Characterization of in vivo antioxidant constituents and dual‐standard quality assessment of Danhong injection

Antioxidants and oxidative stress play a critical role in cardiovascular diseases. Danhong injection (DHI) is a well prescribed cardiovascular medication in China, but its detailed chemical basis and mechanisms of action remain unknown. To prove the antioxidant activity of DHI, its free radical scavenging capacity (RSC) was assessed by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) spectrophotometric assay. The 50% radical scavenging activity value was 1:129.2 mL/mL, against 0.95 mm DPPH. To further identify the antioxidant compounds, modified thin‐layer chromatography combined with DPPH bioautography assay was used. Compared with vitamin C, 11 of 16 available compounds displayed strong antioxidant activity, which were also detected in rat serum after intravenous administration of DHI by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, except for hydroxysafflor yellow A. Therefore, 10 antioxidants remaining in the blood as key markers, and six other compounds as general markers, were employed to perform the quality control of DHI by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet detection after systematic methodological validation. The analytical results indicate a high correlation (r = 0.9) between the total content of those antioxidants remaining in blood and RSC of DHI among 10 batches. Further, the antioxidant profiling and chemical marker quantification as dual‐standard quality assessment was successfully applied to evaluate Danshen and safflower injections. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.