Comparative Analyses of Armeniacae Semen and Persicae Semen Based on Anatomy, NMR-based Metabolomics and Chloroplast DNA

Abstract

Seeds of Prunus species (Rosaceae) have been used as botanical medicines in Korea, Japan and China: seeds of Prunus armeniaca, P. armeniaca var. ansu or P. mandshurica var. glabara as Armeniacae Semen, and ones of P. persica or P. davidiana as Persicae Semen. Since they are similar in external morphology as well as chemical profiles with amygdalin as index chemical component, comparative analyses were carried out to distinguish them from each other by anatomical examination, sequence determination of chloroplast DNA genes, and NMR-based metabolomics. The sequences of psbA-trnH, petN-psbM and trnS-trnG intergenic spacer of chloroplast DNA successfully identified the botanical origins of Armeniacae Semen and Persicae Semen. In the comparative analysis of NMR-based metabolomics, orthogonal projections to latent structure discriminant analysis method separated the samples of Armeniacae Semen from those of Persicae Semen mainly by glutamate and galactose. Microscopic examination by resin embedding technique showed that Persicae Semen of P. persica had endosperm cells in two or more layers in contrast that endosperm cells in Armeniacae Semen and Persicae Semen of P. davidiana were arranged in a single layer.