Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra

IntroductionThe similarity in appearance of poisonous and medicinal plants, such as Asarum heterotropoides (AH) and Cynanchum paniculatum (CP), poses safety risks due to frequent confusion. Since AH contains toxic ingredients, the traditional methods of olfactory and gustatory identification cannot...

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Main Authors: Xin-Ru Zhang, Yue-Hua Chen, Jia-Nuo Zhang, Wen-Yu Wang, Rui-Bo Sun, Zi-Xuan Ding, Hui Zhang, Ming Xie, Ting-Guo Kang, Hui-Peng Song
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Chemistry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1578126/full
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author Xin-Ru Zhang
Yue-Hua Chen
Jia-Nuo Zhang
Wen-Yu Wang
Rui-Bo Sun
Zi-Xuan Ding
Hui Zhang
Ming Xie
Ting-Guo Kang
Hui-Peng Song
Hui-Peng Song
author_facet Xin-Ru Zhang
Yue-Hua Chen
Jia-Nuo Zhang
Wen-Yu Wang
Rui-Bo Sun
Zi-Xuan Ding
Hui Zhang
Ming Xie
Ting-Guo Kang
Hui-Peng Song
Hui-Peng Song
author_sort Xin-Ru Zhang
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThe similarity in appearance of poisonous and medicinal plants, such as Asarum heterotropoides (AH) and Cynanchum paniculatum (CP), poses safety risks due to frequent confusion. Since AH contains toxic ingredients, the traditional methods of olfactory and gustatory identification cannot be used to distinguish AH from CP.MethodsTo differentiate them systematically, we proposed a novel strategy based on dual electronic sensors (DES) and dual fingerprint spectra (DFS). The DES included two intelligent sensors, namely the E-nose and E-tongue, which differentiated AH and CP based on odor and taste, respectively. DFS comprised chemical fingerprint spectra obtained through LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS and electrochemical fingerprint spectra derived from the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, differentiating AH and CP by their specific and overall compositions, respectively. To our knowledge, this was the first time that the E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction were combined to identify AH and CP.Results and discussion With the E-nose, we identified 25 major odor components in AH and 12 odor components in CP in a single run of 140 s. Using the E-tongue, bitterness and astringency were identified as their primary taste differences. Furthermore, 91 compounds in AH and 90 compounds in CP were identified through LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Both AH and CP shared nitrogenous compounds, volatile oils, organic acids, and lignans. However, AH uniquely contained coumarins and flavonoids, while CP contained steroidal compounds and saccharides. Notably, AH also possessed distinct toxic components, specifically aristolactam I, aristolochic acid D, and safrole. Based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, we obtained the electrochemical fingerprint spectra of AH and CP, thereby facilitating further distinction between these two herbs. Through the combination of electrochemical fingerprint spectra with principal component analysis (PCA) or orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), the accuracy of this method reached 100%. Through the fusion strategy, the odors, tastes, components, and electrochemical properties of AH and CP have been systematically analyzed.
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spelling doaj-art-5d4e46e9c39340b7a8ce5c45467499c62025-08-20T02:19:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Chemistry2296-26462025-04-011310.3389/fchem.2025.15781261578126Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectraXin-Ru Zhang0Yue-Hua Chen1Jia-Nuo Zhang2Wen-Yu Wang3Rui-Bo Sun4Zi-Xuan Ding5Hui Zhang6Ming Xie7Ting-Guo Kang8Hui-Peng Song9Hui-Peng Song10Key Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory for Identification and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Liaoning Province, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dalian, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for TCM Viscera-State Theory and Applications, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, ChinaIntroductionThe similarity in appearance of poisonous and medicinal plants, such as Asarum heterotropoides (AH) and Cynanchum paniculatum (CP), poses safety risks due to frequent confusion. Since AH contains toxic ingredients, the traditional methods of olfactory and gustatory identification cannot be used to distinguish AH from CP.MethodsTo differentiate them systematically, we proposed a novel strategy based on dual electronic sensors (DES) and dual fingerprint spectra (DFS). The DES included two intelligent sensors, namely the E-nose and E-tongue, which differentiated AH and CP based on odor and taste, respectively. DFS comprised chemical fingerprint spectra obtained through LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS and electrochemical fingerprint spectra derived from the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, differentiating AH and CP by their specific and overall compositions, respectively. To our knowledge, this was the first time that the E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction were combined to identify AH and CP.Results and discussion With the E-nose, we identified 25 major odor components in AH and 12 odor components in CP in a single run of 140 s. Using the E-tongue, bitterness and astringency were identified as their primary taste differences. Furthermore, 91 compounds in AH and 90 compounds in CP were identified through LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Both AH and CP shared nitrogenous compounds, volatile oils, organic acids, and lignans. However, AH uniquely contained coumarins and flavonoids, while CP contained steroidal compounds and saccharides. Notably, AH also possessed distinct toxic components, specifically aristolactam I, aristolochic acid D, and safrole. Based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, we obtained the electrochemical fingerprint spectra of AH and CP, thereby facilitating further distinction between these two herbs. Through the combination of electrochemical fingerprint spectra with principal component analysis (PCA) or orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), the accuracy of this method reached 100%. Through the fusion strategy, the odors, tastes, components, and electrochemical properties of AH and CP have been systematically analyzed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1578126/fullmedicinal plantselectronic noseelectronic tonguemass spectrometryBelousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
spellingShingle Xin-Ru Zhang
Yue-Hua Chen
Jia-Nuo Zhang
Wen-Yu Wang
Rui-Bo Sun
Zi-Xuan Ding
Hui Zhang
Ming Xie
Ting-Guo Kang
Hui-Peng Song
Hui-Peng Song
Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
Frontiers in Chemistry
medicinal plants
electronic nose
electronic tongue
mass spectrometry
Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
title Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
title_full Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
title_fullStr Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
title_full_unstemmed Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
title_short Discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance (Asarum heterotropoides vs. Cynanchum paniculatum) via a fusion method of E-nose, E-tongue, LC-HR-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
title_sort discrimination of poisonous and medicinal plants with similar appearance asarum heterotropoides vs cynanchum paniculatum via a fusion method of e nose e tongue lc hr q tof ms ms and electrochemical fingerprint spectra
topic medicinal plants
electronic nose
electronic tongue
mass spectrometry
Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2025.1578126/full
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