Analysis of the Differences Between Different Fruit Colors of Amomum tsao-ko Based on Widely Targeted Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology

Abstract

Amomum tsao-ko (AT) is an important medicinal and edible plant. Its fruit has various colors, commonly available in green, red and dark red colors. There may be significant differences in chemical composition and pharmacological activity among ATs with different fruit colors. In this study, we systematically analyzed the metabolite composition of ATs of different fruit colors and their potential pharmacological mechanisms of action using a combination of widely targeted metabolomics and network pharmacology. Through widely targeted metabolomics techniques, we identified and quantified a variety of metabolites in ATs, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, and alkaloids. The results showed that there were significant differences in metabolite composition among AT with different fruit colors, especially in the contents of flavonoids and phenolic acids. Among them, flavonoid components such as kaempferol, isorhamnetin derivatives, and epigallocatechin analogs play a major role in the color formation of ATs. Furthermore, through the network pharmacological analysis, we constructed the metabolite-target-disease network of AT and revealed the potential pharmacological mechanism of AT with different fruit color. Five compounds, ent-Epicatechin, (4e_(6e))-1,ent-Epicatechin(4-hydroxyphenyl)hepta-4,6-dien-3-one, beta-daucosterol_qt, (−)-catechin and quercetin, which are effective in the treatment of tumor, were obtained by screening. They had good docking ability to the protein target of tumor. After screening the metabolites of four kinds of fruit color, quercetin was the common component of four kinds of fruit color AT, but the other four compounds could not be detected. In terms of the relative content of the detected compounds, light red AT > dark red AT > red AT > green AT; generally speaking, the content is relatively high, the more potential biological activity, so in theory, the light red AT is more effective in the treatment of tumor, but further pharmacological verification is needed.

This study not only provides a new scientific basis for the chemical differences and pharmacological effects of different fruit colors, but also provides theoretical support.