Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quality evaluation of medicinally-used Codonopsis species and Codonopsis Radix based on the contents of pyrrolidine alkaloids, phenylpropanoid and polyacetylenes

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Natural Medicines Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A comparative study of 56 specimens of three medicinally-used Codonopsis taxa collected from China and 54 commercial samples of Codonopsis Radix available in Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets was carried out by quantitative analysis of seven major components: codonopyrrolidium B (1), codonopyrrolidium A (2), tangshenoside I (3), cordifolioidyne B (4), lobetyolinin (5), lobetyolin (6) and lobetyol (7). The quantitative results, based on a well-established HPLC–DAD method, indicated that the contents of these seven compounds varied considerably among the samples, not only inter-species but also intra-species. C. pilosula and C. pilosula var. modesta showed similar chemical compositions, while C. tangshen differed considerably from these two in chemical composition. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that two main groups were classified; one group mainly included C. pilosula, C. pilosula var. modesta and the commercial samples derived from these two taxa, while the other group was composed of C. tangshen and its derived commercial samples. Compound 1 was the main component in the roots of C. pilosula and C. pilosula var. modesta, while 3 and 2 had relatively high contents in the roots of C. tangshen. Therefore, 3, 2 and 1 could be chemical markers to differentiate C. tangshen from C. pilosula and C. pilosula var. modesta.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (2006) Dictionary of Chinese traditional medicine (Zhong Yao Da Ci Dian), 2nd edn. Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers, Shanghai, China, pp 2578–2579

  2. Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission (2010) Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, vol I, 2010 edn. China Medical Science Press, Beijing, China, p 264

  3. Hong DY, Wu ZY, Raven PH (2011) Flora of China, vol 19. Science Press/Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing/St. Louis, pp 513–516

    Google Scholar 

  4. Namba T, Komatsu K, Iwai M, Xu GJ (1992) Pharmacognostical studies on the Codonopsis plants (1). On the anatomical characteristics of the root of Sect. Codonopsis plants. Shoyakugaku Zasshi 46:156–164

    Google Scholar 

  5. Namba T, Komatsu K, Iwai M (1992) Pharmacognostical studies on the Codonopsis plants (2). On the botanical origin of the Chinese crude drug ‘‘Dangshen’’ and its related crude drugs derived from Sect. Codonopsis plants. Shoyakugaku Zasshi 46:165–173

    Google Scholar 

  6. Xu GJ, Xu LS (1994) Species systematization and quality evaluation of Chinese traditional drugs, vol 1. Fujian Science and Technology Press, Fuzhou, pp 5–9

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wang JZ, Wang FP (1996) Study on chemical constituents of Codonopsis tangshen. Nat Prod Res Dev 8:8–12

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. He Q, Zhu EY, Wang ZT, Chou GX, Xu LS, Hu ZB (2006) Study on chemical constituents of Codonopsis pilosula. Chin Pharm J 41:10–12

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Song D, Chou GX, Zhong GY, Wang ZT (2008) Two new phenylpropanoid derivatives from Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. Helv Chim Acta 91:1984–1988

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Tsai TH, Lin LC (2008) Phenolic glycosides and pyrrolidine alkaloids from Codonopsis tangshen. Chem Pharm Bull 56:1546–1550

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Wakana D, Kawahara N, Goda Y (2011) Three new triterpenyl esters, codonopilates A–C, isolated from Codonopsis pilosula. J Nat Med 65:18–23

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Song D, Wang ZT, Li LY, Zhong GY (2008) Protective effect of Lobetyolin on gastric mucosa of experimental gastric ulcer in rats. J Emerg Tradit Chin Med 17:963–964

    Google Scholar 

  13. Liu JH, Bao YM, Song JJ, An LJ (2003) Codonopsis pilosula (Franch) Nannf total alkaloids potentiate neurite outgrowth induced by nerve growth factor in PC12 cells. Acta Pharmacol Sin 24:913–917

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. He B, Zhang YT, Yuan XG, Sun JS, Wei GH, Lin T (2011) Protective effects of Radix Codonopsis on ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats after kidney transplantation. Pediatr Surg Int 27:1203–1212

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Zhao XH, Liu YQ, Wang RS, Guo JL, Zhao P (2007) Analysis of lobetyolin in different parts of Codonopsis Radix using RP-HPLC. Chin Tradit Pat Med 29:1046–1047

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Song D, Cheng XM, Li LY, Zhong GY, Wang ZT (2008) Determination of lobetyolin in root of Codonopsis tangshen from various cultivation areas by high performance liquid chromatography. Chin J Chin Mater Med 33:2133–2135

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Qiao CF, He ZD, Han QB, Xu HX, Jiang RW, Li SL, Zhang YB, But PPH, Shaw PC (2007) The use of lobetyolin and HPLC-UV fingerprints for quality assessment of Radix Codonopsis. J Food Drug Anal 15:258–264

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Chen L, Wang TZ (2008) Content determination of lobetyolin in Codonopsis by HPLC. J Mil Surg Southwest China 10:35–36

    Google Scholar 

  19. He JY, Zhu S, Komatsu K, Goda Y, Cai SQ (2013) Genetic polymorphism of medicinally-used Codonopsis species in internal transcribed spacer sequence of nuclear ribosomal DNA and its application to authenticate Codonopsis Radix. J Nat Med. doi:10.1007/s11418-013-0780-1

    Google Scholar 

  20. He JY, Zhu S, Komatsu K. HPLC-UV analysis of polyacetylenes, phenylpropanoids and pyrrolidine alkaloids in medicinally-used Codonopsis species. Phytochem Anal (submitted)

  21. Mizutani K, Yuda M, Tanaka O, Saruwatari Y, Jia MR, Ling YK, Pu XF (1988) Tangshenosides I and II from Chuan-dangshen, the root of Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. Chem Pharm Bull 36:2726–2729

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ishimaru K, Yonemitsu H, Shimomura K (1991) Lobetyolin and lobetyol from hairy root culture of Lobelia inflate. Phytochemistry 30:2255–2257

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ishimaru K, Sadoshima S, Neera S, Koyama K, Takahashi K, Shimomura K (1992) A polyacetylene gentiobioside from hairy roots of Lobelia inflata. Phytochemistry 31:1577–1579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cuendet M, Potterat O, Hostettmann K (2001) Flavonoids and phenylpropanoid derivatives from Campanula barbata. Phytochemistry 56:631–636

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Mei RQ, Lu Q, Hu YF, Liu HY, Bao FK, Zhang Y, Cheng YX (2008) Three new polyyne (=Polyacetylene) glucosides from the edible roots of Codonopsis cordifolioidea. Helv Chim Acta 91:90–96

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Lin LC, Tsai TH, Kuo CL (2013) Chemical constituents comparison of Codonopsis tangshen, Codonopsis pilosula var. modesta and Codonopsis pilosula. Nat Prod Res. doi:10.1080/14786419.2013.778849

    Google Scholar 

  27. Song D, Cheng XM, Li LY, Zhong GY, Wang ZT (2008) Study on HPLC fingerprint of Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. Chin Pharm J 43:1136–1139

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Hiroshi Kamiya, Mr. Tsuguo Yokokura and Japan Kampo Medicines Manufacturers Association, as well as Prof. Kun Zou and Prof. Junzhi Wang at Three Gorges University for helping in sample collection. We also thank Dr. Kohei Kazuma, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama for measuring the molecular weight of some compounds using a Thermo LTQ Orbitrap XL ETD mass spectrometer. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 21406004 and 24406005, by a grant (KHB1008) from the Japan Health Sciences Foundation, and by Expansion Program, Regional Innovation Cluster Program, Global Type (II) from MEXT, Japan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Resources, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930–0194, Japan

    Jing-Yu He, Shu Zhu & Katsuko Komatsu

  2. Division of Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Narcotics, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1–18–1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158–8501, Japan

    Yukihiro Goda

  3. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xue-yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People’s Republic of China

    Shao-Qing Cai

Authors
  1. Jing-Yu He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shu Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yukihiro Goda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shao-Qing Cai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Katsuko Komatsu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katsuko Komatsu.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 52 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

He, JY., Zhu, S., Goda, Y. et al. Quality evaluation of medicinally-used Codonopsis species and Codonopsis Radix based on the contents of pyrrolidine alkaloids, phenylpropanoid and polyacetylenes. J Nat Med 68, 326–339 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-013-0801-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-013-0801-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation