Background: The Aconitum genus is a crucial member of the Ranunculaceae family. There are 350 Aconitum species worldwide, with about 170 species found in China. These species are known for their various pharmacological effects and are commonly used to treat joint pain, cold abdominal pain, and other ailments. Codon usage bias (CUB) analysis contributes to evolutionary relationships and phylogeny. Based on protein-coding sequences (PCGs), we selected 48 species of Aconitum for CUB analysis. Results: The results revealed that Aconitum species had less than 50% GC content. Furthermore, the distribution of GC content was irregular and followed a trend of GC₁ > GC₂ > GC₃, indicating a bias towards A/T bases. The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) heat map revealed the presence of conservative codons with slight variations within the genus. The effective number of codons (ENC)-Plot and the parity rule 2 (PR2)-bias plot analysis indicate that natural selection is the primary factor influencing the variation in codon usage. As a result, we screened various optimal codons and found that A/T bases were preferred as the last codon. Furthermore, our Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis based on PCGs among 48 Aconitum species yielded results consistent with those obtained from complete chloroplast (cp.) genome data. This suggests that analyzing mutation in PCGs is an efficient method for demonstrating the phylogeny of species at the genus level. Conclusions: The CUB analysis of 48 species of Aconitum was mainly influenced by natural selection. This study reveals the CUB pattern of Aconitum and lays the foundation for future genetic modification and phylogenetic analyses.

Aconitum is an important medicinal group of the Ranunculaceae family and has been used as conventional medicine in Bai, Yi, and other ethnic groups of China. There are about 350 Aconitum species globally and about 170 species in China. It is challenging to identify the species in morphology, and the lack of molecular biology information hinders the identification and rational utilization of the germplasm of this genus. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the molecular data of Aconitum species. This paper acquired the complete chloroplast (CP) genome sequence of ten medicinal plants of Aconitum species from Yunnan by Illumina paired-end (PE) sequencing technology and compared it with other species in the same family and genus. These CP genomes exhibited typical circular quadripartite structure, and their sizes ranged from 155,475 (A. stylosum) to 155,921 bp (A. vilmoinianum), including a large single-copy region (LSC), a small single-copy region (SSC), and two inverted repeat regions (IRs). Their gene content, order, and GC content (38.1%) were similar. Moreover, their number of genes ranged from 129 (A. vilmoinianum) to 132 (A. ramulosum), including 83 to 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 tRNA genes (tRNAs), eight rRNA genes (rRNAs), and two pseudogenes. In addition, we performed repeated sequence analysis, genomic structure, and comparative analysis using 42 Aconitum chloroplast genomes, including ten Aconitum chloroplast genomes and other sequenced Aconitum species. A total of 48–79 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 17 to 77 long repeat sequences were identified. IR regions showed higher variability than the SSC region and LSC region. Seven mutational hotspots were screened out, including trnK-UUU-trnQ-UGG, psbD, ndhJ-ndhK, clpP, psbH-petB, ycf1, and trnA-UGC-trnI-GAU, respectively. The phylogenetic trees of ten Aconitum species and other Aconitum species revealed that the complete CP genome was beneficial in determining the complex phylogenetic relationships among Aconitum species. This study provides a potential molecular marker and genomic resource for phylogeny and species identification of Aconitum species and an important reference and basis for Ranunculaceae species identification and phylogeny.

The roots of Vicatia thibetica de Boiss are a kind of Chinese herb with homology of medicine and food. This is the first report showing the property of the extract of Vicatia thibetica de Boiss roots (HLB01) to extend the lifespan as well as promote the healthy parameters in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). For doxorubicin‐ (Doxo‐) induced premature aging in adult mice, HLB01 counteracted the senescence‐associated biomarkers, including P21 and γH2AX. Interestingly, HLB01 promoted the expression of collagen in C. elegans and mammalian cell systemically, which might be one of the essential factors to exert the antiaging effects. In addition, HLB01 was also found as a scavenger of free radicals, thereby performing the antioxidant ability. Lifespan extension by HLB01 was also dependent on DAF‐16 and HSF‐1 via oxidative stress resistance and heat stress resistance. Taken together, overall data suggested that HLB01 could extend the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans and resist Doxo‐induced senescence in mice via promoting the expression of collagen, antioxidant potential, and stress resistance.

Polygonatum kingianum Collett & Hemsl., is one of the most important traditional Chinese medicines in China. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between herb quality and microbial-soil variables, while also examining the composition and structure of the rhizosphere microbial community in Polygonatum kingianum, the ultimate goal is to provide a scientific approach to enhancing the quality of P. kingianum. Illumina NovaSeq technology unlocks comprehensive genetic variation and biological functionality through high-throughput sequencing. And in this study it was used to analyze the rhizosphere microbial communities in the soils of five P. kingianum planting areas. Conventional techniques were used to measure the organic elements, pH, and organic matter content. The active ingredient content of P. kingianum was identified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Colorimetry. A total of 12,715 bacterial and 5487 fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) were obtained and taxonomically categorized into 81 and 7 different phyla. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteriae were the dominant bacterial phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominat fungal phyla. The key predictors for bacterial community structure included hydrolysable nitrogen and available potassium, while for altering fungal community structure, soil organic carbon content (OCC), total nitrogen content (TNC), and total potassium content (TPOC) were the main influencing factors. Bryobacter and Candidatus Solibacter may indirectly increase the polysaccharide content of P. kingianum, and can be developed as potential Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). This study has confirmed the differences in the soil and microorganisms of different origins of P. kingianum, and their close association with its active ingredients. And it also broadens the idea of studying the link between plants and microorganisms.