Evaluation of Ecological Suitability and Quality Suitability of Panax notoginseng Under Multi-Regionalization Modeling Theory

Novel Developments and Progress in Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy (2D-COS)

This first of the two-part series of the comprehensive survey review on the progress of the two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) field during the period 2021-2022, covers books, reviews, tutorials, novel concepts and theories, and patent applications that appeared in the last two years, as well as some inappropriate use or citations of 2D-COS. The overall trend clearly shows that 2D-COS is continually growing and evolving with notable new developments. The technique is well recognized as a powerful analytical tool that provides deep insights into systems in many science fields.

Diverse Applications of Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy (2D-COS)

This second of the two-part series of a comprehensive survey review provides the diverse applications of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) covering different probes, perturbations, and systems in the last two years. Infrared spectroscopy has maintained its top popularity in 2D-COS over the past two years. Fluorescence spectroscopy is the second most frequently used analytical method, which has been heavily applied to the analysis of heavy metal binding, environmental, and solution systems. Various other analytical methods including laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, capillary electrophoresis, seismologic, and so on, have also been reported. In the last two years, concentration, composition, and pH are the main effects of perturbation used in the 2D-COS fields, as well as temperature. Environmental science is especially heavily studied using 2D-COS. This comprehensive survey review shows that 2D-COS undergoes continuous evolution and growth, marked by novel developments and successful applications across diverse scientific fields.

A comprehensive quality evaluation method of different medicinal parts of Physalis Calyx seu Fructus by fingerprints, chemometrics, antioxidant activity, network pharmacology and molecular docking

Physalis Calyx seu Fructus (PCF) is a herb widely used in China for its function of clearing heat and detoxifying, benefitting the pharynx and reducing phlegm, both in health care and in tea drinking. However, the quality of its fruit and calyx is uneven and the storage period is short. Therefore, it is crucial to develop other parts of PCF with longer storage periods and obvious medicinal effects. Firstly, high-performance liquid chromatography was used to develop the fingerprint of different parts of PCF, and various chemometric analyses were conducted to screen out chemical markers. The calyxes of PCF were found to cluster together, distinct from the fruits, roots, stems and leaves. The active components of PCF were concentrated in the persistent calyxes, and flavonoids were mainly found in the persistent calyxes and leaves. Secondly, the extraction of persistent calyxes showed the strongest scavenging ability of DPPH and ABTS. Finally, the important chemical markers were verified by network pharmacological analysis and molecular docking. It provides a reference for the clinical application of PCF, and the obtained chemical markers offer a scientific basis for quality evaluation.

Study of the suitable climate factors and geographical origins traceability of Panax notoginseng based on correlation analysis and spectral images combined with machine learning

INTRODUCTION

The cultivation and sale of medicinal plants are some of the main ways to meet the increased market demand for plant-based drugs. Panax notoginseng is a widely used Chinese medicinal material. The growth and accumulation of bioactive constituents mainly depend on a satisfactory growing environment. Additionally, the occurrence of market fraud means that care should be taken when purchasing.

METHODS

In this study, we report the correlation between saponins and climate factors based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and evaluate the influence of climate factors on the quality of P. notoginseng. In addition, the synchronous two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) images of near infrared (NIR) data combined with the deep learning model were applied to traceability of geographic origins of P. notoginseng at two different levels (district and town levels).

RESULTS

The results indicated that the contents of saponins in P. notoginseng are negatively related to the annual mean temperature and the temperature annual range. A lower annual mean temperature and temperature annual range are favorable for the content accumulation of saponins. Additionally, high annual precipitation and high humidity are conducive to the content accumulation of Notoginsenoside R1 (NG-R1), Ginsenosides Rg1 (G-Rg1), and Ginsenosides Rb1 (G-Rb1), while Ginsenosides Rd (G-Rd), this is not the case. Regarding geographic origins, classifications at two different levels could be successfully distinguished through synchronous 2D-COS images combined with the residual convolutional neural network (ResNet) model. The model accuracy of the training set, test set, and external validation is achieved at 100%, and the cross-entropy loss function curves are lower. This demonstrated the potential feasibility of the proposed method for P. notoginseng geographic origin traceability, even if the distance between sampling points is small.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this study could improve the quality of P. notoginseng, provide a reference for cultivating P. notoginseng in the future and alleviate the occurrence of market fraud.

Complex ecological and socioeconomic impacts on medicinal plant diversity

Medicinal plant diversity (MPD) is an important component of plant diversity. Over-collection based on medicinal and economic value has the potential to damage the stability of the regional ecosystem. It is important to understand the current distribution of MPD and the factors influencing it. However, it is still unclear whether environmental and socioeconomic conditions have an impact on their distribution. We selected the Inner Mongolia as a representative study area which covers a wide area, accounting for 12.29% of China’s national land area and 0.79% of the world’s land area. At the same time, the region is a long-standing traditional medicinal area for Mongolians in China. Therefore, the region is significantly influenced by changes in environmental factors and socio-economic factors. We used 9-years field survey of the distribution of medicinal plants in Inner Mongolia for assessing the distribution of MPD as influenced by environmental and socioeconomic activities by combining spatial analyses, species distribution models, and generalized additive models. The results from the spatial analysis show that the western region of Inner Mongolia is the main cold spot area of the MPD, and the central-eastern and northeastern regions of Inner Mongolia are the main hot spot areas of the MPD. At the same time, the distribution of cold spots and hot spots of MPD is more obvious at large spatial scales, and with the refinement of spatial scales, the cold spots in scattered areas are gradually revealed, which is indicative for the conservation and development of MPD at different spatial scales. Under the future climate change of shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP), areas with high habitat suitability for medicinal plants remain mainly dominated by the Yellow River, Yin Mountains, and Greater Khingan Range. Notably, the SSP245 development pathway remains the most significant concern in either long- or short-term development. The nonlinear relationship between the driving factors of MPD at different spatial scales shows that temperature, precipitation and socioeconomic development do have complex effects on MPD. The presence of a certain temperature, altitude, and precipitation range has an optimal facilitation effect on MPD, rather than a single facilitation effect. This complex nonlinear correlation provides a reference for further studies on plant diversity and sustainable development and management. In this study, the spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources and the extent to which they are driven by ecological and socioeconomic factors were analyzed through a macroscopic approach. This provides a reference for larger-scale studies on the environmental and socioeconomic influences on the distribution of plant resources.