Comprehensive quality evaluation and comparison of Angelica sinensis radix and Angelica acutiloba radix by integrated metabolomics and glycomics

Angelica radix (Danggui in Chinese) used in China and Japan is derived from two species ofAngelica, namely Angelica sinensis and Angelica acutiloba, respectively. The differences inquality between A. sinensis radix (ASR) and A. acutiloba radix (AAR) should be thereforeinvestigated to guide the medicinal and dietary applications of these two species. Secondarymetabolites and carbohydrates have been demonstrated to be the two major kindsof bioactive components of Danggui. However, previously, quality comparison between ASRand AAR intensively concerned secondary metabolites but largely overlooked carbohydrates,thus failing to include or take into consideration an important aspect of the holisticquality of Danggui. In this study, untargeted/targeted metabolomics and glycomics wereintegrated by multiple chromatography-based analytical techniques for qualitative andquantitative characterization of secondary metabolites and carbohydrates in Danggui so asto comprehensively evaluate and compare the quality of ASR and AAR. The resultsrevealed that not only secondary metabolites but also carbohydrates in ASR and AAR weredifferent in type and amount, which should collectively contribute to their quality difference.By providing more comprehensive chemical information, the research results highlightedthe need to assess characteristics of both carbohydrates and secondary metabolitesfor overall quality evaluation and comparison of ASR and AAR.