Quantification of Chemical Groups and Quantitative HPLC Fingerprint of Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf.

(1)Objective: In this study, a quantitative analysis of chemical groups (the triterpenoids, water-soluble polysaccharides, and acidic polysaccharides) and quantitative high liquid performance chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint of Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (PC) for quality control was developed. (2) Methodology: First, three main chemical groups, including triterpenoids, water-soluble polysaccharides, and acidic polysaccharides, in 16 batches of PC were evaluated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Afterward, the quantitative fingerprint of PC was established, and the alcohol extract of PC was further evaluated. The method involves establishing 16 batches of PC fingerprints by HPLC, evaluating the similarity of different batches of PC, and identifying eight bioactive components, including poricoic acid B (PAB), dehydrotumulosic acid (DTA), poricoic acid A (PAA), polyporenic acid C (PAC), 3-epidehydrotumulosic acid (EA), dehydropachymic acid (DPA), dehydrotrametenolic acid (DTA-1), and dehydroeburicoic acid (DEA), in PC by comparison with the reference substance. Combined with the quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single marker (QAMS), six bioactive ingredients, including PAB, DTA, PAC, EA, DPA, and DEA, in PC from different places were established. In addition, the multivariate statistical analyses, such as principal component analysis and heatmap hierarchical clustering analysis are more intuitive, and the visual analysis strategy was used to evaluate the content of bioactive components in 16 batches of PC. Finally, the analysis strategy of three main chemical groups in PC was combined with the quantitative fingerprint strategy, which reduced the error caused by the single method. (3) Results: The establishment of a method for the quantification of chemical groups and quantitative HPLC fingerprint of PC was achieved as demonstrated through the quantification of six triterpenes in PC by a single marker. (4) Conclusions: Through qualitative and quantitative chemical characterization, a multi-directional, simple and efficient routine evaluation method of PC quality was established. The results reveal that this strategy can provide an analytical method for the quality evaluation of PC and other Chinese medicinal materials.

Depressor effect of closed-loop chip system in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We previously reported that a closed-loop chip system was designed to decrease arterial pressure in normal rabbits and rats. In the present study, the depressor effects of the chip system were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The arterial pressure was recorded, sampled, operated and processed in the chip system. The chip system instantaneously controlled arterial pressure by stimulating the left aortic depressor nerve according to the feedback signals of arterial pressure. The closed-loop chip system effectively decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in both SHR and WKY rats. It decreased the duration and the maximal MAP level of the pressor response evoked by either intravenous injection of phenylephrine or cutaneous nociceptive stimulation in SHR, but had no significant effect on the magnitude of the increase in MAP. Furthermore, the chip system significantly increased the baroreflex gain in SHR, but not in normal WKY rats. These results suggest that the closed-loop chip system effectively decreases the arterial pressure and increases baroreflex gain in SHR. The chip system does not abolish the arterial pressure responses to accidental pressor events, but decreases the duration and the maximal MAP level of the pressor responses.