Search Results (3)

Taxilli Herba (TH) is a semi-parasitic herb and the host is a key factor affecting its quality. Flavonoids are the main bioactive constituents in TH. However, studies on the difference in accumulation of flavonoids in TH from different hosts are vacant. In this study, integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed on TH from Morus alba L. (SS) and Liquidambar formosana Hance (FXS) to investigate the relationship between the regulation of gene expression and the accumulation of bioactive constituents. The results showed that a total of 3319 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in transcriptomic analysis, including 1726 up-regulated genes and 1547 down-regulated genes. In addition, 81 compounds were identified using ultra-fast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-time of flight ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS) analysis, and the relative contents of flavonol aglycones and glycosides were higher in TH from SS group than those from the FXS group. A putative biosynthesis network of flavonoids was created, combined with structural genes, and the expression patterns of genes were mostly consistent with the variation of bioactive constituents. It was noteworthy that the UDP-glycosyltransferase genes might participate in downstream flavonoid glycosides synthesis. The findings of this work will provide a new way to understand the quality formation of TH from the aspects of metabolite changes and molecular mechanism. Full article

Taxilli Herba (TAXH) is an important traditional Chinese medicine with a long history, dating from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present times. However, the active constituents in it that parasitize different hosts vary, affecting its clinical efficacy. Given the complexity of the host origins, evaluating the quality of TAXH is critical to ensure the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. In the present study, a quantitative method based on ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established, which simultaneously determined the content of 33 active constituents, including 12 flavonoids, 4 organic acids, 12 amino acids, and 5 nucleosides in 45 samples. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was employed to classify and distinguish between TAXH and its adulterants, Tolypanthi Herba (TOLH). A hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was conducted combined with a heatmap to visually observe the distribution regularity of 33 constituents in each sample. Furthermore, gray relational analysis (GRA) was applied to evaluate the quality of samples to get the optimal host. The results demonstrated that TAXH excelled TOLH in quality as a whole. The quality of TAXH parasitizing Morus alba was also better, while those that were parasitic on Cinnamomum camphora and Glyptostrobus pensilis had relatively poor quality. This study may provide comprehensive information that is necessary for quality control and supply a scientific basis for further exploring the quality formation mechanism of TAXH. Full article

Taxilli Herba (TH) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a wide range of clinical application. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on its chemical composition in recent years. At the same time, Taxillus chinensis (DC) Danser is a semi parasitic plant with abundant hosts, and its chemical constituents varies due to hosts. In this study, the characterization of chemical constituents in TH was analyzed by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS). Moreover, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to reveal the differential constituents in TH from different hosts based on the qualitative information of the chemical constituents. Results showed that 73 constituents in TH were identified or tentatively presumed, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and glycosides, and others; meanwhile, the fragmentation pathways of different types of compounds were preliminarily deduced by the fragmentation behavior of the major constituents. In addition, 23 differential characteristic constituents were screened based on variable importance in projection (VIP) and p-value. Among them, quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucuronide, quercitrin and hyperoside were common differential constituents. Our research will contribute to comprehensive evaluation and intrinsic quality control of TH, and provide a scientific basis for the variety identification of medicinal materials from different hosts. Full article