Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo is a commercially and pharmacologically highly prized species widely used in Western Asian countries. In contrast to the extensive genomic and transcriptomic resources generated in this medicinal species, detailed metabolomic data are still missing. Herein, using the widely targeted metabolomics approach, we detect 649 diverse metabolites in leaf and stem samples of D. officinale. The majority of these metabolites were organic acids, amino acids and their derivatives, nucleotides and their derivatives, and flavones. Though both organs contain similar metabolites, the metabolite profiles were quantitatively different. Stems, the organs preferentially exploited for herbal medicine, contained larger concentrations of many more metabolites than leaves. However, leaves contained higher levels of polyphenols and lipids. Overall, this study reports extensive metabolic data from leaves and stems of D. officinale, providing useful information that supports ongoing genomic research and discovery of bioactive compounds.
Keywords: Dendrobium officinale; bioactive compounds; plant organs; widely targeted metabolomics.