The quality control of Polygala tenuifolia Wild. is a major challenge in its clinical application. In this paper, a new strategy for the quality evaluation of P. tenuifolia extracts was verified through reverse-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single marker (QAMS) was conducted with 3,6′-disinapoyl sucrose as an internal reference substance. Eight components (i.e., sibiricose A5, sibiricose A6, glomeratose A, tenuifoliside A, tenuifoliside B, tenuifoliside C, sibiricaxanthone B, and polygalaxanthone III) were determined based on the relative correction factors. The concentrations of these components were also determined by applying a conventional external standard method. The cosine value confirmed the consistency of the two methods (cosine ratio value >0.999920). Hierarchical cluster analysis, radar plots, and discriminant analysis were performed to classify 23 batches of P. tenuifolia extracts from Shanxi, Hebei, and Shaanxi in China. Results revealed that QAMS combined with radar plots and multivariate data analysis could accurately measure and clearly distinguish the different quality samples of P. tenuifolia. Hence, QAMS is a feasible and promising method for the quality control of P. tenuifolia.

Polygala tenuifolia Willd is a perennial herb in the family Polygalaceae and is used as an expectorant and stimulant in traditional Chinese medicine. There is a large demand for P. tenuifolia, while the good cultivars of P. tenuifolia are not enough. In this study, we collected 157 germplasm resources of P. tenuifolia from different regions in China, and 12 phenotypic traits of these samples were analyzed using correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis methods. The correlation analysis showed the associations between different traits, and the first four principal components contributed 62.63% of the total variation. They contained most of the information of five above-ground traits and eight root traits. Phylogenetic clustering divided materials divided into four taxa, with characteristics of high-yielding specific material, long-rooted specific material, multi-branching specific material, and high plant height specific material, respectively. Our study provides the material and theoretical basis for the utilization of germplasm resources, parental selection, and varietal improvement of P. tenuifolia.

Dehydration responsive element-binding protein (DREB) serves as a core transcriptional regulator of abiotic stress responses, yet a systematic DREB gene lo