Metabolomics Analysis Reveals the Influence Mechanism of Different Growth Years on the Growth, Metabolism and Accumulation of Medicinal Components of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. (Apiaceae)

<i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus <i>Bupleurum</i> in the Apiaceae family. Also known as red <i>Bupleurum</i>, it is mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China and other regions and is a commonly used medicinal plant. It is difficult for the wild plant resources of <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. to meet the market demand. In artificial cultivation, there are problems such as a low yield per plant, low quality, weakened stress resistance and variety degradation. The contents of bioactive components and metabolites in traditional Chinese medicinal materials vary significantly across different growth years. The growth duration directly impacts their quality and clinical efficacy. Therefore, determining the optimal growth period is one of the crucial factors in ensuring the quality of traditional Chinese medicinal materials. In this study, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were comprehensively applied to analyze the metabolically differential substances in different parts of <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. By comparing the compositions and content differences of chemical components in different growth years and different parts, the chemical components with significant differences were accurately screened out. In order to further explore the dynamic change characteristics and internal laws of metabolites, a metabolic network was constructed for a visual analysis and, finally, to see the optimal growth years of <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. This result showed that with the accumulation of the growth cycle, the height, root width, fresh mass and saikosaponins content of <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. increased year by year. Except for sodium and calcium elements in the main shoot, the other elements were significantly reduced. In addition, 59 primary metabolites were identified by GC-MS, with the accumulation of the growth cycle, the contents of organic acids, sugars, alcohols and amino acids gradually decreased, while the contents of alkyl, glycosides and other substances gradually increased. There were 53 positive correlations and 18 negative correlations in the triennial <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. grid, all of which were positively correlated with saikosaponins. Therefore, the triennial <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd. was considered to be the suitable growth year. It not only provided a new idea and method for the quality evaluation of <i>Bupleurum scorzonerifolium</i> Willd., but also provided a scientific basis for the quality control of Chinese herbs.