Li Fang, Ge Kaiying, Huang Rong, Lu Yi, Lin Huihui, Jiang Yanfengyang, Tian Enwei, Chao Zhi
Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China.
Faculty of Medicinal Plants and Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 May 13;25(1):626. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06661-0.
Radix Bupleuri, derived from the dried roots of Bupleurum chinense DC., is a well-documented phytomedicine in global pharmacopoeias and a common constituent in herbal formulations. While previous studies have hinted at regional variations in the chemical composition of B. chinense, a comprehensive understanding of its morphological, genetic, and chemical diversity across China remains incomplete.
This study aims to investigate the infraspecific variation of B. chinense by analyzing its morphological, genetic, and chemical phenotypes.
Wild B. chinense specimens were collected from 31 locations spanning nine Chinese provinces/municipalities, representing a wide range of its natural distribution. A multi-faceted approach combining 21 morphological traits, plastid genome sequencing, and chemical analysis was employed to explore infraspecific variation and clustering patterns.
Distinct infraspecific variation was revealed through integrated morphological and molecular data. Morphological clustering analysis identified two geographically associated clusters, roughly corresponding to coastal and inland regions. Although plastid genome sequencing of 40 specimens showed high sequence identity, population structure analysis detected variable hotspots. Both maximum likelihood (ML) tree and population structure results consistently identified three distinct clades, which mirrored the patterns observed in morphological clustering. Quantitative analysis of saikosaponins content in 10 representative specimens across the three clades demonstrated significant chemotype variation. Notably, samples from Anhui Province exhibited the highest saikosaponins content, while those from Shanxi Province showed the lowest levels. This chemotype variation, coupled with observed genetic diversity, suggests that B. chinense germplasm from Clade I (particularly from Anhui Province) represents a promising wild resource for further development.
柴胡来源于伞形科植物柴胡的干燥根，是全球药典中记载详实的植物药，也是草药配方中的常见成分。虽然此前的研究已暗示柴胡化学成分存在地域差异，但对其在中国各地的形态、遗传和化学多样性的全面了解仍不完整。
本研究旨在通过分析柴胡的形态、遗传和化学表型，探究其种下变异。
从中国9个省/直辖市的31个地点采集野生柴胡标本，这些地点代表了其广泛的自然分布范围。采用结合21个形态性状、质体基因组测序和化学分析的多方面方法，探索种下变异和聚类模式。
综合形态学和分子数据揭示了明显的种下变异。形态聚类分析确定了两个与地理相关的聚类，大致对应沿海和内陆地区。虽然40个标本的质体基因组测序显示出高度的序列同一性，但群体结构分析检测到了可变热点。最大似然（ML）树和群体结构结果均一致确定了三个不同的分支，这与形态聚类中观察到的模式相符。对三个分支中10个代表性标本的柴胡皂苷含量进行定量分析，结果显示化学型存在显著差异。值得注意的是，来自安徽省的样品柴胡皂苷含量最高，而来自山西省的样品含量最低。这种化学型变异，再加上观察到的遗传多样性，表明分支I中的柴胡种质（特别是来自安徽省的）是进一步开发的有前景的野生资源。
