School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China; Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528400, China.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2024 Oct 1;1246:124298. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2024.124298. Epub 2024 Sep 4.
The Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz (A. chinensis) Chinese herb possesses numerous therapeutic properties and is extensively utilized in the pharmaceutical industry. Its quality is closely associated with the harvest periods. However, the optimal quality and harvest periods of A. chinensis remain elusive.
The bioactive compounds of perennial A. chinensis were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS) metabolomics, and differentially abundant compounds were selected by multivariate statistical analysis. Then, variations in the content of differential compounds in samples harvested at different periods were analyzed, while correlation analysis was carried out on the differential compounds to determine the suitable harvest period for distinct components.
A total of 61 bioactive compounds were detected in all samples, grouped into 9 known classes. The results revealed that the chemical compositions of A. chinensis at different harvest periods were significantly different. The volatile oil content in the four-year-old and five-year-old samples was relatively high, at 31.92 mg/g and 32.42 mg/g, respectively. There were also significant differences in the content of the six active ingredients, for example, the five-year-old sample had the highest content of atractylodin (4.38 mg/g). Indeed, the harvest period was correlated with the abundance of most bioactive compounds. Specifically, quinquennial samples were significantly negatively correlated with the abundance of organic acids and aliphatics while moderately positively correlated with the abundance of other classes of bioactive compounds.
According to the results, the ideal harvest time for atractylenolide Ⅲ was 3 years. Regarding organic acids, the optimal harvest time was around 2-3 years. Taken together, these results offer valuable insights to producers for optimizing the harvest period for A. chinensis.
白术（Atractylodes chinensis（DC.）Koidz）是一种具有多种治疗特性的中草药，在制药行业中得到广泛应用。其质量与收获期密切相关，但白术的最佳质量和收获期仍不明确。
采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆轨道阱质谱联用（UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS）代谢组学方法检测多年生白术的生物活性化合物，通过多元统计分析筛选差异丰度化合物。然后分析不同收获期样品中差异化合物的含量变化，并对差异化合物进行相关性分析，确定不同成分的适宜收获期。
在所有样品中共检测到 61 种生物活性化合物，分为 9 种已知类别。结果表明，不同收获期白术的化学成分差异显著。四年生和五年生样品的挥发油含量相对较高，分别为 31.92mg/g 和 32.42mg/g。六种活性成分的含量也存在显著差异，例如五年生样品中苍术素的含量最高（4.38mg/g）。实际上，收获期与大多数生物活性化合物的丰度密切相关。具体来说，五年生样品与有机酸和脂肪族化合物的丰度呈显著负相关，与其他类生物活性化合物的丰度呈中度正相关。
根据结果，苍术酮的理想收获时间为 3 年。对于有机酸，最佳收获时间约为 2-3 年。综上所述，这些结果为生产者优化白术的收获期提供了有价值的信息。
