Search Results (18)

Background: Pinellia ternata is a major medicinal herb widely utilized in traditional medicine, but is sensitive to high temperature, which often triggers a severe “sprout tumble” phenomenon. Methods: To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance in P. ternata, we screened two contrasting germplasms: the heat-tolerant JBX1 and the heat-sensitive XBX4. In the present study, a combined analysis of physiology, transcriptome, and metabolome was performed on JBX1 and XBX4 under heat stress at 40 °C. Results: JBX1 exhibited significantly greater leaf thickness, higher basal chlorophyll content, more stable antioxidant enzyme activities, and lower oxidative damage than XBX4 under heat stress. Transcriptomically, JBX1 maintained elevated basal expression of genes encoding key enzymes in carbon fixation, amino acid metabolism, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, as well as those encoding heat shock transcription factors (HSFs), heat shock proteins (HSPs), and the thermosensor Thermo-With ABA-Response 1 (TWA1). Metabolomically, JBX1 accumulated higher levels of key primary metabolites, antioxidants, and protective phenylpropanoids under both control and heat conditions. Notably, a “polarity reversal” emerged in nitrogen metabolism, where core amino acids accumulated in JBX1 but were depleted in XBX4. Integrated analysis revealed a more coordinated gene–metabolite network in JBX1 involving the phenylpropanoid, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, and glutathione pathways. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that JBX1 possessed stronger basal thermotolerance, which is derived from coordinated establishment of higher constitutive metabolic reserves and efficient dynamic metabolic reprogramming. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of heat stress in P. ternata. Full article

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory material basis and quality control of Pinellia ternata (P. ternata) to provide a modern scientific interpretation for its therapeutic properties. First, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) analysis was used to analyze different polar fractions of P. ternata, resulting in the identification of 79 compounds. Next, an in vitro evaluation using an LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammation model revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the most significant inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production. Three cyclodipeptides, cyclo (Pro-Leu), cyclo (Phe-Pro), and cyclo (Leu-Phe), which displayed notable differences from other fractions, were subsequently screened. Molecular docking studies showed binding free energies below −5 kcal/mol with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), indicating potential anti-inflammatory targeting properties. Cellular experiments further confirmed that the reduction in NO production induced by these cyclodipeptides ranged from 11.03% to 40.38%. To enable their simultaneous quantification, a method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was established, meeting all analytical validation criteria. Application of this method to P. ternata samples from different origins and growth conditions demonstrated that the contents of these cyclodipeptides were significantly influenced by both the origin and cultivation method. In conclusion, this study preliminarily identifies cyclodipeptides as an important anti-inflammatory material basis of P. ternata, and the established quantitative method provides methodological support and data for constructing its quality evaluation system. Full article

Pinellia ternata, a traditional Chinese herb, suffers from soil degradation and nutrient imbalance, which significantly decrease both yield and quality. Here, the application of microbial organic fertilizer (MOF) in the cultivation of P. ternata results in high yields and quality under two soil conditions, whether grown in greenhouse or open-field environments. The application of MOF enhanced seedling emergence rates and photosynthetic efficiency, significantly improving various agronomic traits, and increasing the content of flavonoids and total alkaloids in tubers, with a stronger effect observed at a dosage of 75 g/m². Moreover, available phosphorus, available potassium, catalase, and urease levels were significantly improved. Further, 16S and ITS sequencing revealed that bacteria diversity was not affected by all treatment, while the fungi unweighted UniFrac index showed significant decline in the MOF treatment. The abundance of bacterial Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria varied with continuous cropping soil, whereas abundance of fungi Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota was changed in the first cropping of P. ternata. These findings suggest that applying MOF improves the microbial communities of the rhizosphere soil of P. ternata, enhancing soil enzyme activities and decomposing organic and inorganic matter. This, in turn, contributes to the yield and quality of P. ternata. Full article

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit is a widely used medicinal herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Still, its sustainable cultivation is threatened by continuous cropping obstacles, which disrupt soil ecosystems, reduce yield, and degrade quality. Objectives: This study explores the potential of microbial inoculants to mitigate these challenges through integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Methods: Soil samples from fields with and without continuous cropping issues were used to compare the effects of microbial inoculants on the secondary metabolism and gene expression of P. ternata. Results and Discussion: Metabolomic profiling identified 20,969 metabolites, with significant changes in lipid-like molecules (22.2%), organic acids (9.1%), and phenylpropanoids (7.0%) under microbial treatment. Notable increases in phenylalanine and caffeic acid levels were observed in microbial-inoculated plants. Correspondingly, transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and other stress-related genes, confirming the metabolic shifts. Clustering and machine learning analyses highlighted the critical roles of metabolites and genes in enhancing plant resilience. Microbial inoculants improved secondary metabolite production. Implications: These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of microbial-plant interactions and establish a sustainable approach for cultivating P. ternata, addressing the challenges of continuous cropping while improving crop productivity and quality. Full article

Continuous cropping (CC) stress severely limits the growth and industrial development of Pinellia ternata. Epihomobrassinolide (EBR) is a natural product that widely participates in many the physiological activities of many plants. Thiamethoxam·flutolanil·azoxystrobin (TFA) has been registered as a seed coating agent in crop production. In this work, the effects of seeds soaked with EBR, seeds coated with TFA, and their co-application on the plant growth, electrophysiological information (as physiological activities related to plant electrical signals), leaf photosynthesis, plant resistance, bulb quality, and yield of CC P. ternata were evaluated. The aim of this work is to excogitate a practicable agronomic measure for ameliorating the growth of CC P. ternata. The results show that soaking the seeds with EBR or coating the seeds with TFA could effectively enhance the plant height, leaf area, and stem diameter of CC P. ternata, promote its emergence seedling ratio, and decrease its inverted seedling ratio, and their associated application was found to be more efficient. Additionally, their associated application effectively enhanced the intrinsic capacitance (IC), intracellular water metabolism, nutrient transport, and metabolic activity and decreased the intrinsic resistance (IR), impedance (IZ), capacitive reactance (IXc), and inductive reactance (IXL). Meanwhile, their associated application could reliably enhance the photosynthetic capacity and stress resistance, and effectively improve the bulb quality and yield. This study emphasizes that the associated application of seeds soaked with a 0.004% aqueous EBR solution diluted 1000 times and seeds coated with a 24% TFA flowable concentrate at 1.6 mL kg⁻¹ seed can be used as a novel and practicable technology for alleviating the CC stress of P. ternata and ameliorating its growth, electrophysiological information, resistance, quality, and yield. Full article

Pinellia ternata is a medicinal plant that has important pharmacological value, and the bulbils serve as the primary reproductive organ; however, the mechanisms underlying bulbil initiation remain unclear. Here, we characterized bulbil development via histological, transcriptomic, and targeted metabolomic analyses to unearth the intricate relationship between hormones, genes, and bulbil development. The results show that the bulbils initiate growth from the leaf axillary meristem (AM). In this stage, jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), isopentenyl adenosine (IPA), and salicylic acid (SA) were highly enriched, while indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and 5-dexoxystrigol (5-DS) were notably decreased. Through OPLS-DA analysis, SA has emerged as the most crucial factor in initiating and positively regulating bulbil formation. Furthermore, a strong association between IPA and SA was observed during bulbil initiation. The transcriptional changes in IPT (Isopentenyltransferase), CRE1 (Cytokinin Response 1), A-ARR (Type-A Arabidopsis Response Regulator), B-ARR (Type-B Arabidopsis Response Regulator), AUX1 (Auxin Resistant 1), ARF (Auxin Response Factor), AUX/IAA (Auxin/Indole-3-acetic acid), GH3 (Gretchen Hagen 3), SAUR (Small Auxin Up RNA), GA2ox (Gibberellin 2-oxidase), GA20ox (Gibberellin 20-oxidase), AOS (Allene oxide synthase), AOC (Allene oxide cyclase), OPR (Oxophytodienoate Reductase), JMT (JA carboxy l Methyltransferase), COI1 (Coronatine Insensitive 1), JAZ (Jasmonate ZIM-domain), MYC2 (Myelocytomatosis 2), D27 (DWARF27), SMAX (Suppressor of MAX2), PAL (Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase), ICS (Isochorismate Synthase), NPR1 (Non-expressor of Pathogenesis-related Genes1), TGA (TGACG Sequence-specific Binding), PR-1 (Pathogenesis-related), MCSU (Molybdenium Cofactor Sulfurase), PP2C (Protein Phosphatase 2C), and SnRK (Sucrose Non-fermenting-related Protein Kinase 2) were highly correlated with hormone concentrations, indicating that bulbil initiation is coordinately controlled by multiple phytohormones. Notably, eight TFs (transcription factors) that regulate AM initiation have been identified as pivotal regulators of bulbil formation. Among these, WUS (WUSCHEL), CLV (CLAVATA), ATH1 (Arabidopsis Thaliana Homeobox Gene 1), and RAX (Regulator of Axillary meristems) have been observed to exhibit elevated expression levels. Conversely, LEAFY demonstrated contrasting expression patterns. The intricate expression profiles of these TFs are closely associated with the upregulated expression of KNOX(KNOTTED-like homeobox), suggesting a intricate regulatory network underlying the complex process of bulbil initiation. This study offers a profound understanding of the bulbil initiation process and could potentially aid in refining molecular breeding techniques specific to P. ternata. Full article

Organic acids are a key active component of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit, and their concentration is closely associated with the quality of P. ternata. Developing an efficient and rapid method for detecting organic acids can offer a valuable technology for real-time assessment of P. ternata quality. In this work, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) approach, combining the optimization of extraction conditions using response surface methodology (RSM), was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of six organic acids in P. ternata. The optimal extraction conditions for organic acids in P. ternata were ultrasonic extraction with a solid–liquid ratio of 1:50, ultrasonic time of 60 min, and extraction temperature of 55 °C. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) scanning was employed for quantification using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS in negative ionization mode through a single run of 10 min, and the limit of detection (LLOD) and limit of quantification (LLOQ) for organic acids were as low as 0.138 ng/mL and 0.614 ng/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of reproducibility, precision, and stability were all lower than 5.0%, and recovery rates were 97.75–107.14%, with RSDs < 5.0%. Finally, this method was successfully applied to determine the investigated organic acids in 12 production regions of P. ternata, revealing significant differences between different production areas. This indicates that the optimized method is suitable for further accurate investigations of organic acids of P. ternata. Full article

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit (abbreviated as P. ternata) is a plant with an important medicinal value whose yield is restricted by many factors, such as low reproductive efficiency and continuous cropping obstacles. As an essential breeding material for P. ternata growth and production, the bulbils have significant advantages such as a high survival rate and short breeding cycles. However, the location effect, influencing factors, and molecular mechanism of bulbil occurrence and formation have not been fully explored. In this study, exogenously applied phytohormones were used to induce in vitro petiole of P. ternata to produce bulbil structure. Transcriptome sequencing of mRNA and miRNA were performed in the induced petiole (TCp) and the induced bulbil (TCb). Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed for the identification of key genes and pathways involved in bulbil development. A total of 58,019 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The GO and KEGG analysis indicated that DEGs were mainly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway. The expression profiles of miR167a, miR171a, and miR156a during bulbil induction were verified by qRT-PCR, indicating that these three miRNAs and their target genes may be involved in the process of bulbil induction and play an important role. However, further molecular biological experiments are required to confirm the functions of the identified bulbil development-related miRNAs and targets. Full article

Using petiole material as explants and directly inducing the formation of microtubers without going through the callus stage is an essential way to rapidly expand scarce medical plants such as Pinellia ternata. However, the early molecular mechanism underlying the formation of the microtuber is largely elusive. Here, we conducted cytology and dynamic transcriptome analyses of inchoate microtubers in Pinellia explants and identified 1092 differentially expressed genes after their cultivation in vitro for 0, 5, and 15 days. Compared with 0 day, the number and size of the microtuber cells were larger at 5 and 15 days of culture. Detailed categorization revealed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly related to responses to stimulus, biological regulation, organelles, membranes, transcription factor activity, and protein binding. Further analysis revealed that the microtuber at different incubation days exhibited quite a difference in both hormone signaling pathway transduction and the regulation pattern of transcription factors. Therefore, this study contributes to a better understanding of the early molecular regulation during the formation of the microtuber and provides new insights for the study of the rapid expansion of P. ternata and other medical plants. Full article

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. (P. ternata) is a very important plant that is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Its corms can be used as medicine and function to alleviate cough, headache, and phlegm. The epidermis of P. ternata corms is often light yellow to yellow in color; however, within the range of P. ternata found in JingZhou City in Hubei Province, China, there is a form of P. ternata in which the epidermis of the corm is red. We found that the total flavonoid content of red P. ternata corms is significantly higher than that of yellow P. ternata corms. The objective of this study was to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the difference in epidermal color between the two forms of P. ternata. The results showed that a high content of anthocyanidin was responsible for the red epidermal color in P. ternata, and 15 metabolites, including cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside-5-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were screened as potential color markers in P. ternata through metabolomic analysis. Based on an analysis of the transcriptome, seven genes, including PtCHS1, PtCHS2, PtCHI1, PtDFR5, PtANS, PtUPD-GT2, and PtUPD-GT3, were found to have important effects on the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in the P. ternata corm epidermis. Furthermore, two transcription factors (TFs), bHLH1 and bHLH2, may have regulatory functions in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in red P. ternata corms. Using an integrative analysis of the metabolomic and transcriptomic data, we identified five genes, PtCHI, PtDFR2, PtUPD-GT1, PtUPD-GT2, and PtUPD-GT3, that may play important roles in the presence of the red epidermis color in P. ternata corms. Full article

The continuous cropping obstacle has become the key factor that seriously restricts the growth, yield, and quality of Pinellia ternata. In this study, the effects of chitosan on the growth, photosynthesis, resistance, yield, and quality of the continuous cropping of P. ternata were investigated by two field spraying methods. The results indicate that continuous cropping significantly (p < 0.05) raised the inverted seedling rate of P. ternata and inhibited its growth, yield, and quality. Spraying of 0.5~1.0% chitosan effectively increased the leaf area and plant height of continuous P. ternata, and reduced its inverted seedling rate. Meanwhile, 0.5~1.0% chitosan spraying could notably increase its photosynthetic rate (Pn), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr), and decrease its soluble sugar, proline (Pro), and malonaldehyde (MDA) contents, as well as promoting its superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities. Additionally, 0.5~1.0% chitosan spraying could also effectively enhance its yield and quality. This finding highlights that chitosan can be proposed as an alternative and practicable mitigator for alleviating the continuous cropping obstacle of P. ternata. Full article

Brassinolide (BR) is the “sixth class” plant hormone, which plays an important role in various physiological and biochemical processes of plants. The wide variety of functions of Pinellia ternata means that there is huge demand for it and thus it is in short supply. This paper mainly assessed the changes of yield and quality in P. ternata at different stages after BR treatments by principal component analysis, in order to improve the yield and quality of P. ternata and at the same time determine the best harvest time. The results showed that the tuber yield of P. ternata was significantly increased by BR treatments at different stages (except for the 15th day). After the 15th, 45th, 60th, 75th, 90th, and 105th day of treatments, the tuber yield of P. ternata reached peak values at 0.10 (0.65 g), 0.50 (1.97 g), 0.50 (1.98 g), 1.00 (2.37 g), 1.00 (2.84 g), and 2.00 mg/L (3.76 g) BR treatment, respectively. The optimal harvest time was the 75th day after 0.10, 0.50, and 1.00 mg/L BR treatments, which not only significantly improved the yield of P. ternata, but also retained high level of total alkaloids in the tubers (20.89, 5.37, and 13.44%) and bulbils (9.74, 20.42, and 13.62%), high total flavone content in the tubers (17.66, 16.26, and 12.74%) and bulbils (52.63, 12.79, and 38.69%), and high β-sitosterol content in the tubers (25.26, 16.65, and 0.62%) of P. ternata, compared with the control, respectively. Full article

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Druce is a traditional medicinal plant containing a variety of alkaloids, which are important active ingredients. Brassinolide (BR) is a plant hormone that regulates plant response to environmental stress and promotes the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. However, the regulatory mechanism of BR-induced alkaloid accumulation in P. ternata is not clear. In this study, we investigated the effects of BR and BR biosynthesis inhibitor (propiconazole, Pcz) treatments on alkaloid biosynthesis in the bulbil of P. ternata. The results showed that total alkaloid content and bulbil yield was enhanced by 90.87% and 29.67% under BR treatment, respectively, compared to the control. We identified 818 (476 up-regulated and 342 down-regulated) and 697 (389 up-regulated and 308 down-regulated) DEGs in the BR-treated and Pcz-treated groups, respectively. Through this annotated data and the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), the expression patterns of unigenes involved in the ephedrine alkaloid, tropane, piperidine, pyridine alkaloid, indole alkaloid, and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis were observed under BR and Pcz treatments. We identified 11, 8, 2, and 13 unigenes in the ephedrine alkaloid, tropane, piperidine, and pyridine alkaloid, indole alkaloid, and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, respectively. The expression levels of these unigenes were increased by BR treatment and were decreased by Pcz treatment, compared to the control. The results provided molecular insight into the study of the molecular mechanism of BR-promoted alkaloid biosynthesis. Full article

The outbreak of white spot syndrome (WSS) is a looming challenge, due to dramatic losses to the crustacean aquaculture industry. However, at present, there are no prophylactic or therapeutic means to control this infectious viral disease. Here, we screened fifteen medicinal plants for their inhibitory activity on the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), using red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) as a model species. The results showed that the crude extracts of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. had the highest inhibitory effect (91.59%, 100 mg/kg) on WSSV proliferation, and its main component, beta-sitosterol, showed a much higher activity (95.79%, 50 mg/kg). Further, beta-sitosterol potently reduced (p < 0.01) viral loads and viral gene transcription levels in a concentration-dependent fashion, and significantly promoted the survival rate of WSSV-challenged crayfish (57.14%, 50 mg/kg). The co-incubation assay indicated that beta-sitosterol did not influence the infectivity of WSSV particles. Both pre- and post-treatment of beta-sitosterol exerted a significant inhibitory effect (p < 0.01) on the viral load in vivo. Mechanistically, beta-sitosterol not only interfered with the expression of viral genes (immediate early gene 1, ie1; DNA polymerase, DNApol) that are important in initiating WSSV transcription, but it also attenuated the hijacking of innate immune signaling pathways (Toll, IMD, and JAK/STAT pathways) by viral genes to block WSSV replication. Moreover, the expression of several antiviral immune, antioxidant, pro-inflammatory, and apoptosis-related genes changed significantly in beta-sitosterol-treated crayfish. Beta-sitosterol is a potent WSSV inhibitor and has the potential to be developed as an effective anti-WSSV agent against a WSS outbreak in crustacean aquaculture. Full article

Hypertension is a cardiovascular disease that causes great harm to health and life, affecting the function of important organs and accompanied by a variety of secondary diseases, which need to be treated with drugs for a long time. P. ternata alone or combination with western medicine has played an important role in traditional Chinese medicine. Although P. ternata is used clinically to treat hypertension, its functional molecular mechanism and pharmacological mechanism have not been elucidated. Therefore, in this study, the potentially effective components, and targets of P. ternata in the treatment of hypertension were screened by the method of network pharmacology, and the mechanism of P. ternata in the treatment of hypertension was analyzed by constructing a component-target relationship network, PPI interaction network, targets’ function analysis, and molecular docking. In the study, 12 potentially effective components and 88 targets were screened, and 3 potential protein modules were found and analyzed after constructing a PPI network using targets. In addition, 10 targets were selected as core targets of the PPI network. After that, the targets were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Finally, the molecular docking method is used to study the interaction between the targets and the active components. The above evidence shows that the mechanism of P. ternata in the treatment of hypertension is complicated, as it acts in many ways, mainly by affecting nerve signal transmission, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, calcium channels, and so on. The binding between targets and active components mainly depends on Pi bonds and hydrogen bonds. Using the method of network pharmacology and molecular docking to analyze the mechanism of P. ternata in the treatment of hypertension will help to provide a better scientific basis for the combined use of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, and will better help to improve the quality of P. ternata and point out its direction. Full article