NMR-based metabolomic analyses for the componential differences and the corresponding metabolic responses of three batches of Farfarae Flos

•Three batches Farfarae Flos were compared by NMR based metabolomic approach.•Chemical and the corresponding metabolic response comparisons were both conducted.•Chemical differences and metabolites variation in serum were correlated.•Pathway analysis was used to reveal the subtle drug induced metabolic difference.

Farfarae Flos (FF) is a commonly used herbal drug which has been used for a long time in the Tradition Chinese Medicines (TCM). Nowadays, the cultivated FF in the Northern China is the main source of FF used in the clinic of TCM. The chemical compositions of the herbal drugs are always influenced by the weather, geographic location, soil conditions, and cultivation patterns. Thus it is difficult to guarantee the homogeneity or uniformity of the herbal drugs. In this study, a metabolomic approach was used to compare three batches of FF collected from different growing regions. The results showed that three batches of FFs differed from each other both in the primary and secondary metabolites, and there also existed in vivo differences among three groups of FFs. The clustering pattern of n-butanol extracts was similar to those of crude water extracts and serum, indicating that the polar compounds, such as phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, play an important role in the water extracts of FF. The results presented here suggested that the metabolomic approach can be used as a valuable method to evaluate the difference of herbal drugs from various origins.

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