Quality Evaluation of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma in Different Production Methods Based on Traditional Traits / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveBased on the experience of traditional quality evaluation， the quality of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） with different production methods such as direct seeding， transplanting after seedling raising， topping and non-topping， and difference in growth years was compared. MethodVernier caliper was used to measure the trait data of AMR in different production methods. Paraffin sections of AMR with different production methods were made by saffron solid green staining， and the microstructure was observed. The contents of water-soluble and alcohol-soluble extracts in AMR with different production methods were determined according to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The content of water-soluble total polysaccharides in AMR with different production methods was detected by sulfuric acid-anthrone method. Fiber analyzer was used to detect the content of fiber components in AMR with different production methods. The contents of monosaccharides， oligosaccharides and some secondary metabolites in AMR with different production methods were detected by ultra performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， and the differences of chemical components were compared by multivariate statistical analysis methods such as principal component analysis（PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）. ResultIn terms of traits， the 3-year-old AMR with direct seeding and without topping was close to the high-quality AMR with "phoenix-head and crane-neck， strong sweetness and clear aroma" recorded in ancient materia medica， followed by the 3-year-old AMR with topping after transplanting， while the 2-year-old AMR with topping after transplanting with high market circulation rate was generally fat and strong with mild odor. In the microscopic aspect， the arrangement of xylem vessels and fiber bundles in the 3-year-old samples formed two obvious rings. Compared with the 2-year-old samples cultivated in Bozhou and Zhejiang， the 3-year-old samples without topping after transplanting had more wood fibers. In terms of chemical composition， the contents of 70% ethanol extract， fructose， glucose， sucrose， 1-kestose， atractylenolide Ⅰ， chlorogenic acid， neochlorogenic acid， cryptochlorogenic acid and other components in 3-year-old AMR with direct seeding and without topping were significantly higher than those in the other three samples（P<0.05）. The contents of cellulose， 70% ethanol extract， sucrose， atractylenolide Ⅰ， atractylone and other components in 3-year-old AMR with topping after transplanting were significantly higher than those in the 2-year-old AMR with high market circulation rate（P<0.05）， while the contents of water-soluble extract and water-soluble total polysaccharides in 2-year-old samples with topping after transplanting were significantly higher than those in the 3-year-old AMR with topping after transplanting， direct seeding and without topping（P<0.05）. ConclusionUnder the current mainstream production mode， too much manual intervention makes AMR heavily enriched in polysaccharides and increased the yield， but the accumulation of sweet substances， fragrant substances and fiber substances is insufficient， which affects its quality. The current quality standard of AMR has some shortcomings in guiding the high quality production of it， it is suggested to revise the quality standard of AMR， supplement the quantitative analysis of secondary metabolites， and strengthen the production of imitation wild AMR.

Analysis on Quality of Sojae Semen Praeparatum Based on Traditional Quality Evaluation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveBased on the quality evaluation experience of "it is better to have a fragrant and strong aroma" summarized by materia medica of past dynasties， the chemical components of Sojae Semen Nigrum（SSN） and Sojae Semen Praeparatum（SSP） were systematically compared and analyzed， and the main fermentation products in different fermentation time were quantitatively analyzed， so as to clarify the transformation law of internal components in the processing process and provide scientific basis for the modern quality control of SSP. MethodUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） was used for the structural identification of the chemical constituents of SSN and SSP， and with the aid of Progenesis QI v2.3 software， the negative ion mode was employed for principal component analysis（PCA） pattern recognition， and the data were analyzed with the aid of orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） for two-dimensional data to obtain S-plot， and components with |P|>0.1 were selected as the differential constituents. The contents of isoflavonoids in SSP during fermentation was determined by UPLC， and the samples were taken every 8 h in the pre-fermentation period and every 2 d in the post-fermentation period， and the dynamic changes of isoflavonoid contents in different fermentation stages were analyzed. The contents of amino acids and nucleosides in SSP and SSN from different fermentation stages were quantitatively analyzed by phenyl isothiocyanate（PITC） pre-column derivatization and high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） gradient elution， and the contribution of flavor substances to the "delicious" taste of SSP was discussed by taste intensity value（TAV）. ResultA total of 19 kinds of differential components were screened out， mainly soybean saponins and isoflavones， and their contents decreased significantly or even disappeared after fermentation. In the pre-fermentation process of SSP， glycoside bond hydrolysis mainly occurred， and isoflavone glycosides in SSN were degraded and converted into the corresponding aglycones， the content of flavor substances such as amino acids increased gradually. In the post-fermentation process， protein degradation mainly occurred， after 8 d of post-fermentation， the content of isoflavones was basically stable， while the total content of amino acids increased by 8-40 times on average. Different amino acids form the special flavor of SSP， such as the TAV of glutamate is always ahead of other flavor substances， and sweet substances such as alanine and valine have made relatively great contributions to SSP. ConclusionBased on the law of constituent transformation， combined with the traditional evaluation index of "fragrant and strong"， it is difficult to control the fermentation degree of SSP by the existing standards in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. It is suggested that description of the characteristics of SSP be refined and changed to "fragrant， delicious and slightly sweet"， and at the same time， the post-fermentation index compounds such as glutamic acid， alanine and valine should be added as the quality control indicators of SSP， so as to standardize the production process and improve the quality of SSP.

Comparison of Cultivated and Wild-simulated Astragali Radix Based on Traditional Quality Evaluation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveBased on the traditional quality evaluation methods summarized in previous dynasties， this paper systematically contrasted cultivated Astragali Radix（CA） and wild-simulated Astragali Radix（WA） from the aspects of character， microstructure and chemical composition by modern technological means. MethodThe collected CA and WA were compared in characters and microscopic characteristics in cross section， and comparative analysis were performed on the contents of cellulose， extracts， carbohydrate， total flavonoids， total saponins， etc. Then ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging（DESI-MSI） were used to comparatively analyze the secondary metabolites and their spatial distributions in the xylem and phloem of CA and WA. ResultIn terms of characters， the characters and sectional features of WA was consistent with the characteristics of high-quality Astragali Radix， while the CA was quite different from the traditional high-quality Astragali Radix. In terms of microscopy， the phellem layer of CA was thin， and the section fissures were mostly distributed through the cambium in a long strip shape without obvious growth ring characteristics. The cork layer of WA was thick， and the cracks in the section were distributed in the center of the xylem and the outer edge of the phloem in an irregular cavity shape. The cambium was tight without cracks， and had obvious characteristics of a growth ring. In terms of chemical composition， the contents of water-soluble extract， 80% ethanol extract and sucrose of CA was significantly higher than those of WA， while the contents of total saponins， lignin and hemicellulose were significantly lower than those of WA. And the contents of 100% ethanol extract， total polysaccharides and total flavonoids in both of them were generally similar， but slightly higher in WA. The contents of 2 kinds of monoacyl-substituted flavonoid glycosides in the xylem of WA was significantly higher than those of CA， while the contents of 2 kinds of flavonoid aglycones and one flavonoid glycoside were on the contrary. The contents of 7 saponins in phloem of WA were significantly higher than those of CA. ConclusionThere are significant differences between CA and WA in characters， microstructure and chemical components， in which CA has a fast growth rate and a short planting period， and the primary metabolites such as water-soluble extracts and sucrose are more enriched， which is the reason for its firm texture and sweetness being significantly higher than those of WA. However， the contents of lignin， hemicellulose and some secondary metabolites in WA are significantly higher than those in the CA， which are close to the traditional description of characters and quality. Based on the results of this study， it is suggested to strengthen the production of WA， improve the supply capacity of WA， and gradually upgrade the current standard. It is recommended to increase the contents of monoacyl-substituted flavonoid glycosides， total saponins and other indicators that can characterize different production methods， so as to guide the high-quality production of Astragali Radix.

Reviews and Recommendations in Comparative Studies on Quality of Wild and Cultivated Chinese Crude Drugs / 中国实验方剂学杂志

By reviewing the research history on quality comparison between wild and cultivated Chinese crude drugs， this paper systematically combed the relevant research reports since the 1950s， and summarized and analyzed the results of existing comparative studies， and found that the existing comparative research on the quality of wild and cultivated Chinese crude drugs were mainly focused on several aspects， including characteristics， microstructures， chemical compositions， pharmacodynamic effects， and genetic diversity. Among these， comparative studies of chemical compositions have been the dominant approach， with a particular emphasis on comparing the contents of index components. However， research on pharmacodynamic effects remained relatively limited. Due to various factors such as sample quantity， sample origin， growth period and cultivation methods， the differences in quality between wild and cultivated Chinese crude drugs vary significantly. In general， most wild Chinese crude drugs exhibited higher quality than cultivated products， with significant differences in their characteristics. The contents and proportions of some chemical components underwent noticeable changes， particularly with a marked increase in the proportion of primary metabolites after cultivation. The quality of cultivated Chinese crude drugs is closely related to the cultivation practices employed. Chinese crude drugs produced through wild nurturing， simulated wild planting， ecological cultivation， and other similar methods demonstrate quality levels comparable to those of wild Chinese crude drugs. Based on the analysis results， it is recommended to explicitly specify the cultivation practices and cultivation period of cultivated Chinese crude drugs in comparative studies of the quality between wild and cultivated Chinese crude drugs. Multiple technical approaches， including characteristics， microscopy， non-targeted metabolomics combined with quantitative analysis of differential components， and bioefficacy evaluation， should be employed to comprehensively assess the quality disparities between wild and cultivated Chinese crude drugs. Moreover， research efforts should be intensified to investigate the changes in pharmacodynamic effects resulting from differences in plant cell wall composition， primary metabolites， and secondary metabolites， in order to guide the production of high-quality Chinese crude drugs.

Rapid authentication of different herbal medicines by heating online extraction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry / 药物分析学报

The rapid and accurate authentication of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)has always been a key scientific and technical problem in the field of pharmaceutical analysis.Herein,a novel heating online extraction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(H-oEESI-MS)was developed for the rapid and direct analysis of extremely complex substances without the requirement for any sample pretreatment or pre-separation steps.The overall molecular profile and fragment structure features of various herbal medicines could be completely captured within 10-15 s,with minimal sample(＜0.5 mg)and solvent consumption(＜20 μL for one sample).Furthermore,a rapid differentiation and authentication strategy for TCMs based on H-oEESI-MS was proposed,including metabolic profile characterization,characteristic marker screening and identification,and multivariate statistical analysis model validation.In an analysis of 52 batches of seven types of Aconitum medicinal materials,20 and 21 key compounds were screened out as the characteristic markers of raw and processed Aconitum herbal medicines,respectively,and the possible structures of all the characteristic markers were comprehensively identified based on Com-pound Discoverer databases.Finally,multivariate statistical analysis showed that all the different types of herbal medicines were well differentiated and identified(R2X＞0.87,R2Y＞0.91,and Q2＞0.72),which further verified the feasibility and reliability of this comprehensive strategy for the rapid authentication of different TCMs based on H-oEESI-MS.In summary,this rapid authentication strategy realized the ultra-high-throughput,low-cost,and standardized detection of various complex TCMs for the first time,thereby demonstrating wide applicability and value for the development of quality standards for TCMs.

Comparison of volatile constituents in two types of mugwort leaves (produced in Qichun and Nanyang) using the headspace GC-MS / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To compare the volatile constituents in mugwort leaves produced in Qichun, Hubei Province and Nanyang, Henan Province. Methods:The volatile constituents were extracted using headspace heating and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then a qualitative analysis was made according to the standard database provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the relative contents of each constituent were calculated using the peak area normalization method. Results:A total of 59 compounds were identified from the mugwort leaves from Qichun and 51 compounds were identified from the mugwort leaves from Nanyang. These mainly include monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, CxHyOz and other compounds involving the aldehyde, ketone, alkane and benzene. The mugwort leaves from Qichun and Nanyang share 32 common volatile constituents. The chromatographic peak area of identified compounds accounting for 96.38% of GC-MS total chromatographic peak areain Qichun mugwort leaves, versus 95.54% of that in Nanyang mugwort leaves. Conclusion:The headspace heating extraction combined with GC-MS technology can evidently display similarities and differences of volatile constituents in mugwort leaves produced in different areas and thus provide scientific basis for the quality and screening of mugwort leaves.

Qualitative analysis of chemical constituents in Si-Wu Decoction based on TCM component database / 药学学报

In order to clarify the chemical constituents of Si-Wu Decoction rapidly and holistically, we analyzed the ethanol extract of Si-Wu Decoction by UPLC/Q-TOF-MSE and UNIFI which based on traditional Chinese medicine database, the probable structures of 113 compounds were identified. The results show that this method can rapidly and effectively characterize the chemical compounds of Si-Wu Decoction and provide a new solution for identification of components from complex TCM extract.

Techniques and strategies for characterization and isolation of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicines / 国际药学研究杂志

The chemic al composition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the material base for its prevention and treatment of disease. Characterization, analysis and isolation of chemical constituents, important fields of modern research on TCM, however, are still a great challenge due to the complexity. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in these fields with the application of new chromatographic packing materials and methods, analysis technologies represented by LC-MS and the associated databases and softwares. Here, the advancement of methods and strategies used in the research on the chemical constituents of TCM is briefly reviewed.

U.S. renewable fuel standard implementation mechanism and market tracking / 生物工程学报

U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a mandatory policy for promoting the utilization of biofuels in road transpiration sector in order to reduce the country's dependency on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines the proportion of renewable fuels according to RFS annual target, and requests obligated parties such like fossil fuel refiner, blenders and importer in the U.S. to complete Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) every year. Obligated parties prove they have achieved their RVO through a renewable fuels certification system, which generates Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for every gallon of qualified renewable fuels produced or imported into U.S., RINs is a key for tracking renewable fuel consumption, which in turn is a key for implementing the RFS in the U.S., separated RINs can be freely traded in market and obligated parties could fulfill their RVO through buying RINs from other stakeholders. This briefing paper highlights RFS policy implementing mechanism and marketing tracking, mainly describes importance of RINs, and the method for generating and tracking RINs by both government and fuels industry participants.

Study of left atrial diameters and prothrombotic state in senile patients with hypertension and atrial fibrillation / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To explore the relationship between left atrial diameters (LAD) and prothrombotic state in senile patients with hypertension (HT) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Mcthods Totally 105 patients with cssential hypertension were divided into 65 patients with atrial fibrillation and 40 cases without atrial fibrillation,and then patients with atrial fibrillation were subgrouped into paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation groups.30 healthy people without hypertension and atrial fibrillation were used as control group.LAD was determined by M type ultrasound cardiogram.Fibrinogen (Fg),D-Dimer(D-Dimer),von willebrand (vwF) and haematocrit (HCT) were also measured as prothrombotic state and compared among the groups. Results In groups of HT with AF versus HT without AF versus control,LAD[(43.56 ± 6.72) mm vs.(36.28 ± 5.83) mm vs.(31.63±4.32)mm],Fg[(4.24±0.59)g/L vs.(3.09 ±0.49)g/L vs.(2.80± 0.46)g/L],D-Dimer [(0.43±0.13)mg/L vs.(0.28±0.]0)mg/L vs.(0.18±0.08)mg/L],vwF[(290.44±29.02)％ vs.(101.32±21.36)％ vs.(84.15±20.26) ％],HCT[(0.46±±0.07)vs.(0.37±0.05)vs.(0.34±0.03)]were significantly higher in HT patients with atrial fibrillation than those without atrial fibrillation and control ( all P＜ 0.05),and there were differences in LAD and D-Dimet (P＜＜0.05),but not in Fg,vwF and HCT (all P＞0.05) between patients without atrial fibrillation and control.LAD[(46.75±7.32)mm vs.(40.82±6.21)mm],Fg [(4.68±0.65)g/L vs.(3.85±0.53)g/L],D-Dimer [(0.48±0.16)mg/L vs.(0.40±0.12)mg/L],vwF [(384.96±29.75)％ vs.(209.43±28.63)％] and HCT [(0.49±0.08)vs.(0.43±0.06)] in persistent atrial fibrillation group were increased than those in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).Fg ( r =0.683 ),D-Dimer ( r =0.735 ),vwF ( r=0.763) and HCT(r=0.759)were corrclated with LAD (all P＜0.01). Conclusions Increased LADmight he one of the elevated risks of atrial fibrillation and a higher prothrombotic state is increasing with larger LAD in senile hypertension.

Identification of chemical constituents in qiliqiangxin capsule by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS(E) / 药学学报

In order to clarify the chemical constituents in Qiliqiangxin capsule, a rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography/orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS(E)) method was established. Forty peaks were identified on line using this method. The herbal sources of these peaks were assigned. The results implied that triterpenoid saponins, flavonoid glycosides, C21-steroids and phenolic acids were included in the main components of Qiliqiangxin capsule. The method is simple and rapid for elucidation of the constituents of Qiliqiangxin capsule and the results are useful for the quality control of Qiliqiangxin capsule.

Biotransformation of polyphyllins by Curvularia lunata fermentation / 中草药

Objective To find the microorganisms which hydrolyze sugar residues of steroidal saponins at C-3 position and to obtain their glucosyl-derivatives.Methods The enzymes secreted by fermentation of Curvularia lunata((3.438 1)) in the culture medium were employed to transform polyphyllin Ⅴ(compound Ⅰ) and polyphyllin Ⅵ(compound Ⅱ).The products were separated by means of chromatography on C_(18) column and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analyses.Results Compounds Ⅰ and Ⅱ could be transformed by C.lunata((3.438 1)) and the main products were identified as diosgenin-3-O-?-D-glucopyranoside,named trillin(compound Ⅲ) and pennogenin-3-O-?-D-glucopyranoside(compound Ⅳ),respectively.Conclusion The terminal rhamnosyls of polyphyllin Ⅴ and polyphyllin Ⅵ at C-3 position could be hydrolyzed selectively by C.lunata((3.438 1)) for the first time.