Quality variation of Maidong (Ophiopogon and Liriope spp.) along the value chains- HPTLC fingerprint as an effective method

Maidong are the tuberous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus and, interchangeably, Liriope spicata and for over thousands of years have been used as medicines in China. Mislabeling exists on the market as- O. japonicus is 3 – 5 times more expensive than L. spicata. Moreover, the price of different types of tuberous roots differs. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the quality variation of Maidong along the value chains.

Maidong were sampled from various stages along the value chains, including samples from fields and markets. Specifically, Maidong are collected from four production regions in China; additionally, the underground part of the plants were separated and classified as stem tuberous roots, normal tuberus roots and fibrous roots ([Fig. 1]A, B). Moreover, Maidong are purchased from markets in China and EU. HPTLC was applied to evaluate their fingerprints. Data analysis was accomplished by PCA and OPLS-DA.

Fig. 1 Plant part illustration and PCA results (A. Ophiopogon japonicus. Stem tuberous roots (ST) are the ones in the red triangular, and they are usually within 3 cm to the stem. Normal tuberous roots (NT) are the ones happen near the tip of fibrous roots. Fibrous roots (FR) are the slim roots; B. Liriope spicata; C. PCA loading score of samples from different geographical regions; D. Samples from different plant part (Ophiopogon means O. japonicus, Liriope means L. spicata); E. OPLS-DA loadings score of commercial samples.

HPTLC fingerprints effectively discriminate samples both at species and geographical level ([Fig. 1]C, E). The different section of the tuberous roots of O. japonicus showed no significant differences in their profile. The fingerprints of the fibrous and tuberous roots of both species indicate high similarities in the type of metabolites but differ from concentration- the concentration tends to be higher in fibrous roots than in tuberous roots ([Fig. 1]D), providing scientific metrics for further exploration of fibrous roots being used as medicines. Pharmacognostic assessment combined with the use of quantified markers can facilitate the quality control and, ultimately, sustainable development of Maidong.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
12. Dezember 2022