Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Shanghai Standard Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China.
Phytochem Anal. 2022 Jun;33(4):619-634. doi: 10.1002/pca.3115. Epub 2022 Mar 2.
Alkaloids and glycosides are the active ingredients of the herb Dendrobium nobile, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The pharmacological effects of alkaloids include neuroprotective effects and regulatory effects on glucose and lipid metabolism, while glycosides improve the immune system. The pharmacological activities of the above chemical components are significantly different. In practice, the stems of 3-year-old D. nobile are usually used as the main source of Dendrobii Caulis. However, it has not been reported whether this harvesting time is appropriate.
The aim of this study was to compare the chemical characteristics of D. nobile in different growth years (1-3 years).
In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) was employed to analyze the constituents of D. nobile. The relative abundance of each constituent was analyzed with multivariate statistical analyses to screen the characteristic constituents that contributed to the characterization and classification of D. nobile. Dendrobine, a component of D. nobile that is used for quality control according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, was assayed by gas chromatography.
As a result, 34 characteristic constituents (VIP > 2) were identified or tentatively identified as alkaloids and glycosides based on MS/MS data. Moreover, the content of alkaloids decreased over time, whereas the content of glycosides showed the opposite trend. The absolute quantification of dendrobine was consistent with the metabolomics results.
Our findings provide valuable information to optimize the harvest period and a reference for the clinical application of D. nobile.
石斛中的生物碱和糖苷类化合物是其活性成分，在中药中被广泛应用。生物碱具有神经保护作用和调节葡萄糖、脂代谢的作用，而糖苷类化合物则可以提高免疫系统的功能。上述化学成分的药理活性差异显著。在实际应用中，通常以 3 年生的茎作为铁皮石斛药材的主要来源。然而，尚未有报道表明这个采收时间是否合适。
本研究旨在比较不同生长年限（1-3 年）的铁皮石斛的化学成分特征。
采用超高效液相色谱-四级杆飞行时间串联质谱联用技术（UPLC-Q/TOF-MS）分析铁皮石斛的成分。采用多元统计分析方法分析各成分的相对丰度，筛选出对铁皮石斛特征描述和分类有贡献的特征成分。根据《中国药典》，采用气相色谱法测定铁皮石斛中用于质量控制的成分石斛碱。
基于 MS/MS 数据，共鉴定或推测出 34 种特征成分（VIP > 2），包括生物碱和糖苷类化合物。此外，生物碱的含量随时间的推移而降低，而糖苷类化合物的含量则呈现相反的趋势。石斛碱的绝对定量结果与代谢组学结果一致。
本研究结果为优化铁皮石斛的采收期提供了有价值的信息，为铁皮石斛的临床应用提供了参考。
