Zhou Shengwei, Yang Linlin, Wan Jie, Chen Lu, Gu Xupeng, Qiao Lu, Chu Leixia, Dong Ning, Dong Chengming, Feng Weisheng
School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China.
Henan Provincial Ecological Planting Engineering Technology Research Center of Daodi Herbs, Zhengzhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Mar 31;16:1517434. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1517434. eCollection 2025.
The role of brassinolides (BRs) in regulating the synthesis of plant secondary metabolites has been recognized. However, the effect of brassinolides on the synthesis of saikosaponin in DC. () is still unresolved, To address this knowledge gap, experiments were conducted in which different concentrations (0 mg/L as CK, 0.1 mg/L, 0.2 mg/L, and 0.4 mg/L) of BRs solution were sprayed on taproot in the present study. We measured the growth indicators of each group of , used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine the expression level of genes related to the biosynthesis of saikosaponin, used terpenoid-targeted metabolomics to determine the accumulation of saikosaponin, and verified the metabolomics results by HPLC. Following a 12-day treatment with the 0.2 mg/L BRs solution, the fresh and dry root weights, the taproot length, and the taproot diameter of escalated by 60.35%, 60.11%, 25.17%, and 28.07% respectively, in comparison with the CK group. The expression of genes related to the biosynthesis of saikosaponin (, and ) significantly increased. Moreover, a terpenoid-targeted metabolomic investigation identified 27 distinct saikosaponins, inclusive of saikosaponin A and D, with a notable accumulation observed in 17 saikosaponins. The HPLC findings indicated that the contents of saikosaponin A and D elevated by 72.64% and 80.75% respectively when treated with 0.2 mg/L BRs solution. Conversely, the treatment of 0.4 mg/L BRs solution did not exhibit any significant alteration in the concentrations of saikosaponin A and D when compared to the CK group. In conclusion, the 0.2 mg/L BRs solution demonstrates a more pronounced regulatory impact on the synthesis of saikosaponin A and D. Our investigation revealed that the accumulation of these crucial medicinal bioactive compounds, saikosaponin A and D, can be enhanced through the application of a 0.2 mg/L BRs solution in the ecological cultivation of .
油菜素内酯（BRs）在调节植物次生代谢产物合成中的作用已得到认可。然而，油菜素内酯对柴胡中柴胡皂苷合成的影响仍未明确。为填补这一知识空白，本研究进行了实验，将不同浓度（0 mg/L作为对照，0.1 mg/L、0.2 mg/L和0.4 mg/L）的BRs溶液喷洒在柴胡主根上。我们测量了每组柴胡的生长指标，采用定量实时荧光定量PCR（qRT-PCR）测定与柴胡皂苷生物合成相关基因的表达水平，利用萜类靶向代谢组学测定柴胡皂苷的积累，并通过高效液相色谱法（HPLC）验证代谢组学结果。用0.2 mg/L BRs溶液处理12天后，与对照组相比，柴胡的鲜根重、干根重、主根长度和主根直径分别增加了60.35%、60.11%、25.17%和28.07%。与柴胡皂苷生物合成相关的基因（、和）的表达显著增加。此外，萜类靶向代谢组学研究鉴定出27种不同的柴胡皂苷，包括柴胡皂苷A和D，其中17种柴胡皂苷有显著积累。HPLC结果表明，用0.2 mg/L BRs溶液处理时，柴胡皂苷A和D的含量分别提高了72.64%和80.75%。相反，与对照组相比，0.4 mg/L BRs溶液处理对柴胡皂苷A和D的浓度没有显著影响。总之，0.2 mg/L BRs溶液对柴胡皂苷A和D的合成具有更显著的调节作用。我们的研究表明，在柴胡的生态栽培中，通过施用0.2 mg/L BRs溶液可以提高这些关键药用生物活性化合物柴胡皂苷A和D的积累。
