Comparison of Volatile Oils and Primary Metabolites of Raw and Honey-Processed Ephedrae Herba by GC-MS and Chemometrics

Abstract

Background: Ephedrae Herba (EH) is the terrestrial stem of Ephedra sinica Stapf, E. intermedia Schrenk et C. A. Mey., or E. equisetina Bge, which has been used as a diaphoretic, antiasthmatic, and diuretic. Honey-processed EH (HEH) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, and has a better effect of dispersing lung qi and relieving asthma and a lower effect of dispelling cold than raw EH (REH).

Objective: To understand the differences in volatile oils and primary metabolites between REH and honey-processed HEH, and to provide a reference for elucidating the mechanism behind the effect of this processing.

Methods: A system data acquisition and mining strategy was designed to investigate the differences in volatiles and primary metabolites between the REH and HEH, based on GC-MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis.

Results: Overall, 15 volatile oils and 14 primary metabolites were shown to be potential characteristic markers differentiating REH and HEH.

Conclusion: The results may provide a scientific foundation for comprehensively revealing the honey-processing mechanism of EH.

Highlight: Volatile oils and primary metabolites were used to distinguish REH and HEH and elucidate the processing mechanism of EH for the first time.