An integrated strategy for the establishment of a protoberberine alkaloid profile: Exploration of the differences in composition between Tinosporae radix and Fibraurea caulis

Comparative pharmacognosy and secondary metabolite analysis of Balanophorae herbs from different sources

The Balanophorae are not only traditional Chinese herbal medicines but also functional foods with diverse sources. This study aimed to distinguish pharmacognostic characteristics and secondary metabolites among different species of Balanophorae. Eight species of Balanophorae herbs were harvested, including 21 batches with 209 samples. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to analyze secondary metabolites of Balanophorae from 21 sources. Targeted metabolomic analysis was performed to compare differences among the groups. Rhopalocnemis phalloide and B. indica can be identified by their pharmacognostic characteristics. Then, 41 secondary metabolites were identified or characterized in the mixed extracts of the 209 samples, mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their derivatives. The distribution of these secondary metabolites revealed apparent differences among different species. In addition, targeted metabolomic analysis suggested that the secondary metabolite profiles of seven species of Balanophorae showed noticeable differences, and differences were also observed among different growing regions. Finally, five important metabolic markers were screened to successfully distinguish B. laxiflora, B. harlandii, and B. polyandra, including three phenolic acids and two flavonoids. This is the first study to systematically compare both the morphology and secondary metabolites among different sources of Balanophorae, which could provide effective information for identifying diverse species.

Mining Therapeutic Efficacy from Treasure Chest of Biodiversity and Chemodiversity: Pharmacophylogeny of Ranunculales Medicinal Plants

Ranunculales, comprising of 7 families that are rich in medicinal species frequently utilized by traditional medicine and ethnomedicine, represents a treasure chest of biodiversity and chemodiversity. The phylogenetically related species often have similar chemical profile, which makes them often possess similar therapeutic spectrum. This has been validated by both ethnomedicinal experiences and pharmacological investigations. This paper summarizes molecular phylogeny, chemical constituents, and therapeutic applications of Ranunculales, i.e., a pharmacophylogeny study of this representative medicinal order. The phytochemistry/metabolome, ethnomedicine and bioactivity/pharmacology data are incorporated within the phylogenetic framework of Ranunculales. The most studied compounds of this order include benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoid, saponin and lignan, etc. Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are especially abundant in Berberidaceae and Menispermaceae. The most frequent ethnomedicinal uses are arthritis, heat-clearing and detoxification, carbuncle-abscess and sore-toxin. The most studied bioactivities are anticancer/cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities, etc. The pharmacophylogeny analysis, integrated with both traditional and modern medicinal uses, agrees with the molecular phylogeny based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences, in which Ranunculales is divided into Ranunculaceae, Berberidaceae, Menispermaceae, Lardizabalaceae, Circaeasteraceae, Papaveraceae, and Eupteleaceae families. Chemical constituents and therapeutic efficacy of each taxonomic group are reviewed and the underlying connection between phylogeny, chemodiversity and clinical uses is revealed, which facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of Ranunculales pharmaceutical resources, as well as developing novel plant-based pharmacotherapy.