Study on Flavonoids and Bioactivity Features of Pericarp of <i>Citrus reticulata</i> “Chachi” at Different Harvest Periods
Shejian Liang,
Jiongbin Zhang,
Yufang Liu,
Zhijia Wen,
Xinxin Liu,
Fengliang Dang,
Tianxiao Xie,
Jingxin Wang,
Zhanqian Wang,
Hong Wu
Affiliations
Shejian Liang
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiongbin Zhang
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yufang Liu
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Zhijia Wen
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Xinxin Liu
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Fengliang Dang
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Tianxiao Xie
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jingxin Wang
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Zhanqian Wang
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Hong Wu
Guangdong Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Natural Medicine, College of Life Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Dry mature pericarp of Citrus reticulata “Chachi” (PCR), Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Chachiensis, is a traditional Chinese medicine that displays characteristics of different usage at different harvest times in clinical use. The corresponding changes in the bioactive components in PCR from different harvest times remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, broadly targeted metabolomics technology was used to compare the differences in bioactive components among pericarps of PCR, which are the raw material of PCR at different growth stages. In the results, 210 kinds of flavonoid metabolites were detected. The content of hesperidin in red PCR harvested in December was higher than that in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride (CRPV) and reddish PCR harvested from July to November. Furthermore, the content of nobiletin, tangeretin, and 3,3′,4′,5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone in CRPV from July to September was higher than that in the PCR harvested at other times. In addition, the result of cluster analysis and PCA showed that CRPV harvested from July to September had an obvious grouping pattern with the reddish PCR and the red PCR harvested from October to December. Differential metabolites in six comparison groups (A1 vs. A6, A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5, A5 vs. A6) were 67, 48, 14, 51, 42, and 40, respectively. The common differential metabolite of four comparison groups was 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5). All the flavonoid differential metabolites screened were enriched in 16 metabolic pathways. Moreover, the results of the evaluation of the total antioxidant capacity indicated that CRPV in August was a suitable raw material for the production of antioxidants. Through molecular docking, the content of potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 components in the PCR in October was higher than that in the PCR in other periods. These results further proved that PCR at different harvest times was endowed with different efficacy and usage due to the difference in the accumulation of bioactive components.
