Analysis of chemical components in herbal formula Qi Bai Granule by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS

Rapid identification and determination of chemical components of huai yam based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS and fragmentation patterns

Huai Yam (Dioscoreae Rhizoma) contains many active ingredients such as flavonoids, saponins, and amino acids. In this study, an efficient method for the classification and rapid identification of yam components was established based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS and data post-processing techniques. First, the mass spectrometry information including the characteristic fragmentations (CFs) and neutral losses (NLs) of yam reported in the literature were summarised and a database of compounds was established. Then, the mass spectrometry data detected by the yam sample are compared with those described in database for rapid identification of target compounds. Finally, 60 compounds were identified, including 18 flavones, 2 saponins, 10 amino acids, 7 organic acids, 3 carbohydrates, 8 fatty acids and 12 others. A new strategy for identifying target constituents based on CFs and NLs was successfully established, laying the foundation for further research on yam and promoting the development of composition analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Multiple prescription pattern recognition model based on Siamese network

Prescription data is an important focus and breakthrough in the study of clinical treatment rules, and the complex multidimensional relationships between Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription data increase the difficulty of extracting knowledge from clinical data. This paper proposes a complex prescription recognition algorithm (MTCMC) based on the classification and matching of TCM prescriptions with classical prescriptions to identify the classical prescriptions contained in the prescriptions and provide a reference for mining TCM knowledge. The MTCMC algorithm first calculates the importance level of each drug in the complex prescriptions and determines the core prescription combinations of patients through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) combined with drug dosage. Secondly, a drug attribute tagging strategy was used to quantify the functional features of each drug in the core prescriptions; finally, a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Network (BiLSTM) was used to extract the relational features of the core prescriptions, and a vector representation similarity matrix was constructed in combination with the Siamese network framework to calculate the similarity between the core prescriptions and the classical prescriptions. The experimental results show that the accuracy and F1 score of the prescription matching dataset constructed based on this paper reach 94.45% and 94.34% respectively, which is a significant improvement compared with the models of existing methods.

Rapid and comprehensive identification of chemical constituents in Mai-Luo-Shu-Tong pill by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS combined with a data mining strategy

Mai-Luo-Shu-Tong pill is an effective traditional Chinese medicine formula for the treatment of superficial thrombophlebitis, but it was insufficiently chemically scrutinized. In this study, the mass spectral data of Mai-Luo-Shu-Tong pill were acquired by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry. Then, a data mining strategy combining multiple data processing methods was used to identify chemical constituents in Mai-Luo-Shu-Tong pill by constructing a database of precursor ions and summarizing the mass spectral fragmentation behaviors. As a result, a total of 211 compounds including 70 flavonoids, 56 terpenoids, 37 phenolic acids and 48 others were identified in positive and negative ion modes. Among them, 66 compounds have passed comparison verification with reference standards, 145 compounds were identified based on the data mining strategy combining the characteristic cleavage behaviour of homologous compounds and fragment ions and 4 compounds were potentially new compounds. This study provides a database for quality evaluation and further study of Mai-Luo-Shu-Tong pill in vivo. Moreover, it provides a reference for the characterization of the chemical constituents of other traditional Chinese medicine formulae.

A complementary chromatographic strategy for integrated components characterization of Imperatae Rhizoma based on convergence and liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry and molecular network

The complexity of natural ingredients and the diversity of preparations are the major obstacles to the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). A more comprehensive characterization of herbal compounds using different types of chromatographic separation techniques and covering a diverse polarity range can help evaluate the quality of TCMs. In this study, we first proposed a comprehensive method for characterizing compounds derived from Imperatae Rhizoma by combining the complementary strengths of UPCC-QTOF-MS (ultra-performance convergence chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry) with UPLC-QTOF-MS (ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry). The method based on the UNIFI scientific platform significantly shortened the analysis time and enabled a more comprehensive characterization of known and unreported compounds. Meanwhile, a feature-based molecular network (FBMN) was established on the Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) to infer potential compounds by rapidly classifying and visualizing these components. A total of 62 compounds in Imperatae Rhizoma were jointly characterizedand classified into six types. In comparison, the UPCC-QTOF-MS technology individually characterized 17 components, including lactones, phenols, aldehydes, phenylpropanoids, and small polar organic acids. The UPLC-QTOF-MS technology characterized 16 compounds mainly phenylpropionic acids, flavonoid glycosides, and chromone glycosides. Furthermore, three types of characteristic compounds could be well aggregated into an FBMN approach. Five possible potential new compounds were detected through the supplementary identification of GNPS and the correlation analysis of vicinal known compounds. The strategy was first applied to Imperatae Rhizoma and facilitated the characterization of a large quantity of data to provide comprehensive chemical composition results. This approach can be easily extended to the study of the material basis of other herbs or preparations in order to improve the accuracy of herb quality evaluation.

Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals the Cellular and Genetic Heterogeneity of Skin Scar to Verify the Therapeutic Effects and Mechanism of Action of Dispel-Scar Ointment in Hypertrophic Scar Inhibition

Hypertrophic scarring (HS), caused by excessive fibrosis of injured skin, imposes a psychological burden and creates a source of distress that impairs the quality of life of affected individuals. However, the gold standard for HS treatment has not yet been determined due to the complicated and difficult nature of the routines and procedures involved. Previous studies have indicated that the topical application of certain active components found in traditional Chinese medicines shows potential as a therapeutic alternative for scars. Here, single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed to determine cellular heterogeneity and identify marker genes and mechanisms associated with HS. It was found that fibroblasts comprise the largest proportion of HS cell types. The marker genes that were highly expressed in fibroblasts were extracellular matrix (ECM)-related, whereas ECM-receptor interactions and the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling pathway were also found to be active. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which was applied to identify the molecular compounds of Dispel-Scar Ointment (DSO), revealed 74 effective chemical components belonging to 14 types of constituents, such as flavonoids, tanshinones, salvianolic acids, glycosides, and phthalides. Furthermore, in vivo studies using rat scar models showed that the topical application of Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ligusticum chuanxiong, peach kernel, safflower, and motherwort exerted beneficial effects on fibroblasts. DSO promoted scar maturation and reduced scar areas, its efficacy being similar to that of topically applied silicone. Functional studies using immunofluorescence staining, western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that DSO may target the TGF-β/Smad pathway to inhibit collagen synthesis and promote ECM remodelling. However, further in vitro mechanistic research and single-drug prescription studies may be required to identify the specific effective compound or active ingredient of DSO, which would provide more substantial evidence regarding the potential therapeutic value of traditional herbs in HS.

Chemical profiling of Qingfei Paidu Decoction by triplex off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Qingfei Paidu Decoction is a Chinese medicine formula which has been proved effective in the treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019. However, the comprehensive separation and characterization of Qingfei Paidu Decoction is of great challenge due to the diversity of chemical components in a wide range of polarity. In this study, a triplex off-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) is developed for the analysis of Qingfei Paidu Decoction. One reversed phase LC×hydrophilic interaction LC system and two reversed phase LC×reversed phase LC systems were constructed to separate polar components and weak-polar components in Qingfei Paidu Decoction, respectively. Benefiting from the good orthogonality of two-dimensional LC and high sensitivity of quadrupole time-of-flight MS, chemical components with different polarities and content were discovered. A total of 749 peaks were detected in positive and negative ionization mode, and presented as a four-dimensional data plot. Meanwhile, 498 compounds belonging to 14 categories were tentatively identified. These results provide good supplementary to elucidate the material basis of Qingfei Paidu Decoction. The triplex off-line two-dimensional LC-quadrupole time-of-flight MS strategy can be a powerful and efficient tool for the separation and characterization of chemical substances in traditional Chinese medicine formulas. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of Chemical Constituents in HuaTanJiangQi Capsules by UPLC-QTOF-MS Method

BACKGROUND

HuaTanJiangQi (HTJQ) is a classical Chinese medicine compound preparation, mainly used for clinically treating and improving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a rapid and efficient analytical method for the identification and characterization of chemical constituents in HTJQ based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS).

METHOD

UPLC-QTOF-MS was used to rapidly separate and identify the chemical constituents of HTJQ via a gradient elution system. The accurate mass data of the protonated and deprotonated molecules and fragment ions were detected in positive and negative ion modes. Compounds of HTJQ can be identified and assigned by analyzing accurate mass measurements and ion fragmentation mechanisms and comparing them with a chemical compositions database.

RESULTS

A total of 61 compounds in HTJQ were separated and identified, including 14 flavonoids, 16 organic acids, four isothiocyanic acids, eight butyl phthalides, two alkaloids, 10 terpenoids, four methoxyphenols and furanocoumarins, and three other compounds. The chemical compounds of HTJQ were identified and elucidated comprehensively for the first time.

CONCLUSIONS

A rapid, accurate, and efficient UPLC-QTOF-MS method has been developed for the identification of chemical components and applied to simultaneously evaluate the quality and effectiveness of HTJQ.

HIGHLIGHTS

Systematic identification of chemical constituents in HTJQ can provide a scientific and reasonable basis for the application of HTJQ in the clinical treatment of COPD.

A strategy to discover selective α-glucosidase/acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from five function-similar citrus herbs through LC-Q-TOF-MS, bioassay and virtual screening

The lack of direct connection between traditional herbal medicines and multiple biological targets is a bottleneck in herbal research and quality evaluation. To solve this problem, a strategy for the discovery of active ingredients from function-similar herbal medicines based on multiple biological targets was proposed in this article. The technical route includes chromatographic separation, mass spectrometry analysis, enzymatic activity detection, pharmacophore analysis and molecular docking. Five citrus herbs of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), Citri Exocarpium Rubrum (CER), Citri Grandis Exocarpium (CGE), Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI) and Aurantii Fructus (AF) were used as the research objects. A total of 136 chemical components were identified from above five herbs based on LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and database matching. The extracts of the five herbs showed obvious inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase in a concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, the different types of components in the herbs exhibited selectivity for different targets: flavanone glycosides are effective on α-glucosidase but ineffective on acetylcholinesterase; polymethoxyflavonoids are effective on acetylcholinesterase but ineffective on α-glucosidase. Furthermore, we found for the first time that the components in citrus herbs exhibit opposite structure-activity relationships on the above two targets. For example, the methoxy group can enhance the activity of compounds on acetylcholinesterase but weaken the activity of compounds on α-glucosidase. The selective action is a supplement to the "multi-components, multi-targets" system of herbal medicines. Pharmacophore analysis and molecular docking were applied to explore the interaction between active ingredients and biological targets from the perspective of ligands and receptors, respectively. By combining the above multiple technologies, a strong connection among herbal medicines, chemical components and multiple biological targets was established. This work not only helps to understand the similar function of citrus herbs for the treatment of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, but also provides selective lead compounds for the development of related drugs. This strategy is also helpful to improve the quality evaluation of citrus herbs from the perspective of biological activity.

Chemical profile and potential mechanisms of Huo-Tan-Chu-Shi decoction in the treatment of coronary heart disease by UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS in combination with network pharmacology analysis and experimental verification

Huo-Tan-Chu-Shi Decoction (HTCSD), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription within Guangdong Provincial TCM Hospital (the largest TCM hospital in China), is used for effective clinical treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) caused by phlegm-dampness syndrome with high incidence in the hot and humid climate of Lingnan region. However, its chemical components responsible for the therapeutic effects remain unclear, which restricts its application and further development. Hence, a detailed workflow, combing with UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS, network pharmacology analysis and experimental verification, was proposed and applied to characterize the chemical profile and potential mechanism of HTCSD against CHD. As a result, a total of 130 components from all six composed herbal medicines were characterized in a rapid and sensitive manner through UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS, of which 33 compounds were unambiguously confirmed with reference standards. Consequently, based on the integrated pharmacology network of "herbs-chemicals-targets-pathways-therapeutic effects", four chemicals (magnoflorine, menisperine, 13-hydroxyberberine, luteolin) with four CHD related targets (SRC, MAPK1, EGFR and AKT1) were considered as the key components and targets of HTCSD in the treatment of CHD. Furthermore, the effect of HTCSD was confirmed in animal experiments by enhancing the phosphorylation of MAPK, and the published literature and molecular binding results suggested that magnoflorine and luteolin tended to be the critical compounds involved in the process. Taken together, the characterization of chemical profile combined with network pharmacology analysis and experimental verification not only provided an efficient insight into the overall chemical profile of HTCSD but also revealed the potential pharmacological components and mechanisms of HTCSD against CHD, which laid a necessary chemical and biological basis for the discovery of in vivo bioactive components and the further revelation of functionary mechanism.

The rapid identification of chemical constituents in Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule, a modern Chinese medicine, by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and data mining strategy

Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule is an effective Chinese medicine widely used for the treatment of cold and influenza. However, its chemical constituents had not been determined, which entailed a huge obstacle to further pharmacological studies, clinical-safe medication administration, and quality evaluation. To identify the chemical constituents in Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule, an efficient and systematic approach using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with a data mining strategy was adopted in this study. As a result, 145 compounds were qualitatively identified, including 26 phenolic acids, 46 flavonoids, 39 triterpenes, and 34 other compounds, among which 6 were potentially new and 144 were being reported from Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule for the first time. This research not only provides useful information for quality control of Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule and its involved single herbs but also serve as basis data for further study of Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule in vivo. Moreover, it provides a reference for the characterization of the chemical constituents of other Chinese medicine preparations.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents in Spatholobi Caulis by UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS and UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS

There have been few comprehensive studies on the holistic chemical composition of Spatholobi Caulis (SC) and consequently, the information is lacking for the in-depth study of the major constituents. SC is a kind of widely used traditional Chinese medicine with its xylem and phloem alternately arranged in 3-10 rings, but the relationship of phloem ring number and the quality remains unclear. In this study, the characterization of the major constituents in SC was analyzed by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS), and the content of 19 flavonoids in SC with different phloem ring numbers was simultaneously determined by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the quality of SC with different phloem ring numbers according to the content of 19 flavonoids. Results showed that 50 constituents in SC were identified and the fragmentation pathways of different types of compounds were preliminarily deduced by the fragmentation behavior of the 50 constituents. In addition, the content of flavonoids increased with phloem ring number, which demonstrated that the content of flavonoids in SC was positively correlated with the number of phloem rings. Our research will contribute to the variety identification and quality evaluation of SC, and provide a scientific basis for evaluating the quality of medicinal materials based on its appearance and characteristics.

Phytochemical Analysis, Anti-inflammatory, and Antioxidant Activities of Dendropanax dentiger Roots

Dendropanax dentiger root is a traditional medicinal plant in China and used to treat inflammatory diseases for centuries, but its phytochemical profiling and biological functions are still unknown. Thus, a rapid, efficient, and precise method based on ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was applied to rapidly analyse the phytochemical profiling of D. dentiger with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in vitro. As a result, a total of 78 chemical compositions, including 15 phenylpropanoids, 15 alkaloids, 14 flavonoids, 14 fatty acids, 7 phenols, 4 steroids, 4 cyclic peptides, 3 terpenoids, and 2 others, were identified or tentatively characterized in the roots of D. dentiger. Moreover, alkaloid and cyclic peptide were reported from D. dentiger for the first time. In addition, the ethanol crude extract of D. dentiger roots exhibited remarkable anti-inflammatory activity against cyclooxygenase- (COX-) 2 inhibitory and antioxidant activities in vitro. This study is the first to explore the phytochemical analysis and COX-2 inhibitory activity of D. dentiger. This study can provide important phytochemical profiles and biological functions for the application of D. dentiger roots as a new source of natural COX-2 inhibitors and antioxidants in pharmaceutical industry.

An Integrated Approach Exploring the Synergistic Mechanism of Herbal Pairs in a Botanical Dietary Supplement: A Case Study of a Liver Protection Health Food

Herbal pairs are used as a bridge between single herb and polyherbal formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide rationale for complicated TCM formulas. The effectiveness and rationality of TCM herbal pairs have been widely applied as a strategy for dietary supplements. However, due to the complexity of the phytochemistry of individual and combinations of herbal materials, it is difficult to reveal their effective and synergistic mechanisms from a molecular or systematic point of view. In order to address this question, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis and System Pharmacology tools were applied to explore the mechanism of action, using a White Peony (Paeoniae Radix Alba) and Licorice (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-based dietary supplement. A total of sixteen chemical constituents of White Peony and Licorice were isolated and identified, which interact with 73 liver protection-related targets. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were then performed along with network analysis. Results showed that the synergistic mechanism of the White Peony and Licorice herbal pair was associated with their coregulation of bile secretion and ABC transporter pathways. In addition, Licorice exhibits a specific response to drug and xenobiotic metabolism pathways, whereas White Peony responds to Toll-like receptor signaling, C-type lectin receptor signaling, IL-17 signaling, and TNF signaling pathways, resulting in the prevention of hepatocyte apoptosis and the reduction of immune and inflammation-mediated liver damage. These findings suggest that a White Peony and Licorice herbal pair supplement would have a liver-protecting benefit through complimentary and synergistic mechanisms. This approach provides a new path to explore herbal compatibility in dietary supplements derived from TCM theory.

Rapid Analysis of the Chemical Compositions in Semiliquidambar cathayensis Roots by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Semiliquidambar cathayensis Chang was a traditional medicinal plant and used to treat rheumatism arthritis and rheumatic arthritis for centuries in China with no scientific validation, while only 15 components were reported. Thus, a rapid, efficient, and precise method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was applied in both positive- and negative-ion modes to rapidly analysis the main chemical compositions in S. cathayensis for the first time. Finally, a total of 85 chemical compositions, including 35 alkaloids, 12 flavonoids, 7 terpenoids, 5 phenylpropanoids, 9 fatty acids, 7 cyclic peptides, and 10 others were identified or tentatively characterized in the roots of S. cathayensis based on the accurate mass within 5 ppm error. Moreover, alkaloid, flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, and cyclic peptide were reported from S. cathayensis for the first time. This rapid and sensitive method was highly useful to comprehend the chemical compositions and will provide scientific basis for further study on the material basis, mechanism and clinical application of S. cathayensis roots.