Abstract
The quality assessment and discrimination of Panax herbs are very challenging to perform due to the complexity and variability of their chemical compositions. An integrated strategy was established using UHPLC-Q-Exactive/HRMS and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS to achieve an accurate, rapid, and comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of Panax japonicas (PJ), Panax japonicus var. major (PM), and Panax zingiberensis (PZ). Additionally, discrimination among the three species was explored with partial least squares–discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots. A total of 101 compounds were plausibly or unambiguously identified, including 82 from PJ, 78 from PM, and 67 from PZ. Among them, 16 representative ginsenosides were further quantified in three herbs. A clear discrimination between the three species was observed through a multivariate statistical analysis on the quantitative data. Nine compounds that allowed for discrimination between PJ, PM, and PZ were discovered. Notably, ginsenoside Rf (G-Rf), ginsenoside F3 (G-F3), and chikusetsu saponin IV (CS-IV) were the three most important differential compounds. The research indicated that the integrated LC-MS-based strategy can be applied for the quality assessment and discrimination of the three Panax herbs.
Highlights
Ginseng herbs, the roots and rhizomes of the Panax species (Araliaceae), are valuable traditional herbs that have a thousand years of medical history and are well-known worldwide as herbal medicines and food to enhance body strength, prevent exhaustion, and improve immunity [1]
A new, rapid, and sensitive UHPLC-Q-Exactive/HRMS analysis method has been developed for the first time to comprehensively screen and identify the chemical compositions of the three ginseng herbs Panax japonicas (PJ), Panax japonicus var. major (PM), and Panax zingiberensis (PZ)
Discrimination of the three Panax herbs and the important compounds were investigated using the partial least squares–discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) methods based on quantitative data
Summary
The roots and rhizomes of the Panax species (Araliaceae), are valuable traditional herbs that have a thousand years of medical history and are well-known worldwide as herbal medicines and food to enhance body strength, prevent exhaustion, and improve immunity [1]. PZ is widely used for strengthening the immune response and providing cardiovascular protection in folk medicines of China and Myanmar [21] At present, these three ginseng herbs are widely incorporated into health products and dietary supplements for their related and similar pharmacological functions. There are few studies on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the chemical compositions and investigations on the differences between these three Panax herbs. A new, rapid, and sensitive UHPLC-Q-Exactive/HRMS analysis method has been developed for the first time to comprehensively screen and identify the chemical compositions of the three ginseng herbs PJ, PM, and PZ. Discrimination of the three Panax herbs and the important compounds were investigated using the partial least squares–discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) methods based on quantitative data
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