ABSTRACT
Quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is the wisdom crystallization of the long-term medication experience of the pharmacists in the past dynasties， and is a quality evaluation system with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Because of its simple language， easy to understand and easy to operate， it plays an important guiding role in the quality evaluation of TCM. Modern electronic sensory apparatus technology can realize the objective expression of TCM characters. Some scholars correlated their expression results with the contents of the main chemical components in TCM， proving that quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials has a certain scientific basis. However， the scientific connotation of quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials has not yet been clearly clarified. There is a lack of systematic research on which characters of TCM can truly reflect its quality. Therefore， the author summarizes quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials from three aspects. It makes clear that the idea of quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is derived from analogical thinking， and combs the four stages of germination， development， prosperity and maturity experienced in its formation process， summarizes the modern research progress of this theory， clarifies that the role of the theory in evaluating the quality of medicinal materials， guiding the classification of commodity specifications， and harvesting and processing of medicinal materials. It is recommended that the follow-up should be strengthened on the research of quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials， make full use of electronic sensory instruments， liquid-mass spectrometry， biological efficacy evaluation and other technologies， strengthen the objective description of the characteristics of TCM， and attach importance to the analysis of the correlation between the overall characteristics of TCM and its efficacy， and establish a new research model related to the characteristics-active ingredients-pharmaceutical effects of TCM， in order to elucidate the scientific connotation of quality evaluation based on character identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials， so as to better serve the quality evaluation of TCM.
ABSTRACT
High-resolution-melting analysis (HRM) is a new technology derived from qPCR and is widely used in the study of polymorphism, genotyping, and single nucleotide mutation. Advantages of HRM include cost-effectiveness and time-efficiency over PCR-based genotyping. However, the application of HRM in the authentication of herbal products is still limited with few studies on the classification and identification of herbal products. In this study, Cimicifugae Rhizoma was used as an example to verify the stability and accuracy of HRM technique in identification of Chinese materia medica. HRM assay was established for identification based on ITS2 region of Cimicifugae Rhizomas and its adulterants (including 41 samples). Our findings showed that HRM allows not only the identification of adulteration but also the quantification of the most common admixture. This study is significant for better quality in the verification of the authenticity of herbal medicine. The method is promising for future identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials.
ABSTRACT
Objective Near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy was used to develop a fast quality assessment method by simultaneous material identification and moisture quantification of Radix Ginseng Rubra (RGR). Methods The sample was identified by the comparison of its spectrum with a standard NIR spectral library. Similarity measurement was used as the discriminating parameter. The moisture content of sample was quantified by a partial least square (PLS) calibration model, correlative spectrum calculation was used for wavelength selection and multiplicative signal correction (MSC) was applied for pretreatment in the calibration model. Primary reference data were obtained using the traditional loss on drying (LOD) method. Results The NIR library can distinguish RGR from the counterfeit successfully. The optimized eight-factor PLS calibration model of NIR spectra has a high correlation coefficient (R=(0.999 7).) Conclusion The proposed method is rapid, accurate and can be used routinely in the traditional Chinese materia medica manufacturers for quality control of raw materials.