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BACKGROUND: Viola philippica Cav. is the only original plant for Violae Herba, as described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The quality of this crude drug is affected by several adulterants from congeneric Viola species, and the authentic plant origin of Violae Herba is still controversial. Genome-based identification offers abundant genetic information and potential molecular markers that can be used for the authentication of closely related species. This study aims to investigate the certified origin of Violae Herba and to develop more effective markers for these easily confused species at the genetic level. METHODS: We compared the morphology and chemical composition of 18 batches of commercial samples and six widespread medicinal Viola plants used as Violae Herba or its substitutes by TLC and HPLC-Triple-TOF-MS/MS analyses. The complete chloroplast genomes of these species were sequenced and analyzed, including the general features, repeat sequences, mutational hotspots and phylogeny. The complete chloroplast genomes used as superbarcodes and some specific barcodes screened from mutational hotspots were tested for their ability to distinguish Viola species. RESULTS: A comparative study showed that Violae Herba is a multi-origin traditional Chinese medicine. Commercial decoction pieces and the standard reference drug were mainly derived from V. prionantha, clashing with the record in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Chloroplast genome analyses of V. philippica and five adulterants indicated that sequence divergence was relatively low within Viola species. By tree-based approaches, the complete chloroplast genomes showed a better discrimination ability and phylogenetic resolution for each Viola species. These results indicate that the whole chloroplast genomes can be used as superbarcodes to differentiate Viola medicinal plants. More specific DNA barcodes could be further developed from the Viola chloroplast genomes for more efficient and rapid identification of commercial Violae Herba and its adulterants. CONCLUSIONS: This study has implications for chloroplast genome-based phylogenetic analysis and the authentication of multiple Viola species used as Violae Herba. The legal origin recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia should be further revised to V. prionantha, in line with the commercial Violae Herba in the TCM markets.
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By referring to the relevant ancient herbal literature， medical records and prescription books， the textual research of Violae Herba has been conducted to verify the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation and processing method changes. The results showed that the name of Zihua Diding originated from its flower color and plant morphological characteristics. The primitive plant of Violae Herba is Viola genus of Violaceae， V. yedoensis， as stipulated in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， has been the mainstream in past dynasties of China. Violae Herba is mainly wild， and it is widely distributed throughout the country. Since modern times， the quality of Violae Herba is better with integrity， green color and yellow root. There are few records on the harvesting and processing methods of Violae Herba in ancient times， most of which are directly used after drying. It is suggested that the collection and processing methods of Violae Herba in the famous classical formulas can be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
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Objective:To investigate the chemical constituents and antioxidant activities of Violae Herba from the Violaceae. Method:The 5 kg of Violae Herba was refluxing extracted with 3 times the amount of 95% ethanol for three times， then the extracting solution was combined， filtrated， concentrated under vacuum to get the total extract. Seven corresponding fractions were eluted with petroleum ether， dichloromethane， dichloromethane-methanol （50∶1， 10∶1， 5∶1， 2∶1） and methanol by silica gel column chromatography （60-100 mesh） on the total extract. Each fraction was isolated and purified by normal phase silica gel column chromatography， octadecylsilane chemically bonded silica （ODS） column chromatography， Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）， respectively. The structures of the obtained compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods of nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR）， mass spectroscopy （MS） and infrared spectroscopy （IR）. Meanwhile， some of these compounds isolated from Violae Herba were carried on the 1，1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH） free radical scavenging experiment. Result:Fourteen compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of Violae Herba， including <italic>N</italic>-acetyl-1-ethyl ester glutamic acid （<bold>1</bold>）， <italic>N</italic>-acetyl glutamic acid-1-ethyl-5-methyl ester （<bold>2</bold>）， aurantiamide （<bold>3</bold>）， <italic>rel</italic>-（2<italic>α</italic>，3<italic>β</italic>）-7-<italic>O</italic>-methylcedrusin （<bold>4</bold>）， oleanolic acid （<bold>5</bold>）， <italic>α</italic>-tocopherol-quinone （<bold>6</bold>）， tectochrysin （<bold>7</bold>）， isoscopoletin （<bold>8</bold>）， esculetin （<bold>9</bold>）， 24-ethylcholesta-4，24（28）<italic>Z</italic>-dien-3-one （<bold>10</bold>）， stigmasta-4，25-dien-3-one （<bold>11</bold>）， <italic>β</italic>-sitostenone （<bold>12</bold>）， <italic>β</italic>-sitosterol （<bold>13</bold>）， （24<italic>R</italic>）-3<italic>β</italic>-hydroxy-ethylcholest-5-en-7-one （<bold>14</bold>）. Conclusion:Compound <bold>2</bold> is a new natural product， compounds <bold>1</bold>， <bold>4</bold>， <bold>6</bold>， <bold>7</bold>， <bold>10</bold>-<bold>12 </bold>are isolated from the genus <italic>Viola</italic> for the first time. Compound <bold>9</bold> has significant antioxidant activity， while compounds <bold>2</bold>， <bold>6 </bold>and<bold> 8</bold> have certain DPPH free radical scavenging activity.
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Objective:To analyze the volatile components in Violae herba and its mixed product Corydalis bungeanae herba, and distinguish Violae herba from Corydalis bungeanae herba. Methods:The volatile constituents in Violae herba and Corydalis bungeanae herba were extracted by solid phase micro-extraction(SPME),and then analyzed by GC-MS. Results:A total of 62 constituents were detected out,and among them,42 compounds were identified, which mainly were olefins, ketones and aldehydes. Totally 43 peaks were isolated from Violae herba,and among them,28 components were identified, which accounted for 66.93% of the total volatile oil. Totally 22 peaks were isolated from Corydalis bungeanae herba,and among them,17 components were identified,which accounted for 97.02% of the total volatile oil. Conclusion:The volatile components in Violae herba and its mixed product are different in their peak types of total ion chromatograms and chemical compositions with only three same components in total. The highest content of the volatile components in Violae herba is 2-pentanoyl furan (18.01%), and that in Corydalis bungeanae herba is 1-caryophyllene (46. 06%). This test method is fast and stable,which can be used to distinguish Violae herba from Corydalis bungeanae herba.