Metabolites changes of Eucommia ulmoides Olive samaras from different regions and cultivars

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is a precious economic crop, which can be used as raw industrial materials and traditional Chinese medicine. Secondary metabolites may vary in type, content, and proportion due to different origins and cultivars, and are closely related to the intrinsic quality of the medicinal plant. In this study, a metabolomics method was applied to investigate the effects of regions and cultivars on the changes of endogenous metabolites in samaras of 'Qinzhong' and 'Huazhong', two cultivars of E. ulmoides. The differential metabolites mainly enriched in pathways related to flavonoids when the same cultivar was cultivated in different regions. The differential metabolites between the two cultivars were primarily concentrated in flavonoids, sphingolipids, and glutathione. Therefore, it is speculated that flavonoids play an essential role in the adaption of the environment and formation of different cultivars. The research provides a direction for the rational utilization of E. ulmoides samaras.