Abstract
Plant growth retardant (PGR) refers to organics that can inhibit the cell division of plant stem tip sub-apical meristem cells or primordial meristem cell. They are widely used in the cultivation of rhizomatous functional plants; such as Codonopsis Radix, that is a famous Chinese traditional herb. However, it is still unclear whether PGR affects the medicinal quality of C. Radix. In the present study, amino acid analyses, targeted and non-targeted analyses by ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS) and gas chromatography-MS were used to analyze and compare the composition of untreated C. Radix and C. Radix treated with PGR. The contents of two key bioactive compounds, lobetyolin and atractylenolide III, were not affected by PGR treatment. The amounts of polysaccharides and some internal volatiles were significantly decreased by PGR treatment; while the free amino acids content was generally increased. Fifteen metabolites whose abundance were affected by PGR treatment were identified by UPLC-TOF-MS. Five of the up-regulated compounds have been reported to show immune activity, which might contribute to the healing efficacy (“buqi”) of C. Radix. The results of this study showed that treatment of C. Radix with PGR during cultivation has economic benefits and affected some main bioactive compounds in C. Radix.
Highlights
Codonopsis Radix is the dried roots of Codonopsis pilosula, Codonopsis pilosulavar, Codonopsis modesta, and Codonopsis tangshen, which are perennial herbaceous plants in the family Campanulaceae [1]
The results of the present study showed that these compounds showed only slight fluctuations after Plant growth retardant (PGR) treatment, indicating that PGR did not affect their biosynthetic pathways
The results of this study showed that PGR treatment increased the levels of several immunologically active metabolites, but did not result in the production of toxic substances
Summary
Codonopsis Radix is the dried roots of Codonopsis pilosula, Codonopsis pilosulavar, Codonopsis modesta, and Codonopsis tangshen, which are perennial herbaceous plants in the family Campanulaceae [1]. As one of the most famous Chinese traditional herbs, C. Radix has been used in clinical applications for hundreds of years. Many studies have focused on its multiple medicinal properties. It can enhance immune function, affect gastrointestinal movement, and reduce the effects of hypoxia and fatigue [2]. It has a sedative effect on the nervous system and can improve the function of the Molecules 2017, 22, 1655; doi:10.3390/molecules22101655 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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