[Market survey of Caryophylli Flos specifications].

The present study aimed to regulate the market circulation of Caryophylli Flos and formulate standards for commodity specifications and grades of Caryophylli Flos. Market survey was carried out in four major medicinal material markets with 48 samples of Caryophylli Flos collected. The property, 100-seed weight, impurity percentage, moisture, and eugenol content in Caryophylli Flos of different specifications from different producing areas were determined and analyzed. The results showed that 27.1% of the samples surveyed on the markets did not meet the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). The 100-seed weight and the property are important factors for the classification of Caryophylli Flos specifications. There were significant differences in the property, 100-seed weight, impurity percentage, and eugenol content in Caryophylli Flos samples of different specifications from different producing areas, and also differences in the proportions of different specifications in Caryophylli Flos samples from different producing areas. The African-originated Xiaohong(medium grade) and Guangxi-originated Xiaohong(medium grade) accounted for 70% and 66.7% respectively, the Indonesian-originated Dahong(top grade) for 56.2%. In conclusion, there are many problems in the circulation of Caryophylli Flos at present, mainly including the loss of origin information, no standards for specifications, non-implementation of grade standards, excessive impurities, and no evidence for authenticity identification. According to the classification of Caryophylli Flos specifications in this study, the average eugenol content of Xiaohong is significantly higher than the Dahong by 4.74%.

Identification of Antitumor Active Constituents in Polygonatum sibiricum Flower by UPLC-Q-TOF-MSE and Network Pharmacology.

We aimed to investigate the material basis and mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of Polygonatum sibiricum flower by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MSE). A compound-protein interaction network for cancer was constructed to identify potential drug targets, and then the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was conducted to elucidate the pathways involved in the antitumor activity of P. sibiricum flower. Subsequently, molecular docking was performed to determine whether the identified proteins are a target of the compounds of P. sibiricum flower. Sixty-four compounds were identified in P. sibiricum flower. Among these, 35 active constituents and 72 corresponding targets were found to be closely associated with the antitumor activity of P. sibiricum flower. By constructing and analyzing the compound-target-pathway network, five key compounds and 10 key targets were obtained. The five key compounds were wogonin, rhamnetin, dauriporphine, chrysosplenetin B, and 5-hydroxyl-7,8-panicolin. The 10 key targets were PIK3CG, AKT1, PTGS1, PTGS2, MAPK14, CCND1, TP53, GSK3B, NOS2, and SCN5A. In addition, 34 antitumor-related pathways were identified using the KEGG pathway analysis. To further verify the results of network pharmacology screening, molecular docking was performed with the five key compounds and the top three targets based on degree ranking, namely, PIK3CG, AKT1, and PTGS2; the results of molecular docking were consistent with those of network pharmacology. P. sibiricum flower can exert its antitumor activity via multicomponent, multitarget, and multichannel mechanisms of action. In this study, we identified the antitumor active constituents of P. sibiricum flower and their potential mechanisms of action.

DNA barcoding for the efficient and accurate identification of medicinal polygonati rhizoma in China.

Polygonati rhizoma (PR), a traditional medicinal and edible product with various bioactive components (Polygonatum polysaccharides, saponins, phenols, and flavonoids), is widely consumed in China. However, other species with morphological characteristics similar to those of the actual components are being used to replace or adulterate PR, causing issues with quality control and product safety. The morphological similarity of PR and its substitutes makes classic morphological identification challenging. To address this issue, DNA barcoding-based identification using ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences was applied in this study to evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of this approach in identifying PR samples collected from 39 different regions in China. The identification of PR by this method was confirmed by other methods (phylogeny-based and character-based methods), and all the samples were clearly and accurately distinguished. This study highlights the efficient and accurate nature of DNA barcoding in PR identification. Applying this technique will provide a means to differentiate PR from other altered formulations, thus improving product quality and safety for consumers of PR and its products.

Species identification of polygonati rhizoma in China by both morphological and molecular marker methods.

Morphological markers as well as two types of molecular markers, inter-sample sequence repeat (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) are suitable for species identification of the polygonati rhizoma germplasms. In this paper, we adopted these methods for the identification of rhizomes collected from 47 areas in China. Based on their morphological characters, the collected germplasms were classified into two populations, one with alternate leaf arrangement and the other with verticillate leaf arrangement, and they were comprised of five species and fourteen subgroups. Of the five species identified: Polygonatum kingianum, P. cirrhifolium, P. alternicirrhosum, and P. sibiricum belonged to one cluster, and P. cyrtonema belonged to a different cluster. According to the analysis of both ISSR and SCoT markers, all germplasms with greater genetic similarity were classified into one group. Especially, P. sibiricum and P. cirrhifolium, which shared ∼80% similarity, were clustered together, whereas the germplasms identified as P. kingianum with ∼86% similarity formed a separate clade. P. kingianum showed a much greater genetic similarity with P. cyrtonema than with P. sibiricum. The multidimensional scaling analysis further verified the accuracy and reliability of the molecular marker-based results. Thus, both morphological and molecular methods should be combined for the differentiation of germplasms such as those of polygonati rhizoma.

[Effect of different fertilization treatments on yield and secondary metabolites of Codonopsis pilosula].

The research studies the effect of different fertilization treatments on yield and accumulation of secondary metabolites of Codonopsis pilosula by using single factor randomized block design, in order to ensure reasonable harvesting time and fertilization ratio, and provide the basis for standardized cultivation of C. pilosula. According to the clustering results, the nitrogen fertilizer benefitted for the improvement of root diameter and biomass of C. pilosula. The phosphate fertilizer could promote the content of C. pilosula polysaccharide. The organic fertilizers could increase the content of lobetyolin. With the time going on, C. pilosula's yield, polysaccharide and ehanol-soluble extracts increased while the content of lobetyolin decreased. According to various factors, October is a more reasonable harvest period. Organic fertilizers are more helpful to the yield and accumulation of secondary metabolites of C. pilosula.

Homoisoflavonoids and the Antioxidant Activity of Ophiopogon japonicus Root.

The root of Ophiopogon japonicus has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine and also a functional food ingredient for a long time in China. In the present study, 17 different homoisoflavonoid compounds were identified in the root extract of O. japonicus by HPLC-DAD and LCMS/MS analyses. The antioxidant activity of the of chloroform/methanol (1:1, v/v), methanol and 70% ethanol extracts, and two major isolated homoisoflavonoid compounds (methylophiopogonanone A and methylophiopogonanone B) from O. japonicus root were investigated by various in-vitro assays. Methylophiopogonanone B showed the highest antioxidant ability according to four antioxidant methods. Among the extracts, the chloroform/methanol extract which contained high amounts of homoisoflavonoids was found to exhibit the strongest antioxidant activity. The results showed that O. japonicus root can be regarded as a potential source of homoisoflavonoids and natural antioxidant.