Title

Total flavonoids and icariin contents of Epimedium pubescens in different types of communities and their relationships with soil factors.

Authors

Kong Lu; Li Yun-Xiang; Quan Qiu-Mei; Zhang Lin

Abstract

Epimedium pubescens and soil samples were collected from the Betula albosinensis community (community I), Cyclobalanopsis glauca var. gracilis community (community II), and Cinnamomum longepaniculatum community (community III) in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in August 2009, with the total flavonoids and icariin contents in E. pubescens samples measured by high performance liquid chromatography and UV-spectrophotometer, and the relationships between these contents and soil parameters analyzed. Among the plant organs of E. pubescens, leaf had the highest contents of total flavonoids and icariin, while stem had the lowest one. The total flavonoids and icariin contents of E. pubescens were significantly higher in community I[(5.32 ±0.23)%, (0.47±0.05)%]than in communities II[(4.06±0.03)%, (0.32±0.01)%]and III[(4.15± 0.07)%, (0.28±0.09)%] (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with soil total nitrogen and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (P<0.05) but positively correlated with soil pH (P<0-01), suggesting that the soil with lower level of nitrogen and higher level of acidity in community-could enhance the total flavonoids and icariin contents of E. pubescens.

Subjects

FLAVONOIDS; EPIMEDIUM; CINNAMOMUM; SPECTROPHOTOMETERS; LIQUID chromatography; NATURE reserves; NITROGEN

Publication

Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao, 2010, Vol 21, Issue 10, p2517

ISSN

1001-9332

Publication type

Academic Journal