Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Polygonati rhizoma (PR) is a common traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for 2000 years in China, serving as both food and medicine. It is known for various health benefits, including antidiabetic effects, regulation of gut microbiota, and enhancement of immunity. The most popular PR varieties are Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl. (PK), Polygonatum sibiricum Red. (PS), Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PC), and Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (PO). We aimed to determine the differences among these four PR species. METHODS: Using an untargeted mass spectrometer we conducted a metabolomic analysis. RESULTS: We detected 2360, 2336, 2381, and 2355 unique polysaccharide, steroid, alkaloid, nucleoside, and peptide metabolites, among which 10, 36, 5, and 26 were specific to PK, PS, PC, and PO, respectively. Differentially expressed polysaccharide, steroid, and alkaloid metabolites were identified in the four species. A total of 61, 56, 61, and 57 carbohydrates were identified in the PK, PS, PC, and PO, respectively; 33, 32, 29, and 30 steroids were identified in the PK, PS, PC, and PO, respectively; and 10, 12, 12, and 11 alkaloids were identified in PK, PS, PC, and PO, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide novel insights into the overall metabolome of the four PR species, improve understanding of their functions and effectiveness, and provide a theoretical basis for qualitative evaluation and comprehensive PR applications.