Research on the Quality Differences between Male and Female Plants of Gynostemma longipes Based on Broad Target Metabolomics

Research on the Quality Differences between Male and Female Plants of Gynostemma longipes Based on Broad Target Metabolomics | 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 Research on the Quality Differences between Male and Female Plants of Gynostemma longipes Based on Broad Target Metabolomics Wenwen He, Chenchen Wang, Rongrong Liu, Xiaoping Wang, Zeyang Dong, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8101669/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 Introduction: Gynostemma longipes a species within the genus Gynostemma of the Cucurbitaceae family, serves as the source of the traditional Chinese medicine known as Heba Gynostemma. Notably, there are significant differences in the chemical composition between its male and female specimens, which influence both the quality and efficacy. Objective This study conducted a systematic analysis of the differences in chemical constituents between male and female G. longipes plants, as well as among different plant parts, including roots, stems, and leaves. Methods This study utilized both female and male specimens of G. longipes sourced from the primary production region as research materials. Advanced multivariate statistical techniques, including ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), were employed for the analytical processes. Results In this study, a total of 2,196 metabolites were identified and categorized into 13 distinct groups. The primary active components among these were flavonoids, constituting 19.36% with 192 types, terpenoids at 16.67% with 362 types, and alkaloids at 11.39% with 61 types. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) revealed that samples from identical parts of male and female plants exhibited strong clustering, with the first principal component (PC1) accounting for 55.4% to 84.78% of the variance. The OPLS-DA model demonstrated an excellent fit (R²Y = 1) and high predictive capability (Q² = 0.971–0.998), with no evidence of overfitting. Conclusion This study elucidated the variations in chemical constituents between male and female specimens, as well as among different parts of G. longipes , and identified the differential compounds. These findings offer an empirical foundation for the quality assessment of the medicinal material and the selection of superior varieties. Gynostemma longipes Broadly targeted metabolomics Male and female strains Different tissue sites PCA OPLS-DA Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files file.xls 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. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8101669","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":549851393,"identity":"faaea3cb-87ba-4402-bbf7-0affc5fd0b50","order_by":0,"name":"Wenwen He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wenwen","middleName":"","lastName":"He","suffix":""},{"id":549851394,"identity":"b9de4dc4-921d-4c33-a6de-7355f18899d9","order_by":1,"name":"Chenchen Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shaanxi University of Chinese 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Broad Target Metabolomics","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","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":"Gynostemma longipes, Broadly targeted metabolomics, Male and female strains, Different tissue sites, PCA OPLS-DA","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8101669/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8101669/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction: Gynostemma longipes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ea species within the genus Gynostemma of the Cucurbitaceae family, serves as the source of the traditional Chinese medicine known as Heba Gynostemma. Notably, there are significant differences in the chemical composition between its male and female specimens, which influence both the quality and efficacy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study conducted a systematic analysis of the differences in chemical constituents between male and female \u003cem\u003eG. longipes\u003c/em\u003e plants, as well as among different plant parts, including roots, stems, and leaves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study utilized both female and male specimens of \u003cem\u003eG. longipes\u003c/em\u003e sourced from the primary production region as research materials. Advanced multivariate statistical techniques, including ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), were employed for the analytical processes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, a total of 2,196 metabolites were identified and categorized into 13 distinct groups. The primary active components among these were flavonoids, constituting 19.36% with 192 types, terpenoids at 16.67% with 362 types, and alkaloids at 11.39% with 61 types. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) revealed that samples from identical parts of male and female plants exhibited strong clustering, with the first principal component (PC1) accounting for 55.4% to 84.78% of the variance. The OPLS-DA model demonstrated an excellent fit (R²Y = 1) and high predictive capability (Q² = 0.971–0.998), with no evidence of overfitting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study elucidated the variations in chemical constituents between male and female specimens, as well as among different parts of \u003cem\u003eG. longipes\u003c/em\u003e, and identified the differential compounds. These findings offer an empirical foundation for the quality assessment of the medicinal material and the selection of superior varieties.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Research on the Quality Differences between Male and Female Plants of Gynostemma longipes Based on Broad Target Metabolomics","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-25 20:03:11","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8101669/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":"cd1b1293-a9a8-4237-a53c-2dc51b18a154","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 25th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-04T04:38:46+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-25 20:03:11","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8101669","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8101669","identity":"rs-8101669","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}