Comparative analysis of the metabolites in Pinellia ternata from two producing regions using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

The rhizomes of Pinellia ternata have a long history of being used as a traditional Chinese herb. To determine the chemical constituents of Pinelliae rhizome, Xi banxia and Jing banxia were collected from two different producing regions and subjected to analysis using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 573 metabolites were identified in 12 different categories. Next, cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed, which revealed a distinct separation between the two species. The analysis of the differential metabolites revealed that among the 155 metabolites in Xi banxia, 68 metabolites were upregulated, and 87 metabolites were downregulated. The relative concentration of flavonoids in Xi banxia was higher than that in Jing banxia, while the relative concentrations of alkaloids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids were higher in Jing banxia. These results would provide a theoretical basis for the pharmacological activity analysis and functional study of P. ternata.

Keywords

• xi banxia
• jing banxia
• producing regions
• primary and secondary metabolites
• differential metabolites