Chemometric analysis on Acanthopanax fruits using UPLC-ESI-MS

Acanthopanax species are indigenous medicinal plant and the fruits of Acanthopanax species have been used as a remedy for “wipe out evil wind” in traditional oriental medicine. Although there have been a few phytochemical studies on Acanthopanax fruits, no study on the comparison of anthocyanin contents and types between Acanthopanax species distributed in Korea, was performed. By using UPLC profiling and ESI-MS profiling of the extract of Acanthopanax fruit, chlorogenic acid, syringin, delphinidin lathyroside, cyanidin lathyroside, hyperoside and dicaffeoylquinic acid were identified and major components.

In order to develop a new chemometric classification method using UPLC fingerprint for Acanthopanax fruits and provide a platform for the application to the discrimination of species-specific difference, 9 species of Acanthopanax fruits were selected.

Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus, A. divaricatus f. distigmatis, A. divaricatus f. flav-flos, A. sessiliflorus, A. seoulense, A. senticosus f. inermis, A. gracillstylus, A. koreanum and A. trifoliatus f. spinofolia were chosen for this study and nine sample of each species were picked from Kyung Hee university botanical garden.

Extract of each sample and partial-least squares method in discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was performed as multivariate analysis. The extracts of Acanthopanax species were successfully discriminated from each species according to their characterizing UPLC-ESI-MS fingerprint and cyanidin lathyroside and chlorogenic acid were identified as major marker molecules.