Comparative Analysis of Roots from Vicatia thibetica de Boiss and Angelica sinensis Based on Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Nitrite-Scavenging and Enzyme Inhibition Activities

Radix Vicatia thibetica de Boiss (RVT) is locally known as “Xigui” or “Dujiao-danggui” in Tibetan medicine and is often used as a substitute for Radix Angelica sinensis (RAS) in daily nourishing diets and clinical applications. In this study, we determined and compared the contents of polysaccharides, total coumarins, ferulic acid, total phenols, total flavonoids, chlorogenic acid, protein, and amino acids, and the composition of volatile oil in RVT and RAS. Biological activities, including antioxidants, scavenging of nitrite, inhibition of tyrosinase, thrombin, and coagulation FXa, were comparatively evaluated. Results showed that RVT contains more polysaccharides, phenols, flavonoids, proteins, glutamic acid, and lysine as compared to RAS. Among volatile compounds, 14 species are similar, and 20 species are different in RVT and RAS. Overall, among volatile compounds, the content of 3-N-Butylphthalide was higher, whereas the content of ligustilide was lower in RVT volatile oil. A significant difference was reported in the bioactivity of RVT and RAS. The biological activity of RVT had higher antioxidant, nitrite scavenging, and tyrosinase inhibitory activities, whereas it showed much lower thrombin and FXa inhibitory activities. Correlation analysis showed that the antioxidant, nitrite scavenging, and tyrosinase inhibitory activities were related to the phenol and flavonoid content, whereas the thrombin and FXa inhibitory activities were related to ferulic acid and volatile oil content. This study presents a comparative analysis of RAS and RVT’s chemical compositions of antioxidant, nitrite-scavenging, inhibition of tyrosinase, thrombin, and coagulation FXa activities. It was found that both RVT and RAS have their unique advantages, and RVT has the potential to be utilized as functional foods, cosmetics, and medical products.