Quantitative Analysis of Twelve Active Components Combined With Chromatographic Fingerprint for Comprehensive Evaluation of Qinma Prescription by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled With Diode Array Detection

Baicalin-Current Trends in Detection Methods and Health-Promoting Properties

Baicalin (7-D-glucuronic acid-5,6-dihydroxyflavone) belongs to natural flavonoids extracted from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis, the plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been proven that baicalin has various pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, and anti-apoptotic ones. However, it is essential not only to determine the medical usefulness of baicalin, but also to find and develop the most effective methods for its extraction and detection. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize the current methods of detection and identification of baicalin and to present the medical applications of baicalin and the underlying mechanisms of its action. Based on the review of the latest literature, it can be concluded that liquid chromatography alone or together with mass spectrometry is the most commonly used method for the determination of baicalin. Recently, also new electrochemical methods have been established, e.g., biosensors with fluorescence, which have better detection limits, sensitivity, and selectivity.

Spectrum-effect relationship between ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints and antioxidant activities of Lophatherum gracile Brongn

Lophatherum gracile Brongn. is a medicinal and edible plant resource as well as a natural additive in the functional food market. To better understand its characteristics and efficacy, a method combining chromatographic fingerprints and antioxidant activity was proposed. A total of 21 common peaks were confirmed from liquid chromatography fingerprints and were identified as 14 flavonoids and 7 phenolic acids by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (Q-Orbitrap/MS). Their antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH), 2,2'-diazide-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. The results showed that all of the test samples had moderate to high antioxidant effects, with IC50 values ranging from 5.2 to 16.1 mg/ml and 1.2 to 2.8 mg/ml for DPPH and ABTS assays, and the FeSO4 concentrations of 1.84-4.20 mmol/L for the FRAP assay. The spectrum-effect relationship between UHPLC fingerprints and antioxidant activity was investigated through Pearson correlation analysis and Grey relational analysis (GRA) to identify the antioxidant constitutes in Lophatherum gracile Brongn. The results showed that 11 compounds were greatly associated with the antioxidant activity with a correlation degree >0.80, which can be used as the quality marker of Lophatherum gracile Brongn.

Screening of blood-activating active components from Curcuma wenyujin Y.H. Chen et C. Ling rhizome based on spectrum-effect relationship analysis and network pharmacology

Curcuma wenyujin Y.H. Chen et C. Ling rhizome (also called EZhu in China) has long been used as plant medicine for its traditional effect on promoting blood circulation and remove blood stasis. However, the active components of EZhu are still unclear at present. This research is managed to investigate the pharmacodynamics material basis on removing blood stasis of EZhu by exploring the spectrum-effect relationship between UPLC-Q/TOF-MS fingerprints and pharmacologic actions. Hemorheology and related functional parameters were detected to evaluate the pharmacologic actions of EZhu. Relative content Changes of components in rat plasma were detected by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. A compound-target-pathway network was built to predict the pharmacological activity of components in plasma. Then, bivariate correlation analysis (BCA) was used to explore the correlation degree between components in plasma and pharmacologic actions of EZhu. In UPLC-Q/TOF-MS fingerprints of rat plasma, 10 prototype components were identified. BCA results show that 8 components were concerned with the pharmacological activity for treating blood stasis syndrome (BSS) in varying degrees (R > 0.5, P < 0.05). Among them, zedoarofuran and curzerenone have shown correlation with more pharmacological indicators. The network predicted that 80 targets were closely related to 10 components, in which 48 targets were connected with 159 metabolic pathways including arachidonic acid metabolism, sphingolipid signaling pathway, and linoleic acid metabolism. Overall, this study provided a scientific basis for TCM quality control to ensure its safety and efficacy.