Extracts from Potentilla species have been applied in traditional medicine and exhibit antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and anti-ulcerogenic properties, but little has been known about the diversity of phytochemistry and pharmacology on this genus. This study investigated and compared the phytochemical profiles, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of leaf extracts from three Potentilla species (Potentilla fruticosa, Potentilla glabra and Potentilla parvifolia) in order to discover new resources for lead structures and pharmaceutical products.

Three steroidal saponins were isolated and characterised from the rhizomes of Polygonatum odoratum. The structure of the compounds were determined as 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-galactopyranosyl-25(S)-spirost-5(6)-en-3β-ol (1), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-galactopyranosyl-25(S)-spirost-5(6),14(15)-dien-3β-ol (2) and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-galactopyranosyl-25(S)–spirost-5 (6)-en-3β, 14α-diol (3). Compound 2 was identified as a new compound. Compounds 1–3 were found to be strong against the growth of bacteria and plant pathogenic fungi.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is widely regarded in China as a precious medicinal and commercial endemic tree. Due to cross-breeding or natural variation of E. ulmoides, the metabolite composition may vary significantly, making control of the medical quality difficult. In order to improve the rational development and utilization, the quality of seven varieties of E. ulmoides were evaluated based on metabolite profiles (total phenolic, total flavonoid, gutta-percha, aucubin, geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, geniposide, pinoresinol diglucoside, rutin, hyperoside, and astragalin), bioactivities (in vitro, in vivo antioxidant activities, and antibacterial activities) and HPLC fingerprint combined with chemometrics analysis. On this basis, the differences of medicinal parts (leaf and bark) were further carried out. For the traditional use of bark, Purple-leaf E. ulmoides was the most suitable. For the use of leaf, Qinzhong 1 and Purple-leaf E. ulmoides were appropriate. HPLC fingerprint analysis showed that significant differences in metabolite profiles exist among seven varieties of E. ulmoides. Combined with chemometrics analysis, seven varieties of E. ulmoides were divided into three groups from the use of leaf and bark. The analysis not only evaluated quality of seven varieties of E. ulmoides, but also could distinguish different varieties and different regions of origin. The results can provide theoretical basis for E. ulmoides resources utilization and cultivation of fine varieties.

Juniperus rigida (J. rigida) which is endemic to East Asia, has traditionally been used as an ethno medicinal plant in China. This study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of J. rigida samples derived from 11 primary regions in China. Ten phenolic compounds were simultaneously quantified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and chlorogenic acid, catechin, podophyllotoxin and amentoflavone were found to be the main compounds in J. rigida needles, with the highest contents detected for catechin and podophyllotoxin. J. rigida from Jilin (S9, S10) and Liaoning (S11) exhibited the highest contents of phenolic profiles (total phenolics, total flavonoids and 10 phenolic compounds) and the strongest antioxidant and antibacterial activities, followed by Shaanxi (S2, S3). A similarity analysis (SA) demonstrated substantial similarities in fingerprint chromatograms, from which 14 common peaks were selected. The similarity values varied from 0.85 to 0.98. Chemometrics techniques, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA), were further applied to facilitate accurate classification and quantification of the J. rigida samples derived from the 11 regions. The results supported HPLC data showing that all J. rigida samples exhibit considerable variations in phenolic profiles, and the samples were further clustered into three major groups coincident with their geographical regions of origin. In addition, two discriminant functions with a 100% discrimination ratio were constructed to further distinguish and classify samples with unknown membership on the basis of eigenvalues to allow optimal discrimination among the groups. Our comprehensive findings on matching phenolic profiles and bioactivities along with data from fingerprint chromatograms with chemometrics provide an effective tool for screening and quality evaluation of J. rigida and related medicinal preparations.