Differential analysis of chemical components in different host mulberry parasites
Taxilli Herba is a dry leaf, stem, and branch of Taxilli chinensis (DC.) Danser, a plant in the family Rosaceae; It is a famous authentic medicinal herb in Guangxi, mainly distributed in the southern, central, and eastern regions of Guangxi; It is included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and has the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, nourishing liver and kidneys, strengthening muscles and bones, and calming the fetus. It is used to treat rheumatism and pain, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, and weakness of muscles and bones. Modern research has shown that mulberry parasitism mainly contains various types of chemical components such as flavonoids, organic acids, terpenes, etc., which have multiple pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic, hypoglycemic, and anti-tumor. Mulberry parasitism belongs to semi parasitic plants, with hosts ranging from 36 families to over 150 species. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia does not have clear regulations on the host plants of mulberry parasitism. Currently, the circulating and used medicinal materials in the market are mostly multi host based, with varying quality. There have been detailed records of the impact of different hosts on the quality of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials in different historical periods, and it has been noted that the toxicity and efficacy of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials on different hosts vary. In recent years, research on the relationship between host and the quality of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials has shown that there are significant differences in the content of total flavonoids, quercetin, and quercitrin in mulberry parasitic plants from different host sources. Mulberry parasitic plants accumulate characteristic components in a certain form, and the types and contents of volatile components in mulberry parasitic plants from different host sources also vary. Xia et al. found that the water extract of mulberry host mulberry parasitism did not cause liver damage, while five host mulberry parasitics, including lacquer tree, oil tea, willow tree, Melia azedarach, and oleander, showed varying degrees of liver damage. Zhang et al. found that all host sources of mulberry parasitism have a hypotensive effect, and hosts have an impact on the hypotensive effect of mulberry parasitism.
At present, research on mulberry parasitism from different host sources mainly focuses on changes in total flavonoid content, HPLC fingerprint analysis, and the application of infrared spectroscopy to distinguish different host mulberry parasitisms. There have been no reports on the differences in chemical components in mulberry parasitism from different host sources. Therefore, studying the differential chemical composition of mulberry parasites from different host sources is of great significance for improving their quality control system. This experiment draws on the research ideas and methods of plant metabolomics, and uses ultra fast liquid chromatography triple quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC TripleTOF-MS/MS) technology to analyze the differences in chemical components of mulberry parasites from different host sources. Multivariate statistical analysis is used to identify significantly different chemical components and their changes, aiming to provide basic information for revealing the influence of host plants on the synthesis and accumulation of mulberry parasite metabolites and exploring the quality formation mechanism of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials.

 

Mulberry parasitism has abundant resources in China, and the mulberry parasitism that has hosted mulberry trees throughout history has been widely recognized and used. Due to its significant characteristics of semi parasitism and broad parasitism, the host plant sources of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials are complex and diverse. However, research on the quality of mulberry parasitic medicinal materials from different host sources is mostly limited to the determination of total flavonoid content, and there have been no reports on the differences in chemical composition of mulberry parasitic materials from different host sources. This experiment is based on UFLC Triple TOF-MS/MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis techniques to analyze the differences in chemical components of different host derived mulberry parasitic samples. The results show that the classification effect of 10 host derived mulberry parasitic samples in the PCA model is relatively ideal. Further PLS-DA analysis was used to obtain 19 differential chemical components, among which (+) – catechins, hyperoside, quercetin 3-O – β – D-glucuronide, and quercetin are common differential chemical components. The relative content of these four components in mulberry host mulberry parasitism is higher than that of the other nine hosts, followed by mulberry parasitism from yellow bark and persimmon trees. Quercetin 3-O – β – D-glucuronide and hyperoside are the lowest in mulberry parasitism samples from non infected hosts, providing important identification information for distinguishing different host sources of mulberry parasitism. The four common differential chemical components are all flavonoids, but the content differences are significant in different host sources of mulberry parasitism, indicating that the host is a key factor affecting the quality of mulberry parasitism medicinal materials. The clinical efficacy changes caused by the content differences still need to be explored.
In summary, this study draws on the research ideas of plant metabolomics to analyze the differences in chemical components in 10 different host derived mulberry parasites. The research results can provide basic information for revealing the influence of host plants on the synthesis and accumulation of mulberry parasitic metabolites and exploring the mechanism of mulberry parasitic medicinal material quality formation.