ABSTRACT
Objective: To establish fingerprints of Zexie Decoction (ZXD) by HPLC, analyze them with chemical pattern recognition technology, and determine the contents of 23-acetyl alisone B, 23-acetyl alisone C, and atractylode III in ZXD, in order to provide a scientific basis for its quality control. Methods: The HPLC fingerprint of ZXD was performed on Waters WAT054275 C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water. Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM (2004A edition) was used to evaluate the fingerprints. SPSS 22.0 software and SIMCA 14.1 software was used for cluster analysis and discriminant analysis of partial least squares of those samples. Furthermore, the content of 23-acetyl alisone B, 23-acetyl alisone C, and atractylode III was determined. Results: The HPLC fingerprint of 15 batches of ZXD was established. The similarity was > 0.94, and 18 common peaks were marked. Three peaks were confirmed, they were: atractylode III (peak 11), 23-acetyl alisone C (peak 15), and 23-acetyl alisone B (peak 16) were confirmed. Cluster analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis were used to classify the 15 batches of ZXD samples into two groups. The mass fraction of 23-acetyl alisone B, 23-acetyl alisone C, and atractylode III in 15 batches of ZXD were in the range of 0.321-0.569, 0.075-0.139, and 0.106-0.142 mg/g, respectively. Conclusion: The combination methods of HPLC fingerprint and simultaneous determinations of multiple components are rapid, simple and reproducible, which can provide reference for the quality evaluation of ZXD and its preparation.
ABSTRACT
Ginsenoside Rh2 is a tetracyclic triterpenoid saponin monomer containing a dammarane-type skeleton, with advantages of low toxicity, low molecular weight, good fat solubility and strong anticancer effect, and is the main anticancer effective in ginseng. In recent years, there have been emerging findings on ginsenoside Rh2, indicating an obvious anticancer activity against a variety of cancers with a high morbidity and mortality. Particularly, ginsenoside Rh2 has a significant anti-hepatocarcinoma effect, so the studies on the mechanism of action have gradually been given attention. In this paper, we have reviewed more than 100 domestic and foreign relevant literatures in Chinese and English databases in the past 20 years, such as CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP Data, Pub Med, and conducted detailed collection, analysis and summary for the contents of the anti-hepatocarcinoma mechanism of ginsenoside Rh2. According to the findings, although there are many reports on the anti-hepatocarcinoma effect of ginsenoside Rh2, the mechanism of action of ginsenoside Rh2 against liver cancer has not been systematically elaborated. Therefore, this paper comprehensively discusses the anti-hepatocarcinoma effect of ginsenoside Rh2, clarifies that the mechanism of action of ginsenoside Rh2 against liver cancer may be related with the inhibition of the proliferation of hepatoma cells, the induction of differentiation of hepatoma cells, the promotion of apoptosis of hepatoma cells, the inhibition of invasion and metastasis of hepatoma cells, the reduction of drug resistance of liver cancer cells, and the improvement of immunity. For the first time, the mechanism of action of ginsenoside Rh2 against liver cancer was comprehensively summarized, which provided reference for researches on ginsenoside Rh2 against liver cancer, evidence and ideas for further researches on ginsenoside Rh2, new research directions for the treatment of liver cancer and new hope to patients with liver cancer.