Comprehensive profiling of chemical composition of Gleditsiae spina using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: Gleditsiae spina (GS) is an important herb used in traditional and folk medicinal systems of East Asian countries for its various medicinal properties. In China, it has been traditionally used through the centuries for its anticancer, detoxication, detumescence, apocenosis, and antiparasitic effects. Although some of its ingredients have been isolated and identified, most active constituents remain unknown. Past research mostly exploited nuclear magnetic resonance for the identification of compounds, which is suitable for monomers only. Moreover, the extraction and isolation procedures for obtaining purified molecules are time consuming. Therefore, establishing an efficient approach will assist in rapid discovery of the potential active ingredients of GS. The present study aimed to identify the chemical constituents in GS by a data analysis strategy using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. METHODS: First, the theoretical formula of the candidate compound was calculated using the accurate mass of the precursor/adduct ions. Second, the compounds were classified by the diagnostic ions from the MS/MS data. Third, characteristic ion filtering was used to identify the structures. Finally, the diverse skeletons and substitutions were further identified through the neutral loss in the GS. RESULTS: A total of 277 compounds were identified in GS, comprising 169 flavonoids, 70 lignans, and 38 other compounds. At least 43 potential new compounds were represented. CONCLUSIONS: This experiment devised an efficient and systematic method for detecting complex compounds and provided a foundation for future research into bioactive ingredients and quality control of GS.

Investigation and identification of the multiple components of Rheum officinale Baill. using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and data mining strategy.

Rheum officinale Baill. is a traditional Chinese medicine that has long been used for eliminating body heat, cooling and detoxifying blood, removing blood stasis and promoting menstruation, and clearing away heat-dampness to eliminate jaundice. Comprehensive and systematic structural identification of the components of Rheum officinale Baill. remains a challenge. An appropriate analytical method needs to be established for the comprehensive investigation and identification of the chemical constituents in Rheum officinale Baill. extract. In this study, a new systematic approach using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with a data mining strategy was developed to screen the targeted and nontargeted components of Rheum officinale Baill. A total of 124 compounds were identified in the Rheum officinale Baill. extract including 31 acylglucosides, 9 phenolic acids, 26 tannins, 53 anthraquinones, and 5 other compounds. Note that 55 of these compounds were reported for the first time here. In conclusion, in this study, we devised an efficient and systematic method for detecting complex compounds and have used it here to provide a foundation for future research into bioactive ingredients and quality control of Rheum officinale Baill. extract.

Study on the protective effects of danshen-honghua herb pair (DHHP) on myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) and potential mechanisms based on apoptosis and mitochondria.

CONTEXT: Danshen, the dried root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Labiatae) and honghua, the dried flower of Carthamus tinctorius L. (Compositae) as the herb pair was used to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVD). OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of DHHP on MIRI and mechanisms based on apoptosis and mitochondria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 36 SD rats (n = 6) were randomly divided into control group (Con), the ischaemia-reperfusion group (IR), positive control (Xinning tablets, XNT, 1 g/kg/d) and DHHP (1.2, 2.4, and 4.8 g/kg/d). Except for Con, the other groups were intragastrically administrated for 5 d, the rat hearts were isolated to establish the MIRI model in vitro for evaluating the effects of DHHP on MIRI. 24 SD rats (n = 6) were randomly divided into Con, IR, DPPH2.4 (2.4 g/kg/d) and DPPH 2.4 + Atractyloside (ATR) (2.4 + 5 mg/kg/d), administered intragastrically for 5 d, then treated with ATR (5 mg/kg/d) by intraperitoneal injection in DPPH2.4 + ATR group, took rat hearts to establish MIRI model in vitro for revealing mechanism. RESULTS: Myocardial infarct sizes were, respectively, 0.35%, 40.09%, 15.84%, 30.13%, concentrations of NAD+ (nmol/gw/w) were 144, 83, 119, and 88, respectively, in Con, IR, DHHP2.4, DHHP2.4 + ATR group. Cleaved caspase-3 were 0.3, 1.6, 0.5 and 1.3% and cleaved caspase-9 were 0.2, 1.1, 0.4 and 0.8%, respectively, in Con, IR, DHHP2.4 and DHHP2.4 + ATR group. The beneficial effects of DHHP on MIRI were reversed by ATR. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement of MIRI by DHHP may be involved in inhibiting MPTP opening, decreasing oxidative damage, alleviating ischaemic injury and inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

The Comprehensive Evaluation of Safflowers in Different Producing Areas by Combined Analysis of Color, Chemical Compounds, and Biological Activity.

In the present study, a new strategy including the combination of external appearance, chemical detection, and biological analysis was proposed for the comprehensive evaluation of safflowers in different producing areas. Firstly, 40 batches of safflower samples were classified into class I and II based on color measurements and K-means clustering analysis. Secondly, a rapid and sensitive analytical method was developed for simultaneous quantification of 16 chromaticity-related characteristic components (including characteristic components hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflor yellow B, safflomin C, and another 13 flavonoid glycosides) in safflowers by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTRAP®/MS2). The results of the quantification indicate that hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflor yellow B, kaempferol, quercetin, and safflomin C had significant differences between the two types of safflower, and class I of safflower had a higher content of hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflor yellow B, and safflomin C as the main anti-thrombotic components in safflower. Thirdly, chemometrics methods were employed to illustrate the relationship in multivariate data of color measurements and chromaticity-related characteristic components. As a result, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-O-ß-d-glucoside were strongly associated with the color indicators. Finally, anti-thrombotic analysis was used to evaluate activity and verify the suitability of the classification basis of safflower based on the color measurements. It was shown that brighter, redder, yellower, more orange-yellow, and more vivid safflowers divided into class I had a higher content of characteristic components and better anti-thrombotic activity. In summary, the presented strategy has potential for quality evaluation of other flower medicinal materials.

[Bletilla striata planting area in Ningshan county extraction based on multi-temporal remote sensing images].

Traditional Chinese medicine is planted in mountainous areas with suitable natural conditions. The planting area is complex in terrain,and the planting plots are mostly irregularly shaped. It is difficult to accurately calculate the planting area by traditional survey methods. The method of extracting Chinese herbal medicine planting area combined with remote sensing and GIS technology is of great significance for the rational development and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources. Taking Bletilla striata planting in Ningshan county of Shaanxi province as an example,the extraction method of planting area of traditional Chinese medicine in county was studied. High-resolution ZY-3 and GF-1 multi-spectral multi-temporal remote sensing images were used as data sources. Through field sampling,samples such as B. striata,cultivated land,forest land,water body,artificial surface,alpine meadow,etc. are collected. The spectral features,texture features and shape features of remotely identifiable objects in different planting areas and cultivated land,vegetable sheds were analyzed,confusing ground objects were eliminated and interpretation marks were establish. The method of visual interpretation is used to realize the extraction of B. striata planting areas,and the B. striata planting area are calculated by combining GIS technology. The results showed that the method of visual interpretation,using high-resolution ZY-3 and GF-1 multi-spectral multi-temporal remote sensing image data extracted the planting area of 403.05 mu. It can effectively extract the B. striata planting area in research region.

Metagenomic sequencing revealed the regulative effect of Danshen and Honghua herb pair on the gut microbiota in rats with myocardial ischemia injury.

In recent years, more and more evidence has shown that the disorder of gut microbiota (GM) is closely correlated with myocardial ischemia (MI). Even though the Danshen and Honghua herb pair (DHHP) is widely used in treating cardiovascular disease in China and exhibits obvious clinical efficacy on MI, the anti-MI mechanism of DHHP remains and needs to be explored in depth. Thus, in this study, we investigated whether the amelioration effect and molecular mechanism of DHHP on MI were related to regulating GM through pharmacodynamics evaluation and metagenomic sequencing. Histopathological testing results showed that DHHP treatment could alleviate the pathological changes of myocardial tissue in the acute MI (AMI) rats induced by isoproterenol (ISO), especially structural disorder, irregular distribution, and enlargement of the myocardial space. These pathological changes were all alleviated to some extent by DHHP treatment. Biochemical analysis results suggested that compared with the control group, the serum levels of AST, CTn-I, CK-MB, and TNF-α in model group rats were notably decreased, and the CAT and SOD levels in serum were markedly increased. These abnormal trends were significantly reversed by DHHP treatment. Furthermore, metagenomic sequencing analysis results indicated that DHHP could improve disorders in the composition and function of GM in AMI rats, mainly reflected in increasing diversity and richness, and obviously enhancing the abundance of Bacteroides fluxus, B. uniformis, B. stercoris, Roseburia hominis, Schaedlerella arabinosiphila, and R. intestinalis, and reducing the abundance of Enterococcus avium and E. canintestini, which were associated with purine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, cyanoamino acid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. In conclusion, DHHP may attenuate ISO-induced MI by regulating the structure, composition, and function of GM, thus contributing to further our understanding of the anti-MI mechanisms of DHHP and providing new therapeutic ideas and diagnostic targets for the clinical studies of MI.

Phylogenetic relationship and comparative analysis of the main Bupleuri Radix species in China.

Background: Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine derived from Bupleurum, Apiaceae. The origin of cultivated Chaihu germplasm in China is unclear, which has led to unstable Chaihu quality. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the main Chaihu germplasm species in China and identified potential molecular markers to authenticate its origin. Methods: Three Bupleurum species (eight individuals), B. bicaule, B. chinense, and B. scorzonerifolium, were selected for genome skimming. Published genomes from B. falcatum and B. marginatum var. stenophyllum were used for comparative analysis. Results: Sequences of the complete plastid genomes were conserved with 113 identical genes ranging from 155,540 to 155,866 bp in length. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on complete plastid genomes resolved intrageneric relationships of the five Bupleurum species with high support. Conflicts between the plastid and nuclear phylogenies were observed, which were mainly ascribed to introgressive hybridization. Comparative analysis showed that noncoding regions of the plastomes had most of the variable sequences. Eight regions (atpF-atpH, petN-psbM, rps16-psbK, petA-psbJ, ndhC-trnV/UAC and ycf1) had high divergence values in Bupleurum species and could be promising DNA barcodes for Chaihu authentication. A total of seven polymorphic cpSSRs and 438 polymorphic nSSRs were detected across the five Chaihu germplasms. Three photosynthesis-related genes were under positive selection, of which accD reflected the adaptation fingerprint of B. chinense to different ecological habitats. Our study provides valuable genetic information for phylogenetic investigation, germplasm authentication, and molecular breeding of Chaihu species.

Modulation effects of danshen-honghua herb pair on gut microbiota of acute myocardial ischemia model rat.

In the recent years, a growing number of studies have shown that the occurrence of myocardial ischemia (MI) is closely related to the gut microbiota (GM). The Danshen-Honghua herb pair (DHHP), a classic combination in traditional Chinese herbal formulas, has been widely applied throughout history to cure cardiovascular disease, exhibiting remarkable clinical efficacy to treat ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, the intrinsic regulation mechanism of DHHP in treating MI remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the possible protective mechanism of DHHP in rats with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) induced by isoproterenol (ISO) through 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique. Pharmacodynamic results showed that DHHP significantly ameliorated the pathological changes and improved the abnormal cardiac enzymes levels in the AMI rats. In addition, GM analysis demonstrated that DHHP effectively ameliorated the ISO-induced dysbiosis of the GM community, mainly by enhancing the GM diversity and increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Roseburia, unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, the abundance ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes, and decreasing the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus. In summary, this study revealed that DHHP could improve ischemic myocardial injury in rats, and that its regulation mechanism is associated with significantly ameliorating the composition of GM, thus contributing to further our understanding of the anti-MI mechanisms of DHHP.

[Effect of habitat processing method on phillyrin and forsythiaside A of Forsythiae Fructus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the habitat processing method of Forsythiae Fructus based on the different indexes, and to choose the best habitat producing process. METHOD: The habitat producing process was researched by the L9(3(4)) orthogonal and the single factor test. The contents of phillyrin and forsythiaside A were determined by HPLC. RESULT: The contents of phillyrin and forsythiaside A from Forsythiae Fructus processed by evaporating were 1.33-3.05, and 9.71-44.82 mg x g(-1), respectively. The contents of phillyrin and forsythiaside A from Forsythiae Fructus processed by cooking were 4.63-5.46 mg x g(-1), and 40.20-64.84 mg x g(-1), respectively. CONCLUSION: With phillyrin and forsythiaside A as evaluation indexes, cooking method is superior to evaporate method while it is superior to dry method. It is conductive to the preservation and stability of phillyrin and forsythiaside A that add 4 times water of material volum and boil 10 min.

The complete molecular sequence of chloroplast genome of Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet.

The complete molecular sequence of chloroplast genome of Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet was firstly assembled and characterized using Illumina sequencing technology. It is 151916 bp in length, with a GC content of 35.4%, and has a typical quadrant structure, including a large single-copy region (LSC), a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs) and a small single-copy region (SSC), the sequence length is 81132, 53244, 17540 bp, respectively. There are 131 genes in the L. purpureus chloroplast genome, including 84 encoding protein genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 38 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that L. purpureus clustered into a large evolutionary clade with three Vigna species.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Anisodus acutangulus (Solanaceae).

Anisodus acutangulus is a Solanaceae perennial plant, which is endemic to China and classified as an endangered species. In this study, we have sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of A. acutangulus, which is 156,079 bp in length, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,526 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,741 bp and comprises a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 25,906 bp. Totally 134 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Its overall GC content is 37.6%. Phylogenetic analysis using total chloroplast genome DNA sequence of 21 species revealed that A. acutangulus was closely related to Hyoscyamus niger with 100% bootstrap value.

The complete plastid genome sequence of Gleditsia sinensis, an ancient medicinal tree in China.

Gleditsia sinensis Lam. (Leguminosae) is an ancient medicinal tree in China. In this study, we first characterized the whole plastid genome sequence using the illumination sequencing technology. The length of the plastid genome was 163,151 bp, including the large single copy (LSC) region of 91,515 bp, the small single copy (SSC) region of 19,250 bp, and two reversed duplicate regions (IR) of each 26,193 bp. The genome of G. sinensis contains 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Phylogenetic analysis showed that G. sinensis was placed as a sister to the congeneric G. japonica.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Thymus mongolicus (Labiatae), a special spice plant.

Thymus mongolicus is well-known spice plant and resource of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, belonging to the Thymus of the Labiatae family. In this study, the whole chloroplast genome of the T. mongolicus was sequenced, assembled and annotated, which contains 134 unique genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 21 complete chloroplast genomes revealed that T. mongolicus is closely related to Mentha genus. The chloroplast genome could be used for species, varieties and medicinal materials identification, genetic engineering and Labiatae germplasm resources protection.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of Danshen in isoproterenol-induced acute myocardial ischemic injury combined with Honghua.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herb pair, the most fundamental and simplest form of herb compatibility, serves as the basic building block of traditional Chinese medicine formulae. The Danshen-Honghua herb pair (DH), composed of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Danshen in Chinese) and Carthami Flos (Honghua in Chinese), has remarkable clinical efficacy to cure cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. This study was designed to investigate the pharmacodynamics of DH in comparison with single herbs and pharmacokinetics of DH relative to Danshen in acute myocardial ischemic injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male Wistar rats were divided into control, model and drug treated groups. The acute myocardial ischemia rat model was induced by administering 85 mg/kg/d isoproterenol (ISO) subcutaneously for two consecutive days. For pharmacodynamic study, histopathological and biochemical analysis were performed to assess the anti-myocardial ischemic effects. While for pharmacokinetic study, a UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for determination of nine main active ingredients, namely danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechualdehyde, caffeic acid, lithospermic acid, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, salvianolic acid A and salvianolic acid C in rat plasma. RESULTS: The histopathological and biochemical analysis revealed that DH exerted enhanced anti-myocardial ischemic effects against the ISO-induced myocardial ischemia compared with single herbs. The pharmacokinetic study indicated that DH could significantly increase the t1/2z of danshensu, Tmax, AUC0-∞ and MRT0-t of protocatechuic acid in comparison with Danshen alone in normal rats, but more importantly elevate systemic exposure level and prolong t1/2z of protocatechualdehyde, caffeic acid, Tmax of danshensu in acute myocardial ischemia rats. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated the greater effects of DH after the compatibility in ISO-induced acute myocardial ischemia rats at pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic levels and provided valuable information for clinical application of herb pairs.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Mentha canadensis (Labiatae), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Mentha canadensis is a well-known resource of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, belonging to the Mentha of the Labiatae family. In this study, the whole chloroplast genome of the M. canadensis chloroplast genome was sequenced, assembled and annotated, which contains 134 unique genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 11 complete chloroplast genomes revealed that M. canadensis is closely related to M. longifolia and M. spicata. The chloroplast genome could be used for variety identification, genetic engineering and effective protection of germplasm resources.

Transcriptome analysis of the endangered Notopterygium incisum: Cold-tolerance gene discovery and identification of EST-SSR and SNP markers.

Notopterygium incisum C. C. Ting ex H. T. Chang (Apiaceae) is an endangered perennial herb in China. The lack of transcriptomic and genomic resources for N. incisum greatly hinders studies of its population genetics and conservation. In this study, we employed RNA-seq technology to characterize transcriptomes for the flowers, leaves, and stems of this endangered herb. A total of 56 million clean reads were assembled into 120,716 unigenes with an N50 length of 850 bp. Among these unigenes, 70,245 (58.19%) were successfully annotated and 65,965 (54.64%) were identified as coding sequences based on their similarities with sequences in public databases. We identified 21 unigenes that had significant relationships with cold tolerance in N. incisum according to gene ontology (GO) annotation analysis. In addition, 13,149 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 85,681 single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected as potential molecular genetic markers. Ninety-six primer pairs of SSRs were randomly selected to validate their amplification efficiency and polymorphism. Nineteen SSR loci exhibited polymorphism in three natural populations of N. incisum. These results provide valuable resources to facilitate future functional genomics and conservation genetics studies of N. incisum.

Comparative Study of Crude and Wine-Processing Corni Fructus on Chemical Composition and Antidiabetic Effects.

Wine processing is a specialized technology which involves sautéing crude herbal medicine using Chinese rice wine. Herein, we identified the changes in chemical profiles and antidiabetic effects of Corni Fructus (CF) after wine processing in high-fat diet (HFD) streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic mice. A novel high-efficiency method for simultaneously quantifying gallic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, morroniside, loganin, sweroside, and cornuside by UPLC was developed, and validating crude and wine-processing CF was done for the first time. Mice were randomly divided into the following groups and orally given different solutions for 4 weeks: normal group (NC, 0.4% (w/v) CMC-Na), model group (DM, 0.4% (w/v) CMC-Na), crude CF group (CP, 3.87 g/kg), and wine-processing CF group (PP, 3.87 g/kg) followed by HFD and multiple subcutaneous injection of STZ (40 mg/kg) to induce the diabetes model except the NC group. Biochemical indexes (body weight, fasting blood glucose level, lipid level, insulin, and free fatty acid) and other parameters involving liver toxicity were measured with commercial kits and immunohistochemical method. Comparative studies on pharmacology showed that the crude extracts possess higher efficacy on hypoglycemia and hypolipidemia, while wine-processing products exhibit better effects on liver preservation. Our data suggested that wine processing was recommended when CF was used for protecting the liver; however, crude products should be used as antidiabetic drugs.

The complete chloroplast genome of Forsythia mira, an endemic medicinal shrub in China.

Forsythia mira M. C. Chang (Oleaceae) is an endemic medicinal shrub in China. In this study, we first characterized its whole plastid genome sequence using the Illumina sequencing platform. The plastid genome was 156,485 bp in length, comprising of a large single copy (LSC) region of 87,223 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,830 bp, and two inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 51,432 each. The genome of F. mira contained 133 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNAs (tRNA), and 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNA). The phylogenetic analysis showed that F. mira was placed as a sister to the congeneric F. suspensa.

Investigating the effects and possible mechanisms of danshen- honghua herb pair on acute myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol in rats.

Danshen (salvia miltiorrhiza) and honghua(Carthamus tinctorius) were traditional herb pair with promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis actions, in China. Both were widely used to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVD) for hundreds years, especially shown definite advantage in the treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, the mechanism of danshen-honghua herb pair (DHHP) in the treatment of IHD was still unclear. This study was focused on examining the effects and possible mechanisms of DHHP in rats with acute myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol (ISO). The results suggested that DHHP significantly ameliorated the myocardial tissue abnormalities, notablely inhibited the elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinekinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (CTn-T) in plasma, obviously decreased the plasma levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α), outstandingly inhibited the reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) caused by ISO, significantly inhibited the high expression of Bcl-2 assaciated X protein (Bax) and nuclear transcriptionfactor-κBP65 (NF-κBP65) protein, significantly induced the low expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein in acute myocardial ischemia rats. DHHP can obviously ameliorate hemodynamic parameters. In summary, DHHP can significantly improve myocardial ischemia in acute myocardial ischemia model rats caused by ISO. Anti-free radicals, anti-peroxidation, inhibition of cell apoptosis and anti- inflammation maybe are the potential mechanisms of DHHP anti-myocardial ischemia in acute myocardial ischemia rats in duced by ISO.

Characterization of the whole plastid genome sequence of Abies chensiensis (Pinaceae), an endangered endemic conifer in China.

Abies chensiensis Van Tiegh. (Pinaceae) is a rare and endangered endemic conifer in China. In this study, using the Illumina sequencing platform, we firstly characterized its whole plastid genome sequence. Our study revealed that A. chensiensis have a typical plastid genome of 121,498 bp in length, comprised of a large single copy region of 76,484 bp, a small single copy region of 42,654 bp and two inverted repeat regions of 1180 bp. A total of 113 genes, 74 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes were identified. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that A. chensiensis was placed as a sister to the congeneric A. sibirica.