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Seasonal variation of alkaloids and polyphenol in Ephedra sinica cultivated in Japan and controlling factors

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Abstract

We investigated the seasonal variation of alkaloids (ephedrine and pseudoephedrine), total polyphenol, and sugar contents in Ephedra sinica cultivated in Japan and elucidated the controlling factors for the variation. In 2018, alkaloids and polyphenol contents increased dramatically from May to July, decreased to their lowest in October, and slightly increased again in November. The reduction of alkaloids and polyphenol contents in the autumn may be affected by precipitation in summer. In 2020, alkaloids and polyphenol contents started to decrease in late July when rainfall was abundant from July to August. In contrast, sucrose and starch contents continued to increase until September and remained high until October. Vascular bundles and fiber developed, and herbal stem weight increased from August to October. Alkaloids and total polyphenol contents tended to increase in November. At the same time, starch and sucrose contents decreased dramatically, whereas glucose and fructose contents increased. Sugar content decreased from October and was lowest in November. The seasonal variation of alkaloids and total polyphenol contents exhibited a contrasting tendency to the seasonal variation of sugar content and tissue development. The seasonal variation of alkaloids and total polyphenol contents was caused by the seasonal variation of sugar content and tissue development. In addition, it is suggested that anatomy may be used for alkaloids content estimation in Ephedra plants.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by AMED under Grant Number ak0101045h.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Yoshitomi Kudo, Kazuki Umemoto, Ai Kaneda, Yohei Sasaki & Hirokazu Ando

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Toshihiro Obata

  3. Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Resources, Department of Bio-Resource Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737 Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, 243-0034, Japan

    Si-ran Ni & Masayuki Mikage

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  1. Yoshitomi Kudo
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Correspondence to Hirokazu Ando.

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Kudo, Y., Umemoto, K., Obata, T. et al. Seasonal variation of alkaloids and polyphenol in Ephedra sinica cultivated in Japan and controlling factors. J Nat Med 77, 137–151 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-022-01656-9

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