Qian Jin-Xiu, Wang Ya-Peng, Li Huai-Zhu, Liu Yan-Meng, Wang Yi-Han, Kang Li-Ping, Nan Tie-Gui, Tang Jin-Fu, Zhan Zhi-Lai
State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing 100700, China.
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xianyang Normal University Xianyang 712000, China.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2023 Sep;48(17):4634-4646. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20230414.101.
Dead heart is an important trait of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix. The purpose of this study was to clarify the scientific connotation of the dead heart using multi-omics. Metabolomics and transcriptomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis such as principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were used to systematically compare the differences in chemical composition and gene expression among phloem, outer xylem and near-dead xylem of pith-decayed Scutella-riae Radix. The results revealed significant differences in the contents of flavonoid glycosides and aglycones among the three parts. Compared with phloem and outer xylem, near-dead xylem had markedly lowered content of flavonoid glycosides(including baicalin, norwogonin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, oroxylin A-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, and wogonoside) while markedly increased content of aglycones(including 3,5,7,2',6'-pentahydroxy dihydroflavone, baicalin, wogonin, and oroxylin A). The differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in KEGG pathways such as phenylpropanoid metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, ABC transporter, and plant MAPK signal transduction pathway. This study systematically elucidated the material basis of the dead heart of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix with multiple growing years. Specifically, the content of flavonoid aglycones was significantly increased in the near-dead xylem, and the gene expression of metabolic pathways such as flavonoid glycoside hydrolysis, interxylary cork development and programmed apoptosis was significantly up-regulated. This study provided a theoretical basis for guiding the high-quality production of pith-decayed Scutellariae Radix.
枯心是黄芩药材枯朽的重要特征。本研究旨在运用多组学技术阐明枯心的科学内涵。采用代谢组学和转录组学，并结合主成分分析（PCA）和偏最小二乘判别分析（PLS-DA）等多元统计分析方法，系统比较了枯朽黄芩韧皮部、外木质部和近枯死木质部之间化学成分和基因表达的差异。结果显示，这三个部位的黄酮苷和苷元含量存在显著差异。与韧皮部和外木质部相比，近枯死木质部的黄酮苷（包括黄芩苷、去甲汉黄芩苷-7-O-β-D-葡萄糖醛酸、木犀草素A-7-O-β-D-葡萄糖醛酸和汉黄芩苷）含量显著降低，而苷元（包括3,5,7,2',6'-五羟基二氢黄酮、黄芩苷、汉黄芩素和木犀草素A）含量显著增加。差异表达基因主要集中在苯丙烷代谢、黄酮生物合成、ABC转运蛋白和植物MAPK信号转导途径等KEGG通路中。本研究系统阐明了多年生长的枯朽黄芩枯心的物质基础。具体而言，近枯死木质部中黄酮苷元含量显著增加，黄酮苷水解、木间木栓发育和程序性凋亡等代谢途径的基因表达显著上调。本研究为指导枯朽黄芩的优质生产提供了理论依据。
