Authenticating the geographic origins of Atractylodes lancea rhizome chemotypes in China through metabolite marker identification

Chengcai Zhang; Hongyang Wang; Chaogeng Lyu; Yiheng Wang; Jiahui Sun; Yan Zhang; Zengxu Xiang; Xiuzhi Guo; Yuefeng Wang; Ming Qin; Sheng Wang; Lanping Guo

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1237800

Authenticating the geographic origins of Atractylodes lancea rhizome chemotypes in China through metabolite marker identification

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Sep 28:14:1237800. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1237800. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Chengcai Zhang¹, Hongyang Wang¹, Chaogeng Lyu¹, Yiheng Wang¹, Jiahui Sun¹, Yan Zhang¹, Zengxu Xiang², Xiuzhi Guo¹, Yuefeng Wang¹, Ming Qin³, Sheng Wang^{1

3}, Lanping Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
² College of Horticulture of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
³ Dexing Research and Training Center of Chinese Medical Sciences, China Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Dexing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Atractylodes lancea is widely distributed in East Asia, ranging from Amur to south-central China. The rhizome of A. lancea is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, however, the quality of products varies across different regions with different geochemical characteristics.

Method: This study aimed to identify the chemotypes of A. lancea from different areas and screen for chemical markers by quantifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a targeted metabolomics approach based on GC-MS/MS.

Results: The A. lancea distributed in Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, and a region west of Henan province was classified as the Hubei Chemotype (HBA). HBA is characterized by high content of β-eudesmol and hinesol with lower levels of atractylodin and atractylon. In contrast, the Maoshan Chemotype (MA) from Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and other northern regions, exhibited high levels of atractylodin and atractylon. A total of 15 categories of VOCs metabolites were detected and identified, revealing significant differences in the profiles of terpenoid, heterocyclic compound, ester, and ketone among different areas. Multivariate statistics indicated that 6 compounds and 455 metabolites could serve as candidate markers for differentiating A. lancea obtained from the southern, northern, and Maoshan areas.

Discussion: This comprehensive analysis provides a chemical fingerprint of selected A. lancea. Our results highlight the potential of metabolite profiling combined with chemometrics for authenticating the geographical origin of A. lancea.

Keywords: Atractylodes lancea; GC-MS; VOC; chemical markers; chemotype; geographic origins; metabolomic profiling.

Grants and funding

This research was financially funded by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (81891014), Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CI2021A03903, CI2021B013), China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-21), and Key Project at Central Government level: the ability establishment of sustainable use for valuable Chinese medicine resources (2060302).