Compounds identification and mechanism prediction of YuXueBi capsule in the treatment of arthritis by integrating UPLC/IM-QTOF-MS and network pharmacology

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that seriously affects the life quality of patients. As a patent medicine of Chinese traditional medicine, YuXueBi capsule (YXBC) is widely used for treating RA with significant effects. However, its active compounds and therapeutic mechanisms are not fully illuminated, encumbering the satisfactory clinical application. In this study, we developed a method for identifying the chemical compounds of YXBC and the absorbed compounds into blood of rats using ultra performance liquid chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/IM-QTOF-MS) combined with UNIFI analysis software. A total of 58 compounds in YXBC were unambiguously or tentatively identified, 16 compounds from which were found in serum of rats after administration of YXBC. By network pharmacology, these prototype compounds identified in serum were predicted to regulate 30 main pathways (including HIF-1 signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, IL-17 signaling pathway, and so on) through 146 targets, resulting in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, analgesia, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study provides a scientific basis for the clinical efficacy of YXBC in the treatment of RA.

Comprehensive characterization of the chemical constituents in Platycodon grandiflorum by an integrated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry strategy

Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), as a well-known medicine food homology species, possess various pharmacological effects and health benefits. Aiming to facilitate in-depth and global characterization of the chemical compositions of PG, a profiling method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/IM-QTOF-MS) was conducted. Consequently, as many as 187 compounds were plausibly or unambiguously identified. Most importantly, phospholipids (PLs) were first observed and identified in PG. Due to their widely confirmed bioactivities, an analysis scheme was developed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry combined with the online Paternò-Büchi reaction (HILIC-PB-MS/MS). The fatty acyl chains and C=C locations of 180 PLs molecular species, which fell into four classes, were unprecedently characterized. This exposure strategy of multi-type constituents greatly enriches the chemical profiling of PG, and helps promoting the further development of therapeutic agents and nutraceutical products from PG.