Chemical differentiation between tuberous and fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus and implications for resource...

Ophiopogon japonicus fibrous roots have long been deemed to have secondary medicinal and economic value, remaining substantially underutilized in clinical and industrial settings, with a critical lack of comprehensive chemical characterization despite their official approval as a novel food material in China. This study systematically compared the chemical profiles between the medicinal tuberous roots and fibrous roots of Chuan Maidong, the geo-authentic medicinal material of Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker-Gawl. exclusively produced in Santai County, Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China (hereafter uniformly abbreviated as CMD). We aimed to identify characteristic markers for reliable differentiation between the two root parts, and evaluate the underexplored compositional profile and application potential of CMD fibrous roots. We performed chemical profiling of 28 batch-paired CMD samples via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS), screened differential markers using principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), then conducted targeted quantification of these markers and core bioactive constituents via UHPLC triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ-MS). A total of 66 compounds were annotated, revealing distinct chemical profiles between the two root parts, with 6 flavonoid-predominant differential markers identified. Targeted quantification of 8 representative compounds confirmed that key bioactive components including ophiopogonin D and methylophiopogonanone A were significantly enriched in CMD fibrous roots. These findings clarify the chemical basis of compositional divergence between CMD root parts, validate the high medicinal and edible value of CMD fibrous roots, and provide robust scientific support for sustainable full-plant utilization of CMD.