Determination and Mechanism Prediction of Potential Active Ingredients in Erdongtang Based on UHPLC-QqQ-MS and Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo establish an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry（UHPLC-QqQ-MS） for determination of the active ingredients in Erdongtang， and to predict the targets and pathways of anti-insulin resistance action of this formula. MethodThe analysis was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column（2.1 mm×100 mm， 1.7 μm） with the mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution（A）-acetonitrile（B） for gradient elution（0-3 min， 90%-87%A； 3-6 min， 87%-86%A； 6-9 min， 86%-83%A； 9-11 min， 83%-75%A； 11-18 min， 75%-70%A； 18-19 min， 70%-52%A； 19-22 min， 52%A； 22-25 min， 52%-5%A； 25-27 min， 5%-90%A； 27-30 min， 90%A）. The contents of active ingredients in Erdongtang was detected by electrospray ionization（ESI） and multiple reaction monitoring（MRM） mode under positive and negative ion modes. On this basis， network pharmacology was applied to predict the targets and pathways of Erdongtang exerting anti-insulin resistance effect. ResultThe 20 active ingredients in Erdongtang showed good linear relationships within a certain mass concentration range， and the precision， stability， repeatability and recovery rate were good. The results of determination showed that the ingredients with high content in 15 batches of samples were baicalein（1 259.39-1 635.78 mg·L-1）， baicalin（1 078.37-1 411.52 mg·L-1）， the ingredients with medium content were mangiferin（148.59-217.04 mg·L-1）， timosaponin BⅡ（245.10-604.89 mg·L-1）， quercetin-3-O-glucuronide（89.30-423.26 mg·L-1）， rutin（46.91-1 553.61 mg·L-1）， glycyrrhizic acid（55.97-391.47 mg·L-1）， neomangiferin（37.45-127.03 mg·L-1）， nuciferine（0.89-63.48 mg·L-1）， hyperoside（6.96-136.78 mg·L-1）， liquiritin（30.89-122.78 mg·L-1）， liquiritigenin（26.64-110.67 mg·L-1）， protodioscin（58.57-284.26 mg·L-1）， the ingredients with low content were wogonin（7.16-20.74 mg·L-1）， pseudoprotodioscin（5.49-22.96 mg·L-1）， ginsenoside Rb1（7.31-23.87 mg·L-1）， ginsenoside Rg1（10.78-28.33 mg·L-1）， ginsenoside Re（7.78-24.76 mg·L-1）， ophiopogonin D（2.08-4.29 mg·L-1）， methylophiopogonanone A（0.74-1.67 mg·L-1）. The results of network pharmacology indicated that the mechanism of anti-insulin resistance exerted by Erdongtang might be related to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B（PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway. ConclusionThe established UHPLC-QqQ-MS has the advantages of simple sample processing， strong exclusivity and high sensitivity， and can simultaneously determine the contents of the main ingredients from seven herbs in Erdongtang， which can lay the foundation for the development of Erdongtang compound preparations. The results of the network pharmacology can provide a reference for the mechanism study of Erdongtang in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Mechanism of Yi-xin-yin oral liquid according to homotherapy for heteropathy theory based on UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM: To predict the core targets and related signaling pathways of Yi-xin-yin oral liquid for the treatment of arrhythmia, heart failure and myocarditis based on UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS, network pharmacology, molecular docking methods, cell experiments, according to the“homotherapy for heteropathy”theory in traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS: UHPLC-Q-TOF / MS was used to analyze and identify the chemical composition of Yi-xin-yin oral liquid Extract and the blood-absorbing components of rats oral administrated with Yi-xin-yin oral liquid extract, which compounds were applied in the databases searching for the potential targets (TCMSP, SwissTargetPrediction) and disease targets (OMIM, Genecard). Venn diagram was used for target intersection, and the subsequent protein-protein interaction network obtained core targets by STRING11.5 database, and then construct a "disease-component-target" network by cytoscape3.9.0. Finally, DAVID database was used to analysis GO function and KEGG enrichment analysis of core targets, and molecular docking validation was performed using Autodock vina software. And, validated with H9c2 cells for potential active ingredients and targets. RESULTS: A total of 156 compounds were identified from Yi - xin-yin Oral Liquid extract; 34 compounds were identified from rat serum, including 6-gin-gerol, isoliquiritigenin, glycyrrhizic acid and other compounds, and 139 intersecting targets were obtained. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis mainly involved the TNF signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and so on. The TNF and IL-6 targets were selected for molecular docking with the main compounds, and the docking results were good (less than -5 kcal/mol). In vitro cellular experiments have shown that Yi-xin-yin oral liquid can exert therapeutic effects by regulating TNF and IL-6. CONCLUSION: The main potential active ingredients of Yi-xin-yin oral liquid may be isoliquiritigenin, glycyrrhetinic acid, calycosin-7-glucoside, salvianolic acid B, and 6-gingerol, which mainly act on TNF, IL-6 and other targets to regulate specific signaling pathways and exert therapeutic effects.

Study on spleen strengthening effects and mechanisms of Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana / 中国药理学通报

Aim To analyze the differences in plasma biomarkers and metabolic pathways between Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana after intervention in spleen deficiency rats, and discuss the spleen strengthening mechanism of the two from a non targeted metabolomics perspective. Methods A spleen deficiency model was established in SD rats using a composite factor method of improper diet, excessive fatigue, and bitter cold diarrhea. To determine the content of gastrointestinal and immunological indicators, UHPLC-QE-MS technology was used, combined with principal component analysis (PC A) and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) methods to search for biomarkers in plasma of spleen deficiency rats, and metabolic pathways were induced using the Pathway database. Results After administration of Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana, various indicators in plasma of spleen deficiency rats showed varying degrees of regression. Metabolomics analysis showed that Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana respectively recalled 70 and 82 plasma differential metabolites. Atractylodes chinensis mainly regulated two metabolic pathways : "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and "Thiamine metabolism". Atractylodes coreana mainly regulated five metabolic pathways, "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism", "Thiamine metabolism, "Pyrimidine metabolism", "Butanoate metabolism", and "Riboflavin metabolism". Conclusions Both Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana have certain regulatory effects on spleen deficiency rats, and their mechanism of action may be related to regulating metabolic pathways such as "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and "Thiamine metabolism"in spleen deficiency.

Metabonomic Analysis of Wenfei Huaxian Granules Against Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the changes of differential metabolites in the serum of mice at different stages of bleomycin sulfate（BLM）-induced pulmonary fibrosis modeling and administration， and the mechanism of Wenfei Huaxian granules（WHG）against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. MethodMice were randomly divided into control group， control group of 14 days， model group， model group of 14 days， low-dose WHG group and high-dose WHG group. BLM（0.04 U per mouse）was injected into the trachea of mice in the model group， model group of 14 days， low-dose WHG group and high-dose WHG group， and sterile normal saline was injected into the trachea of mice in the control group and control group of 14 days. Mice of low-dose WHG group and high-dose WHG group were given different doses of WHG by gavage every day after injection of BLM， and mice of control group， control group of 14 days， model group and model group of 14 days were given sterile water by gavage every day. The peripheral blood of mice in the control group of 14 days and model group of 14 days were taken to prepare serum after injection of BLM for 14 days， and the peripheral blood and other materials of mice in the other groups were taken after continuous administration for 28 days. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid（BALF）was collected for leucocyte differential count， the pathological examination and hydroxyproline（HYP）content determination of lung tissues of mice were performed， and the small molecule metabolites in serum samples of mice in each group were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（UHPLC-MS）. Principal component analysis（PCA）and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）were conducted to screen differential metabolites and their biological functions were analyzed. ResultCompared with the control group， a large number of continuous fibrotic foci appeared in the lung tissue of mice in the model group， the alveolitis score， fibrosis degree score and HYP content increased significantly（P<0.01）， and the total number of leukocytes， macrophages and lymphocytes in BALF increased significantly（P<0.05）. A total of 33 differential metabolites were screened between the control group of 14 days and model group of 14 days， mainly lipid metabolites， which were mainly involved in oxidative damage and inflammatory process. A total of 34 differential metabolites， mainly amino acid metabolites， were screened between the control group and model group， mainly involving nucleic acid damage and inflammatory process. Compared with the model group， the HYP content， fibrosis score and alveolitis score in the lung tissue of mice from high-dose WHG group decreased significantly（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the total number of lymphocytes in BALF decreased significantly（P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， 27， 40 differential metabolites were identified in the serum of mice from the low-dose WHG group and high-dose WHG group separately. There were totally 9 common differential metabolites between the model group and low-dose WHG group/high-dose WHG group， which mainly involved in the metabolic pathways of inflammation related lipids metabolism， arginine and tryptophan metabolism， and the change trends in low-dose WHG group and high-dose WHG group were significantly back-regulated compared with the model group. ConclusionWHG can alleviate BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis， collagen deposition and inflammatory reaction in mice， and its anti-fibrotic effect may be related to the adjusting of inflammatory factors， nitric oxide and oxidative stress related metabolic pathways.

Simultaneous determination of seven components and their distribution in Anoectochilus roxburghii by UHPLC-MS/MS / 药学学报

Based on ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), a rapid and simultaneous quantitative method for the measurement of seven components (kinsenoside; rutin; kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside; quercimeritrin; narcissin; isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside; quercetin) of A. roxburghii was established. The separation was performed over 8.0 minutes on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP18 (2.1 mm × 100 mm; 1.7 μm) with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid water solution (B) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min-1; the column temperature was 30 ℃ and the injection volume was 2 μL. Electrospray spray ionization source (ESI source) was used for mass spectrometry, and positive and negative ion modes were detected at the same time. The results showed good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.998 0), with good precision, repeatability and stability, and the average recovery was 97.71%-103.33%. Through cluster heat map and redundancy analysis, we found that kinsenoside was mainly distributed in stems, followed by leaves, and the lowest content in roots. The content of kinsenoside increased significantly in the stems of plants 6 months, but less change was evident in the roots and leaves. Flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides were mainly distributed in leaves. The UHPLC-MS/MS method established in this paper can be used for the quality control of A. roxburghii and provides a reference for establishing a more comprehensive quality detection method for this medicinal.

Comparison of Effect of Ancient and Modern Processing Methods on Chemical Components of Lilii Bulbus Decoction Based on UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo compare the effects of different processing methods in ancient and modern times on the chemical components of Lilii Bulbus decoction， and to provide experimental support for the origin processing， decoction piece processing and clinical application of this herb. MethodUltra high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry（UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS） was used for structural identification of the compounds using excimer ions， secondary MS and characteristic fragment ions， and referring to relevant literature and database information. Principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to screen the main differential components， the differential components were quantitatively studied by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， in order to compare the types and contents of chemical components in the decoction of different processing products of Lilii Bulbus. ResultA total of 24 chemical components were identified from the decoction of different processed products of Lilii Bulbus， water extract and scalding liquid of fresh Lilii Bulbus， including 17 phenols， 5 saponins and 2 alkaloids. Compared with the fresh Lilii Bulbus decoction， the contents of regaloside A， p-coumaric acid， colchicine and other components in the decoction of dry Lilii Bulbus processed by scalding method decreased， the content of regaloside C in the decoction of dry Lilii Bulbus processed by steaming method decreased， and the contents of regaloside A and regaloside C in the decoction of fresh Lilii Bulbus processed by water immersion also decreased. Compared with the decoction of dry Lilii Bulbus processed by scalding method， the overall content of components in the fresh Lilii Bulbus decoction and the decoction of fresh Lilii Bulbus processed by water immersion was higher， the contents of components in the decoction of dry Lilii Bulbus processed by steaming method was higher， except for the slightly lower content of regaloside C. ConclusionDifferent processing processes have a certain effect on the types and contents of chemical components in Lilii Bulbus decoction. Scalding process is beneficial to the preservation of Lilii Bulbus， but can cause the loss of effective components. Compared with scalding method， steaming method can prevent browning of Lilii Bulbus and reduce the loss of its active ingredients. The processing method of removing foam after overnight immersion proposed by ZHANG Zhongjing may be more conducive to the treatment of Baihe disease， which can provide reference for the clinical rational application and mechanism research of different processed products of Lilii Bulbus.

Predictive Analysis of Quality Markers of Anticoagulant Activity of Kunning Granules Based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and Spectral Efficacy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo perform a predictive analysis of the quality marker（Q-Marker） for the anticoagulant activity of Kunning granules. MethodThe chemical components of Kunning granules were analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry（UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column（2.1 mm×100 mm， 1.8 μm） with the mobile phase of acetonitrile（A）-25 mmol∙L-1 ammonium acetate aqueous solution（B） for gradient elution （0-5 min， 5%-22%A； 5-10 min， 22%-30%A； 10-15 min， 30%-95%A； 15-20 min， 95%-5%A； 20-30 min， 5%A）， flow rate of 0.2 mL∙min-1， column temperature at 30 ℃， injection volume of 1 μL， electrospray ionization（ESI）， positive and negative ion detection modes. Interaction analysis between the targets of chemical components and the targets of abnormal uterine bleeding（AUB） was performed by network pharmacology， and the key components were screened through network topology analysis. The fingerprints of 10 batches of Kunning granules were established by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， the anticoagulant activity of the granules was determined by blood coagulation method and fibrinogen plate method， and the spectrum-effective relationship was established. The components co-occurring in the topological analysis and spectrum-effective relationship were selected as Q-Markers， and their anticoagulant activities were verified and confirmed. ResultA total of 475 chemical components were identified from Kunning Granule， of which 22 key components such as salvianolic acid B， paeoniflorin， naringin and neohesperidin， were the potential material basis for the treatment of AUB. The spectrum-effective analysis showed that peaks 7（paeoniflorin）， 9（naringin）， 10（neohesperidin） and 11（salvianolic acid B） were the optimal principal components， and in vitro activity test showed that these four components could better characterize their anticoagulant activity. ConclusionSalvianolic acid B， paeoniflorin， neohesperidin and naringin may be Q-Markers for the anticoagulant activity of Kunning granules.

Comparison of chemical compositions of different parts of Xanthoceras sorbifolium seeds based on UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS / 中国中药杂志

Xanthoceras sorbifolium seeds have a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. To compare and analyze the chemical compositions of different parts of X. sorbifolium seeds and explore the potential value and research prospects of non-medicinal parts, this study used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) to detect the chemical composition of various parts of the seeds. A total of 82 components were preliminary identified from X. sorbifolium seeds, including 5 amino acids, 4 polyphenols, 3 phenylpropionic acids, 7 organic acids, 15 flavonoids, 6 glycosides, and 23 saponins. Mass spectrometry molecular networking(MN) analysis was conducted on the results from different parts of the seeds, revealing significant differences in the components of the seed kernel, seed coat, and seed shell. The saponins and flavonoids in the seed kernel were superior in terms of variety and content to those in the seed coat and shell. Based on the chromatographic peaks of different parts from multiple batches of samples, multivariate statistical analysis was carried out. Four differential components were determined using HPLC, and the average content of these components in the seed kernel, seed coat, and seed shell were as follows: 0.183 6, 0.887 4, and 1.440 1 mg·g~(-1) for fraxin; 0.035 8, 0.124 1, and 0.044 5 mg·g~(-1) for catechin; 0.032 9, 0.072 0, and 0.221 5 mg·g~(-1) for fraxetin; 0.435 9, 2.114 7, and 0.259 7 mg·g~(-1) for epicatechin. The results showed that catechin and fraxetin had relatively low content in all parts, while fraxin had higher content in the seed coat and seed shell, and epicatechin had higher content in the seed kernel and seed coat. Therefore, the seed coat and seed shell possess certain development value. This study provides rapid analysis and comparison of the chemical compositions of different parts of X. sorbifolium seeds, which offers an experimental basis for the research and clinical application of medicinal substances in X. sorbifolium seeds.

Component profile analysis of Sanhan Huashi Formula based on UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS, GC-MS, and UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS / 中国中药杂志

This study comprehensively analyzed the active components of Sanhan Huashi Formula using qualitative and quantitative mass spectrometry techniques, laying the foundation for understanding its pharmacological substance basis. UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS and GC-MS technologies were used to analyze and identify the volatile and non-volatile components in Sanhan Huashi Formula. UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS technology was used to simultaneously determine the content of 27 major active components in the formula. The results showed that 308 major chemical components were identified in Sanhan Huashi Formula, among which 60 compounds were identified by comparing with reference standards, mainly including alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, triterpenoid saponins, amino acids, and nucleosides. GC-MS technology preliminarily identified 52 volatile compounds, with γ-eudesmol and β-eudesmol as the main components. The quantitative results demonstrated good linearity(r>0.99) for the 27 active components, indicating the stability, simplicity, and reliability of the established method. Among them, amygdalin, nodakenin, arecoline, ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine had relatively high content and were presumably the main pharmacologically active substances. In conclusion, this study systematically and comprehensively characterized the major chemical components and patterns in Sanhan Huashi Formula, providing a basis for understanding its pharmacological mechanisms and clinical applications.

Anti-depression mechanism of Zuojin Pills:based on UHPLC-TOF-MS, network pharmacology, and experimental verification / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the anti-depression mechanism of Zuojin Pills based on the plasma constituents, network pharmacology, and experimental verification. UHPLC-TOF-MS was used for qualitative analysis of Zuojin Pills-containing serum. Targets of the plasma constituents and the disease were retrieved from PharmMapper and GeneCards. Then the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed and core targets were screened for GO term enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was employed construct the "compound-target-pathway" network and the targets and signaling pathways of Zuojin Pills against depression were predicted. CUMS-induced depression mouse model was established to verify the key targets. The results showed that a total of 21 constituents migrating to blood of Zuojin Pills were identified, which were mainly alkaloids. A total of 155 common targets of the constituents and the disease and 67 core targets were screened out. KEGG enrichment and PPI network analysis showed that Zuojin Pills may play a role in the treatment of depression through AMPK/SIRT1, NLRP3, insulin and other targets and pathways. Furthermore, the results of animal experiments showed that Zuojin Pills could significantly improve the depression behaviors of depression, reduce the levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in hippocampus and serum, activate AMPK/SIRT1 signaling, and reduce the protein expression of NLRP3. In conclusion, Zuojin Pills may play a role in the treatment of depression by activating AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway, and inhibiting NLRP3 activation and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of mice.

Comparison of alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS / 中国中药杂志

UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS was used to systematically analyze and compare the alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. After the samples were pretreated in the solid-phase extraction cartridges, 0.1% ammonium hydroxide(A)-acetonitrile(B) was used for gradient elution. The LC-MS method for characterization of alkaloids in the three herbal medicines was established in ESI positive ion mode to collect high resolution MS data of reference substances and samples. On the basis of the information of reference substance cracking behavior, retention time, accurate molecular mass, and related literature, a total of 155 alkaloids were identified in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Prae-parata. Specifically, 130, 127, and 92 alkaloids were identified in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, respectively. Monoester alkaloids and amino-alcohol alkaloids were dominant in the three herbal medicines, and the alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix and Aconiti Radix were similar. This paper can provide a reference for elucidating the pharmacological effects and clinical application differences of the three herbal medicines produced from plants of Aconitum.

Rapid identification of components in Wuzhuyu Decoction using UHPLC Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS~n and molecular network technology / 中国中药杂志

Wuzhuyu Decoction, the classical formula recorded in the Treatise on Febrile Diseases(Shang Han Lun), has been included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classic Prescriptions(the First Batch). Consisting of Euodiae Fructus, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, and Jujubae Fructus, it is effective in warming the middle, tonifying deficiency, dispelling cold, and descending adverse Qi, and is widely applied clinically with remarkable efficacies. For a classical formula, the chemical composition is the material basis and an important premise for quantity value transfer. This study aimed to establish a rapid identification method of chemical components in Wuzhuyu Decoction by high-resolution mass spectrometry(HR-MS) and molecular network. AQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was used for sample separation, and acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid in water was used as mobile phases for gradient elution. Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS data were collected in positive and negative ion modes, and GNPS molecular network was plotted according to the similarity of MS/MS fragmentation modes. Cytoscape 3.6.1 was used to screen molecular clusters with similar structures. Finally, the chemical components of Wuzhuyu Decoction were rapidly identified according to the controls, as well as the information of retention time, accurate relative molecular weight of HR-MS, and MS/MS multistage fragments. A total of 105 chemical components were identified in Wuzhuyu Decoction. This study can provide data for the follow-up quality control, standard substance research, and pharmacodynamic material research on Wuzhuyu Decoction, as well as references for the rapid qualitative analysis of the chemical components of Chinese medicine.

Effect of processing method on chemical constituents of Rehmanniae Radix: based on UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the chemical composition of Rehmanniae Radix braised with mild fire and compare the effect of processing method on the chemical composition of Rehmanniae Radix. To be specific, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with linear ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was used to screen the chemical constituents of Rehmanniae Radix. The chemical constituents were identified based on the relative molecular weight and fragment ions, literature information, and Human Metabolome Database(HMDB). The ion peak area ratio of each component before and after processing was used as the index for the variation. SIMCA was employed to establish principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) models of different processed products. According to the PCA plot, OPLS-DA plot, and VIP value, the differential components before and after the processing were screened out. The changes of the content of differential components with the processing method were analyzed. A total of 66 chemical components were identified: 57 of raw Rehmanniae Radix, 55 of steamed Rehmanniae Radix, 55 of wine-stewed Rehmanniae Radix, 51 of repeatedly steamed and sundried Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, 62 of traditional bran-braised Rehmanniae Radix, and 63 of electric pot-braised Rehmanniae Radix. Among them, the 9 flavonoids of braised Rehmanniae Radix were from Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium. PCA suggested significant differences in the chemical composition of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata prepared with different processing methods. OPLS-DA screened out 32 chemical components with VIP value >1 as the main differential components. Among the differential components, 9 were unique to braised Rehmanniae Radix(traditional bran-braised, electric pot-braised) and the degradation rate of the rest in braised(traditional bran-braised, electric pot-braised) or repeatedly steamed and sundried Rehmanniae Radix was higher than that in the steamed or wine-stewed products. The results indicated the chemical species and component content of Rehmanniae Radix changed significantly after the processing. The 32 components, such as rehmapicrogenin, martynoside, jionoside D, aeginetic acid, hesperidin, and naringin, were the most important compounds to distinguish different processed products of Rehmanniae Radix. The flavonoids introduced by Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium as excipient may be the important material basis for the effectiveness of braised Rehmanniae Radix compared with other processed products.

Neuroprotective effects of Longxue Tongluo Capsule on ischemic stroke rats revealed by LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics approach / 中草药·英文版

OBJECTIVE@#The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect and explore the underlying mechanisms of Longxue Tongluo Capsule (LTC) on ischemic stroke rats.@*METHODS@#Twenty-six rats were randomly divided into four groups, including sham group, sham + LTC group, MCAO group, and MCAO + LTC group. Ischemic stroke rats were simulated by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and LTC treatment group were orally administrated with 300 mg/kg of LTC once daily for seven consecutive days. LTC therapy was validated in terms of neurobehavioral abnormality evaluation, cerebral infarct area, and histological assessments. The plasma metabolome comparisons amongst different groups were conducted by UHPLC-Q Exactive MS in combination with subsequent multivariate statistical analysis, aiming to finding the molecules in respond to the surgery or LTC treatment.@*RESULTS@#Intragastric administration of LTC significantly decreased not only the neurobehavioral abnormality scores but also the cerebral infarct area of MCAO rats. The interstitial edema, atrophy, and pyknosis of glial and neuronal cells occurred in the infarcted area, core area, and marginal area of cerebral cortex were improved after LTC treatment. A total of 13 potential biomarkers were observed, and Youden index of 11 biomarkers such as LysoPC, SM, and PE were more than 0.7, which were involved in neuroprotective process. The correlation and pathway analysis showed that LTC was beneficial to ischemic stroke rats via regulating glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism, together with nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. Heatmap and ternary analysis indicated the synergistic effect of carbohydrates and lipids may be induced by flavonoid intake from LTC.@*CONCLUSION@#The present study could provide evidence that metabolomics, as systematic approach, revealed its capacity to evaluate the holistic efficacy of TCM, and investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the clinical treatment of LTC on ischemic stroke.

Comparative chemical characters of Pseudostellaria heterophylla from geographical origins of China / 中草药·英文版

OBJECTIVE@#Pseudostellaria heterophylla has been paid more attention in recent years, mainly as a medicine food homology plant. The content determination of P. heterophylla is not specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (version 2020). The environmental conditions in different production areas could exert an influence on the quality of P. heterophylla. The purpose of this study is to discriminate P. heterophylla collected from different geographical origins of China.@*METHODS@#In this study, the content of polysaccharide in 28 batches of P. heterophylla was determined using phenol-sulfuric acid. HPLC fingerprints were established under optimised HPLC-PDA methods. Subsequently, the similarity analysis (SA) and the quantification of heterophyllin B were analyzed. The metabolites of P. heterophylla were identified and evaluated using UHPLC-Q Exactive HF orbitrap MS system. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) were performed based on all peak areas.@*RESULTS@#The polysaccharide content in Guizhou and Jiangsu was higher than that of other production areas, which varied significant from different origins. While the content of heterophyllin B in Anhui and Jiangsu was high. The correlation coefficients of HPLC fingerprints for 28 batches samples ranged from 0.877 to 0.990, and the characteristic map can be used to identify and evaluate the quality of P. heterophylla. The samples from Fujian, Guizhou, Jiangsu provinces can be relatively separated using multivariate statistical analysis including PCA, PLS-DA, HCA, OPLS-DA, indicating that their metabolic compositions were significantly different. Ultimately, a total of 15 metabolites which were filtrated by a VIP-value > 1 and a P-value < 0.05 associated with the separation of different origins were identified.@*CONCLUSION@#HPLC fingerprint was established to evaluate the quality and authenticity of P. heterophylla. The present work showed that the difference of geographic distributions had an influence on the internal chemical compositions. A sensitive and rapid untargeted metabolomics approach by UHPLC-Q Exactive HF orbitrap MS was utilized to evaluate P. heterophylla from different origins in China for the first time. Overall, this study provides insights to metabolomics of P. heterophylla and supplies important reference values for the development of functional foods.

Qualitative and quantitative study of constituents in Lysionoti Herba based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap HRMS and HPLC-UV / 中国中药杂志

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Exactive Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap HRMS) was employed to systematically analyze the chemical constituents in Lysionoti Herba, and high perfor-mance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet(HPLC-UV) to determine the content of main compounds. A Synergi~(TM) Hydro-RP 100 Å colu-mn(2 mm×100 mm, 2.5 μm) was used for gradient elution with acetonitrile-0.1% aqueous formic acid as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min~(-1) and a column temperature of 40 ℃. MS and MS/MS were conducted with electrospray ionization(ESI) in both positive and negative modes. The chemical components in Lysionoti Herba were identified by comparison with the retention time and mass spectra of reference compounds and the relevant mass spectral data reported in MS databases and relevant literature. Furthermore, the content of five constituents(neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, forsythoside B, acteoside, and nevadensin) in different Lysiono-ti Herba samples was simultaneously determined by HPLC-UV at the wavelength of 330 nm. A total of 84 compounds were identified in Lysionoti Herba, including 27 flavonoids, 20 phenylethanoid glycosides, 5 amino acids, 18 organic acids, 1 alkaloid, 6 nucleosides, and 7 others. The content of neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, forsythoside B, acteoside, and nevadensin showed good linear relationship(r>0.999) with the peak area within certain concentration ranges, which were 3.22-102.90, 12.84-410.82, 31.63-1 012.01, 25.00-800.11, and 4.08-130.51 μg·mL~(-1), respectively. The instrument precision, method repeatability, and solution stability all met requirement, and the average recovery rate was 97.31%-100.2%, with RSD ranging from 0.95% to 2.4%. The content of the five components varied among different Lysionoti Herba samples collected from different regions of Guizhou, and the average content of forsythoside B was the highest. The established qualitative method can rapidly and efficiently identify the chemical components of Lysionoti Herba, and the developed HPLC-UV method can simultaneously determine the content of five components in a simple, ra-pid, and accurate manner, providing a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Lysionoti Herba.

Characterization and identification of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine Psoraleae Fructus based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS / 中国中药杂志

This study was designed to comprehensively characterize and identify the chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine Psoraleae Fructus by establishing an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method in combination with in-house library. The chromatographic separation conditions(stationary phase, column temperature, mobile phase, and elution gradient) and key MS monitoring parameters(capillary voltage, nozzle voltage, and fragmentor) were sequentially optimized via single-factor experiments. A BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was finally adopted, with the mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water(A) and acetonitrile(B) at the flow rate of 0.4 mL·min~(-1) and column temperature of 30 ℃. Auto MS/MS was utilized for data acquisition in both positive and negative ion modes. By comparison with reference compounds, analysis of the MS~2 fragments, in-house library retrieval and literature research, 83 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from Psoraleae Fructus, including 58 flavonoids, 11 coumarins, 4 terpenoid phenols, and 10 others. Sixteen of them were identified by comparison with reference compounds, and ten compounds may have not been reported from Psoraleae Fructus. This study achieved a rapid qualitative analysis on the chemical components in Psoraleae Fructus, which provided useful reference for elucidating its material basis and promoting the quality control.

Content determination of ten flavonoids and alkaloids in Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus, Gleditsiae Fructus Abnormalis, and Gleditsiae Spina / 中国中药杂志

To study the quality control of three traditional Chinese medicines derived from Gleditsia sinensis [Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus(GSF), Gleditsiae Fructus Abnormalis(GFA), and Gleditsiae Spina(GS)], this paper established a multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) approach based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-linear ion-trap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Trap-MS). Using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm), gradient elution was performed at 40 ℃ with water containing 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile as the mobile phase running at 0.3 mL·min~(-1), and the separation and content determination of ten chemical constituents(e.g., saikachinoside A, locustoside A, orientin, taxifolin, vitexin, isoquercitrin, luteolin, quercitrin, quercetin, and apigenin) in GSF, GFA, and GS were enabled within 31 min. The established method could quickly and efficiently determine the content of ten chemical constituents in GSF, GFA, and GS. All constituents showed good linearity(r>0.995), and the average recovery rate was 94.09%-110.9%. The results showed that, the content of two alkaloids in GSF(2.03-834.75 μg·g~(-1)) was higher than that in GFA(0.03-10.41 μg·g~(-1)) and GS(0.04-13.66 μg·g~(-1)), while the content of eight flavonoids in GS(0.54-2.38 mg·g~(-1)) was higher than that in GSF(0.08-0.29 mg·g~(-1)) and GFA(0.15-0.32 mg·g~(-1)). These results provide references for the quality control of G. sinensis-derived TCMs.

Component identification and analysis in vivo of Sanhan Huashi formula / 中国中药杂志

Sanhan Huashi formula(SHF) is the intermediate of a newly approved traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) Sanhan Huashi Granules for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. The chemical composition of SHF is complex since it contains 20 single herbal medicines. In this study, UHPLC-Orbitrap Exploris 240 was used to identify the chemical components in SHF and in rat plasma, lung and feces after oral administration of SHF, and heat map was plotted for characterizing the distribution of the chemical components. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18)(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) using 0.1% formic acid(A)-acetonitrile(B) as mobile phases in a gradient elution. Electrospray ionization(ESI) source was used to acquire data in positive and negative mode. By reference to quasi-molecular ions and MS/MS fragment ions and in combination with MS spectra of reference substances and compound information in literature reports, 80 components were identified in SHF, including 14 flavonoids, 13 coumarins, 5 lignans, 12 amino-compounds, 6 terpenes and 30 other compounds; 40 chemical components were identified in rat plasma, 27 in lung and 56 in feces. Component identification and characterization of SHF in vitro and in vivo lay foundations for disclosure of its pharmacodynamic substances and elucidation of the scientific connotation.

Analysis of chemical components of Changtong oral liquid by UHPLC-Orbitrap HRMS / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To identify the chemical components of Changtong oral liquid （CTOL），and to provide reference for the basic research and secondary development of its pharmacological substances. METHODS UHPLC-Orbitrap HRMS technique was adopted. CTOL sample was separated on a Hypersil Gold column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid （containing 5 mmol/L ammonium formate）-acetonitrile （gradient elution）. The eluent was detected in positive and negative ion modes using an electrospray ionization source. The data was processed by Xcalibur 4.3 and Compound Discoverer 3.3 software. The primary and secondary mass spectra data of each compound were collected. The unknown compounds were identified according to the mass spectrometry library of the instrument and the network databases mzCloud，mzVault，etc. Through matching with the pharmacology database and analysis platform of the traditional Chinese medicine system，the chemical components could be attributed to the traditional Chinese medicine. RESULTS Fifty-three chemical components were identified and analyzed from CTOL，such as 24 flavonoids，8 quinones，5 phenylpropanoids，4 sugars and glycosides，5 organic acids，3 amino acids，1 alkaloid，1 phenolic and 2 other compounds. Among them，12 components were derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza，9 from Citrus aurantium，7 from Rheum palmatum，4 from Angelica sinensis，1 from Magnolia officinalis，16 from Glycyrrhiza uralensis，and 4 from many kinds of medicinal materials. CONCLUSIONS CTOL mainly contains flavonoids，quinones and phenylpropanoid compounds，and its chemical components mainly come from G. uralensis，S. miltiorrhiza and C. aurantium.