Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Lamiaceae) is the source of the well-known traditional Chinese medicine “HuangQin” (Radix Scutellariae). Natural sources of S. baicalensis are rapidly declining due to high market demand and overexploitation. Moreover, the commercial products of Radix Scutellariae have often been found to contain adulterants in recent years, which may give rise to issues regarding drug efficacy and safety. In this study, we developed valuable chloroplast molecular resources by comparing intraspecific and interspecific chloroplast genome. The S. baicalensis chloroplast genome is a circular molecule consisting of two single-copy regions separated by a pair of inverted repeats. Comparative analyses of three Scutellaria chloroplast genomes revealed six variable regions (trnH-psbA, trnK-rps16, petN-psbM, trnT-trnL, petA-psbJ, and ycf1) that could be used as DNA barcodes. There were 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) and 29 indels between the two S. baicalensis genotypes. All of the indels occurred within non-coding regions. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that Scutellarioideae is a sister taxon to Lamioideae. These resources could be used to explore the variation present in Scutellaria populations and for further evolutionary, phylogenetic, barcoding and genetic engineering studies, in addition to effective exploration and conservation of S. baicalensis.

Chinese yam has been used both as a food and in traditional herbal medicine. Developing more effective genetic markers in this species is necessary to assess its genetic diversity and perform cultivar identification. In this study, new chloroplast genomic resources were developed using whole chloroplast genomes from six genotypes originating from different geographical locations. The Dioscorea polystachya chloroplast genome is a circular molecule consisting of two single-copy regions separated by a pair of inverted repeats. Comparative analyses of six D. polystachya chloroplast genomes revealed 141 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Seventy simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were found in the six genotypes, including 24 polymorphic SSRs. Forty-three common indels and five small inversions were detected. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete chloroplast genome provided the best resolution among the genotypes. Our evaluation of chloroplast genome resources among these genotypes led us to consider the complete chloroplast genome sequence of D. polystachya as a source of reliable and valuable molecular markers for revealing biogeographical structure and the extent of genetic variation in wild populations and for identifying different cultivars.

The major objective of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of essential oil (EO) from Zanthoxylum armatum DC. on Aspergillus flavus. The chemical composition of the EO was identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of EO was investigated by liquid fermentation. The morphology, colony number, and aflatoxin content of A. flavus in platycladi semen were investigated by stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, plate counting, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that the MIC of EO was 0.8 μL⋅mL^–1, and the main components were β-phellandrene (7.53%), D-limonene (13.24%), linalool (41.73%), terpinen-4-ol (5.33%), and trans-nerolidol (6.30%). After the EO fumigated the platycladi semen, the growth of A. flavus slowed, and the mycelium shrank considerably. The number of colonies after EO treatment at room temperature and cold storage was significantly reduced, the inhibition effect was better under cold storage, and the aflatoxin B1 content did not exceed the standard within 100 days. Therefore, this study demonstrated the good potential of A. flavus growth inhibition during the storage of platycladi semen.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a well-known herbal medicine that contains triterpenoid saponins as the predominant bioactive components, and these compounds include glycyrrhetinic acid (GA)-glycoside derivatives. Although two genes encoding UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) that glycosylate these derivates have been functionally characterized in G. uralensis , the mechanisms of glycosylation by other UGTs remain unknown. Based on the available transcriptome data, we isolated a UGT with expression in the roots of G. uralensis . This UGT gene possibly encodes a glucosyltransferase that glycosylates GA derivatives at the 3-OH site. Biochemical analyses revealed that the recombinant UGT enzyme could transfer a glucosyl moiety to the free 3-OH or 30-COOH groups of GA. Furthermore, engineered yeast harbouring genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway for GA-glycoside derivates produced GA-3- O -β-D-glucoside, implying that the enzyme has GA 3-O-glucosyltransferase activity in vivo . Our results could provide a frame for understand the function of the UGT gene family, and also is important for further studies of triterpenoids biosynthesis in G. uralensis .

Arnebia decumbens (Vent.) Coss. et Kralik, A. euchroma (Royle) Johnst and A. guttata Bunge, three commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal plants have been widely used for the clinical treatment of inflammatory diseases caused by fungal, bacterial, oxidation, and other related pathogens. However, precise identification at the similar species level is usually challenging due to the influence of the source of medicinal materials, traditional ethnic medicine and medicinal habits. Here we developed a comprehensive and efficient identification system for three source spices of Arnebiae Radix based on DNA barcoding and HPLC fingerprinting. A total of 599 samples from thirty-five wild populations were collected and identified by using DNA barcodes of ITS2 regions, and the chemotypes of seven naphthoquinoneswere revealed by HPLC quantitative analysis including principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. Our results showed that the ITS2 sequences can distinguish three source spices of Arnebiae Radix from adulterants. However, it was difficult to identify them by HPLC-specific chromatograms combined with chemometric analysis. These results indicated that DNA barcoding was a more powerful method than HPLC fingerprinting for the identification of related species that were genetically similar. DNA barcoding analysis could be a promising and reliable tool to accurately confirm the identities of medicinal materials, especially for those whose sources are multiple and difficult to be identified by conventional chromatography.

For thousands of years, corn silk has been widely used as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic and for other effects, but there is a lack of studies that correlate the extracts of flavonoid composition with their biological activities. Thus, the objectives of this study were to optimize the conditions for extracting flavonoids, identify flavonoids, and correlate the flavonoid composition with the biological activities in corn silk. The response surface experiments showed that the highest flavonoid content was predicted at 45.321 min, 57.349°C, 26.089 mL/g, and 71.269%, respectively. The verification experiment results under these optimized conditions showed an ultrasonic time of 45 min, an ultrasonic temperature of 57°C, a liquid‐to‐material ratio of 26, and an ethanol volume fraction of 70%. No significant differences (the relative error is 4.378%) were observed between the theoretical and experimental TFC values, indicating that the developed models were accurate. Under these optimum extraction conditions, 20 major compounds were identified and quantified by UPLC‐LTQ/Orbitrap MS. Furthermore, these optimum ethanol extracts of corn silk are effective against Bacillus subtilis and hypoglycemic activity compared with the traditional heating reflux extraction method. Six corn silk components seem to be the main contributors to the inhibitory effect against Bacillus subtilis and hyperglycemia activities. These results are useful for the application of corn silk in the food or pharmaceutical industry.