Discrimination and Evaluation of Wild Paris Using UHPLC-QTOF-MS and FT-IR Spectroscopy in Combination with...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Chemometrics

Background:

• The genus *Paris* contains bioactive compounds like saponins and flavonoids with medicinal properties.
• Accurate identification of *Paris* species is crucial for their medicinal applications.
• Existing methods may not sufficiently differentiate closely related *Paris* species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust method for discriminating between different species of the genus *Paris*.
• To identify and characterize the chemical constituents present in various *Paris* species.
• To evaluate the potential of *Paris mairei* as a substitute for *Paris polyphylla* var. *yunnanensis*.

Main Methods:

• Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) for chemical profiling.
• Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for molecular fingerprinting.
• Multivariable analysis, including partial least square discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) and mid-level data fusion, for classification.

Main Results:

• UHPLC-QTOF-MS and FT-IR combined with data fusion effectively discriminated between 43 batches of *Paris* species.
• A total of 47 compounds were identified across the analyzed *Paris* species.
• Mid-level data fusion demonstrated superior classification performance compared to individual analytical techniques.

Conclusions:

• The integrated analytical approach provides a reliable method for *Paris* species identification.
• *Paris mairei* shows chemical similarities suggesting its potential as a substitute for *Paris polyphylla* var. *yunnanensis*.
• This research supports the quality control and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants in the genus *Paris*.