[Simultaneous determination of seven artemisinin-related compounds in Artemisia annua by UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS].

A variety of compounds in Artemisia annua were simultaneously determined to evaluate the quality of A. annua from multiple perspectives. A method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of seven compounds: amorpha-4,11-diene, artemisinic aldehyde, dihydroartemisinic acid, artemisinic acid, artemisinin B, artemisitene, and artemisinin, in A. annua. The content of the seven compounds in different tissues(roots, stems, leaves, and lateral branches) of A. annua were compared. The roots, stems, leaves, and lateral branches of four-month-old A. annua were collected and the content of seven artemisinin-related compounds in different tissues was determined. A multi-reaction monitoring(MRM) acquisition mode of UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS was used, with a positive ion mode of atmospheric pressure chemical ion source(APCI). Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Eclipse Plus RRHD C_(18) column(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.8 µm). The gradient elution was performed with the mobile phase consisted of formic acid(0.1%)-ammonium formate(5 mmol·L~(-1))(A) and the methanol(B) gradient program of 0-8 min, 55%-100% B, 8-11 min, 100% B, and equilibrium for 3 min, the flow rate of 0.6 mL·min~(-1), the column temperature of 40 ℃, the injection volume of 5 µL, and the detection time of 8 min. Through methodological investigation, a method based on UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS was established for the simultaneous quantitative determination of seven representative compounds involved in the biosynthesis of artemisinin. The content of artemisinin in A. annua was higher than that of artemisinin B, and the content of artemisinin and dihydroartemisinic acid were high in all the tissues of A. annua. The content of the seven compounds varied considerably in different tissues, with the highest levels in the leaves and neither artemisinene nor artemisinic aldehyde was detected in the roots. In this study, a quantitative method based on UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of seven representative compounds involved in the biosynthesis of artemisinin was established, which was accurate, sensitive, and highly efficient, and can be used for determining the content of artemisinin-related compounds in A. annua, breeding new varieties, and controlling the quality of Chinese medicinal materials.

Integration of the metabolome and transcriptome reveals indigo biosynthesis in Phaius flavus flowers under freezing treatment.

Background: Indigo-containing plant tissues change blue after a freezing treatment, which is accompanied by changes in indigo and its related compounds. Phaius flavus is one of the few monocot plants containing indigo. The change to blue after freezing was described to explore the biosynthesis of indigo in P. flavus. Methods: In this study, we surveyed the dynamic change of P. flavus flower metabolomics and transcriptomics. Results: The non-targeted metabolomics and targeted metabolomics results revealed a total of 98 different metabolites, the contents of indole, indican, indigo, and indirubin were significantly different after the change to blue from the freezing treatment. A transcriptome analysis screened ten different genes related to indigo upstream biosynthesis, including three anthranilate synthase genes, two phosphoribosyl-anthranilate isomerase genes, one indole-3-glycerolphosphate synthase gene, five tryptophan synthase genes. In addition, we further candidate 37 cytochrome P450 enzyme genes, one uridine diphosphate glucosyltransferase gene, and 24 ß-D-glucosidase genes were screened that may have participated in the downstream biosynthesis of indigo. This study explained the changes of indigo-related compounds at the metabolic level and gene expression level during the process of P. flavus under freezing and provided new insights for increasing the production of indigo-related compounds in P. flavus. In addition, transcriptome sequencing provides the basis for functional verification of the indigo biosynthesis key genes in P. flavus.

[Research progress on mechanism of phytohormones in regulating flavonoid metabolism].

Phytohormones play an important role at all stages of plant growth, influencing plant growth and development and regulating plant secondary metabolism, such as the synthesis of flavone, flavonol, anthocyanin, and other flavonoids. Flavonoids, a group of important secondary metabolites ubiquitous in plants, have antioxidative, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activities and thus have a wide range of potential applications in Chinese medicine and food nutrition. With the development of biotechnology, phytohormones' regulation on flavonoids has become a research focus in recent years. This study reviewed the research progress on the mechanism of common phytohormones, such as abscisic acid, gibberellin, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid, in regulating flavonoid metabolism, and discussed the molecular mechanism of the synthesis and accumulation of flavonoids, aiming at clarifying the key role of phytohormones in modulating flavonoid metabolism. The result is of guiding significance for improving the content of flavonoids in plants through rational use of phytohormones and of reference value for exploring the mechanism of hormones in regulating flavonoid metabolism.

[Advances in biosynthesis of indigo in plants].

Natural indigo, as one of the oldest dyes, is also a pivotal dye utilized in cotton fabrics today. A diversity of plants rich in indigo compounds belong to traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Indigo compounds have a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, including anticonvulsant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activities. A substantial progress in indigo biosynthesis has been made lately. This paper summarizes the value of indigo from the aspects of cultural history, biosynthetic pathways and the medicinal activities of its related derivatives involved in the pathways. In addition, the latest research advancements in indigo biosynthetic pathways is demonstrated in this paper, which would lay the theoretical foundation for the exploration and utilization of natural indigo.

[Molecular genetics of medicinal plants, past achievement, and new era].

Unraveling the genetic basis of medicinal plant metabolism and developmental traits is a long-standing goal for pharmacologists and plant biologists. This paper discusses the definition of molecular genetics of medicinal plants, which is an integrative discipline with medicinal plants as the research object. This discipline focuses on the heredity and variation of medicinal plants, and elucidates the relationship between the key traits of medicinal plants(active compounds, yield, resistance, etc.) and genotype, studies the structure and function, heredity and variation of medicinal plant genes mainly at molecular level, so as to reveal the molecular mechanisms of transmission, expression and regulation of genetic information of medicinal plants. Specifically, we emphasize on three major aspects of this discipline.(1)Individual and population genetics of medicinal plants, this part mainly highlights the genetic mechanism of the domestication, the individual genomics at the species level, and the formation of genetic diversity of medicinal plants.(2)Elucidation of biosynthetic pathways of active compounds and their evolutionary significance. This part summarizes the biosynthesis, diversity and molecular evolution of active compounds in medicinal plants.(3) Molecular mechanisms that shaping the key agronomic traits by internal and external factors. This part focuses on the accumulation and distribution of active compounds within plants and the regulation of metabolic network by environmental factors. Finally, we prospect the future direction of molecular genetics of medicinal plants based on the rapid development of multi-omics technology, as well as the application of molecular genetics in the future strategies to achieve conservation and breeding of medicinal plants and efficient biosynthesis of active compounds.