Abstract
Polygonatum kingianum Collett & Hemsl is one of the famous traditional Chinese herbs with satisfactory therapeutic effects on invigorating Qi, nourishing Yin and moistening lungs, in which steroidal saponins are one class of important active substances. The main purpose is to determine the optimal extraction technology of steroidal saponins and evaluate the quality of P. kingianum planted in five different areas. The optimal ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) technology was established by using single-factor experiments and the response surface methodology (RSM), and the determination method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for dioscin and diosgenin, two primary types of acid-hydrolyzed steroidal saponins, was constructed with good linear range and precision. The results showed that UAE was an efficient extraction method for steroidal saponins, and the extraction yield was significantly affected by the liquid-solid ratio. The optimal extraction technology was generated following a liquid-solid ratio of 10:1 (mL/g), an ethanol concentration of 85% (v/v), an extraction time of 75 min, an extraction temperature of 50 °C and three extractions, of which these parameters were in line with the predicted values calculated by RSM. Considering only dioscin and diosgenin, the quality of P. kingianum planted at five sample plots presented non-significant difference. However, the content of diosgenin in Pingbian Prefecture (PB) was higher than that of the other four areas with a value of 0.46 mg/g. Taken together, the optimal UAE technology for P. kingianum steroidal saponins was determined via RSM. The quality evaluation revealed that there was a non-significant difference among P. kingianum planted in different areas based on the contents of the sum of dioscin and diosgenin. This work has important reference value for the exploitation and utilization of P. kingianum.
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Polygonatum kingianum Collett & Hemsl is one of the most important traditional Chinese herbs and is widely cultivated in Southwest China [1]
The contents of dioscin and diosgenin of P. kingianum planted in different areas were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after extracting total steroidal saponins, of which the contents were used to evaluate the medicinal quality of Rhizoma Polygonati Kingiani
The extraction method is a considerable factor that can significantly influence the extraction efficiency of steroidal saponins in the extraction process. Both ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and Heating reflux extraction (HRE) are usually used to extract active substances from plants, any one of which may be chosen according to actual needs
Summary
As a medicine-food homology species, Rhizoma Polygonati Kingiani, the rhizome of P. kingianum is commonly used in Chinese medicine and cooking. Modern pharmacology confirms that these functions are closely related to the content of active substances distributed in the rhizome, in which polysaccharides and steroidal saponins are usually thought to be the most important quality markers [3,4]. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) is an efficient method for the extraction of herbal active substances. We first compared the extractive effect of UAE and HRE for P. kingianum steroidal saponins. The contents of dioscin and diosgenin of P. kingianum planted in different areas were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after extracting total steroidal saponins, of which the contents were used to evaluate the medicinal quality of Rhizoma Polygonati Kingiani. Our works can provide support for the study and application of steroidal saponins of P. kingianum
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