Residue of Chlormequat and Regulatory Effects on the Specialized Metabolites of Astragali Radix

Honghan Qin; Lei Xie; Yimei Zang; Jia Han; Jing Yu; Zuliang Luo; Xiaojun Ma

doi:10.3390/molecules28196754

Residue of Chlormequat and Regulatory Effects on the Specialized Metabolites of Astragali Radix

Molecules. 2023 Sep 22;28(19):6754. doi: 10.3390/molecules28196754.

Authors

Honghan Qin¹, Lei Xie², Yimei Zang^{2

3}, Jia Han³, Jing Yu⁴, Zuliang Luo², Xiaojun Ma²

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmacy, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, China.
² Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China.
³ Biomedicine College, Beijing City University, Beijing 100094, China.
⁴ Yunnan Key Laboratory of Southern Medicinal Utilization, Yunnan Branch Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Jinghong 666100, China.

Abstract

Presently, the utilization of chlormequat in Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (Leguminosae) cultivation is prevalent for augmenting rhizome (Astragali Radix) yield. However, indiscriminate and excessive chlormequat employment can detrimentally influence Astragali Radix quality and safety. This research aimed to comprehensively comprehend chlormequat risks and its influence on Astragali Radix metabolites. Diverse chlormequat concentrations were employed in Astragalus mongholicus cultivation, with subsequent analysis of residual chlormequat levels in Astragali Radix across treatment groups. Astragali Radix metabolic profiling was conducted through UPLC-QTOF-MS, and thirteen principal active components were quantified via UFLC-MS/MS. Findings revealed a direct correlation between chlormequat residue levels in Astragali Radix and application concentration, with high-dose residue surpassing 5.0 mg/kg. Metabolomics analysis identified twenty-six distinct saponin and flavonoid metabolites. Notably, the application of chlormequat led to the upregulation of seven saponins (e.g., astragaloside I and II) and downregulation of six flavonoids (e.g., methylnissolin-3-O-glucoside and astraisoflavan-7-O-β-d-glucoside). Quantitative analysis demonstrated variable contents of active ingredients due to differing chlormequat concentrations, leading to astragaloside I increase (14.59-62.55%) and isoastragaloside II increase (4.8-55.63%), while methylnissolin-3-O-glucoside decreased (22.18-41.69%), as did astraisoflavan-7-O-β-d-glucoside (21.09-47.78%). In conclusion, chlormequat application influenced multiple active components in Astragali Radix, causing constituent proportion variations. Elevated chlormequat concentrations led to increased active components alongside heightened chlormequat residues in Astragali Radix. Consequently, prudent chlormequat application during Astragali Radix production is imperative to avert potential detriments to its quality and safety.

Keywords: astragali radix; chlormequat; regulatory effects; residue; specialized metabolites.

MeSH terms

Astragalus Plant* / chemistry
Astragalus propinquus / chemistry
Chlormequat
Drugs, Chinese Herbal* / chemistry
Flavonoids / analysis
Glucosides / analysis
Saponins* / analysis
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

Chlormequat
Drugs, Chinese Herbal
Flavonoids
Saponins
Glucosides

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS) (2021-I2M-1-071), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81973413; 82104548; U20A2004).