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.     

Multiple compounds determination and fingerprint analysis of Lidanpaishi tablet and keli by high-performance liquid chromatography

The objective of this paper was to establish an efficient method for quality control of Lidanpaishi (LDPS) tablet and keli, two famous traditional Chinese medicines. A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with photodiode array detector (DAD) method was developed both for fingerprint analysis (FA) and quantitative determination. In quantitative analysis, linear regressions, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), intra-day and inter-day precisions, recovery, repeatability and stability were all tested and good results were obtained to simultaneously determine the 15 marker compounds, namely chlorogenic acid, rhaponticin, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, chrysin, honokiol, magnolol, emodin, and chrysophanol in the herbal drugs. In fingerprint analysis, 34 peaks were selected as the characteristic peaks to evaluate the similarities of different samples collected from different pharmaceutical companies in China according to the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) requirements, and two kinds of data, relative retention time (RRT) and relative peak area (RPA) were used to identify the common peaks in 15 samples for investigation. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was also performed to evaluate the variation of the herbal drugs. The present approach, i.e. HPLC coupled with multiple compounds determination (MCD) and FA is a powerful and meaningful tool to comprehensively conduct the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines.     

Chinese hamster ovary‐sphingomyelin synthase2 biospecific extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis for the prediction of bioactive components of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati

A novel strategy for predicting bioactive components in traditional Chinese medicines using Chinese hamster ovary‐sphingomyelin synthase2 (CHO‐SMS₂) cell biospecific extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry analysis was proposed. The hypothesis is that when cells are incubated with the extract of traditional Chinese medicines, the potential bioactive components in the traditional Chinese medicines should selectively combine with the cells, while the cell‐combining components would be detectable in the extract of denatured cells. The identities of the cell‐combining components could be determined by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Using the proposed approach, the potential bioactive components of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for atherosclerosis, were detected and identified. Eight compounds in the extract of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati were detected as the components selectively combined with CHO‐SMS₂ cells, which is a stable cell line that highly expresses sphingomyelin synthases, it was found that piceid, resveratrol, emodin‐8‐β‐d‐ glucoside, physcion‐8‐β‐d‐ glucoside, emodin, physcion, 3,5,4‘‐trihydroxystilbene‐3‐O‐(6“‐galloyl)‐glucoside, and emodin‐1‐O‐glucoside combined specifically with CHO‐SMS₂ cells. The results indicate that the proposed approach may be applied to predict the bioactive candidates in traditional Chinese medicines.     

Evaluation of the quality consistency of powdered poppy capsule extractive by an averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method in combination with antioxidant activities and two compounds analyses

A novel averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method was proposed and successfully applied to monitor the quality consistency of alkaloids in powdered poppy capsule extractive. Averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method provided accurate qualitative and quantitative similarities for chromatographic fingerprints of Chinese herbal medicines. The stability and operability of the averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method were verified by the parameter r . The average linear qualitative similarity (improved based on conventional qualitative “Similarity”) was used as a qualitative criterion in the averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method, and the average linear quantitative similarity was introduced as a quantitative one. was able to identify the difference in the content of all the chemical components. In addition, was found to be highly correlated to the contents of two alkaloid compounds (morphine and codeine). A simple flow injection analysis was developed for the determination of antioxidant capacity in Chinese Herbal Medicines, which was based on the scavenging of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical by antioxidants. The fingerprint–efficacy relationship linking chromatographic fingerprints and antioxidant activities was investigated utilizing orthogonal projection to latent structures method, which provided important pharmacodynamic information for Chinese herbal medicines quality control. In summary, quantitative fingerprinting based on averagely linear‐quantified fingerprint method can be applied for monitoring the quality consistency of Chinese herbal medicines, and the constructed orthogonal projection to latent structures model is particularly suitable for investigating the fingerprint–efficacy relationship.     

Rapid screening,identification, and purification of neuraminidase inhibitors from Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb.et Zucc. by ultrafiltration with HPLC–ESI‐TOF‐MS combined with semipreparative HPLC

We put forward an efficient strategy based on bioassay guidance for the rapid screening, identification, and purification of the neuraminidase inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines, and apply to the discovery of anti‐influenza components from Lithospermiun erythrorhizon Sieb.et Zucc. Ultrafiltration with high‐performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was employed for the rapid screening and preliminarily identification of anti‐influenza components from Zicao. Semipreparative high‐performance liquid chromatography was used for the rapid separation and purification of the target compounds. NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy were used for further structural identification, and the activity of the compounds was verified by in vitro assay. Five compounds were found to have neuraminidase inhibitory activity by this method. Subsequently, the five compounds were separated by semipreparative high‐performance liquid chromatography with the purity over 98% for all of them by high‐performance liquid chromatography test. Combined with the NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy data, they were identified as alkannin, acetylalkannin, isobutyrylalkannin, β,β‐dimethylacryloylalkannin and isovalerylalkannin. The in vitro assay showed that all five compounds had good neuraminidase inhibitory activities. These results suggested that the method is highly efficient, and it can provide platform and methodology supports for the rapid discovery of anti‐influenza active ingredients from complex Chinese herbal medicines.     

A metabolomic strategy to screen the prototype components and metabolites of Qingkailing injection in rat urine by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Xenobiotic metabolome identification of Chinese herbal formula in biological systems is a very challenging task. Qingkailing injection is a typical Chinese herbal injection, which is wildly used clinically in China. However, the holistic metabolic fate of the ingredient from Qingkailing injection remains unclear. In this work, a metabolomic strategy for comprehensively elucidating Qingkailing injection derived prototype components and metabolites in rat urine conducted by hybrid linear ion trap high‐resolution mass spectrometry was developed. High‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid linear ion trap high‐resolution mass spectrometry was developed to obtain the urine profiling between the control group and Qingkailing injection treated group. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminate analysis was applied to distinguish the exogenous and the endogenous. In the S‐plot, 37 xenobiotics derived from Qingkailing injection were found in urine, including 18 prototype compounds and 19 metabolites. The characterization of the prototype components and metabolites in rat's urine provided essential data for further pharmacological studies of Qingkailing injection. Our results indicated that the metabolomic approach was an effective tool to discover, screen, and analyze the multiple prototype components and their metabolites from complicated traditional Chinese preparations in vivo.     

Rapid identification and comparative analysis of the chemical constituents and metabolites of Phellodendri amurensis cortex and Zhibai dihuang pill by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole TOF‐MS

Zhibai dihuang pill is a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula containing the herbal medicine Phellodendri amurensis cortex. In this work, an integrative pattern recognition approach including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis based on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS was successfully applied for the rapid discovery of natural compounds from herbal medicines. In a 24 min analysis, 93 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from Zhibai dihuang pill based on their fragmentation behaviors, 23 of which were from Phellodendri amurensis cortex. A total of 26 metabolites in plasma were identified from Phellodendri amurensis cortex in Zhibai dihuang pill formula, among them, 12 prototypes and 14 metabolites through metabolic pathways of demethylation, methylation, hydrolysis, sulfate conjugation, and glucuronide conjugation, which were seven metabolites more than that of the single drug, suggesting the importance of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine. The present study provided important structural information on the metabolism of Zhibai dihuang pill. Furthermore, the results of this work have demonstrated the feasibility of ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS for the rapid and reliable characterization of metabolites from herbal medicines. Based on these results, this method could be a novel approach for identifying potentially bioactive components in other traditional Chinese medicines.     

Anti‐inflammatory bioactive equivalence of combinatorial components β‐carboline alkaloids identified in Arenaria kansuensis by two‐dimensional chromatography and solid‐phase extraction coupled with liquid–liquid extraction enrichment technology

Bioactive equivalent combinatorial components play a critical role in herbal medicines. However, how to discover and enrich them efficiently is a question for herbal pharmaceuticals researchers. In our work, a novel two‐dimensional reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction high‐performance liquid chromatography method was established to perform real‐time components trapping and combining for preparation and isolation of coeluting components. Arenaria kansuensis was taken as an example, and solid‐phase extraction coupled with liquid–liquid extraction as a simple and efficient method for enriching trace components, reversed phase column coupled with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography XAmide column as two‐dimensional chromatography technology for isolation and preparation of coeluting constituents, enzyme‐linked immune‐sorbent assay as bio‐guided assay, and anti‐inflammatory bioactivity evaluation for bioactive constituents. A combination of 12 β‐carboline alkaloids was identified as anti‐inflammatory bioactive equivalent combinatorial components from A. kansuensis , which accounts for 1.9% w/w of original A. kansuensis . This work answers the key question of which are real anti‐inflammatory components from A. kansuensis and provides a fast and efficient approach for discovering and enriching trace β‐carboline alkaloids from herbal medicines for the first time. More importantly, the discovery of bioactive equivalent combinatorial components could improve the quality control of herbal products and inspire a herbal medicine based on combinatorial therapeutics.     

Application of two‐dimensional liquid chromatography in the separation of traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicines have been widely used to prevent and cure diseases for thousands of years. For the purpose of better understanding the extremely complicated traditional Chinese medicines, powerful separation techniques are essential. Two‐dimensional liquid chromatography has been proven to be more powerful for the separation of complex traditional Chinese medicines due to its enhanced peak capacity and resolution compared with one‐dimensional liquid chromatography. Enormous efforts have been made on the coupling of independent separation mechanisms to improve the resolving power for complex traditional Chinese medicine samples, including the development and introduction of novel stationary phases. This review aims to give an overview on the applications of two‐dimensional liquid chromatography in traditional Chinese medicine research since 2008, including comprehensive two‐dimensional liquid chromatography, heart‐cutting two‐dimensional liquid chromatography both in on‐line, and off‐line mode. Different couplings of separation modes were respectively discussed based on specific studies, with emphasis on the applications of novel stationary phases in the two‐dimensional liquid chromatography.     

Integrating qualitative and quantitative characterization of traditional Chinese medicine injection by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry

The present study aims to describe and exemplify an integrated strategy of the combination of qualitative and quantitative characterization of a multicomponent mixture for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine injections with the example of Danhong injection (DHI). The standardized chemical profile of DHI has been established based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection. High‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrospray multistage tandem ion‐trap mass spectrometry have been developed to identify the major constituents in DHI. The structures of 26 compounds including nucleotides, phenolic acids, and flavonoid glycosides were identified or tentatively characterized. Meanwhile, the simultaneous determination of seven marker constituents, including uridine, adenosine, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, p‐coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B, in DHI was performed by multiwavelength detection based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The integrated qualitative and quantitative characterization strategy provided an effective and reliable pattern for the comprehensive and systematic characterization of the complex traditional Chinese medicine system.     

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.     

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.     

Quality assessment of crude and processed ginger by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics

A sensitive, simple, and validated high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and mass spectrometry detection method was developed for three ginger‐based traditional Chinese herbal drugs, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizome Preparatum, and Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata. Chemometrics methods, such as principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and analysis of variance, were also employed in the data analysis. The results clearly revealed significant differences among Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizome Preparatum, and Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata, indicating variations in their chemical compositions during the processing, which may elucidate the relationship of the thermal treatment with the change of the constituents and interpret their different clinical uses. Furthermore, the sample consistency of Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Rhizome Preparatum, and Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata can also be visualized by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and mass spectrometry analysis followed by principal component analysis/hierarchical cluster analysis. The comprehensive strategy of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis coupled with chemometrics should be useful in quality assurance for ginger‐based herbal drugs and other herbal medicines.     

Simultaneous determination of six Aconitum alkaloids in proprietary Chinese medicines by high-performance liquid chromatography

By optimizing the extraction, separation and analytical conditions, a reliable and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method coupled with photodiode array detector (DAD) was developed for simultaneous quantitative determination of six Aconitum alkaloids, i.e., aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine, benzoylaconine, benzoylmesaconine and benzoylhypaconine, in Chinese medicinal herbs, aconite roots, and 12 proprietary Chinese medicines containing processed aconite roots. The separation of these Aconitum alkaloids was achieved on an ODS column with gradient elution using solvents of acetonitrile and ammonium bicarbonate buffer (pH 10.0+/-0.2). Intra-assay and inter-assay precision of the analytes were less than 2.97%, and the average recovery rates obtained were in the range of 90-103% for all with RSDs below 3.28%. Good linear relationships were showed with correlation coefficients for the analytes exceeded 0.999. Quantitative analysis of the six Aconitum alkaloids in the unprocessed and processed aconite roots and in twelve proprietary Chinese medicines containing processed aconite roots showed that the contents of the alkaloids varied significantly. This method and quantitation results can provide a scientific and technical platform to the products manufacturers for setting up a quality control standard as well as to the public for quality and safety assurance of the proprietary Chinese medicines and other herbal preparations containing aconite roots.     

综合线性定量指纹法评价退热解毒注射液融合指纹图谱研究

该研究引入综合线性定性相似度S1、综合线性定量相似度P1％和指纹变异系数a3个参数建立了1种新颖的综合线性指纹图谱评价方法,从定性定量的角度全面评价了中药的整体质量.方法采用高效液相二极管阵列(HPLC/DAD)采集了退热解毒注射液样品在210、254、265、330、360 nm波长下的指纹图谱并进行数据融合,同时定...     

Rapid Characterization of the major chemical constituents from Polygoni Multiflori Caulis by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and comparative analysis with Polygoni Multiflori Radix

Polygoni Multiflori Caulis is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for a long time to treat sleep disorders. However, the multiple chemical composition analysis has not been reported. In this study, a simple, rapid and effective ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method was established to characterize the components of Polygoni Multiflori Caulis. In addition, a chemical comparative analysis was performed with Polygoni Multiflori Radix, another traditional Chinese medicine from the same plant, through multivariate statistical analysis and semi‐quantitative analysis to screen the difference in chemical ingredients between these two herbal medicines from same medicinal plant. A total of 33 peaks were detected within 25 min, and 28 of them were identified or tentatively characterized by comparing the retention time and mass spectrometry data. Based on the results, 12 characteristic components were screened out by multivariate statistical analysis, and their content change trends were compared by semi‐quantitative analysis.     

Static headspace‐multicapillary column with gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry as a simple approach for the discrimination of crude and processed traditional Chinese medicines

The processing procedure can alter the nature and chemical transformation of traditional Chinese medicine to accommodate different clinical dispensing and preparation requirements. In this study, static headspace‐multicapillary column with gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry was developed for the rapid and sensitive discrimination of crude and processed traditional Chinese medicine. Using Radix Paeoniae Alba as a traditional Chinese medicine model, the combined power of this approach was illustrated by classifying the crude and processed Radix Paeoniae Alba samples into two main categories. The contents of the main components in Radix Paeoniae Alba varied significantly. The established method could promote the use of ion mobility spectrometry in intrinsic quality control and differentiation of herbal medicines from other processed products or preparations.     

Multi‐component determination and chemometric analysis of Paris polyphylla by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

Multi‐source analysis of traditional Chinese medicine is key to ensuring its safety and efficacy. Compared with traditional experimental differentiation, chemometric analysis is a simpler strategy to identify traditional Chinese medicines. Multi‐component analysis plays an increasingly vital role in the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines. A novel strategy, based on chemometric analysis and quantitative analysis of multiple components, was proposed to easily and effectively control the quality of traditional Chinese medicines such as Chonglou. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography was more convenient and efficient. Five species of Chonglou were distinguished by chemometric analysis and nine saponins, including Chonglou saponins I, II, V, VI, VII, D, and H, as well as dioscin and gracillin, were determined in 18 min. The method is feasible and credible, and enables to improve quality control of traditional Chinese medicines and natural products.     

Total detection of Tianma Toutong tablets for quality consistency by a five‐wavelength fusion fingerprint and chemometrics

A fingerprint method was developed and combined with chemometrics for quality evaluation of Tianma Toutong tablets, which are herbal medicine tablets used to treat migraine. Samples were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography, where five single‐wavelength profiles (203, 232, 254, 280 and 310 nm) were fused to generate a five‐wavelength fusion fingerprint and were also used for the quantitative analysis of seven chemical markers (gastrodin, caffeic acid, hesperidin, isoimperatorin, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid and imperatorin). A systematic quantitative fingerprint method and principal component analysis were used to analyze the generated data. Samples could be well distinguished from different manufacturers by analyzing the chromatographic data sets. In addition, the partial least squares model can serve as an antioxidant activity evaluation of Tianma Toutong tablets, as well as a reference for the selection of active constituents to analyze the spectrum–activity relationship. In summary, the integrated use of the fingerprint and chemometric analysis provides a reliable method for the identification of markers and the quality control of Tianma Toutong tablets.