Characterization of phytochemical profile of rhizome of artificial cultured Polygonatum sibiricum with multiple rhizome buds

Rhizome of Polygonatum sibiricum is both a renowned traditional Chinese remedy and a commonly consumed delicacy. Due to the escalating demand and excessive overexploitation, there has been a growing interest in the artificial cultivation of this plant in recent years. To assess the therapeutic benefits of artificially cultivated P. sibiricum, it is crucial to identify and classify its phytochemical components, which are the primary bioactive compounds found in its rhizome. In this study, the phytochemical profile of an artificially cultivated P. sibiricum rhizomes with multiple rhizome buds (ACM) was characterized by using untargeted UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS based approach. In addition, two-wild-types P. sibiricum rhizomes, namely the wild-type with multiple rhizome buds (WTM) and the wild-type with single rhizome bud (WTS), were used for comparison. A total of 183 phytochemicals, including 20 alkaloids, 48 flavonoids, 33 phenolic acids, and 82 terpenoids, were tentatively identified. Generally, the phytochemical profile of ACM was comparable to that of WTM and WTS. In specific, most of the identified alkaloids and phenolic acids, and approximately half of the identified terpenoids, were not significantly different. Notably, several phytochemicals with potent therapeutic properties, such as epiberberine, laetanine, sinapic acid, curcumenol, were present in ACM. Additionally, artificial cultivation increased the abundance of geniposide and naringenin, which have been linked to cardioprotective effects. These findings provide valuable insights for the future utilization of artificially cultivated P. sibiricum.