Interpretation of Technical Specifications for Revision of Safety Information in Marketed Chinese Patent Medicine Instructions / 中国中药杂志

Technical Specifications for Revision of Safety Information in Marketed Chinese Patent Medicine Instructions,a series of group standards,were proposed by Professor ZHANG Bing from Research Center for Pharmacovigilance and Rational Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine,and underwent centralized management by Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine. They were officially released on July 23 and implemented on July 31,2021. The series of group standards consist of six sections,including general principles,adverse drug events,contraindications,precautions,application for special populations,and warnings. The section of general principles is comprised of holistic and programmatic expressions,which explain the general technical requirements for revising the marketed Chinese patent medicine instructions. The other five sections focus on information collection,screening,transformation,and illustration of specific items,forming a standardized revision technical process. This series of standards is the result of multiple rounds of research and the suggestions of more than 200 experts in different professional fields of " medicine-pharmacy-management-law-enterprise" have been gathered therein to reach a consensus. With the purposes of establishing standardized technical specifications for the revision of safety information in the marketed Chinese patent medicine instructions,guiding marketing authorization holders in revising the instructions,filling the gaps in the research of Chinese patent medicine instructions,promoting the deve-lopment of pharmaceutical care and academic research,and encouraging the rational and safe medication of Chinese patent medicine,the series of group standards is of great significance.

Series of group standards of Technical Specifications for Revision of Safety Information in Marketed Chinese Patent Medicine Instructions / 中国中药杂志

Drug instructions,the statutory and technical documents recording effectiveness and safety information,are an important basis for guiding doctors,pharmacists,and patients to use drugs rationally,and their scientificity,standardization,and accuracy directly affect the medication safety of the public. The sections of adverse drug events,contraindications,precautions,warnings,and application for specific populations in drug instructions directly express safety information and measures for rational use of drugs. In the drug life cycle,marketing authorization holders( MAHs) need to update safety information in the instructions promptly to ensure the safety and effectiveness of clinical drug medication. At present,revising instructions is an important measure to control drug risks. In the drug life cycle,in order to standardize the revision of safety information in the instructions by MAHs and eliminate inexact terms such as " unclear",the Technical Specifications for Revision of Safety Information in Marketed Chinese Patent Medicine Instructions,a series of group standards,have been established under the guidance of Standardization Department,China Association of Chinese Medicine. Therefore,on the basis of the existing rules and regulations,the standardized technical procedures for revising instructions came into being to help clinical safe and rational medication of drugs,and implement the strategy of " Healthy China".

Quality Analysis and Suggestion for Ginkgo Folium Tablets and Ginkgo Folium Capsules / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To conduct quality evaluation of Ginkgo Folium preparations by analyzing the national evaluation sampling test results， analyze the quality differences， and put forward suggestions for the improvement of quality standards and market supervision. Method:The contents of total flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones in Ginkgo Folium tablets and Ginkgo Folium capsules were determined according to the methods of determination in the 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （the first volume）， and the contents of free flavonoids （quercetin， kaempferide and isorhamnetin） and sophoricoside in Ginkgo Folium preparations were determined according to related supplementary testing method of Ginkgo Folium tablets and Ginkgo Folium capsules issued by National Medical Products Administration. The quality differences of Ginkgo Folium preparations from different batches and different manufacturers were compared according to the contents of total flavonol glycosides， terpene lactones， free flavonoids and sophoricoside in 328 batches of Ginkgo Folium tablets and Ginkgo Folium capsules manufactured by 48 enterprises. Result:Quality of 328 batches of Ginkgo Folium tablets and Ginkgo Folium capsules was in accordance with the standard， but the contents of terpene lactones and total flavonol glycosides were all distributed in a wide range， and the quality of samples varied greatly among different enterprises. Conclusion:It is recommended that each enterprise should optimize the production process and strictly control the raw materials to ensure the consistency between different batches of samples.

Simultaneous determination of six pyrrolizidine alkaloids in different parts of Emilia sonchifolia by UPLC-MS/MS / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to develop a UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of six pyrrolizidine alkaloids(PAs)--intermedine N-oxide(ImNO), lycopsamine N-oxide(LyNO), seneciphylline(Sp), seneciphylline N-oxide(SpNO), senecionine N-oxide(SnNO), and senkirkine(Sk) in different parts of Emilia sonchifolia. UPLC conditions are as follows: ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.8 μm), mobile phase consisting of 0.05% formic acid and 2.5 mmol·L~(-1) ammonium formate in water(A)-0.05% formic acid and 2.5 mmol·L~(-1) ammonium formate in acetonitrile(B) for gradient elution. MS conditions are as below: electrospray ionization(ESI) in the positive ion mode, multiple reaction monitoring(MRM), and the content of the six PAs was calculated with the external standard method. The results suggested the differences in the six PAs among different parts of E. sonchifolia. Sk was detected in all the four parts, with similar content. SnNO also existed in all the four parts, but the content in roots was significantly higher than that in other parts. Sp and SpNO were found in both roots and flowers, with the content higher in the former than in the later. ImNO and LyNO were only found in leaves, and the content was low. Among the six components detected, ImNO, LyNO, and SpNO were found and determined for the first time, which enriched the toxic components and laid a scientific basis for the quality and safety evaluation of E. sonchifolia.

Quality Control of Salvianolic Acids Reference Extract / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To establish the quality control method for multi-index content determination and fingerprint of salvianolic acids. Method::Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5μm) column was adopted, with 0.1%formic acid-water as mobile phase A and 0.1%formic acid-acetonitrile as mobile phase B for gradient elution (0-30 min, 20%-21.5%B; 30-35 min, 21.5%-25%B; 35-45 min, 25%-40%B; 45-50 min, 40%-95%B). The column temperature was set at 30 ℃, the flow rate was set at 1 mL·min-1, and the detection wavelength was set at 288 nm. Relative correction factors of caffeic acid, salvianolic acid E, rosmarinic acid, lithosperic acid, salvianolic acid B and salvianolic acid Y were determined by the concentration method. The content of each indicator component of the reference extract of salvianolic acid polyphenolic acid was determined and compared with the results of the monomer reference substance by the external standard method. At the same time, the fingerprint method was established. and the similarity evaluation was carried out on 10 batches of extracts. Result::Caffeic acid, salvianolic acid E, rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid, salvianolic acid B, and salvianolic acid Y had a good linear relationship within the respective detection mass concentration ranges (r>0.999 9). The injection precision RSD was 0.1%-1.2%, the reproducible RSD was 1.2%-1.6%, and the recovery of the six components was 82.03%-98.68%. The stability of each component in the sample solution was good within 36 h. The relative correction factors for each indicator component were determined to be caffeic acid (2.92), salvianolic acid E (1.10), rosmarinic acid (1.61), lithosperic acid (1.07), salvianolic acid B (1.00), salvianolic acid Y (0.83). The effects of different methods, concentrations, instruments, columns, wavelengths were investigated, and the measured relative correction factors were found to be suitable. The results of the calibration factor method and the monomer standard reference substance method were less different. The HPLC fingerprints of the reference extract of salvianolic acids were established, and five common characteristic peaks were determined. The chromatographic peaks were confirmed according to the reference substance. The similarity of the fingerprints of the 10 batches of extracts was higher, and the quality difference was smaller. Conclusion::The multi-index content determination method and the fingerprint method established in this study are simple, rapid, accurate and reproducible, and can be used for quality control of Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma polyphenolic acid reference extract.

Screening of multiple pesticide residues in Jinyinhua Formula Granules / 中国中药杂志

To evaluate the pesticide residue risk of Jinyinhua Formula Granules( made from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos) used in the market preliminarily,20 samples of Jinyinhua Formula Granules from 5 manufactures were collected randomly through the national evaluative sampling test program. Totally 262 pesticides( involving 270 chemical monomers) with monitoring significance to traditional Chinese medicinal materials were detected. Samples were extracted by high speed homogenate with acetonitrile as solvent. And their residues were analyzed by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS in MRM mode. No less than 2 groups of characteristic ion pairs were adopted for qualitative detection,and the calibration curve method was used for quantitative detection. The results showed that 20 pesticides were detected in 20 batches of Jinyinhua Formula Granules,with an average of about 9 pesticides detected in every batch,but no restricted pesticide was detected. The detected pesticides were all at the trace level,which was far lower than the limit of the general food standard. Therefore,the safety risk was low in Jinyinhua Formula Granules. In this study,a screening method for pesticide residues in Jinyinhua Formula Granules was established for the first time. The method was accurate and rapid,and the detection indicators were highly targeted. The results could provide theoretical reference for the prevention and control of pesticide safety risks in Jinyinhua Formula Granules and even traditional Chinese medicine formula granules.

Discussion on evaluation mode of proficiency testing for heavy metal and harmful element detection in medicines / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the evaluation model for the proficiency testing of heavy metal and harmful element residues in pharmaceuticals,and to provide reference for the proficiency testing program and proficiency testing result in the field of residue analysis. The proficiency test result of cadmium determination in honeysuckle as an example. The algorithm A,NIQR,and Horwitz function are used to calculate the assigned value and the standard deviation. Z was obtained at the same time. If | Z | ≤2,the result is satisfactory. If 2< | Z | <3,the result is questionable. If | Z | ≥3,the result is unsatisfactory. In addition,the median value is the assigned value,and deviation(D%) is used. If D% is not more than 16%,the result is satisfactory; if D% is more than 16%,the result is unsatisfactory. After analysis,in the results of questionable or dissatisfied laboratories calculated by algorithm A and NIQR,the deviation error of some data is within the scope of the standard. In the results of the satisfactory laboratory evaluated by the Horwitz function,some data deviation errors far exceed the standard range. The evaluation result of the D% meets the requirements. According to heavy metal and harmful element trace analysis methods,this study is the first to apply D% to the evaluation of the detection ability of heavy metals and harmful elements in pharmaceuticals. This method makes the evaluation result more reasonable,and has important reference significance for the evaluation of other proficiency test results.

Determination of the Memory Effect and Stability of Mercury by ICP-MS / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of adding gold when determing the memory effect and stability of mercury by ICP-MS, and determine the appropriate amount of gold. METHODS: ICP-MS method was used to determine the amount of mercury in the solution. The RF power was 1 550 W, flow rate of carrier gas was 1.05 L•min-1, plasma gas flow rate was 15.0 L•min-1, peristaltic pump speed was 0.2 r•s-1, and sampling depth was 8 mm. The integration time was 0.1 s. RESULTS: Mercury solution began to demonstrate obvious memory effect at the concentration of 0.4 ng•mL-1. It gradually became unstable and the coefficient of variation gradually increased after being placed at room temperature for more than 2 h in the absence of stabilizer. After adding gold, the mercury soulution was stable within 48 h, and the coefficient of variation was within 5%. When the ratio of gold to mercury was 2∶1, the memory effect of mercury was decreaed, and its stability was well guaranteed. There was no difference when the mercury standard solution was prepared with or without other elements. CONCLUSION: This study plays a reference role in the detection and analysis of mercury and provides technical support for the revision and improvement of relevant detection methods.

Quantitative Detection of Aflatoxin B1 in Traditional Chinese Medicine by Colloidal Gold Immunochromatography / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE：To explore the feasibility of using colloidal gold immunochromatography for quantitative detection of aflatoxin B1 in traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS：Negative samples were used to investigate matrix interference by different levels of spikes.The rapid inspection performance was evaluated by examining the precision, sensitivity, linearity, repeatability and recovery rate. The sample was determined by rapid test method and verified by HPLC. RESULTS：High-concentration and low-concentration aflatoxin B1 reference materials were added to the negative sample matrix. After the measurement, it was found that there were matrix interferences in the samples such as tangerine peel and cassia seed, and the interference was greater when the concentration was increased. So high dilution factor was used to reduce the interference. The precision RSD of the rapid test method was 4.6% (n=10), the reproducibility RSD was 4.1% (n=6), and the recoveries of different samples were between 72.8% and 112.8%. The overall performance of the method was good. A total of 43 batches of 19 kinds of medicinal materials such as silkworm, cockroach and leeches were detected by two methods. The coincidence rate between the fast test and the HPLC test was 83.7%. Therefore, the results obtained by the two detection methods were considered to be approximate. CONCLUSION：Colloidal gold immunochromatographic rapid test method can be used for the quantitative detection of aflatoxin B1 in some traditional Chinese medicines, and provides technical support for the establishment and improvement of relevant rapid detection standard methods.

Risk Assessment of Arsenic Exposure by Chinese Materia Medica in Chinese Population / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To analyze the intake of arsenic in Chinese materia medica by Chinese population; To assess its health risk. Methods Totally 2056 Chinese materia medica samples were collected from representative manufacturers and markets in China from 2008 to 2016 and their arsenic contents were detected. The consumption data of Chinese materia medica were collected among population aged 18 and above from 5739 individuals by face to face questionnaire surveys in 5 provinces (Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Guizhou and Gansu) with the method of multistage stratified random sampling. A deterministic estimate was used to assess the exposure of arsenic by Chinese materia medica. At the same time, the Chinese standard limit of arsenic in Chinese materia medica was used to do the theory assessment. Results The average concentration of arsenic in Chinese materia medica was 0.81 mg/kg. The residue level of arsenic in animal Chinese materia medica (average concentration: 3.29 mg/kg) was higher than that in medicinal plants (average concentration: 0.71 mg/kg). The consumption data showed that average intake of Chinese materia medica as medicines was 207 g, and P95was 540 g; the average intake of Chinese herbals as medicinal food was 43 g, and P95was 500 g. The assessment using arsenic content data showed that common use of Chinese materia medica had low level of risk. However, the population with chronic and high consumption of Chinese materia medica as medicine or as food had certain level of health risk. Arsenic content in animal herbals was about 5 times higher than that of medicinal plants. But according to the consumption, the risk was not higher than that of medicinal plants. The assessment using the standard limit of arsenic (2 mg/kg) in herbals showed that recent standard could protect most people, but risk remained in those with chronic consumption of Chinese materia medica as medicineand high consumption of Chinese materia medica as medicinal food. Conclusion The current standard limit of arsenic (2 mg/kg) in Chinese materia medica is appropriate. The health risk of arsenic exposure from Chinese materia medica among Chinese population is at a low level, but those with chronic and high Chinese materia medica consumption need more attention.