title: Tissue-specific metabolites profiling and quantitative analyses of flavonoids in the rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis by combining laser-microdissection with UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS and UHPLC-QqQ-MS.
abstract: The rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC. is a traditionally used medicinal material in China. Due to increasing demand, B. chinensis has been cultivated widely, and thus the study on its rational utilization of medicinal part and guidelines for the optimal cultivation and harvest is an important issue. Considering flavonoids were the main bioactive secondary metabolites of B. chinensis, fluorescence microscopy, laser microdissection (LMD), ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS), and UHPLC coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC-QqQ-MS) were applied to profile and determine flavonoids in various tissues in this study. Consequently, 43 peaks were detected by UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS, and 26 flavonoid compounds combined with seven triterpene compounds were identified or tentatively identified in the tissue extractions. The results indicated that the hydrophobic compounds, especially flavonoid or isoflavonoid aglycones and xanthone mainly accumulated in the cork, whereas the hydrophilic compounds, namely the flavonoid and isoflavonoid glycosides were usually found in the cortex or center (the part inside of endodermis). Samples of rhizomes from different growth ages and origins were simultaneously analyzed. It was shown that the bulb or lateral part of the rhizome generally possessed more total flavonoids than the vertical part or the primordium. The present study established a new practical method to evaluate the quality of the rhizome of B. chinensis and to explore the relationship between distribution patterns of secondary metabolites and growth years of plants, thus important information for cultivation and processing was provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines, State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang-24, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yu Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
authors.forename: Zhi Tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines, State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang-24, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines, State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang-24, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Guo Yong
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines, State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang-24, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Electronic address: zzzhao@hkbu.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Zhong Zhen
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Resources Science of Traditional Chinese Medicines, State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang-24, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: minjianqin@163.com.
authors.forename: Min Jian
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis*; D027621:Iridaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D061346:Laser Capture Microdissection / Q000379:methods*; D055432:Metabolomics; D009928:Organ Specificity; D027343:Rhizome / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D014315:Triterpenes
keywords: Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC.; Flavonoids; Histochemistry; Laser microsection; UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS; UHPLC–QqQ-MS