Profiling and authentication of Triticum aestivum (浮小麦).

• Main Author: Ng, Hui Wen.
• Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Botany::Plant physiology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/46222
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its formulations have a long history and have been prevalently used. However, the active components present are not well understood. Currently, researches done are mainly focusing on small molecules that may have biological activities. In this study, we report the discovery of Cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) in Triticum aestivum (浮小麦), which is the immature form of wheat used in TCM to treat night sweat. Triticum aestivum from different sources were examined using high performance liquid chromatograpy (HPLC), utilising ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Our results reveal differences in the quality and constituents of Triticum aestivum from different sources. This suggests that herbal medicine may differ in their efficacy depending on the source. Therefore, these issues highlight the need for proper authentication and quality control in TCM. We proceed to characterize CRPs by UPLC and MS to examine their stability to thermal and enzymatic degradation. Interestingly, the CRPs were found to be relatively resistant and stable. This suggests that CRPs may be putative active ingredients in TCM and can potentially be used for the design of orally active drugs.