Comparison of the Metabolomics of Different Dendrobium Species by UPLC-QTOF-MS

Sw. (family Orchidaceae) is a renowned edible and medicinal plant in China. Although widely cultivated and used, less research has been conducted on differential species. In this study, stems from seven distinct species were subjected to UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis. A total of 242 metabolites were annotated, and multivariate statistical analysis was employed to explore the variance in the extracted metabolites across the various groups. The analysis demonstrated that displays conspicuous differences from other species of . Specifically, stands out from the remaining six taxa of based on 170 distinct metabolites, mainly terpene and flavonoid components, associated with cysteine and methionine metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, and galactose metabolism. It is believed that the variations between and other species are mainly attributed to three metabolite synthesis pathways. By comparing the chemical composition of seven species of , this study identified the qualitative components of each species. was found to differ significantly from other species, with higher levels of terpenoids, flavonoids, and other compounds that are for the cardiovascular field. By comparing the chemical composition of seven species of , these qualitative components have relevance for establishing quality standards for .