Abstract
Bidirectional effects between parasite and its hosts are important because the chemical differences of parasite produced by host may affect its medicinal properties. In this study, the chemical variations between Viscum coloratum, a traditional Chinese medicine (Hujisheng in Chinese, HJS), and its host were explored using metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). The characterization of Hujisheng was performed for the subsequent chemical interaction study. Fifty-five compounds were identified including twenty-nine flavonoid glycosides (FGs), eight linear diphenyheptanes (LDHs), eight phenolic acids, and ten other compounds. Eleven novel flavonoid glycosides were screened and putatively characterized using six-point mass defect filtering (MDF). Significant chemical differences in Hujisheng caused by the host were discovered by metabolomics and multiple chemometric methods. In addition, the haustorium of Hujisheng was isolated from its host and analyzed by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS. Upon the comparative analysis of Hujisheng, the haustorium, and the hosts, differential chemical compounds were ascribed to host diversity and are believed to be transmitted between the parasite and host through the haustorium.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Professor Zhen Ou-Yang from Jiangsu University and Dr. Tong Chen from National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Prof. Ou-Yang kindly provided V. coloratum samples and Dr. Chen helped with the establishment of the mass defect filtering model.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.