Chemotaxonomic Significance of Taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside in Chinese Rhododendron genus

초록

More than half of the global distribution of the Rhododendron genus is found in China, with over 74% being endemic species. However, there is still insufficient data to chemically classify the Rhododendron genus native to China. Therefore, in this study, a chemotaxonomic study was conducted to determine the presence of taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside, a flavonoid compound, in the Rhododendron genus native to China. Forty-three species of Rhododendron native to China—20 from across China, 8 from Beijing, 6 from Yanbian, and 9 from Yunnan—were utilized in the experiment. Through HPLC analysis, the retention time was compared with that of taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside, a standard compound, and quantitative analysis was conducted. As a result, taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside was detected in 22 out of 43 the Chinese Rhododendron species. Afterwards, LC-MS/MS analysis was performed on the 22 species in which taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside was detected to determine whether the molecular weight was consistent with the standard compound. Under negative conditions, it was confirmed that all samples exhibited the same molecular weight as taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside, 435-436 m/z. The same compound was detected in more than half of the Rhododendron species used in the experiment, and taxifolin-3-O-arabinopyranoside was determined to be an indicator compound for Rhododendron species native to China. In addition, the possibility of using the above results as basic data for chemical classification of Chinese Rhododendron genus was confirmed.

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