Comparative analysis of volatile oils in the stems and roots of Ephedra sinica via GC-MS-based plant metabolomics.
10.1016/S1875-5364(16)60006-7
- Author:
Meng-Ying LV
1
,
2
;
Jian-Bo SUN
3
;
Min WANG
1
,
2
;
Hong-Yan FAN
1
,
2
;
Zun-Jian ZHANG
1
,
4
;
Feng-Guo XU
1
,
5
Author Information
1. Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance (Ministry of Education), China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
3. Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
4. State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: zunjianzhangcpu@hotmail.com.
5. State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: fengguoxu@gmail.com.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Antioxidant activity;
Ephedra sinica;
GC-MS;
Plant metabolomics;
Volatile oil
- MeSH:
Drugs, Chinese Herbal;
chemistry;
Ephedra sinica;
chemistry;
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry;
Metabolomics;
Oils, Volatile;
chemistry;
Plant Roots;
chemistry;
Plant Stems;
chemistry
- From:
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.)
2016;14(2):133-140
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
With a great difference in therapeutic effects of Mahuang (MH, the stems of Ephedra sinica) and Mahuanggen (MHG, the roots of Ephedra sinica), chemical differences between MH and MHG should be investigated. In the present study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based plant metabolomics was employed to compare volatile oil profiles of MH and MHG. The antioxidant activities of volatile oils from MH and MHG were also compared. 32 differential chemical markers were identified according to the variable importance in the projection (VIP) value of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and P value of Mann-Whitney test. Among them, chemical markers of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) and α-terpineol were quantified. Their contents were much higher in most MH samples compared with MHG. The antioxidant assay demonstrated that MH had significantly higher free radical-scavenging activity than MHG. Although MH and MHG derived from the same medicinal plant, there was much difference in their volatile oil profiles. MH samples had significantly higher content of two reported pharmacologically important chemical markers of TMP and α-terpineol, which may account for their different antioxidant activities.
