Analysis and evaluation on main active ingredients of Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum from different habitats / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: Active ingredients of 47 Asarum samples from different habitats with different phenotypes were analyzed in this paper in order to reveal the relationship between the formation of active ingredients and genetics and geography, and provide some scientific basis for the breeding and untilizing of Asarum. Methods: Ethanol extract and volatile oil were extracted according to the methods of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Asarinin was detected by HPLC. Volatile oil compositon was determined by GC-MS. The between-groups linkage clustering method was carried out. Results: Volatile oil content of 47 samples was 0.81%-3.32%, and five samples’ volatile oil content exceeded 3.0 %. Ethanol extract content of samples was 9.87%-29.40%, and ethanol extract content of 30 resources accounting for 63.8 percent of all samples exceeded 20%. Asarinin content of 26 resources was more than 0.25%. Totally 48-77 compounds from the volatile oil could be determined and relative content of each compound was different. Forty-seven samples from different habitats with different phenotypes were divided to ten groups by between-groups linkage clustering method according to the active ingredients. All the accessions could be classified clearly. The cluster of accessions was associated with resource region. Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum and Asarum sieboldii var. seoulense from the same origin were grouped together. Conclusion: There were much more differences in active ingredients content among Asarum resources which were in different regions cultivated with same way and environment with different phenotypes. We could select the perfect fundamental material according to the phenotypes and introduce germplasm from different regions for breeding and utilizing of Asarum. Most of samples clustered together associated with their origins instead of phenotype or specie.