Assessment of peeling of Astragalus roots using 1H NMR- and UPLC-MS-based metabolite profiling

J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Oct 30;61(43):10398-407. doi: 10.1021/jf4026103. Epub 2013 Oct 18.

Abstract

A metabolomic analysis was performed to examine the postharvest processing of Astragalus membranaceus roots with a focus on the peeling procedure using (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) score plots from the (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS data showed clear separation between peeled and unpeeled Astragalus roots. Peeled roots exhibited significant losses of several primary metabolites, including acetate, alanine, arginine, caprate, fumarate, glutamate, histidine, N-acetylaspartate, malate, proline, sucrose, trigonelline, and valine. In contrast, the peeled roots contained higher levels of asparagine, aspartate, and xylose, which are xylem-related compounds, and formate, which is produced in response to wound stress incurred during postharvest processing. In addition, the levels of isoflavonoids and astragalosides were significantly reduced in peeled Astragalus root. These results demonstrate that metabolite profiling based on a combination of (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS analyses can be used to evaluate peeling procedures used in the postharvest processing of herbal medicines.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Astragalus propinquus / chemistry*
  • Astragalus propinquus / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*
  • Plant Extracts / metabolism
  • Plant Roots / chemistry*
  • Plant Roots / metabolism

Substances

  • Plant Extracts