HPLC-DAD Fingerprints Combined With Multivariate Analysis of Epimedii Folium From Major Producing Areas in Eastern Asia: Effect of Geographical Origin and Species

Alberto Cp Dias,Xiang Liu,Chen Chen,Long Xu,Marta R M Lima,Hongchao Yuan,Yuhao Nie,Xiaoying Zhang,Ben Li

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.761551

Abstract

The growth location and plant variety may influence the active components and biological activities of plants used in phytomedicine. In this study, nine sets of different Epimedii Folium, from different representative cultivation locations and Epimedium species, were collected for comparison, using HPLC-DAD combined with multivariate analysis. The objective was to investigate the influence of geographical origin and Epimedium species on the quality of Epimedii Folium, and provide applicable guidance for cultivation and quality control of Epimedii Folium. Several Epimedium spp. sets were used to establish the HPLC-DAD fingerprints and 91 peaks (compounds) were selected for the multivariate analysis. Major compounds were analyzed by HPLC-DAD combined with principal component analysis (PCA). HPLC quantitative analysis of known bioactive compounds was performed. Application of PCA to HPLC data showed that Epimedium samples sharing the same geographical origin or species clustered together, indicating that both species and geographical origin have impacts on the quality of Epimedii Folium. The major bioactive flavonoid compounds, epimedin C, icariin and baohuoside I, were identified and quantified. The concentration of bioactive compounds was significantly influenced both by species and geographical origin. E. sagittatum from Sichuan showed the highest content of bioactive compounds. The results showed that both Epimedium species and geographical origin have strong impact into quality of Epimedii Folium. HPLC data combined with multivariate analysis is a suitable approach to inform the selection of cultivation areas and choose Epimedium spp. most suitable for different geographical areas, resulting in improved quality of Epimedii Folium.

Highlights

Epimedii Folium, “淫羊藿 (Yin Yang Huo)” in Chinese - known as Herba Epimedii, barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, and rowdy lamb herb - is an important medicinal herb ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat osteoporosis and sexual dysfunction, among other conditions (Ma et al, 2011)
This study aimed to investigate the influence of the cultivation location and Epimedium species on the phytocomposition and quality of Epimedii Folium, namely the major relevant bioactive components, using HPLC-DAD and multivariate statistical analysis, since these issues are highly relevant for cultivation and quality control of Epimedii Folium
The analytical standards were purchased from Desite (Chengdu, Sichuan, China): Epimedin C, icariin and Baohuoside I

Summary

Introduction

Epimedii Folium, “淫羊藿 (Yin Yang Huo)” in Chinese - known as Herba Epimedii, barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, and rowdy lamb herb - is an important medicinal herb ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat osteoporosis and sexual dysfunction, among other conditions (Ma et al, 2011). Epimedii Folium has been used for more than 2000 years with the major functions of “tonifying kidney Yang, strengthening muscles and bones, dispelling wind and dampness” (Chen et al, 2015b). Improved osteoporosis condition and strengthening bones in human studies (Indran et al, 2016), and has been used to treat sexual dysfunction (Shindel et al, 2010) and cardiovascular diseases (Li et al, 2015b). Many active compounds, including epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin and baohuoside I, have been identified from Epimedium (Wu et al, 2012). Icariin significantly inhibited the proliferation of several cancer cells, like ovarian cancer cells (Li et al, 2015a), medulloblastoma cells (Sun et al, 2016), and human neural cells (Yang et al, 2016)

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Results