Research progress of microparticles in traditional Chinese medicine decoction / 药学学报

Decoction is a classical dosage form of traditional Chinese medicines. In the process of decocting, various complex components produce physical interactions and chemical reactions, among which physical interactions include van der Waals force, hydrogen bond, electrostatic interaction, π-π stacking, etc., and chemical reactions include Maillard reaction, oxidation reaction, hydrolysis reaction, degradation reaction, polymerization reaction, etc. New substances and original ingredients from chemical reactions can be further activated. These effects form the basis of particle formation in the broth. The sizes of the particles in decoctions range from nanoscale to micron scale, mostly composed of polysaccharide, protein matrix, wrapped in water insoluble molecules, can increase the dispersion of insoluble components and the stability of unstable components, as well as reduce the volatile components and toxic components of volatile components, and ultimately achieve the purpose of efficient absorption and toxicity reduction. From the angle of physical change and chemical reaction in the process of decoction, this paper expounds the formation mechanism of particles in decoction, expounds the research method of particles, analyzes the components in particles and the interaction between components, and then explains the pharmacodynamic characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine decoction, which provides the foundation for the modernization of Chinese decoction.

Analysis and evaluation on Paeoniae Radix Alba from different cultivars by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and HPLC / 中国中药杂志

In this study, an established ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method was combined with multivariate statistical analysis to investigate the commonality and difference of main chemical components in the medicinal parts of Paeonia lactiflora from different cultivars; in addition, a high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method was established to simultaneously determine the content of eight active components in Paeoniae Radix Alba. Non-targeted analysis was carried out by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18)(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) column with a gradient elution of 0.1% aqueous formic acid(A)-acetonitrile(B) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min~(-1). The column temperature was 30 ℃, and an electrospray ionization source was used to acquire mass spectrometry data in positive and negative ion modes. According to the accurate molecular weight and fragment ion information provided by multi-stage mass spectrometry and by comparison with reference substances and literature reports, thirty-six identical components were identified in Paeoniae Radix Alba from different cultivars with positive and negative ion modes. In the negative ion mode, two groups of samples were well separated; specifically, seventeen components with significant differences in content were screened and identified, and one component unique in "Bobaishao" was obtained. Quantitative analysis was conducted by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) on an Agilent HC-C_(18)(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) column with a gradient elution of 0.1% aqueous phosphoric acid(A)-acetonitrile(B) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min~(-1). The column temperature was 30 ℃ and the detection wavelength was at 230 nm. An HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight active components(gallic acid, oxypaeoniflorin, catechin, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, galloylpaeoniflorin, 1,2,3,4,6-O-pentagalloylglucose, benzoyl-paeoniflorin) in Paeoniae Radix Albaa from different cultivars. Satisfactory linearity was achieved within the investigated linear ranges and with fine coefficients(r>0.999 0), and the methodological investigation showed that the method had good precision, repeatability and stability. The mean recoveries were 90.61% to 101.7% with RSD of 0.12% to 3.6%(n=6). UPLC-Q-OF-MS provided a rapid and efficient qualitative analytical method for the identification of the chemical components in Paeoniae Radix Alba, and the developed HPLC method was simple, rapid and accurate, which could provide a scientific basis for the evaluation of the germplasm resources and herbal quality of Paeoniae Radix Alba from different cultivars.

Improvement researches on quality standard of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and its raw processed products / 中国中药杂志

This study is to improve the quality standard and supply the scientific basis for Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and its raw processed products. Steroidal saponin including timosaponin BⅡ, timosaponin AⅢ and flavonoids including neomangiferin and mangiferin were selected as the indicative components. Silica gel G thin layer chromatography(TLC) and polyamide TLC were used to detect the two types of compounds, respectively. The contents of timosaponin BⅡ and timosaponin AⅢ were determined by HPLC-ELSD and the content of neomangiferin, mangiferin and isomangiferin were determined by HPLC-UV. Moisture, total ash and acid insoluble ash were determined according to Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2015 edition). And 80% ethanol was selected as the solvent and the content determination of total extract were determined. The fingerprints of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and its raw processed products were established by HPLC-UV and HPLC-ELSD. The results showed that the methods of TLC and HPLC have been successfully stablished. There are 2 and 3 peaks which have been identified by HPLC-ELSD and HPLC-UV, respectively. The HPLC fingerprint methods are specific and can be used to identify and quality control for Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and its raw processed products in the mass. Comparing to Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2015 edition), the TLC identification and content determination were revised and the total extract determination and HPLC fingerprints were added in the present study. Our results can be used as the scientific basis of quqlity control for Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and its raw processed products.

Research on hemostatic effect and mechanism of carbonized Scutellariae Radix on rats of uterine bleeding / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to investigate the hemostatic effect and mechanism of carbonized Scutellariae Radix on uterine bleeding in the rats caused by early pregnancy termination. Eight unpregnant female rats were selected as normal group. Forty female rats conceived on the same day received mifepristone(11. 4 mg·kg-1) and misoprostol(125 μg·kg-1) to induce model of incomplete abortion in early pregnancy. Abortion models were randomly divided into model group,carbonized Scutellariae Radix water extract low dose group(0. 55 g·kg-1),medium group(1. 10 g·kg-1),high dose group(2. 20 g·kg-1) and positive control group(0. 45 g·kg-1).The uterine bleeding volume was detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The pathological changes of endometrium were detected by HE(hematixylin-eosin) staining. The levels of interleukin(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α) in the plasma of rats were determined by ELISA. The expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA in the uterus of rats were determined by RT-PCR.The protein expression levels of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by Western blot. As compared with the normal group,the uterine bleeding volume and histopathological score were increased significantly; microvessel density of endometrial tissues was decreased significantly; the contents of TNF-α,IL-1β and the levels of TNF-α mRNA and IL-1β mRNA in the plasma were increased,while the content of IL-6 and level of IL-6 mRNA were decreased significantly. The protein expression levels of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the uterine tissues were also decreased. As compared with the model group,the uterine bleeding volume was decreased significantly in the carbonized Scutellariae Radix medium dose and high dose groups; endometrial repair was promoted,and the microvessel density of endometrial tissues was increased significantly; the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α in the plasma of rats were decreased significantly,while the content of IL-6 in the plasma of rats was increased significantly; the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA in the uterus of rats were decreased and the expression level of IL-6 mRNA showed an increase; the protein expressions of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 were decreased significantly in carbonized Scutellariae Radix medium and high dose groups. In conclusion,carbonized Scutellariae Radix showed good hemostatic effect,and its mechanism may be related to the repair of endometrium and inhibition of inflammatory reaction.