Li Yinping, He Qing, Geng Zhufeng, Du Shushan, Deng Zhiwei, Hasi Eerdun
College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Xinjiang 830054, China.
R Soc Open Sci. 2018 Jul 18;5(7):171722. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171722. eCollection 2018 Jul.
Xerophytes play an active role in preventing soil denudation and desertification in arid and semi-arid areas. L. (Zygophyllaceae family), a seasonally growing, poisonous and drought-tolerant plant, is widely distributed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and used as a traditional herbal medicine as well as, in winter, a fodder source. Previous research has focused on the pharmacological activity of isolated compounds and stress responses to growth environments. However, the metabolic profile of and variations in its metabolites, including medicinally active and stress resistance components, have not been illustrated during different growth stages. Here, we collected plant samples in May, August, October and December. We determined the metabolic composition of methanol extracts using NMR spectroscopy, and comparisons of four growth stages were accomplished by applying statistical analysis. The results showed that vasicine, choline and sucrose were significantly elevated in samples harvested in May. Significantly higher amounts of betaine, lysine, 4-hydroxyisoleucine and proline were found in samples collected in August than in samples collected in other months, and the concentrations of phosphorylcholine, glucose, acetic acid and vasicinone were highest in December. The relationships between differential biomarkers and plant physiological states affected by diverse growth environmental factors were discussed. Our result deepened the understanding of metabolic mechanisms in plant development and confirmed the advantage of using NMR-based metabolomic treatments in quality evaluation when is used for different purposes.
旱生植物在干旱和半干旱地区防止土壤侵蚀和沙漠化方面发挥着积极作用。骆驼蓬（蒺藜科）是一种季节性生长、有毒且耐旱的植物，广泛分布于新疆维吾尔自治区，用作传统草药，在冬季还作为饲料来源。以往的研究主要集中在分离化合物的药理活性以及对生长环境的应激反应。然而，骆驼蓬在不同生长阶段的代谢谱及其代谢产物（包括药用活性成分和抗逆成分）的变化尚未得到阐明。在此，我们于5月、8月、10月和12月采集了植物样本。我们使用核磁共振波谱法测定了甲醇提取物的代谢成分，并通过统计分析对四个生长阶段进行了比较。结果表明，5月采集的样本中鸭嘴花碱、胆碱和蔗糖显著升高。8月采集的样本中甜菜碱、赖氨酸、4-羟基异亮氨酸和脯氨酸的含量明显高于其他月份采集的样本，而12月磷酸胆碱、葡萄糖、乙酸和骆驼蓬酮的浓度最高。讨论了差异生物标志物与受不同生长环境因素影响的植物生理状态之间的关系。我们的结果加深了对植物发育代谢机制的理解，并证实了在骆驼蓬用于不同用途时，基于核磁共振的代谢组学处理在质量评估中的优势。
