Comparison on chemical constituents between Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix using NMR based metabolomic approach / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare the chemical constituents of Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix, and to provide a basis for quality evaluation. Methods: NMR-based metabolomic approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis was used to investigate the differential metabolites between Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix. Results: Thirty-two metabolites were identified in the 1H-NMR spectra, and the multivariate statistical analysis showed that Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix could be separated clearly. Paeoniae Alba Radix contained more arginine, threonine, acetic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine, GABA, citric acid, succinate, lactate, albiflorin, 6-O-galloyl albiflorin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6-pentagalloyglucose, and gallic acid, while Paeoniae Rubra Radix contained more alanine, α-glucose, sucrose, paeoniflorin, catechin, β-sitosterol, fatty acid, and paeonol. In addition, the Pearson correlations between differential metabolites of Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix also showed apparent differences. Conclusion: The results reveal the chemical differences between Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix in a holistic way, and provide a scientific basis for assessing the quality of Paeoniae Alba Radix and Paeoniae Rubra Radix, as well as the correlations between the chemical constituents and pharmacological efficacy.