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.

• Authors: Mei Guo, Zhicong Wu, Qi An, Hengyang Li, Lei Wang, Yuguang Zheng, Long Guo, Dan Zhang
• Journal: Journal of AOAC International (J AOAC Int) Vol. 105 Issue 2 Pg. 576-586 (Mar 15 2022) ISSN: 1944-7922 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 34626113 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected].

Chemical References

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Oils, Volatile

Topics

• Chemometrics
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (methods)
• Honey
• Oils, Volatile