AUTHOR=Wang Yapeng , Yuan Changsheng , Zhao Jiachen , Liu Yunxiang , Tian Chunfang , Qian Jinxiu , Nan Tiegui , Kang Liping , Liu Yanmeng , Zhan Zhilai , Huang Luqi 

TITLE=An evaluation of Astragali Radix with different growth patterns and years, based on a new multidimensional comparison method

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1368135

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1368135

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=With the depletion of wild Astragali Radix (WA) resources, imitated-wild Astragali Radix (IWA) and cultivated Astragali Radix (CA) have become the main products of Astragali Radix. However, the quality differences between WA , IWA and CA have not been fully characterized, leading to a lack of necessary scientific evidence for their use as substitutes for WA. Therefore, we innovatively proposed a multidimensional evaluation method that encompassed traits, microstructure, cell wall components, saccharides, and pharmacodynamic compounds, to comprehensively explain the quality variances among three different growth patterns of Astragali Radix (WA, IWA, CA). Our results showed that the quality of IWA and WA was comparatively similar, including evaluation indicators such as apparent color, sectional structure and odor, thickness of phellem, diameter and number of vessels, morphology of phloem and xylem, and the levels and ratios of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, sucrose, starch, water-soluble polysaccharides, total-saponins. However, the content of sucrose, starch and sorbose in CA was significantly higher than WA, and the diameter and number of vessels, total-flavonoids content were lower than WA, indicating significant quality differences between CA and WA. Hence, we suggest that IWA should be used as a substitute for WA instead of CA. As for the planting years of IWA, our results indicated that IWA aged 1-32 years could be divided into three stages according to their quality change: rapid growth period (1-5 years), stable growth period (6-20 years), and elderly growth period (25-32 years). Among these, 6-20 years old IWA exhibited consistent multidimensional comparative results, showcasing elevated levels of key active components such as water-soluble polysaccharides, flavonoids, and saponins. Considering both the quality and cultivation expenses of IWA, we recommend a cultivation duration of 6-8 years for growers. In conclusion, we established a novel multidimensional evaluation method to systematically characterize the quality of Astragali Radix, and provided a new scientific perspective for the artificial cultivation and quality assurance of Astragali Radix.