(Research Center of Bioenvironmental Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037)

Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum are rich in essential nutrients such as zinc, copper, selenium, strontium, potassium, phosphorus and manganese. The nutrient elements and organic components of Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing and Guizhou are relatively stable, which is mainly related to the inherent nutritional genes and physiological characteristics of plants. There are some differences in nutrient elements and organic components between Beijing and Guizhou, which may be mainly controlled by the external environment. The nutritional elements of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum combine with sugars, glycosides and amino acids to form a complex, which is easy to be absorbed by the human body and beneficial to exert its drug effect. The similarities and differences in inorganic and organic components of the two herbs also show the corresponding similarities and differences in efficacy.

Polygonatum odoratum; microelement

Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum are widely distributed in China and belong to Liliaceae. There are many similarities between the two medicinal materials in the aspects of crude drug appearance, tissue structure characteristics, plant origin and medicinal efficacy (Lin, Lin Shouquan, 1994). Medicinal use has a long history and is regarded as a good tonic. Now it has been included in health products and nutritional tonics (Qin, Gan,1995; Ran Maoxiong, 1995). In order to promote the utilization and development of wild resources, the content, existing background, effective chemical components of inorganic and organic combination and their functions in human body of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, chromium and other essential elements 12 in Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum were analyzed.

1 materials and methods

1. 1 sample collection

Polygonatum plants and soil samples were collected from Erhong, Niqing and Suijiao of Wang, Badaling, Huanghuayu, Longqingxia, Songshan and Liuzhi in northwest Guizhou. Polygonatum odoratum plants and soil samples were collected from northwest Beijing, Badaling, Dazhuangke and Liuzhike, Suijiao and Lanbandeng in Guizhou. Plant samples are the roots of primitive plants, which are cleaned, dried and ground, and then stored in a dryer for later use.

Take out the roots of plants from soil samples, air-dry and crush them for later use.

1.2 sample analysis

12 elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, strontium, selenium, nickel and cobalt were determined in plant samples and soil samples. Selenium in plants and soil was determined by molecular fluorescence spectrophotometry, manganese, molybdenum and cobalt in plants were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and other elements in plants and soil were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. The infrared spectra of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum are those of petroleum ether extract.

2 Analysis results

See table 1 for the contents of trace elements in Polygonatum sibiricum. The contents of trace elements in Polygonatum odoratum are shown in Table 2.

Table 1 Contents of Trace Elements in Polygonatum sibiricum [WB/(μ g g-1)]

Table 2 Contents of Trace Elements in Polygonatum odoratum [WB/(μ g g-1)]

3 differences of trace elements in different producing areas

The content and form of trace elements are one of the important indexes to measure the quality of medicinal materials, and the content of trace elements in Chinese medicinal materials often has regional characteristics. In order to determine whether there are significant differences in trace elements in Polygonatum odoratum between Beijing and Guizhou, variance analysis was carried out by mathematical statistics. It can be seen from Table 3 and Table 4 that the variance between different samples of the same medicinal material in the same area is not essential, and it can be seen that this intra-group variance is caused by random factors, while the inter-group variance describes the similarities and differences between samples in different areas, and the intra-group variance of each element is greater than the inter-group variance. In addition, from the point of freedom between groups and within groups, the significance level is 0.05, and the negative domain of single wing is (5.59, +∞). Compared with the F value (between-group variance/within-group variance), the calculated F values all fall outside the negative domain, indicating that the difference of trace elements in Polygonatum odoratum between the two places is not obvious.

Table 3 Contents of Trace Elements in Polygonatum sibiricum Planting Soil [WB/(μ g g-1)]

① Percentage content.

Table 4 Contents of Trace Elements in Soil of Polygonatum odoratum Planting [WB/(μ g g-1)]

① Percentage content. For the same plant, the soil corresponds to the plant number.

All living things selectively absorb nutrients from the environment. Beijing and Guizhou have distinct characteristics in climate, soil, landform, hydrology, vegetation and human factors, suggesting that the effective concentration of elements in soil solution between the two places may be very different, but the dispersion of trace elements in Polygonatum odoratum between the two places is very small, indicating that the bioavailability is relatively stable and constitutes a controllable intake mechanism of elements. In other words, the cell membrane of Polygonatum odoratum root only allows a certain amount of substances to enter the plant. When the intake of an element reaches a certain level, negative feedback will stop absorbing the element, which obviously depends mainly on the inherent nutritional genes and physiological characteristics of plants. However, it should also be noted that even under the same or similar natural ecological conditions in the same area, there are still some differences in the content of the same element among different samples. The contents of Cu, Mo, Zn, Co and other elements in Polygonatum sibiricum are not linearly related to the total contents of corresponding elements in soil, and the external environmental factors (soil composition, structure, redox potential, pH, ion concentration and solution form) still have certain constraints, which may imply that Polygonatum sibiricum is effective under the influence of comprehensive factors in different backgrounds.

The same analysis of variance was made for trace elements in Rehmannia glutinosa in Beijing and Guizhou (Table 5), with a significant level of 0.05 and a negative range of (4.96, +∞). The F values of Ca, Cu, Sr, Co and Ni in Rehmannia glutinosa are located in the negative domain, indicating that there are obvious differences between the two places. Although the F values of elements such as P, K, Mg, Zn, Mn, Mo and Se fall outside the negative domain, some of them have advanced to the lowest value in the negative domain, and the differences between these elements are not prominent, which generally reflect the dispersion outside the negative domain. In addition, through the analysis of variance (Table 6), there is no significant difference in the contents of Ca, Cu, Sr, Co and Ni in the soils under Polygonatum sibiricum. Comparing table 1 with table 3, it can be seen that the relative contents of Ca, Cu, Sr, Co and Ni in soil are much higher than those in Polygonatum sibiricum, whether in Beijing or Guizhou. Therefore, there are abundant sources in the soil, although the effective content cannot be replaced by the total content of a certain element. However, judging from the same biological characteristics of the same genus and the same rehmannia glutinosa, it seems that the difference of elements in Rehmannia glutinosa does not reflect its ability to selectively absorb different elements, but mainly depends on the external environmental conditions on which plants depend. Among them, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus are the most distinctive. It is understandable that the content of total potassium and total magnesium in Beijing is higher than that in Guizhou. The climatic conditions and ecological environment in the south are easy to decompose potash feldspar, mica, dolomite and other minerals containing potassium and magnesium, and potassium and magnesium are easy to lose. In the north, there are more primary potassium and magnesium minerals. Although the total content is high, the bioavailability (the content of potassium and magnesium in Polygonatum sibiricum/the content of total potassium and magnesium in soil) is still lower than that in the south, which shows that Guizhou makes full use of available potassium and magnesium. The total manganese content is contrary to potassium and magnesium, and Guizhou is mostly higher than Beijing. This is because manganese is deposited and preserved together with the gel of iron and aluminum when the primary minerals in southern China are weathered, especially in a suitable redox state (low pH value), the activation and effectiveness of manganese are improved, which is beneficial to the absorption of Polygonatum sibiricum. The relative content of phosphorus in Polygonatum sibiricum in Beijing is higher than or close to that in its planting soil, which reflects the unique affinity of Polygonatum sibiricum for phosphorus. The relative content of phosphorus in Polygonatum sibiricum in Guizhou is lower than that in its planting soil, which is consistent with the fact that the effective content of phosphorus in southern soil is lower than that in northern soil, which may reveal the difference between acidic environment in southern China and alkaline environment in northern China.

Table 5 Variation Analysis of Trace Elements in Polygonatum odoratum from Different Areas

Note: F0.05( 1, 7)=5.59.

Table 6 Variation Analysis of Trace Elements in Polygonatum sibiricum from Different Areas

Note: F0.05( 1, 10)=4.96.

Infrared spectra of fat-soluble extracts of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum

In order to compare the similarities and differences of organic components between Beijing and Guizhou Rehmannia glutinosa and Polygonatum odoratum, the infrared spectra of fat-soluble extracts of the two medicinal materials were determined respectively (Figure 1, 2). Comparing the infrared spectra of Polygonatum odoratum in Guizhou and Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing (figure 1), it is not difficult to find that not only the spectra are basically similar, but also at 2920cm- 1, 2851cm-,1377cm- 1 and.

Figure 1 infrared spectrum of fat-soluble extract of Polygonatum odoratum Origin: by 1, by2 Beijing, gy 1, gy2 Guizhou.

As can be seen from Figure 2, although the infrared spectra of Guizhou Rehmannia glutinosa and Beijing Rehmannia glutinosa are roughly similar, the differences can be clearly distinguished. For example, Polygonatum sibiricum in Beijing has weak absorption near 3325cm- 1, 16 13cm- 1, while Polygonatum sibiricum in Guizhou has two strong absorption peaks at these two places. The results of this analysis are the same as those expressed by trace elements, and there are similarities and obvious differences between the two kinds of rehmannia glutinosa in organic and inorganic components.

Fig. 2 infrared spectrum of fat-soluble extract of Polygonatum sibiricum. Origin: bh 1, bh2 Beijing, gh 1, gh2 Guizhou.

5 The relationship between drug efficacy and element composition

With the development of research, people know that protein or protein complex in cells is the receptor of trace elements. Most of the trace elements in organisms are structured into organic complexes. Under the synergistic effect of ligands and trace elements, it participates in biochemical processes in organisms. In the dynamic balance of biology, the content of trace elements will be kept in a narrow range. Beyond this range, too high or too low will interfere with or block the normal function of cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus (Cao Ziquan et al.,1993; Wang Kui et al., 1992), causing harm to the body. We analyzed the trace elements of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum, and combined with the analysis of organic components by predecessors, both of them reflected the imprint of drug efficacy. Polygonatum sibiricum has the functions of invigorating qi, strengthening yang, invigorating spleen and tonifying kidney; Polygonatum odoratum has the functions of nourishing yin, moistening dryness, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. Their organic components are characterized by high sugar (glucose, mannose, fructose, galacturonic acid, etc.). ). In addition, Astragalus also contains aspartic acid, homoserine, lysine and other 1 1 amino acids, as well as foxglove and various anthraquinone compounds. Polygonatum odoratum contains saponins (lily, lily, kaempferol glycoside), quercitrin, vitamin A, starch and so on. Trace elements mainly include zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium and phosphorus. Zinc gluconate can combine with glucose, is easily absorbed by human body, and has low toxicity, and can rapidly increase the serum zinc concentration. The complex of zinc and amino acids can be transformed into bioactive enzymes-carbonic anhydrase, carboxylase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and so on. (Hu Shilin, 1989). The physical and chemical properties of zinc determine its specific biological functions. It becomes the active center of carbonic anhydrase and carboxylase molecules, and has catalytic, structural and regulatory functions. When the zinc enzyme in the biological cell membrane has enough zinc ions, the activity of the enzyme increases and the activity of adrenaline, a hypoglycemic hormone, decreases, thus inhibiting the increase of blood sugar. The activity of lactate dehydrogenase in heart and brain cells plays a cardiotonic and sedative role (Levaneder, 1987). Under the activity of Escherichia coli, the complex of zinc, copper and manganese with glucoside can be transformed into superoxide dismutase to improve its activity. Selenium and phosphorus are the main members of hydrogen peroxide glutathione peroxidase containing selenium phospholipids. Because of its antioxidant effect, it can scavenge free radicals, and has achieved results in detoxification, anti-inflammatory, anti-radiation damage and immunity. Unfortunately, chromium has not been analyzed, but according to other data, the content of chromium in Polygonatum sibiricum in Zhejiang is only 3.9μg/g (Cao Ziquan et al., 1993), which shows its vitality. Organic chromium complexes absorbed by human intestine are easier to synthesize natural ligands with amino acids such as serine than inorganic chromium. Protein and nucleic acid containing chromium can strengthen insulin, participate in the metabolism of sugar and fat, and prevent the deposition of lipid, thus playing a role in lowering blood pressure and preventing atherosclerosis. The content of chromium in Polygonatum odoratum is low (Guangdong, 0.6μg/g) (Cao Ziquan et al., 1993), and it lacks amino acids bound to it, so it is not as effective as Polygonatum sibiricum in preventing atherosclerosis.

It should be pointed out that from the summary of people's long-term life experience, we know the medicinal value of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum, and we can only make a superficial discussion based on their components and recent research results, because the elements and their organic ligands can be biomolecules such as protein, amino acids, peptides, enzymes, hormones, etc., and their transformation, migration, modes of occurrence, mechanism of action, biochemical functions and their synergistic and antagonistic relations in organisms are not completely clear. In particular, the stable concentration of trace elements in human tissues is very low, and most of the interactions involve complexation (or chelation) between biomolecules and elements, and slight changes will affect the absorption and metabolic functions of elements in the body. Only based on the in-depth study of molecular biology and cytology, can we trace the relationship between effective components, pharmacology and action conditions of drugs, so as to understand the real utility of trace elements and their organic complexes.

6 concluding remarks

By analyzing and comparing the contents of trace elements in Rehmannia glutinosa and Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing and Guizhou, and discussing the relationship with effective chemical components and their functions, the following understandings are summarized.

(1) Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum are rich in essential nutrients such as zinc, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, selenium, chromium and strontium. The average content of zinc, copper, selenium, strontium, manganese, nickel and phosphorus in Polygonatum sibiricum is higher in Beijing than in Guizhou. Zn, Cu, Se and P in Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing are also higher than those in Guizhou, while Sr, Mn and Ni are just the opposite.

(2) The nutrient elements in Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing and Guizhou are relatively stable, which are mainly related to the inherent nutritional genes and physiological characteristics of plants; There are significant differences in nutrient elements between Beijing and Guizhou, which may be mainly controlled by the external environment.

(3) The organic components of Polygonatum odoratum in Beijing and Guizhou are relatively stable, and the organic components of Rehmannia glutinosa have some variation.

(4) The nutritional elements of Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum combine with sugars, glycosides and amino acids to form a complex, which promotes the absorption and utilization of the human body and is conducive to exerting its efficacy. The commonness and individuality of these two medicinal materials in inorganic and organic components, as well as their corresponding commonness and differences in efficacy.

refer to

Lin Lin, Lin Shouquan. Comparison of pharmacognosy and histological characteristics between Polygonatum sibiricum and Polygonatum odoratum. Chinese herbal medicine, 1994, volume 25, issue 5, 26 1 ~ 265.

Qin, Gan. Yuzhu Chinese herbal medicines commonly used in China, p. 173 ~ 180. Beijing: Science Press, 1995.

Ran Maoxiong. Polygonatum odoratum Chinese herbal medicines commonly used in China, pp. 503-509. Beijing: Science Press, 1995.

Cao ziquan Trace elements and traditional Chinese medicine. Beijing: China Traditional Chinese Medicine Press, 1993.

Wang kui. Trace elements in life science. Beijing: China Metrology Publishing House, 1992.

Hu Shilin China genuine medicinal materials. Beijing: Heilongjiang Science and Technology Press, 1989.

Leuaneder O.A. (1987), translated by Zhu. Trace element nutrition for human and animals. Qingdao: Qingdao Publishing House, 1994.