Comparative metabolomic study of three clones of Eucommia ulmoides wood

Abstract It is important to reveal the differences in the metabolites of different clones of Eucommia wood to explore the beneficial components of Eucommia wood and the selection of Eucommia wood. In this study, an extensive targeted metabolomic analysis was conducted on three different clones of Eucommia wood, Huazhong 12 Eucommia (HZ), Cili Eucommia (CL), and Miye Eucommia (MY), using UPLC-EI-MS/MS analysis. The results show that the Eucommia wood contains phenolic acids, lipids, amino acids and derivatives, organic acids, flavonoids, nucleotides and derivatives, terpenoids, lignans and coumarins, alkaloids, tannins, and other classes with a total of 854 metabolites. Among them, HZ and CL, HZ and MY, and MY and CL contain 99, 115, and 154 substantially different metabolites, respectively, enriched in 83, 128, and 199 metabolic pathways, mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The metabolites in HZ with a relatively high content were sexangularetin-3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, narcissin*, quercetin-3-O-sambubioside*, and quercetin-3-O-apiosyl(1→2)galactoside*; the metabolites in MY with a relatively high content were L-lysine and L-ornithine. The relatively more abundant metabolite in CL is 1,3,5-benzenetriol. The results of the study not only reveal that different clones of Eucommia wood have different metabolite components. This may provide not only different health functions to Eucommia wood, but also theoretical and technical support for the selection and breeding of good Eucommia species for timber and the enhancement of added value.