HPLC Fingerprint with Multi-components Analysis for Quality Consistency Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Si-Mo-Tang Oral Liquid Preparation

Si-Mo-Tang(SMT) oral liquid preparation, a traditional Chinese medicine, was prepared from four crude herbal drugs, Fructus Aurantii Submaturus, Radix Aucklandiae, Semen Arecae and Radix Linderae Aggregatae. A combinative method using HPLC fingerprint and quantitative analysis was developed and validated for quality consistency evaluation of SMT. Individual HPLC chromatograms were evaluated against the mean chromatogram generated via a similarity evaluation computer program. Data from chromatographic fingerprints were also processed with principal component analysis(PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA). Additionally, six components (naringin, isonaringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, norisoboldine and potassium sorbate) in SMT were simultaneously determined to interpret the quality consistency. For fingerprint analysis, 20 peaks were selected as the characteristic peaks to evaluate the similarities of 26 SMT collected from different manufacturers. Among the 20 characteristic peaks, 10 peaks were assigned to be naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, isonaringin, neoeriocitrin, tangeretin, nobiletin, norisoboldine, 5-(ethoxymethyl)furan-2-carbaldehyde and potassium sorbate, respectively. The results of similarity analysis, PCA and HCA, indicate that the samples from different manufacturers were consistent with each other in composition. The results from the quantitative data show that the contents of six compounds were significantly different in SMT oral liquid preparations from different manufacturers. The combinative method of chromatographic fingerprint with quantitative analysis developed here offered an efficient way for the quality consistency evaluation of the traditional Chinese medicine SMT.     

Quantitative fingerprinting based on the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method for an overall quality consistency assessment and antioxidant activity determination of Lianqiao Baidu pills using HPLC with a diode array detector combined with chemometric methods

Lianqiao Baidu pills are widely used herbal medicinal preparation that were analyzed to develop a quality consistency technique. The characteristic fingerprints of 28 batches of Lianqiao Baidu pill samples were established at five wavelengths and simultaneously assessed by using a limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method using 15 marker compounds. The principal component analysis and fingerprinting results were compared, and the qualitative classification of the samples by principal component analysis agreed with their quantitative evaluation by the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of the samples were surveyed and determined using a 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical‐scavenging approach. A relationship between the common peaks in the fingerprints and the antioxidant activities was established using a partial least squares model. The relationship can be used both to determine the antioxidant activities of the Lianqiao Baidu pill preparations in vitro and as a reference for the selection of active constituents for sample quality classification. The classification results for the samples based on principal component analysis agreed with the quantitative evaluation by the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method, which demonstrated that the method can be applied to the holistic quality control of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations.     

Quantitative analysis combined with chromatographic fingerprint and antioxidant activities for the comprehensive evaluation of Compound Danshen Tablets

The composition of traditional Chinese medicine is extremely complex, so it is difficult to ensure quality consistency. We took Compound Danshen Tablets as the object of the study, by using high‐performance liquid chromatography to establish multiwavelength fusion fingerprints. Characteristic fingerprints of 30 batches of samples were generated at four wavelengths and evaluated by systematic quantified fingerprint method. An on‐line antioxidant determination method was used for the determination of the antioxidant components in Compound Danshen Tablets. The fingerprint analysis of the marker compounds can reflect the content of the marker compounds, which were determined by using the external standard method. This study elucidated that multiwavelength fusion fingerprint profiles and multiple markers compound analysis in conjunction with the assay of antioxidant activity offered a reliable and efficient approach to quantitatively evaluate the quality consistency of the traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations.     

Capillary electrophoresis fingerprinting coupled with chemometrics to evaluate the quality consistency and predict the antioxidant activity of Sanhuang tablet as part of its quality control

A capillary electrophoresis fingerprint was constructed for Sanhuang tablet, a Chinese traditional patent medicine, that was commonly used in clinical practice, where the isosceles trapezoid method was first applied for the optimization of background electrolyte solution, and the resolution index was performed to assess the experimental conditions; furthermore, a novel linear quantitative fingerprint method was established for accurate qualitative and quantitative discrimination of the test samples from diverse commercial brands. The fingerprint analysis coupled with quantitative determination of two components was employed to elucidate that the quality consistency of the products was relatively good within one manufactory, but poor among different companies for the 30 batches of samples. In addition, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship between chemical components and antioxidant activity in vitro was investigated using partial least squares analysis, and the calibration and prediction of the antioxidant activity of the selected samples via fingerprint data were presented with the desired results. This work illustrates that the proposed fingerprint analysis based on linear quantitative fingerprint method can be applied for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations as part of their quality control, and the constructed mathematical model is particularly suitable for depicting the fingerprint–efficacy relationship.     

Development of a novel method combining HPLC fingerprint and multi-ingredients quantitative analysis for quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine preparation

A novel method combining high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint and simultanous quantitative analysis of multiple acitve components was developed and validated for quality evaluation of one type of traditional Chinese medicine preparations: Shuang-huang-lian (SHL) oral liquid formulation. For fingerprint analysis, 45 peaks were selected as the common peaks to evaluate the similarities among several different SHL oral liquid preparations collected from manufacturers. Additionally, simultanous quantification of eleven markers, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, forsythiaside, scutellarin, baicalin, forsythin, luteoloside, apigenin, baicalein and wogonin, was performed. Statistical analysis of the obtained data demonstrated that our method has achieved desired linearity, precision and accuracy. Finally, concentrations of these eleven markers in SHL oral liquid prepared by different manufacturers in China were determined. These results demonstrated that the combination of HPLC chromatographic fingerprint and simultaneous quantification of multi-ingredients offers an efficient and reliable approach for quality evaluation of SHL oral liquid preparations.     

多囊卵巢综合征相关雄性激素的液相色谱-串联质谱检测

建立了液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)检测血清中硫酸脱氢表雄酮(DHEAS)、雄烯二酮(A4)、睾酮(T)、17-羟基孕酮(17-OHP)、双氢睾酮(DHT)5种激素的分析方法。血清样本经蛋白沉淀后,采用固相萃取,经Agela Venusil MP C18色谱柱(3.0 mm×50 mm,3μm)分离,以含0.1%甲酸的甲醇和含0.02%甲酸的水为流动相进行梯度洗脱。使用正-负离子多反应监测模式进行数据采集。结果表明,5种激素在各自质量浓度范围内线性关系良好(r2>0.995),回收率为96.0%~105%,各激素的批内精密度和批间精密度均小于10%,DHEAS、A4、T、17-OHP、DHT的定量下限(LOQ)分别为5.00、0.05、0.05、0.025、0.025 ng/mL。该方法快速、准确、灵敏,适用于临床对多囊卵巢综合征(PCOS)患者血清雄性激素水平的检测。     

中药粉体物理指纹图谱研究进展

中药(TCM)粉体是中药口服固体制剂的重要中间体或产品,粉体的物理性质不仅影响制剂成型,而且直接或间接影响产品质量。中药粉体种类众多、尺度各异,采用物理指纹图谱可从物理状态层面整体评价中药粉体质量,并可将其作为对中药粉体含量测定或HPLC指纹图谱评价的补充,这为中药粉体全面质量控制提供了新的工具和思路。该文系统梳理了中药粉体物理指纹图谱的规范化建立方法,包括指标体系的设计、二级指标的测试或计算,以及二级指标标准化处理和图谱展示。总结了物理指纹图谱在中药破壁粉、中药浸膏粉、中药颗粒、药用辅料、制剂成型工艺全过程质量评价和制剂处方设计中的应用。指出了开展物理指纹图谱和物性分析方法验证,确保物理指纹图谱数据可靠,同时结合模式识别和人工智能方法拓展物理指纹图的应用场景,支持中药质量一致性评价、产品和工艺的设计与持续改进,将是中药粉体物理指纹图谱未来的研究方向。     

Quality fluctuation detection of an herbal injection based on biological fingerprint combined with chemical fingerprint

Herbal injection is one of the most important preparations of traditional Chinese medicine. More than 130 types of herbal injections are used clinically for 400 million patients annually with total sales of over four billion US dollars per year. However, the current quality control (QC) methods relying mainly on chemical fingerprints (CF) can hardly ensure quality and safety of the herbal injections with complex chemical composition and have resulted in an increase in serious adverse drug reactions. In this study, a comprehensive approach for the QC of a controversial herbal injection Shuang-Huang-Lian lyophilized powder (SHL) was established based on the quality fluctuation detection by a combination of CF and biological fingerprint (BF). High-performance liquid chromatography and the impedance-based xCELLigence system were applied to establish the CF and BF, respectively. In addition, multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminant ability of the two methods. The results showed that being subjected to environmental influence like oxygen/air, high temperature, and extreme illumination could lead to quality fluctuation of SHL. The combination of chemical and biological fingerprint method is a more powerful tool for the QC of SHL because it can clearly discriminate different groups of abnormal samples. This method can be used for the detection of quality fluctuation of SHL and can provide reference for the quality control of other herbal injections.     

Quality assessment of Fructus xanthii based on fingerprinting using high-performance liquid chromatography

Because almost every traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a multicomponent system, QC of TCMs always involves various difficulties. As a current popular quality assessment approach, focusing on qualitative and quantitative analysis of certain compounds contained in herbal medicine has been widely used for the sake of expediency rather than being a practical and realistic way. However, this method does not take the existence of other constituents into account. Comparatively, the chromatographic fingerprint of the components is a more suitable approach to holistically assess the quality of herbal drugs. Fructus xanthii is a well-known herbal drug listed in all editions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, there is no quality evaluation method given in its monograph, even for the above-mentioned expediency. This paper reports an HPLC fingerprinting method for quality evaluation of F. xanthii. The HPLC profiles of 27 batches of commercial samples were further analyzed using chemometric methods, including similarity evaluation and principal component analysis. As a result, the established HPLC fingerprint contained 23 characteristic peaks; therein, 13 peaks were unambiguously assigned by comparing their retention times and UV spectra with those of reference compounds, and five peaks were tentatively identified on the basis of their MS/MS fragmentation patterns and UV spectra. Moreover, it could be clearly observed that caffeoylquinic acid and its analogs predominate in F. xanthii. Except for three samples identified as outliers, 24 other commercial samples displayed similar HPLC profiles, indicating that the quality of the herbs from different markets is stable and consistent.     

Quality control method for commercially available wild Jujube leaf tea based on HPLC characteristic fingerprint analysis of flavonoid compounds

Flavonoids are the main active components of natural medicinal plants with many physiological functions. In this study, an HPLC fingerprinting method based on the distribution and relative amount of 11 bioactive flavonoids was established for the quality evaluation of commercially available wild Jujube leaf tea (JLT) from China. Separation of the crude flavonoid extract was achieved on a column filled with C₁₈ material with a high carbon content. The flavonoids in wild JLT were identified based on UV spectroscopy and accurate mass measurements by TOF‐MS. Twenty‐one batches of practical samples collected from different habitats were analyzed by using the developed HPLC method to construct the HPLC characteristic fingerprint of wild JLT. Then, combined with clustering and similarity analyses, the HPLC characteristic fingerprint was used for the authentication and quality evaluation of commercial wild JLT. Results indicated that the proposed HPLC characteristic fingerprint reflected the inherent characteristics of wild JLT collected from different regions. Authenticity identification and quality control of commercially available wild Jujube tea were achieved based on the HPLC characteristic fingerprint analysis. This new approach to bioactive component profiling provided a promising reference method for the quality evaluation of commercial wild flower and plant tea.     

Fingerprint Chromatogram Analysis of Radix Glehniae by LC Coupled with Hierarchical Clustering Analysis

For the first time a validated liquid chromatography method coupled with hierarchical clustering analysis has been developed for the study of fingerprint chromatograms of extracts from the Radix Glehniae of Glehnia littorali. Liquid chromatography with gradient elution was performed on extracts from 23 plant samples collected from different geographical locations. Ten of twenty-three plant samples were selected using hierarchical clustering analysis and employed to establish the fingerprint. The fingerprint was established and ten chromatographic peaks were selected as characteristic peaks and panaxynol was used as reference standard compounds. The fingerprint chromatograms had a good stability, precision, and reproducibility. This method is a very reliable and useful method for assessment of the quality of Radix Glehniae.     

Quality assessment of cortex cinnamomi by HPLC chemical fingerprint, principle component analysis and cluster analysis

HPLC fingerprint analysis, principle component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis were introduced for quality assessment of Cortex cinnamomi (CC). The fingerprint of CC was developed and validated by analyzing 30 samples of CC from different species and geographic locations. Seventeen chromatographic peaks were selected as characteristic peaks and their relative peak areas (RPA) were calculated for quantitative expression of the HPLC fingerprints. The correlation coefficients of similarity in chromatograms were higher than 0.95 for the same species while much lower than 0.6 for different species. Besides, two principal components (PCs) have been extracted by PCA. PC1 separated Cinnamomum cassia from other species, capturing 56.75% of variance while PC2 contributed for their further separation, capturing 19.08% variance. The scores of the samples showed that the samples could be clustered reasonably into different groups corresponding to different species and different regions. The scores and loading plots together revealed different chemical properties of each group clearly. The cluster analysis confirmed the results of PCA analysis. Therefore, HPLC fingerprint in combination with chemometric techniques provide a very flexible and reliable method for quality assessment of traditional Chinese medicines.     

Quantitative and qualitative determination of LiuweiDihuang preparations by ultra high performance liquid chromatography in dual‐wavelength fingerprinting mode and random forest

The classical traditional Chinese formulation LiuweiDihuang, shown to have clinical efficacy for “nourishing kidney‐yin” in traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for thousands of years in China. Little attention, however, has been paid to quality control methods for this formulation. Hence, a rapid and sensitive analytical technique is urgently needed for the evaluation of LiuweiDihuang preparations to assess its quality and pharmacological functionality. In this study, an ultra high performance liquid chromatography dual‐wavelength method was developed to simultaneously determine 11 constituents in LiuweiDihuang preparations. This robust approach provided a fast and comprehensive quantitative determination of the major bioactive markers within LiuweiDihuang preparations. To distinguish four dosage forms of LiuweiDihuang preparations, a random forest technique was applied on the spectrometric fingerprint data obtained. This combination approach of chromatographic techniques and data analyses might serve as a rapid and efficient tool to ensure the quality of LiuweiDihuang preparations and other Chinese medicinal formulations and can support quality control and scientific research into the pharmacological potential for these formulations.     

Assessment of quality consistency in traditional Chinese medicine using multi‐wavelength fusion profiling by integrated quantitative fingerprint method: Niuhuang Jiedu pill as an example

Under the wave of the revival of traditional Chinese medicine, there is a quite imperative duty to study an integrated and comprehensive method of fingerprint data processing and analysis on the quality consistency of traditional Chinese medicine. So, we proposed six parameters from two aspects (qualitative and quantitative), three levels (biased to strong peaks, biased to weak peaks, no obvious bias), to comprehensively evaluate the similarity of the two fingerprints. On this basis, another five parameters were proposed to evaluate the integrated effects (consistency, volatility, and similarity). This method was applied to 22 batches of Niuhuang Jiedu pill samples. Next, a practical and convenient multi‐wavelength fusion method was designed to provide more information, and the generated fusion profilings were used for subsequent evaluation. The characteristics of the parameters were confirmed by correlation analysis. The results of both hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis for raw data and standardized data were consistent with integrated quantitative fingerprint method results. At the same time, this method gave a reasonable explanation for abnormal and dissimilar samples. This work illustrated that the proposed method was particularly suitable for similarity analysis of fingerprints and capable of ensuring the quality consistency in traditional Chinese medicine.     

高效液相色谱-线性指纹定量法评价人参归脾丸的三波长指纹图谱

以样品指纹向量与对照指纹向量的多元化学组分间存在线性函数关系为基础,引入相关系数r、斜率a、截距b及线性定性相似度S_L、线性定量相似度M_L等概念,建立线性指纹定量法(linearly quantified fingerprint method, LQFM)模型以定性、定量控制中药质量。用高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测法(HPLC-DAD)同时测定了10批人参归脾丸(Renshen Guipi Wan, RSGPW)分别在203、228和326 nm下的高效液相色谱指纹图谱,运用LQFM理论模型,鉴定RSGPW质量。LQFM能显著区别不同来源的产品,同一厂家产品质量控制一致。鉴定结果与已知的系统指纹定量法评价结果对比,LQFM对中药多元化学成分的复杂系统能实现客观的定性、定量评价。多波长指纹图谱能最大限度地兼顾中药各成分的紫外吸收特征,对中药质量控制具有更全面和可靠的特点。     

Study on chemical constituents and fingerprints of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry

The chemical constituents from Phellodendron amurense Rupr. were characterized systematically by ultra-performance liquid chromatography—quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry method for collecting mass spectrometry data, and the fingerprints method was established, providing reference for its quality control. The chromatographic column was ACQUITY UPLC BEH-C₁₈ (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and the compounds from P. amurense Rupr. were identified by Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software, reference substance, retention time, mass spectrometry fragmentation pattern and database retrieval. Meanwhile, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry fingerprint methods of P. amurense Rupr. and Phellodendron chinense Schneid. were established by using the similarity evaluation system of chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine (2012 edition), and the differences were analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis methods. A total of 105 compounds were identified, including 102 alkaloids, two phenolic acids, and one lactone compound. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry fingerprint method was established with ideal precision, stability and repeatability, and 12 quality differential markers were recognized between the above two herbs. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method can be used for qualitative analysis of the constituents of Phellodendron amurense Rupr., providing reference for clarifying the material basis and promoting the clinical precision medication and quality evaluation of P. amurense Rupr.     

仿刺参中皂苷类成分的高效液相色谱指纹图谱

利用高效液相色谱法建立了仿刺参皂苷类成分的指纹图谱,为仿刺参的质量控制提供了新的方法。采用固相萃取制备供试品溶液,选用Zorbox SB-C18色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm),以乙腈-0.1%磷酸水溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱,检测波长为205 nm,柱温30 ℃。分析了不同产地的10批仿刺参样品,采用国家药典委员会推荐的“中药色谱指纹图谱相似度评价系统(2004 A版)”处理谱图,确定了6个共有峰。计算了10个样本间的指纹图谱相似度,所得相似度计算结果均大于0.97。该方法具有良好的稳定性和重现性,可用于仿刺参的质量控制。     

基于牛舌草指纹图谱的多指标成分相对定量与鉴别方法

色谱指纹图谱法在中草药产地鉴别或中成药鉴别中发挥着重要作用,然而色谱峰强度和位置易受目标物提取和分离条件的影响,发展更加准确的指纹图谱具有重要意义。该文以色谱峰中某一个常见组分（芦丁）作为内标,分析其他组分的相对含量,以相对含量作为指纹图谱信息,结合化学模式识别可以精确给出产地的相似度。以牛舌草的液相色谱指纹图谱指纹峰为例,以其中芦丁的组分峰作为基准峰,其他指纹峰以芦丁为参照,计算每个指纹峰以芦丁计的含量,建立了牛舌草的指纹图谱。将获得的相对含量指纹图谱采用系统聚类分析和主成分分析进行化学模式识别研究,实现了不同产地牛舌草的区分。该方法建立了牛舌草多指标成分的相对定量与鉴别方法,既节省资源,又具有可操作性,对于其他中药或中成药的质量控制具有一定的借鉴意义。     

基于化学指纹图谱和抗血小板聚集效价的丹参质量评价

通过化学分析和生物活性评价考察丹参药材的品质差异,探讨丹参抗血小板聚集生物活性的主要贡献成分.采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)技术建立丹参药材HPLC指纹图谱,以抗血小板聚集相对效价作为指标,评价不同产地不同批次丹参药材的品质差异,构建基于化学表征及生物效价测定的评价模式.结果表明,不同批次丹参药材的HPLC指纹图谱相似度很高(相似度0.930~0.998),而其抗血小板聚集相对效价相差10倍,提示化学指纹图谱难以反映丹参的活性和质量差异.通过化学指纹图谱与抗血小板聚集生物效价进行谱效相关分析,筛选出与生物活性相关系数大于0.5的6个色谱峰:二氢丹参酮Ⅰ、隐丹参酮、丹参酮Ⅰ、丹参酮ⅡA及2个未知化合物.对上述4种已知化合物单体进行活性验证发现,隐丹参酮的抗血小板聚集活性最强,而其它3种丹参酮类化合物几乎没有体外抗血小板聚集活性.进一步比较丹参中高含量成分丹酚酸B与低含量成分隐丹参酮的活性贡献,结果表明,两者的活性贡献基本相当,说明隐丹参酮是丹参中低含量高活性成分,对评价丹参质量具有重要贡献度.     

Quality assessment of raw and processed Arctium lappa L. through multicomponent quantification,chromatographic fingerprint,and related chemometric analysis

In traditional Chinese medicine, raw and processed herbs are used to treat different diseases. Suitable quality assessment methods are crucial for the discrimination between raw and processed herbs. The dried fruit of Arctium lappa L. and their processed products are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, yet their therapeutic effects are different. In this study, a novel strategy using high‐performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to rapidly explore raw and processed Arctium lappa L. was proposed and validated. Four main components in a total of 30 batches of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples were analyzed, and ten characteristic peaks were identified in the fingerprint common pattern. Furthermore, similarity evaluation, principal component analysis, and hierachical cluster analysis were applied to demonstrate the distinction. The results suggested that the relative amounts of the chemical components of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples are different. This new method has been successfully applied to detect the raw and processed Fructus Arctii in marketed herbal medicinal products.