An Evaluation of Traits, Nutritional, and Medicinal Component Quality of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua and P. sibiricum Red.

Abstract

Polygonati rhizoma (Huangjing in Chinese) is a traditional and classic dual-purpose material used in food and medicine. Herbalists in China and Japan have noticed several different rhizome types in Huangjing with different qualities. Rhizome of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua and P. sibiricum Red. is divided into five types: “Jitou-type” Polygonati rhizoma (JTPR), atypical “Jitou-type” Polygonati rhizoma (AJTPR), “Jiang-type” Polygonati rhizoma (JPR), “Cylinder-type” Polygonati rhizoma (CPR), and “Baiji-type” Polygonati rhizoma (BJPR). This study observed the microstructure and histochemical localization of polysaccharides, saponins, and proteins in Huangjing. Nutritional and medicinal component data and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS) were analyzed to evaluate the quality of different types of Huangjing. The results showed that the comprehensive quality of the rhizomes, BJPR and JTPR, was better, regardless of their nutritional or medicinal values. Altogether, these results could recommend future breeding efforts to produce Huangjing with improved nutritional and medicinal qualities.

Identification of key gene networks controlling polysaccharide accumulation in different tissues of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua by integrating metabolic phenotypes and gene expression profiles

“…These results demonstrated that the contents of sucrose and glucose were generally correlated with polysaccharide content. This was consistent with the regulation of sugar metabolism in rhizomes of P. cyrtonema Hua and P. sibiricum Red ( Hu et al, 2022 ). Sugars were involved in most of the metabolic and signaling pathways controlling plant growth and development, as well as the responses to abiotic stresses.…”

“…Because rhizomes are the harvested targets, some studies have shown that rhizomes of P. cyrtonema Hua accumulated high content of polysaccharides, and unearthed several key genes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis pathway from rhizomes at different ages by transcriptome sequencing ( Li et al, 2022 ). Besides, polysaccharide accumulation is also highly cultivar- and tissue-dependent ( Wang et al, 2019 ; Hu et al, 2022 ). For instance, Wang et al found that polysaccharide content was low in the leaf (1.62%) ( Wang et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Moreover, the rhizomes are harvested in late October and are used to manufacture the Huangjing slice, nine cycles of steam-sun drying processing products, functional beverages, fruit wine, and well-received sweetmeats ( Figure 1C ; Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 2020 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Wu et al, 2022 ). They have a high abundance of health benefit-promoting metabolites and are among the widely consumed medicines and functional foods ( Cheng et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Hu et al, 2022 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ).…”

Metabolic Composition and Quality Traits of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua from Different Germplasms and Age Sections Based on Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis

“…Related studies have suggested that differences in the metabolic composition between varieties of the same species may result in species with different qualities and characteristics [ 7 , 8 ]. Some variation in the medicinal composition of Polygonatum species from different germplasms has been reported [ 9 , 10 ], and significant differences in the medicinal composition of Polygonatum species from the same germplasms have been found among different age sections and varying cultivation environments [ 11 ]. In recent years, the contents of total polysaccharides, total saponins, and some medicinal components, such as total flavonoids, have primarily been used as criteria to evaluate the quality of germplasms and age sections of Polygonatum species.…”

Comparative proteome profiles of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua rhizomes (Rhizoma Ploygonati) in response to different levels of cadmium stress

“…Rhizoma Polygonati also helps in quenching thirst, moistening the lungs, and nourishing kidneys [ 17 , 18 ]. The extracts from P. cyrtonema and P. sibiricum offer health benefits such as antiaging, anticancer, and antitumor effects, immunity enhancement, reduced blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reduced body weight [ 19 ]. Due to these health benefits, it has been enlisted as one of the key plants selected for the 100 billion Chinese medicine industry in Hunan Province.…”