Metabolomic Determination of Specialized Metabolites Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry in the Traditional Chinese Medicines Astragali Radix and Hedysari Radix

The Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) Astragali Radix (AR) derived from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao and A. membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., and Hedysari Radix (HR) derived from Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. (family Leguminosae) are well-known for increasing the tonic effects on “Qi.” A better insight into the specialized (secondary) metabolites is essential to understand the effects of TCM; however, such metabolites remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a metabolomics-based analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 3 plant tissues—periderm, phloem, and xylem—to identify potential bioactive metabolites. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed 29 metabolites showing a significant difference between groups and 10 biomarker candidates of AR and HR. An anti-inflammatory assay showed that the xylem of both AR and HR and the phloem of HR showed higher anti-inflammatory activity than the positive control quercetin in terms of nitric oxide inhibition.