Opposite trends of glycosides and alkaloids in Dendrobium nobile of different age based on UPLC-Q/TOF-MS combined with multivariate statistical analyses.

Introduction: Alkaloids and glycosides are the active ingredients of the herb Dendrobium nobile, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The pharmacological effects of alkaloids include neuroprotective effects and regulatory effects on glucose and lipid metabolism, while glycosides improve the immune system. The pharmacological activities of the above chemical components are significantly different.