Identification of chemical components in Dianthus determined by widely targeted metabolomics

The chemical composition of the secondary metabolites is of great significance to the quality control of agricultural products. The genus Dianthus is famous for its beautiful flowers in the cut flower trade and also used in the traditional Chinese medicinal system and food market. However, the chemical composition in Dianthus is still unknown. The current study examined the levels of different metabolites of the flowers in Dianthus caryophyllus, Dianthus chinensis and Dianthus superbus via the use of the widely targeted metabolomic strategy. We obtained the structure and content of 423 metabolites in Dianthus, which included the primary and secondary metabolites. The principal component analysis was able to clearly seperate Dianthus caryophyllus, Dianthus chinensis and Dianthus superbus based on the flower metabolites. The differential metabolites can be categorised into 11 different classes, the majority were flavonoids, amino acids and their derivatives, phenolic acids and lipids. The results of this study provide important information for the effective use of Dianthus flowers in edible, medicinal and therapeutic aspects.