver injury in rats. Among them, the pharmacodynamic indices of the SCHD group were significantly better. GCA and BCA showed that a total of 7 constituents related to the efficacy were screened, which were proanthocyanidin B1, ferulic acid, hyperoside, astragalin, nicotiflorin, afzelin, and kaempferol. Besides, the content of 7 active constituents in samples from Sichuan was higher than that from Guizhou, indicating that the quality of samples from Sichuan may be better, consistent with the result of the pharmacological experiment. The quality and efficacy of LH from different origins were stable, and all of them had protective effects on cholestatic liver injury in rats. The method established in this study is accurate and reliable, and it can be used to comprehensively evaluate the internal quality of LH. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apocyni Veneti Folium (AVF) has been raised great interest in the antioxidant properties recently for the preservation of human health. However, little research was found on the integrate metabolites except our previous investigation on the variations of the bioactive constituents. To understand the salt-tolerant mechanisms of the halophyte, metabolomic platform based on ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem triple time-of-flight mass/mass spectrometer was applied in this study. The results showed that metabolic profiles were separated and differentiated among groups based on multivariate statistical analysis; different metabolites belonged to various chemical classes. Besides, phenylpropanoid pathway and terpenoid biosynthesis were disturbed in all salt-stressed AVF and low salt-treated group appeared to be better than other samples in terms of relative contents (peak areas) of the wide variety of bioactive components and physiological variations of photosynthetic pigments, osmotic homeostasis, lipid peroxidation product and antioxidative enzymes. This study may provide additional insight into the salt-tolerant mechanisms and the quality assessment of AVF in a holistic level based on the plant metabolomics. Image 1 • Metabolomics platform was developed for studying the salt-tolerant mechanisms and quality assessment of the halophyte. • UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS analysis combined with multivariate statistical analysis was used to separate and differentiate AVF. • Significant metabolites responsible for discrimination were identified. • Global visualization of pathway changes and proposed flavonoid biosynthesis were performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]