Alkaloid profiling of the new species Corydalis huangshanensis and other 13 medicinal plants in genus Corydalis.

Introduction: Corydalis DC., the largest genus of Papaveraceae, comprises numerous species known for their abundant alkaloid content and historical use in clinical medicine. Recently, a new species of genus Corydalis named Corydalis huangshanensis Lu Q. Huang & H. S. Peng was discovered in the Huangshan Mountains of Anhui Province, China.

Objective: To compare the chemical characteristics of C. huangshanensis and other 13 Corydalis species, aiming to elucidate the potential medicinal value of this new species.

Materials And Methods: The chemical constituents of C. huangshanensis and other 13 medicinal plants of genus Corydalis were analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Q-Exactive Plus hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (Q-Orbitrap) mass technology. The differences in the alkaloids in the 14 species were distinguished by chemometrics.

Results: The mass spectrometry fragmentation information and relative content of 72 alkaloids were obtained. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and cluster heat mapping analysis showed that these 14 species were divided into two groups. The clustering relationship between C. huangshanensis and C. decumbens (Thunb.) Pers. was similar, exhibiting similar chemical compositions and characteristics. These results indicate the potential pharmacological effects of C. huangshanensis.

Conclusion: This study enhances our understanding of the chemical classification of Corydalis and provides a basis for speculations on the medicinal value of C. huangshanensis.