An evaluation of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua samples collected from five geographical origins revealed that the Fuzhou ecotype exhibited the strongest antioxidant capacity, which correlated significantly with total phenolic content. Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua is a crucial medicinal and edible plant whose antioxidant activity is primarily attributed to its phenolic constituents.
Through integrated metabolomics and co-expression network analyses, researchers identified 32 key polyphenols—specifically flavonoids, lignans, and phenolic acids—as the central contributors to the plant’s antioxidant performance. In addition, network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses predicted that 10 of these key polyphenols stably interact with core oxidative damage-related proteins, including prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
Transcriptomic profiling across the different origins highlighted significant enrichment in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. An integrative analysis subsequently pinpointed 14 structural genes driving polyphenol biosynthesis in the plant. Quantitative reverse transc...