Study On The Chemical Quality Standard System For "Jianlian"

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (Nymphaeaceae), a perennial aquatic plant, has been widely used as ornamental, health food and medicinal herb. Six parts of this plant (stamen, receptacle, rhizomatous nodus, plumule, seed and leave), as Traditional Chinese Medicine have been recorded in many medicinal books and the Chinese Pharmacopeia (2010 version, volume I). Nowadays, the resources of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn are used inefficiently and even wasted. Except nelumbinis semen and rhizomes, the utilization of other parts was extremely limited. A lot of nelumbinis folium and receptacle were rotten in the field every year, which caused a great waste of resources. Only nelumbinis folium and plumula have marker compounds for quality evaluation in the Chinese Pharmacopeia (2010 version, volume I). Morphological identification and TLC identification were the main quality control methods for the other parts, and which was not suitable to the modern quality control requirement. Thus, the quality evaluation methods of six parts, including stamen, receptacle, rhizomatous nodus, plumule, seed and leave should be established to provide the foundation for quality control and reasonable development and utilization of the six parts of this plant.Chemical constituents, traditional efficacy and bioactivities of the six parts were summarized by referring to literatures and monographs. In the nelumbinis folium and plumula, flavonoids and alkaloids were the main chemical constituents with various biological activities, including antioxidant, lipolytic, antihypertensive, antibacterial, antiarrhythmia and so on. The chemical constituents and bioactivities of the other four parts need further systematic research.Quality evaluation methods, including quantitative analysis of multiple compounds and qualitative analysis of fingerprints directed at stamen, receptacle, rhizomatous nodus, plumule and leave were established, and the chemical constituents of different batches of medicinal materials were compared by the established methods. The methods were simple and reliable and could display the chemical information of all six parts well, which provided reference for the quality evaluation of the six parts accurately. The content of polysaccharides in nelumbinis semen was determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method. And the content of polysaccharides in different batches of medicinal materials was compared.The antioxidant activity of the extract and main chemical contituents of the six parts were studied, and the antioxidant activity of different parts was initially elucidated which could lay foundation for rational drug use and drug-discovery of the six parts.In conclusion, the quality evaluation of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (stamen, receptacle, rhizomatous nodus, plumule, seed and leave) has been established and the antioxidant activity of the extract and main chemical constituents of the six parts has been studied. The results could provide scientific reference for the further development and utilization this plant resource.