Tang Junjie, Luo Man, Fei Xiaomeng, Qiu Rongli, Wang Mei, Gan Yifu, Qian Xudong, Zhang Daoguo, Gu Wei
School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Binhai Agricultural Tourism Group Co., Ltd., Yancheng, China.
Phytochem Anal. 2025 Apr;36(3):592-602. doi: 10.1002/pca.3453. Epub 2024 Sep 29.
Baishouwu, derived from Cynanchum auriculatum (CA) Royle ex Wight, Cynanchum bungei (CB) Decne., and Cynanchum wilfordii (CW) (Maxim.) Hemsl., is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine. CA is also recognized as a new food resource by China's National Health Commission. Given the considerable variations in flavor and chemical composition among these species and lack of their qualitative assessments, accurately differentiating between the species constituting Baishouwu is essential.
To develop a method combining electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight/mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) to differentiate between Baishouwu samples.
Fifteen batches of Baishouwu samples were analyzed using E-tongue, E-nose, and UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Flavor differences and key differential metabolites were determined through principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis.
E-tongue results revealed umami, sweetness, and richness as the predominant flavors of Baishouwu, with CA having the highest umami response, CW exhibiting the highest bitterness, and CB the highest sweetness. E-nose sensors showed consistent responses across species, with variations in signal strength; W1W and W2W sensors showed the highest response values. A total of 158 and 41 characteristic variables in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively, were selected as candidate differential metabolites, of which 29 and 14 were confirmed through database comparison. Eight critical differential metabolites, including C steroids and acetophenone compounds, were identified.
This study presents a strategy for differentiating among the species constituting Baishouwu, providing a basis for broader application and establishing quality standards for these medicinal compounds.
何首乌来源于耳叶牛皮消（CA）、白首乌（CB）和戟叶牛皮消（CW），是一种珍贵的传统中药。CA也被中国国家卫生健康委员会认定为新食品原料。鉴于这些物种在风味和化学成分上存在显著差异且缺乏定性评估，准确区分构成何首乌的物种至关重要。
开发一种结合电子舌（E-舌）、电子鼻（E-鼻）和超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间/质谱（UPLC-Q-TOF/MS）的方法来区分何首乌样品。
使用E-舌、E-鼻和UPLC-Q-TOF/MS对15批何首乌样品进行分析。通过主成分分析和正交偏最小二乘法判别分析确定风味差异和关键差异代谢物。
E-舌结果显示，鲜味、甜味和丰富度是何首乌的主要风味，CA的鲜味响应最高，CW的苦味最高，CB的甜味最高。E-鼻传感器对不同物种的响应一致，但信号强度有所变化；W1W和W2W传感器的响应值最高。分别在正离子和负离子模式下选择了158个和41个特征变量作为候选差异代谢物，其中29个和14个通过数据库比对得到确认。鉴定出8种关键差异代谢物，包括C甾体和苯乙酮类化合物。
本研究提出了一种区分构成何首乌的物种的策略，为这些药用化合物的更广泛应用和质量标准的建立提供了依据。
