Metabolomics based on liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry reveals the chemical difference in the stems and roots derived from Ephedra Sinica

Abstract

To better understand different traditional uses of the stems (known as Mahuang) and roots (known as Mahuanggen) of Ephedra sinica, their chemical difference should be investigated.In this study, an ultra-fast LC coupled with ion trap TOF-MS-based untargeted metabolomics approach was established to reveal global chemical difference between Mahuang and Mahuanggen. Clear separation was observed in scores plots of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Twenty two chemical markers responsible for such separation were screened out and unambiguously/tentatively characterized. Then chemical markers of pharmacologically important ephedrine and pseu- doephedrine were absolutely quantified using LC coupled with MS/MS under multiple reaction monitoring mode. The results showed that Mahuang was rich in ephedrine-type alka- loids, while Mahuanggen was rich in macrocyclic spermine alkaloids. Additionally, different types of flavan-3-ols and flavones exist in Mahuang and Mahuanggen extracts. This research facilitates a better understanding of different traditional uses of Mahuang and Mahuanggen and provides references for chemical analysis of other medicinal plants.