Angelica Stem: A Potential Low-Cost Source of Bioactive Phthalides and Phytosterols

• Main Authors: Chengke Zhao, Yuan Jia, Fachuang Lu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-11-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: <i>Angelica sinensis</i>; bioactive compounds; GC–MS; phthalides; coniferyl ferulate; phytosterols
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/12/3065

Chinese Angelica is a significant medical plant due to the various therapeutic constituents in its root; whereas the aerial part is considered worthless and often discarded as agricultural waste. In this work, phytochemicals from the stem were first systematically analyzed by means of GC&#8315;MS after derivatization and HPLC&#8315;MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Phthalides, ferulic acid, and coniferyl ferulate were detected in the stem; although their content is relatively low in comparison with the root. Some specific compounds, such as p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxyphenyl-1, 2-ethanediol, thymol-<i>&#946;</i>-<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucopyranoside, etc. and a significant amount of phytosterols (1.36 mg/g stem, mainly &#946;-sitosterol) were detected in the stem. The extracted oil from the stem contained a considerable amount of phthalides (48.5 mg/g), <i>&#946;</i>-sitosterol (56.21 mg/g), and stigmasterol (14.03 mg/g); no other bioactive compounds were found that could be potentially used as pharmaceuticals or additives to healthcare food.