Quantitative Analysis and Differential Evaluation of Radix Bupleuri Cultivated in Different Regions Based on HPLC-MS and GC-MS Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The quality of Radix Bupleuri is greatly affected by its growing environment. In this study, Radix Bupleuri samples that were harvested from seven different regions across northwest China were examined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to reveal significant differences in quality contributed by the cultivation region. An HPLC-MS method was firstly established and used in the multiple reaction monitoring mode for the quantitative analysis of five saikosaponins in Radix Bupleuri so as to evaluate the difference in the absolute content of saikosaponins attributable to the cultivation region. The effect on the components of Radix Bupleuri was further investigated based on the profiles of the representative saponins and volatile compounds, which were extracted from the Radix Bupleuri samples and analyzed by HPLC-MS and GC-MS. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to differentiate the Radix Bupleuri samples cultivated in different regions and to discover the differential compositions. The developed quantitative method was validated to be accurate, stable, sensitive, and repeatable for the determination of five saikosaponins. Further statistical tests revealed that the collected Radix Bupleuri samples were distinctly different from each other in terms of both saponins and volatile compounds, based on the provinces where they were grown. In addition, twenty-eight saponins and fifty-eight volatile compounds were identified as the differentially accumulated compositions that contributed to the discrimination of the Radix Bupleuri samples. The Radix Bupleuri samples grown in Shouyang county showed the highest content of saikosaponins. All of the results indicated that the cultivation region significantly affected the accumulation and diversity of the main chemical components of Radix Bupleuri. The findings of this research provide insights into the effect of the cultivation region on the quality of Radix Bupleuri and the differentiation of Radix Bupleuri cultivated in different regions based on the use of HPLC-MS and GC-MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis.

Quantitative and Differential Analysis between Bupleurum chinense DC. and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. Using HPLC-MS and GC-MS Coupled with Multivariate Statistical Analysis

“…In conclusion, these data validated that the HPLC-MRM/MS method fulfilled the requirements for the quantification of saikosaponins in Radix Bupleuri. The content of saikosaponins has been shown to vary with the region where Radix Bupleuri is cultivated [20]. Therefore, in this study, North and South RB from different regions were collected and analyzed in order to reduce the influence of the growing region on the quantitative results, which is a new addition to previous reports [6,19].…”

“…Compared to heat extraction, it is more convenient, more efficient, and more conducive to protecting unstable saponins from decomposition [22][23][24]. The extraction time, liquid-to-solid ratio, and ammonia concentration in the extraction solvent were optimized to maximize the concentration of derived saikosaponins, as described in a previous study [20]. The extracted saponins were detected in both positive and negative ion modes using an electrospray ionization (ESI) ion source.…”

“…using tandem MS analysis combined with chromatographic retention times, providing a reference for Bupleurum cultivar selection [19]. We also investigated the differential constituents of Radix Bupleuri cultivated in different regions using LC-MS and GC-MS [20]. A total of twentyeight saponins and fifty-eight volatile compounds were identified by integrating fragment ion information and database retrieval.…”

Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Bupleurum spp. Basing Agronomic Traits, Medicinal Components and ISSR Markers

“…from different origins and the same variety, which were similar to the morphological observation results of mature plants [ 33 ]. Wang et al also proved that climatic and geographical factors affected plant growth and secondary metabolism, resulting in regional differences in the active components of Radix bupleuri [ 34 ]. These results indicated that it was not feasible to judge the variety of Radix bupleuri solely by observing the plant appearance and the content of active components.…”

A Chinese Classical Prescription Chaihu Shugan Powder in Treatment of Post-Stroke Depression: An Overview

“…As the main drug of CSGS, Radix Bupleuri has both evacuation and antipyretic functions, can soothe the liver and relieve depression, can lift Yang qi, and has multiple pharmacological effects, such as being antitumor, antidepression, antifibrosis, and neuroprotection [ 47 ]. Researchers extracted and analyzed the chemical components of Radix Bupleuri and found that it mainly contains saponins, volatile oils, flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkynes, and trace elements, with the saponins including saikosaponins a, saikosaponins d, saikosaponins e, and saikosaponins c [ 48 , 49 , 50 ]. Volatile oils mainly include L-ascorbyl 2, 6-dipalmitate, 2, 4-sebacedienal, alkynyl alcohol and cis, cis-9, and 12-octadecadiene-1-ol [ 51 ].…”