Discovery and research advances in quality markers of Chinese materia medica based on holistic characteristics / 中草药

ABSTRACT

The quality of Chinese material medica (CMM) is an important factor in the application, development, and inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is also the guarantee of the clinical efficacy of CMM. For a long time, the pharmacodynamics material basis of CMM with the characteristics of complexity and diversity, especially CMM formula composed of many kinds of Chinese materia medica, is still unclear. It limits the scientific formulation of quality standards and affects the process of internationalization of TCM. Quality markers are proposed based on the properties, manufacturing process, and compatibility theory of TCM, which are the indicators of quality evaluation of CMM and its formula. In recent years, the research and application of quality markers has developed rapidly, which provides a more scientific and clear direction for the formulation of quality standards. This paper reviews the discovery of quality markers based on the holistic research system of CMM formula, focusing on its pharmacological activity and related chemical substance basis, integrating the frontier technologies of system biology and network pharmacology, and introduces the relevant experience, methods, and research progress, with a view to discovering the correlation with clinical efficacy. The quality markers of CMM could provide abundant and useful methodological guidance.