Quality consistency evaluation of commercial Impatiens Caulis by integrating UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS chemical profiling and UPLC-DAD multi-components quantification approaches

Quality Consistency Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicines: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Quality consistency evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) is a crucial factor that determines the safe and effective application in clinical settings. However, TCMs exhibit diverse, heterogeneous, complex, and flexible chemical compositions, as well as variability in preparation processes. These characteristics pose greater challenges in researching the consistency of TCMs compared to chemically synthesized and biological drugs. Therefore, it is paramount to develop effective strategies for evaluating the quality consistency of TCMs. From the starting point of quality properties, this review explores the strategy used to evaluate quality consistency in terms of chemistry-based strategy (chemical consistency) and the biology-based strategy (bioequivalence). Among them, the chemistry-based strategy is the mainstream, and biology-based strategy complements the chemistry-based strategy each other. Furthermore, the emerging chemistry-biology strategies (overall evaluation) is discussed, including individually combining strategy and integration strategy. Finally, this review provides insights into the challenges and future perspectives in this field. By highlighting current status and trends in TCMs quality consistency, this review aims to contribute to establishment of generally applicable chemistry-biology integrated evaluation strategy for TCMs. This will facilitate the advancement toward a higher stage of overall quality evaluation.

A comprehensive quality evaluation strategy of Mailuoning oral liquid based on fingerprint, qualitative and quantitative analyses

In order to obtain comprehensive quality evaluation of one traditional Chinese patent medicine of Mailuoning oral liquid (MLN), one smart strategy combined by fingerprint, qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out in this study. Firstly, the fingerprints of MLN were established by HPLC-UV and HPLC-ELSD, and explained the similarity of twenty-seven batches of MLN by similarity analysis (SA). Secondly, qualitative analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). A total of 60 compounds were identified or tentatively identified based on chemical standards and fragmentation information. Finally, the quantitative method based on UPLC combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 40 target compounds. The results showed that MLN samples of different productive year were clearly discriminated and eight compounds (5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, neochlorogenic acid, loganic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, isoacteoside, angoroside C) were selected as differential markers for MLN. In a word, this strategy including fingerprint, identification of chemical composition and multiple-component quantification could be well applied to modern quality evaluation of MLN, which could be valuable for the further quality control of more other traditional Chinese patent medicines.

UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS assisted UPLC-TQ-MS/MS strategy to comparatively investigate the rat pharmacokinetics of N-acetyldopamine oligomers derived from Cicadae Periostracum

Cicadae Periostracum (CP), the slough molted from the nymph of Cryptotympana pustulata, is a widely used medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). N-acetyldopamine oligomers (NAOs), the homologues of acetyldopamine, including N-acetyldopamine dimers/trimers/tetramers/pentamers (NADs/NATrs/NATes/NAPs), side-chain isomer of dimers/trimers (SCIDs/SCITrs), are major bioactive ingredients of CP. However, owing to commercially unavailable reference substances of all NAOs, simultaneous quantification of these NAOs in biological samples is difficult, and thus their pharmacokinetics are still unknown. In this study, a comprehensive strategy for simultaneous quantification/semi-quantification of NAOs in plasma with single N-acetyldopamine dimer A (NAD-A) as reference substance was established and comparatively investigated their pharmacokinetics after oral administration of pure NAD-A and two types of CP extracts, i.e., post-molting-washed slough (CP-WAT) and pre-molting-washed slough (CP-WBT). A UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS assisted UPLC-TQ-MS/MS strategy was developed to quantify NAOs in rat plasma. NAOs in CP extract were qualitatively characterized by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, then the quasi-molecular ions and characteristic fragment ions of the identified NAOs by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS were transferred to UPLC-TQ-MS/MS as parent-daughter ion pairs for MRM mode quantification of the NAOs, and the method was validated with single NAD-A for quantifying NAD-A and semi-quantifying other NAOs in plasma. The established method was applied to compare the pharmacokinetics of NAOs after oral administration of NAD-A and the extracts of CP-WBT/CP-WAT respectively. Six quasi-molecular ions and characteristic fragment ion m/z 192.1 were characterized by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and transferred to be the parent-daughter ion pairs for UPLC-TQ-MS/MS analysis of six kinds of NAOs. For the pharmacokinetics, NAD-A showed double peaks absorption character when administered with single compound, but with higher relative bioavailability when administered with CP extracts with the similar dosage. Compared with CP-WAT, NAOs in CP-WBT reached the maximum plasma concentration in much shorter time.

Deciphering the mechanisms of Yinlan Tiaozhi capsule in treating hyperlipidemia by combining network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental verification

Yinlan Tiaozhi capsule (YLTZC) has been widely used to treat hyperlipidemia (HLP). However, its material basis and underlying pharmacological effects remain unclean. The current study aimed to explore the mechanisms involved in the treatment of YLTZC on HLP based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification. Firstly, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to comprehensively analyze and identify the chemical constituents in YLTZC. A total of 66 compounds, mainly including flavonoids, saponins, coumarins, lactones, organic acids, and limonin were characterized and classified. Simultaneously, the mass fragmentation pattern of different types of representative compounds was further explored. By network pharmacology analysis, naringenin and ferulic acid may be the core constituents. The 52 potential targets of YLTZC, including ALB, IL-6, TNF, and VEGFA, were considered potential therapeutic targets. Molecular docking results showed that the core active constituents of YLTZC (naringenin and ferulic acid) have a strong affinity with the core targets of HLP. Lastly, animal experiments confirmed that naringenin and ferulic acid significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of ALB and downregulated the mRNA expression of IL-6, TNF, and VEGFA. In sum, the constituents of YLTZC, such as naringenin and ferulic acid, might treat HLP by regulating the mechanism of angiogenesis and inhibiting inflammatory responses. Furthermore, our data fills the gap in the material basis of YLTZC.

Impatiens balsamina: An updated review on the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Impatiens balsamina is an annual herb of the Balsaminaceae family, which is cultivated extensively in Asia as an ornamental plant. Notably, as a folk medicine, I. balsamina has been long prescribed for the treatment of rheumatism, isthmus, generalized pain, fractures, inflammation of the nails, scurvy, carbuncles, dysentery, bruises, foot diseases, etc. AIM OF THE STUDY: The paper overviews comprehensive information on ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and toxicity of I. balsamina, aiming at laying a sturdy foundation for further development of I. balsamina.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research information was acquired through electronic databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and CNKI with the keyword "Impatiens balsamina ".

RESULTS

Briefly, more than 307 natural compounds have been separated and identified from various medicinal parts of I. balsamina, which are classified into diverse groups, like flavonoids, naphthoquinones, coumarins, terpenoids, sterols, phenols, fatty acids and their ester, naphthalene derivatives, nitrogen-containing compounds, polysaccharides, and other compounds. In particular, 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, one of the naphthoquinones, is the predominant and most representative component. Moreover, I. balsamina furnishes numerous and complicated pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial, antiallergic, antipruritic, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-hepatic fibrosis, insecticidal, and anthelmintic as well as enzyme-inhibiting activities, etc. Toxicological studies have shown that the hexane extract of the stems and leaves was less toxic, and the hydroalcoholic extract of stems was more toxic.

CONCLUSIONS

The paper contributes to updating the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and toxicity of I. balsamina, which offer abundant information for future investigations and applications of I. balsamina.

Integrating serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to identify chemical markers for quality control of Apocyni Veneti Folium

INTRODUCTION

Apocyni Veneti Folium (AVF) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb for the treatment of hypertension. Chemical markers are crucial for the quality control of herbal medicines; however, the therapeutic components of AVF remain to be well elucidated.

OBJECTIVES

This study was intended to integrate serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to identify chemical markers of AVF and establish an efficacy-related quality control method of AVF.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) was applied to identify the absorbed AVF constituents in rat serum. Network pharmacology was further used to identify anti-hypertension-related chemical markers. Subsequently, a quantitative method was established using UPLC with diode array detection (DAD) and applied for quality evaluation of commercial AVF samples.

RESULTS

Thirteen prototype constituents were unequivocally or tentatively characterized in serum samples, among which quercetin, kaempferol, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and neochlorogenic acid were identified as dominant chemicals related to anti-hypertensive efficacy. The quantitative data showed that the total contents of seven marker components even showed 2-fold variation among 14 batches of commercial AVF samples with RSD values ranging from 12.15% to 75.61%. Hierarchical cluster analysis and heatmap analysis showed that 14 batches of commercial AVF samples could be divided into three main groups.

CONCLUSION

The chemical markers obtained from this study could be applicable for efficacy-related quality control of AVF.

Effects of sulfur-fumigated ginseng on the global quality of Si-Jun-Zi decoction, a traditional ginseng-containing multi-herb prescription, evaluated by metabolomics and glycomics strategies

Si-Jun-Zi decoction (SJZD) with ginseng as the principal medicinal herb is a traditional Chinese Medicine multi-herb prescription that commonly employed to treat colorectal cancer etc. Previous studies showed that nearly half of the commercial ginseng was sulfur-fumigated, one of the postharvest processing methods that commonly causes sulfur-dioxide (SO₂) residue and chemical composition transformation in medical herbs. In this study, the effect of sulfur-fumigated ginseng on global quality of SJZD was evaluated by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based metabolomics and multiple chromatographic techniques based glycomics strategies. For non-saccharides components, sulfur-fumigated ginseng led to the emergence of sulfur-containing derivatives and alteration of saponins and flavonoids in SJZD. For saccharide components, sulfur-fumigated ginseng decreased the total contents and molecular weights of polysaccharides, changed the monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides, and increased the contents of oligosaccharides and free monosaccharides of SJZD. The alterations of SJZD were aggravated with the sulfur-fumigated content of ginseng. Those phenomena might be attributed to 1) sulfur-fumigation caused the generation of sulfur-containing derivatives in ginseng, which further transferred to SJZD, and 2) sulfur-fumigation caused the residue of SO₂ in ginseng, which reduced the pH value and further changed the dissolution of saponins and flavonoids and accelerated the degradation of the polysaccharides to oligosaccharides and/or monosaccharides in SJZD. Furthermore, although storage reduced the SO₂ residue in sulfur-fumigated ginseng, it couldn't recover the alterations of chemical profiles in SJZD. In conclusion, sulfur-fumigated ginseng altered the global quality of SJZD, which promoted that extra attention must be paid during the application of herbal formulas that containing sulfur-fumigated herbs.