RESUMEN
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.