Plant Triterpenoids Regulate Endophyte Community to Promote Medicinal Plant Schisandra sphenanthera Growth and Metabolites Accumulation

Beneficial interactions between endophytes and plants are critical for plant growth and metabolite accumulation. Nevertheless, the secondary metabolites controlling the feedback between the host plant and the endophytic microbial community remain elusive in medicinal plants. In this report, we demonstrate that plant-derived triterpenoids predominantly promote the growth of endophytic bacteria and fungi, which in turn promote host plant growth and secondary metabolite productions. From culturable bacterial and fungal microbial strains isolated from the medicinal plant Schisandra sphenanthera, through triterpenoid-mediated screens, we constructed six synthetic communities (SynComs). By using a binary interaction method in plates, we revealed that triterpenoid-promoted bacterial and fungal strains (TPB and TPF) played more positive roles in the microbial community. The functional screening of representative strains suggested that TPB and TPF provide more beneficial abilities to the host. Moreover, pot experiments in a sterilized system further demonstrated that TPB and TPF play important roles in host growth and metabolite accumulation. In summary, these experiments revealed a role of triterpenoids in endophytic microbiome assembly and indicated a strategy for constructing SynComs on the basis of the screening of secondary metabolites, in which bacteria and fungi join forces to promote plant health. These findings may open new avenues towards the breeding of high yielding and high metabolite-accumulating medicinal plants by exploiting their interaction with beneficial endophytes.

Schisandra sphenanthera: A Comprehensive Review of its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Clinical Applications

Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils (S. sphenanthera) is a single species of Schisandra genus, Magnoliaceae family, and it is a famous medicinal herb mostly growing in southern China, China Taiwan and Vietnam. S. sphenanthera is usually used for the treatments of hepatitis, Alzheimer’s disease, renal transplantation, osteoporosis, and insomnia. In present studies, approximately 310 natural constituents have been isolated from S. sphenanthera, including lignans, triterpenes, volatile oils, and polysaccharides, which were mainly obtained from the fruits and stems of S. sphenanthera. Pharmocological studies have shown that the extracts and monomeric compounds of S. sphenanthera possessed wide-range bioactivities, such as antitumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, osteoblastic, immune regulation, neuroprotective, kidney protection, hepatoprotective, and antiviral activities. However, resource availability, quality control measures, in-depth in vivo pharmacological study, and clinical application are still insufficient and deserve further studies. This review systematically summarized literatures on the botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, development utilization, and clinical application of S. sphenanthera, in hopes of provide a useful reference for researchers for further studies of this plant.

The Quality Control of Both Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill and Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. Et Wils by Rapid Resolution Liquid Chromatography (RRLC)

Quality problems with Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill (SCB) and Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd.et Wils. (SSR) have been increasing owing to their obvious difference in supply and demand. In this study, qualitative and quantitative studies were carried out on the contents of various components of SCB and SSR, which provided the reference for the quality control of the raw materials of SCB and SSR. A ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column (1.8 μm, 100 mm × 2.1 mm) was used with a column temperature of 40 °C, a mobile phase consisting of a gradient of acetonitrile and water, a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min, and an injection sample of 1 µL. Ultraviolet detection was operated at 220 nm throughout the analyzing time. Almost all the compounds achieved baseline separation. In addition, this method showed a favorable recovery (98.3%-102.5% for SCB and 99.1%-100.5% for SSR) and good precision and stability, confirming the reliability of the experimental data.