Comparative analysis of traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, antioxidant, and toxicity of four species of Gentiana in Mongolia

Comparative analysis of traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, antioxidant, and toxicity of four species of Gentiana in Mongolia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative analysis of traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, antioxidant, and toxicity of four species of Gentiana in Mongolia Batzaya Gachmaa, Hongzhen Yu, Lyankhua Bayasgalankhuu, Tuvshinjargal Narmandakh, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7770976/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Species from the Gentianaceae family ( G.algida, G.macrophylla, G.decumbens, and G.barbata ) are used in Mongolian-Tibetan medicine for inflammation, infections, and digestive issues, but their bioactive compounds remain insufficiently studied. This study aimed to evaluate the secondary metabolite profiles, biological activities, and therapeutic potential of these four species native to Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia, combining ethnobotanical surveys with experimental analyses to validate their traditional uses. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 51 informants through questionnaires covering plant use, preparation, dosage, side effects, and habitat. RFC values were calculated to assess importance. Total phenolic and flavonoids were measured by UV spectrophotometry. Antioxidant (DPPH), antibacterial (agar block), and toxicity were determined using Artemia nauplii and evaluated with Clarkson’s index. G. macrophylla , G. decumbens , and G. algida had high RFC values (0.49, 0.78, 0.83), indicating notable traditional use. G. barbata showed the highest flavonoid content (33.4–38.6 RE/g) and antibacterial activity: four strains, while G. decumbens 2 strains found to be activity. G. decumbens and G. macrophylla had the strongest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀: 21.08–21.22 μg/mL). Clarkson’s index rated G. decumbens as non-toxic and G. macrophylla as medium toxic. G. decumbens has the potential to develop herbal products based on its properties, such as strong antibacterial and antioxidant activity, high traditional usage, and non-toxicity. For further study of the therapeutic effects of G. decumbens , more comprehensive studies on pharmacology are required. Applied Biochemistry Toxicology Gentiana Traditional knowledge Flavonoid Phenolic Antioxidant Toxicity Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComparative analysis of traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, antioxidant, and toxicity of four species of \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGentiana\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e in Mongolia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[{"identity":"a9a705f4-acfc-475d-8e22-1926a3e84595","identifier":"10.13039/501100013801","name":"Minzu University of China","awardNumber":"2022YFE0119300","order_by":0},{"identity":"4d21d911-67d3-4bdd-b90f-f2c2858d3707","identifier":"10.13039/501100013801","name":"Minzu University of China","awardNumber":"32570457","order_by":1}],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Minzu University of China","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Gentiana, Traditional knowledge, Flavonoid, Phenolic, Antioxidant, Toxicity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7770976/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7770976/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eSpecies from the Gentianaceae family (\u003cem\u003eG.algida, G.macrophylla, G.decumbens, \u003c/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eG.barbata\u003c/em\u003e) are used in Mongolian-Tibetan medicine for inflammation, infections, and digestive issues, but their bioactive compounds remain insufficiently studied. This study aimed to evaluate the secondary metabolite profiles, biological activities, and therapeutic potential of these four species native to Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia, combining ethnobotanical surveys with experimental analyses to validate their traditional uses. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 51 informants through questionnaires covering plant use, preparation, dosage, side effects, and habitat. RFC values were calculated to assess importance. Total phenolic and flavonoids were measured by UV spectrophotometry. Antioxidant (DPPH), antibacterial (agar block), and toxicity were determined using \u003cem\u003eArtemia nauplii\u003c/em\u003e and evaluated with Clarkson’s index. \u003cem\u003eG. macrophylla\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eG. algida\u003c/em\u003e had high RFC values (0.49, 0.78, 0.83), indicating notable traditional use. \u003cem\u003eG. barbata \u003c/em\u003eshowed the highest flavonoid content (33.4–38.6 RE/g) and antibacterial activity: four strains, while \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens\u003c/em\u003e 2 strains found to be activity. \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eG. macrophylla\u003c/em\u003e had the strongest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀: 21.08–21.22 μg/mL). Clarkson’s index rated \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens as\u003c/em\u003e non-toxic and \u003cem\u003eG. macrophylla\u003c/em\u003e as medium toxic. \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens \u003c/em\u003ehas the potential to develop herbal products based on its properties, such as strong antibacterial and antioxidant activity, high traditional usage, and non-toxicity. For further study of the therapeutic effects of \u003cem\u003eG. decumbens\u003c/em\u003e, more comprehensive studies on pharmacology are required.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative analysis of traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, antioxidant, and toxicity of four species of Gentiana in Mongolia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-07 12:30:25","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7770976/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"75b9aa79-a713-4343-b814-969baf693560","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 7th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":55705622,"name":"Applied Biochemistry"},{"id":55705623,"name":"Toxicology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-07T12:30:25+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-07 12:30:25","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7770976","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7770976","identity":"rs-7770976","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}