Discrimination of Rhizoma Paridis and its Adulterants by FT-IR and HPLC Fingerprint Combined with Chemometrics

Abstract Background Rhizoma Paridis (RP) is economically significant but identifies complex traditional medicine materials, which can be accidentally contaminated, deliberately substituted, or admixed with other species of similar morphological characteristics. This issue can affect quality and safety issues. Objective In this study, the screening technique to detect adulteration in RP was developed using multiple fingerprints and chemometrics. Methods Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with chemometrics, including similarity analysis (SA), principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), were applied for the identification of RP and its adulterants. Results HPLC analysis was more sensitive than FT-IR for differentiating RP from its contaminants. Except for the slight overlapping between Paris polyphylla var. chinensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz. and Paris mairei H.Lév., the remaining species could be successfully differentiated by the chemometrics method. Conclusion This study indicates that the fingerprint of FT-IR and HPLC combined with chemometrics may be a valuable tool for discriminating RP and its adulterants. Highlights FT-IR and HPLC combined with chemometrics analysis were developed to discriminate between RP and adulterants. The chemometrics analysis using SA and OPLS-DA indicate significant differentiation in the chemical composition of these species. This research provides important chemotaxonomic references in species identification.