Quality Assessment of Cardiotonic Pills by HPLC Fingerprinting

An HPLC method has been developed for the fingerprinting and quantitative analysis of cardiotonic pills. A standard fingerprint containing 11 common peaks at three wavelengths was constructed from ten batches of pills to evaluate batch-to-batch consistency. In addition, the amounts of three marker compounds were also determined to evaluate the quality of the quantitative analysis. Chromatographic fingerprints at three wavelengths, along with the content of three marker compounds were found to be suitable for quality assessment. Fufang Danshen Pian (cardiotonic tablets), a traditional dosage form is produced from three kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs for the prevention and treatment of angina pectoris and coronary heart disease. Fufang Danshen Pian mainly contained an additional group of liposoluble components besides salvianolic acid B from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge while cardiotonic pills only contained water-soluble components. Therefore, the fingerprint accompanied with marker compounds can be used to assess the quality of the cardiotonic pills.     

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analyses to evaluate the quality consistency and predict the fingerprint–efficacy relationship of Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Danshen)

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography fingerprinting combined with quantification was successfully established and applied to evaluate the quality consistency of Danshen, which is a medicinal herb used to treat various diseases, especially coronary cerebrovascular diseases. A background electrolyte composed of 20 mmol/L sodium tetraborate, 90 mmol/L orthoboric acid, 25 mmol/L sodium phosphate monobasic dehydrate, and 65 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate was used to separate compounds. To optimize micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography conditions, a response surface strategy was set up for orthogonal experimental design. In fingerprint assessments, a systematic quantified fingerprint method was established for integrated quality assessment of Danshen samples from qualitative and quantitative perspectives, by which the quality of 30 samples was well differentiated. The principal component analysis coupled with quantitative determination of two components was applied to explain that the quality consistency of the medicinal herb was relatively good within one harvest season, but poor among harvest seasons for the Danshen samples. In addition, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship between the chemical fingerprints and antioxidant activities was investigated utilizing orthogonal projection to latent structures, which provided important medicinal efficacy information for quality control. This work offered an efficient, holistic, and powerful approach to evaluate the quality consistency of Danshen samples.     

Total monitoring of the constituents of Danshen tablet using micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting for antioxidant activity profiling

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprint coupled with quantification was developed for assessing the quality consistency of Danshen tablets, a traditional Chinese medicine, with pharmacological activities of activating blood to remove blood stasis and regulating the flow of vital energy to alleviate pain. Square optimization method was proposed to select the suitable background electrolyte. Subsequently, the index of chromatographic fingerprints F was simultaneously employed as an objective function to evaluate capillary electrophoresis conditions. After that, the method was proved to meet the fingerprint analysis criteria by evaluating stability, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, accuracy, and repeatability. Moreover, systematic quantified fingerprint method was used to evaluate chromatographic fingerprints of 30 batches of samples in terms of both quality and quantitation. The result indicated that the chemical compositions of samples were basically similar while their contents showed marked variation. In addition, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship was established using partial least squares model, which can serve as anti‐oxidant activity evaluation of Danshen tablets as well as a reference for the selection of active constituents. The proposed method can be applied for the holistic quality control of Danshen tablets.     

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.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting combined with chemometrics as an efficient strategy for evaluating the quality consistency and predicting the antioxidant activity of Lianqiao Baidu pills

An approach combining micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting with chemometrics was developed to evaluate the quality consistency of Lianqiao Baidu pills, which are traditional Chinese patent medicines composed of 19 herbs used mainly to treat skin ulcers, common cold, rheumatism, herpes, and constipation. The triangle optimization method was employed to choose a satisfactory background electrolyte, with the information index, I , as an objective function for assessing the capillary electrophoresis conditions. Then, under the optimal conditions, the micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprints of 28 batches of samples were established, and five marker compounds were quantitatively determined simultaneously. A limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method was introduced to evaluate the chromatographic fingerprints both qualitatively and quantitatively. Principle component analysis revealed that the 28 batches of samples can be clustered according to different manufacturers. Moreover, the relationship between the fingerprint and the antioxidant activity was explored by orthogonal partial least‐squares regression, which provided critical medicinal efficacy information for quality control. The present study establishes a powerful and reliable method for monitoring the quality consistency of Lianqiao Baidu pill.     

Integrated evaluation of HPLC and UV fingerprints for the quality control of Danshen tablet by systematic quantified fingerprint method combined with antioxidant activity

Danshen tablet, which consists of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Borneolum syntheticum , has been widely used in the therapy of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to develop comprehensive evaluation methods for the quality control of Danshen tablet. First, five‐wavelength fusion fingerprint was established to avoid one‐sidedness of a single wavelength. Then, the ultraviolet spectrum fingerprint was applied to reflect the information of unsaturated bond and conjugated system of chemical substances in Danshen tablet. The similarity analyses of these two fingerprints were performed by systematic quantified fingerprint method in terms of qualitative and quantitative aspects. After that, the evaluation results of high‐performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet fingerprints were integrated by the mean algorithm, which could reduce the error caused by single method. The integrated evaluation results showed that 30 batches of samples were classified into seven grades. Finally, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship was established using an on‐line antioxidant system and partial least‐squares model to explore the connection between chemical components and antioxidant activities. The methods established in this paper were found suitable for the analysis of Danshen tablet.     

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.     

Monitoring the quality consistency of Weibizhi tablets by micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analyses,the simple quantified ratio fingerprint method,and the fingerprint–efficacy relationship

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting combined with quantification was successfully developed and applied to monitor the quality consistency of Weibizhi tablets, which is a classical compound preparation used to treat gastric ulcers. A background electrolyte composed of 57 mmol/L sodium borate, 21 mmol/L sodium dodecylsulfate and 100 mmol/L sodium hydroxide was used to separate compounds. To optimize capillary electrophoresis conditions, multivariate statistical analyses were applied. First, the most important factors influencing sample electrophoretic behavior were identified as background electrolyte concentrations. Then, a Box–Benhnken design response surface strategy using resolution index RF as an integrated response was set up to correlate factors with response. RF reflects the effective signal amount, resolution, and signal homogenization in an electropherogram, thus, it was regarded as an excellent indicator. In fingerprint assessments, simple quantified ratio fingerprint method was established for comprehensive quality discrimination of traditional Chinese medicines/herbal medicines from qualitative and quantitative perspectives, by which the quality of 27 samples from the same manufacturer were well differentiated. In addition, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship between fingerprints and antioxidant activities was established using partial least squares regression, which provided important medicinal efficacy information for quality control. The present study offered an efficient means for monitoring Weibizhi tablet quality consistency.     

基于信息融合的中药多元色谱指纹图谱相似性计算方法

摘要用信息融合算法合并多张色谱指纹图谱, 解决中药多元指纹图谱相似性评价难题, 提出一种多元色谱指纹图谱相似度计算方法. 用该方法先对各单元指纹图谱进行串行或并行象素级信息融合, 再对融合了各指纹峰信息的多元色谱指纹图谱进行相似度评价. 计算机仿真和复方丹参滴丸多元HPLC指纹图谱应用结果表明, 该法能够评价中药多元色谱指纹图谱相似度, 定量表征中成药产品批次间质量波动情况.     

Chromatographic fingerprinting analysis of Danshen root (Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix et Rhizoma) and its preparations using high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS)

Danshen root (Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix et Rhizoma) is a representative Chinese herb containing multiple components contributing to its polyvalent bioactivities. Advanced analysis approaches are needed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the targeting constituents in complete matrix. In this study, a chromatographic fingerprinting method to monitor simultaneously the hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents was developed for the quality evaluation of Danshen root and its preparations. Ten hydrophilic and nine lipophilic components were identified using HPLC-diode array detection-electrospray-MS (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) by comparing with the available references and reported data. Using the established method, 13 Danshen root samples collected from different sources, and 21 batches of Danshen preparations including tablets, injections, capsules, and dropping pills produced by different manufacturers were analyzed and their chromatographic fingerprints (CFP) were constructed. The results showed that the products of Danshen roots such as the tablets and capsules contained both the hydrophilic and lipophilic components, while the injections and dropping pills contained mainly the hydrophilic components. Principal components analysis (PCA) was applied for the statistical analysis of the fingerprinting data of crude herb and its preparations. The established CFPs demonstrate the representative chemical profiling of the existing components and can be applied to the authentication and quality assessment of Danshen roots and other Danshen containing formulated preparations.     

一种基于小波变换的近红外化学指纹图谱分析方法

提出了一种快速无损的化学指纹图谱分析新方法. 根据小波变换多分辨分析的特点, 对近红外(NIR)光谱进行小波分解, 从中提取被测样品的化学特征信息, 并作数字信息可视化处理, 构建形成可直观识别样品模式特征的NIR指纹图谱. 将该方法用于中药材丹参的质量检测, 检测结果与色谱指纹图谱检测结果相符, 能快速有效地识别丹参质量模式间的差异, 有望发展成为一种快速分析检测天然产物质量的方法.     

Screening bioactive quality control markers of QiShenYiQi dripping pills based on the relationship between the ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography fingerprint and vascular protective activity

Traditional Chinese medicine consists of complex phytochemical constituents. Selecting appropriate analytical markers of traditional Chinese medicine is a critical step in quality control. Currently, the combination of fingerprinting and efficacy evaluation is considered as a useful method for screening active ingredients in complex mixtures. This study was designed to develop an orthogonal partial least squares model for screening bioactive quality control markers of QishenYiqi dripping pills based on the fingerprint–efficacy relationship. First, the chemical fingerprints of 49 batches of QishenYiqi dripping pill samples were established by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. Second, ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was exploited to systematically investigate the 36 copossessing fingerprint components in QishenYiqi dripping pills. The vascular protective activity of QishenYiqi dripping pills was determined by using a cell counting kit‐8 assay. Finally, fingerprint–efficacy relationship was established by orthogonal partial least squares model. The results indicated that ten components exhibited strong correlation with vascular protective activity, and these were preliminarily screened as quality control markers. The present study provided a novel idea for the study of the pharmacodynamic material basis and quality evaluation of QishenYiqi dripping pills.     

基于超高效液相色谱-紫外检测定量指纹图谱结合化学模式识别的复方金钱草颗粒质量评价

复方金钱草颗粒具有利尿、抑制泌尿系结石形成、抗炎、抗氧化作用,且具有较大的市场需求。因此,采用超高效液相色谱-紫外检测(UPLC-UV)法建立定量指纹图谱,并结合化学模式识别技术对不同年份的复方金钱草颗粒进行质量评价,可为其质量控制提供依据。采用聚类分析(HCA)和主成分分析(PCA)等化学模式识别技术对35批复方金钱草颗粒样品的指纹图谱数据进行分析,筛选出质量差异标志物芒果苷和异芒果苷,并对二者进行含量测定。在复方金钱草颗粒指纹图谱中共指认出12个共有峰,且35批样品的相似度均在0.952以上。在HCA中,将35批样品分为了两类,其中2018年和2019年的样品为一类,2020年和2021年的样品为一类。此外,PCA结果显示了与聚类分析相同的聚类趋势。在此基础上,进一步通过正交偏最小二乘法分析 (OPLS-DA)筛选出了导致2018年、2019年与2020年、2021年的样品产生差异的差异标志物芒果苷和异芒果苷。以两个差异标志物芒果苷和异芒果苷为指标进行含量测定,结果显示色谱峰的分离度良好,线性关系良好,平均加标回收率分别为101.7%~105.6%和103.4%~105.5%,且相对标准偏差(RSD)均低于1.43%。在35批样品中,2020年、2021年的样品与2018年、2019年的样品相比,芒果苷与异芒果苷含量更高且波动范围更小。该研究建立了准确、可靠的复方金钱草颗粒质控方法,实现了对不同年份的复方金钱草颗粒样品合理、有效的质量评价,可为建立更系统、更全面的质量控制标准提供借鉴与参考。     

复方丹参片的高效液相色谱/质谱特征图谱研究

研究了复方丹参片乙醇提取物电喷雾离子阱质谱(ESI-MS)和(HPLC-MS)特征图谱,并对特征图谱中各主要峰进行了初步定性分析,为复方丹参片的快速指纹鉴别提供了新方法。     

Fingerprint analysis,multi‐component quantitation,and antioxidant activity for the quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza var. alba by high‐performance liquid chromatography and chemometrics

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. var. alba C.Y. Wu and H.W. Li has wide prospects in clinical practice. A useful comprehensive method was developed for the quality evaluation of S. miltiorrhiza var. alba by three quantitative parameters: high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint, ten‐component contents, and antioxidant activity. The established method was validated for linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery. Principal components analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were both used to evaluate the quality of the samples from different origins. The results showed that there were category discrepancies in quality of S. miltiorrhiza var. alba samples according to the three quantitative parameters. Multivariate linear regression was adopted to explore the relationship between components and antioxidant activity. Three constituents, namely, danshensu, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B, significantly correlated with antioxidant activity, and were successfully elucidated by the optimized multivariate linear regression model. The combined use of high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint analysis, simultaneous multicomponent quantitative analysis, and antioxidant activity for the quality evaluation of S. miltiorrhiza var. alba is a reliable, comprehensive, and promising approach, which might provide a valuable reference for other herbal products in general to improve their quality control.     

三波长融合指纹图谱结合6组分定量和主成分分析评价银翘解毒片的质量

建立了三波长融合高效液相色谱指纹图谱,并结合6组分定量和主成分分析(PCA)评价25批银翘解毒片的质量一致性。采用反相高效液相色谱法(RP-HPLC)分别于230、279、327 nm下检测。运用多波长融合指纹图谱技术建立银翘解毒片三波长融合指纹图谱,采用系统指纹定量法对其进行定性和整体定量评价。结果鉴别出25批银翘解毒片样品完全合格且区分良好。同时测定6组分含量,与指纹图谱结合,从整体和局部角度评价银翘解毒片质量。此外,运用PCA法对融合指纹图谱进行分析,通过主成分得分图可以明显区分来自两个厂家的25批银翘解毒片样品。方法综合性较强且有效,为科学评价与有效控制银翘解毒片的质量提供了可靠的参考。     

Capillary electrophoresis fingerprints combined with chemometric methods to evaluate the quality consistency and predict the antioxidant activity of Yinqiaojiedu tablet

The quality consistency of Yinqiaojiedu tablets (YQJDTs) was monitored by extracting their electrophoretic fingerprint and marker compound data that were obtained using capillary electrophoresis. To select the suitable background electrolyte, wing‐shape method was proposed. A background electrolyte composed of 103.1 mM boric acid, 51.6 mM sodium borate, 9.8 mM disodium hydrogen phosphate, and 15.6 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate was used to separate compounds. Under the optimized conditions, the content of three marker compounds was determined in 25 YQJDT samples. The capillary electrophoresis fingerprints were developed simultaneously, then 25 samples from two manufacturers were clearly divided into two clusters based on the principal component analysis. In fingerprint assessments, systematic quantified fingerprint method was adopted for integrative quality discrimination of YQJDTs from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, by which the qualities of 25 samples were well differentiated. In addition, partial least squares model was established to explore fingerprint–efficacy relationship between the fingerprints and the antioxidant activities in vitro, providing clinically useful information for quality control. The proposed method was reliable and comprehensive, which could be used for a valuable reference to monitor the quality consistency of traditional Chinese medicines.     

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.     

复方丹参配伍比例对丹参化学成分溶出的影响

采用高效液相色谱峰比值法比较了由丹参和三七组成的复方丹参中丹参与三七的比例(以质量比计)从10∶0变化到1∶10的过程中丹参化学成分的变化。结果表明：所有合煎样品中丹参的主要成分含量均比单味药丹参中丹参主要成分的含量高,并且经典方(m(丹参)∶m(三七)＝5∶3)中丹参主要成分的含量最高。因此,丹参与三七以一定的比例(5∶3)配伍并且采用合煎的方法能够增加丹参成分的溶出率, 由此看来中医药中讲究的配伍规律是有其内在的科学道理的。     

Comparison of the origin and phenolic contents of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. by high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting combined with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and chemometrics

The fruits of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. have long been used in folk medicine. Nevertheless, detailed information related to its phenolic composition and its quality control remains scarce. In this study, a simple and reproducible method, based on high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with chemometrics, was developed to authenticate 18 samples of L. ruthenicum Murr. collected from different parts of China through fingerprint analysis. The main peaks were identified by quadrupole time‐of‐flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Four phenolics were quantified, and the most abundant phenolic compound in almost all samples was kukoamine A. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were applied to classify these samples. Also, a total of 26 compounds, which were mainly phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, were identified or tentatively identified based on the available literature and standard references. Among these, 16 were reported for the first time in the extract. The results showed that there was no significant difference between L. ruthenicum fruits from different provinces in terms of chemical composition. Also, the fingerprint together with chemometric analyses and quadrupole time‐of‐flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry are promising methods for evaluating the quality consistency, identification, and comprehensive evaluation of L. ruthenicum .