Revealing the metabolites and in situ spatial distribution in the stems and bulbils of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. by combining UHPLC-OE-MS with MALDI-MSI

• First application of MALDI-MSI for spatial metabolomics in Lilium lancifolium bulbils and stems. • Spatial visualization of steroidal saponins,phenolic acid glycerides,alkaloids,flavonoids. • There are certain differences between bulbils and stems in the synthesis and accumulation mechanisms of metabolic products. • The bulbils and stems of Lilium lancifolium may have development potential. In the current field of research, more research on the bulbs of the underground parts of the Lilium lancifolium T hunb. , but little research on the bulbils and stems of the aboveground parts. Therefore, this study used MALDI-MSI and UHPLC-OE-MS to investigate the in situ distribution of metabolites in the stems and bulbils of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. . MALDI-MSI results showed that alkaloids and flavonoids were more abundant at the edges of the bulbils and stems; phenolic acid glycerides were more abundant in the middle of the bulbils, those in the stems were also predominantly concentrated in the middle; Steroidal saponins in bulbils were found to be higher in the edges and middle of the base, while those in stems were higher in the edges. Furthermore, the content of Cordatine B, deacylbrownioside, and other substances in bulbils was significantly higher than that in stems ( P < 0.05), suggesting that bulbils may have higher utilization value than stems. The results of UHPLC-OE-MS revealed some differences in the mechanisms of metabolite synthesis and accumulation between the bulbils and stems, and also suggested that the bulbils and stems may have the same development potential as bulbs. These results contribute to the discovery of the in situ distribution of metabolites in non-traditional medicinal plant tissues.