Comprehensive quality evaluation of Magnolia officinalis leaves based on wavelength fusion fingerprint, content determination, and antioxidant activity analysis

Abstract

Abstract A valid, novel, and comprehensive evaluation method for assessing the quality of Magnolia officinalis leaves (MOLs) from different origins has been established based on multiwavelength fusion fingerprint, quantitative analysis, and antioxidant activity screening. The four wavelength fingerprints for MOL samples at 258, 266, 290, and 327 nm were collected by high performance liquid chromatography, and then data fusion was conducted. In addition, the content of multiple components was determined by high performance liquid chromatography at four wavelengths. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-pyridyl hydrazine scavenging assay was applied to study in vitro antioxidant activity. The effective distinction of 18 batches of MOLs was realized based on hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis combined with multiwavelength fusion fingerprint. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model exhibited huge advantages in distinguishing among different samples and screening three quality markers of the tested samples, including rutin, isoquercitrin, and chlorogenic acid. This established method of multitechnology fusion is simple, reliable, and efficient for the qualitative and quantitative bioactivity evaluation of MOLs. This study aims to investigate the development of new medicinal parts of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), so as to enhance the efficiency of utilizing TCM resources and promote the high-quality development of the TCM industry.