Identification, preliminary genetic, and biochemical analyses the Hedera plants which naturally distribute in Vietnam

Background: Hedera is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing woody plants in the family Araliaceae that are considered as traditional medicinal plants. Objectives: The objectives were to classify Hedera species collected from different areas in Vietnam and characterize some chemical compounds of these species. Materials and Methods: In this study, the DNA-based technique was used to classify and analyze the genetic source of 21 Hedera plant samples found in Vietnam. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is also employed to assess the chemical compounds of these plants. Results: The collected plants mainly distribute into three groups (named as N1, N2, and N3). Based on the phenotypic identification and genetic analysis, the N1 group is indicated as Hedera nepalensis (H. nepalensis), while N3 is Hedera helix (H. helix). The HPLC analysis indicates that most of them contained more hederacoside C than α-hederin. Moreover, N1 plants are able to produce hederacoside C as N3 even the accumulation levels in N1 are moderately lower than those in N3 plants. Conclusion: These results provide important information about the local Hedera plants and help us to select the good medicinal sources for further applications in biomedical sciences.