Authentication of Shenqi Fuzheng Injection via UPLC-Coupled Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry and Chemometrics with Kendrick Mass Defect Filter Data Mining.

Nearly 5% of the Shenqi Fuzheng Injection's dry weight comes from the secondary metabolites of Radix codonopsis and Radix astragali. However, the chemical composition of these metabolites is still vague, which hinders the authentication of Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with a charged aerosol detector was used to achieve the profiling of these secondary metabolites in SFI in a single chromatogram. The chemical information in the chromatographic profile was characterized by ion mobility and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Polygonal mass defect filtering (PMDF) combined with Kendrick mass defect filtering (KMDF) was performed to screen potential secondary metabolites. A total of 223 secondary metabolites were characterized from the SFI fingerprints, including 58 flavonoids, 71 saponins, 50 alkaloids, 30 polyene and polycynes, and 14 other compounds. Among them, 106 components, mainly flavonoids and saponins, are contributed by Radix astragali, while 54 components, mainly alkaloids and polyene and polycynes, are contributed by Radix codonopsis, with 33 components coming from both herbs. There were 64 components characterized using the KMDF method, which increased the number of characterized components in SFI by 28.70%. This study provides a solid foundation for the authentification of SFIs and the analysis of its chemical composition.

[Safety toxicological evaluation of Wen Radix Codonopsis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the toxicological safety of Wen Radix Codonopsis. METHODS: According to the national standards of food safety(GB 15193.3-2014, GB 15193.4-2014, GB 15193.5-2014, GB 15193.8-2014, GB 15193.13-2015), acute oral toxicity test, three genetic toxicity tests(including bacterial recovery mutation test, mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus test and mouse spermatocyte chromosome aberration test) and subchronic toxicity test were conducted in this study. RESULTS: The LD_(50) of Wen Radix Codonopsis to KM mouse was more than 38.72 g/kg, which was actually non-toxic according to the acute toxicity grading standard of mouse. The results of three genetic toxicity tests were negative and no obvious genotoxicity was observed. 90-day oral toxicity test showed that the overall growth condition of the rats in each group was good, and the test index result of each test group showed no statistical significance compared with the negative control group, and all of them were within the normal range in our laboratory. No abnormality was observed in gross anatomy, and no histopathological changes and specific lesions associated with the test substances were found. CONCLUSION: No obvious acute oral toxicity, genetic toxicity and subchronic toxicity were observed in Wen Radix Codonopsis under the present conditions.

A Multi-dimensional Data Mining-based Study on the Prescriptions Developed by Professor Xu Zhiyin in Treating Thyroid Nodules.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we employed a multi-dimensional data mining approach to examine the clinical instances where Professor Xu Zhiyin treated thyroid nodules. Our aim is to understand the patterns of symptoms, underlying causes, and treatment approaches used for thyroid nodules. By doing so, the intention is to distill the essential aspects, compile Professor Xu Zhiyin's clinical insights, and investigate his scholarly perspectives. METHODS: Professor Xu Zhiyin's clinical diagnoses and treatments spanning from 2009 to 2019 were entered into Microsoft Excel. Subsequently, the collected data was imported into the Medcase V5.2 system to facilitate data mining. Various techniques, such as frequency-based method, association rule analysis, and clustering, including a decentralized system clustering approach, were employed on a set of 346 cases involving patients with thyroid nodules that conformed to the specified criteria. The primary focus was on extracting insights regarding symptoms and the underlying causes from the medical records. By integrating these findings with Professor Xu Zhiyin's clinical expertise, we examined and summarized the outcomes of the data mining process. RESULTS: The fundamental prescriptions were successfully extracted using the techniques for mining across multiple dimensions. Utilizing the scattered grouping of these prescriptions and with reference to the cluster analysis of the frequency-linked system, the fundamental prescriptions proposed by Professor Xu Zhiyin for addressing thyroid nodules encompass the following ingredients: Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Cortex Moutan, Paeoniae radix rubra, Curcuma longa L., Radix Curcumae, persica seed, Citri Reticulatae Viride Pericarpium, Pinellia ternata, Spica Prunellae, Ostreae concha, Gleditsia sinensis spine, Tuckahoe and Radix Codonopsis. CONCLUSION: The fundamental prescriptions were acquired using the frequency approach, association rule technique, k-means clustering approach, and systematic clustering approach. The research findings corroborate one another, demonstrating that Professor Xu Zhiyin's approach to distinguishing and treating thyroid nodules is embodied in distinct prescriptions tailored to specific diseases.

Ratiometric fluorescent detection of sulfide ions in Radix Codonopsis and living cells based on PVP-supported gold/copper nanoclusters with tunable dual emission.

Herein, a novel fluorometric-sensor with dual-emission system was constructed on the basis of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) co-functionalized gold/copper nanoclusters (PVP/MBT-Au@CuNCs) by a facile and eco-friendly one-pot approach. The sensor exhibited ratiometric fluorescence emission (F590 nm/F422 nm) for visual and selective detection of S2- with a sensitive detection limit of 11.9 nM. Besides, fluorescence quenched sensing of S2- was chalked up by a quickly selectivity monitoring time of 30 s, owing to the strongly binding of Cu2S and Au2S by hard-soft-acid-base theory and the destruction of the aggregated structure of PVP/MBT-Au@CuNCs. Furthermore, the platform also provided the portable analysis for visual detection of S2- by capturing the change in fluorescence color with a single dual-emissive ratiometric paper strip. It is worth mentioning that the fluorescent gold-copper nanoclusters showed excellent application activities in the selective detection of S2- in Radix Codonopsis or Tremella samples and recognition of S2- in HeLa cells or macrophages by confocal microscopy fluorescent imaging. Overall, the sensing system paved a new avenue for effectively developing a convenient ratiometric fluorescent sensor platform for evaluating the safety of food with S2- pollution in environment and biological system.

Magnetic graphitized carbon black based on crystal growth method combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry for screening of 300 pesticide residues in Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis.

In this study, a high-throughput method for analyzing 300 pesticide residues in Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis was established by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF/MS) using iron tetroxide loaded graphitized carbon black magnetic nanomaterial (GCB/Fe3O4) as the purification material. It was optimized that saturated salt water and 1 % acetate acetonitrile were used as the extraction solution, then the supernatant was purified with 2 g anhydrous CaCl2 and 300 mg GCB/Fe3O4. As a result, 300 pesticides in Radix Codonopsis and 260 in Angelica sinensis achieved satisfactory results. The limits of quantification of 91 % and 84 % of the pesticides in Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis reached 10 µg/kg, respectively. The matrix-matched standard curves ranging from 10 to 200 µg/kg were established with correlation coefficients (R) above 0.99. The pesticides meeting SANTE/12682/2021 accounted for 91.3 %, 98.3 %, 100.0 % and 83.8 %, 97.3, 100.0 % of the total pesticides added in Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis respectively, which were spiked at 10, 20,100 µg/kg. The technique was applied to screen 20 batches of Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis. Five pesticides were detected, three of which were prohibited according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 Edition). The experimental results showed that GCB/Fe3O4 coupled with anhydrous CaCl2 exhibited good adsorption performance and could be used for sample pretreatment of various pesticide residues in Radix Codonopsis and Angelica sinensis. Compared with the reported methods for determining pesticides in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the proposed method has the advantage of less time-consuming in the clean-up procedure. Furthermore, as a case study on root TCM, this approach may serve as a reference for other TCM.

Polysaccharide from Radix Codonopsis has beneficial effects on the maintenance of T-cell balance in mice.

Immunity due to immune balance contributes to disease prevention and treatment. Radix Codonopsis polysaccharide (RCP) is isolated from the root of the Chinese herb Codonopsis pilosula. Previous studies have indicated that RCP has immunomodulatory activities; however, the effects of RCP on immunity, especially immune balance, are still largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of RCP on T-cell balance in mice. The mice were pretreated intragastrically with or without RCP for 15 days and injected with hydrocortisone on days 10-15 to disturb the immune system. The spleen and thymus were weighed and used to calculate immune organ indexes. The percentages of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th17 cells in peripheral blood were assayed by flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10, in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The results showed that RCP pretreatment could maintain the homeostasis of CD8+ T cells, Tregs, Th17 cells, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10 in hydrocortisone-treated mice. Furthermore, RCP pretreatment maintained the immune balance of CD4+/CD8+ T cells, Th1/Th2 cells, Tregs/Th17 cells, IL-10/TNF-α and IL-10/IL-1ß. Taken together, RCP pretreatment had beneficial effects on the maintenance of T-cell balance against hydrocortisone disturbance in mice and potential to be developed into novel functional food.

Bioactive components on immuno-enhancement effects in the traditional Chinese medicine Shenqi Fuzheng Injection based on relevance analysis between chemical HPLC fingerprints and in vivo biological effects.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI) is an injectable traditional Chinese herbal formula comprised of two Chinese herbs, Radix codonopsis and Radix astragali, which were commonly used to improve immune functions against chronic diseases in an integrative and holistic way in China and other East Asian countries for thousands of years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This present study was designed to explore the bioactive components on immuno-enhancement effects in SFI using the relevance analysis between chemical fingerprints and biological effects in vivo. According to a four-factor, nine-level uniform design, SFI samples were prepared with different proportions of the four portions separated from SFI via high speed counter current chromatography (HSCCC). SFI samples were assessed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for 23 identified components. For the immunosuppressed murine experiments, biological effects in vivo were evaluated on spleen index (E1), peripheral white blood cell counts (E2), bone marrow cell counts (E3), splenic lymphocyte proliferation (E4), splenic natural killer cell activity (E5), peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis (E6) and the amount of interleukin-2 (E7). Based on the hypothesis that biological effects in vivo varied with differences in components, multivariate relevance analysis, including gray relational analysis (GRA), multi-linear regression analysis (MLRA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were performed to evaluate the contribution of each identified component. RESULTS: The results indicated that the bioactive components of SFI on immuno-enhancement activities were calycosin-7-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (P9), isomucronulatol-7,2'-di-O-glucoside (P11), biochanin-7-glucoside (P12), 9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-xylosylglucoside (P15) and astragaloside IV (P20), which might have positive effects on spleen index (E1), splenic lymphocyte proliferation (E4), splenic natural killer cell activity (E5), peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis (E6) and the amount of interleukin-2 (E7), while 5-hydroxymethyl-furaldehyde (P5) and lobetyolin (P13) might have negative effects on E1, E4, E5, E6 and E7. Finally, the bioactive HPLC fingerprint of SFI based on its bioactive components on immuno-enhancement effects was established for quality control of SFI. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this study provided a perspective to explore the bioactive components in a traditional Chinese herbal formula with a series of HPLC and animal experiments, which would be helpful to improve quality control and inspire further clinical studies of traditional Chinese medicines.

Research progress on chemical constituents and their pharmacological activities of plant from Codonopsis / 中草药

Radix Codonopsis is a traditional tonic medicine commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. It contains sugar, alkaloids, polyynes, glycosides, terpenoids, and other chemical constituents. It has the functions of regulating blood sugar, promoting hematopoietic function, anti-hypoxia, anti-stress, alleviating fatigability, enhancing the body immunity, anti-aging, regulating gastric contraction, anti-ulcer, and other pharmacological activities. This paper summarized the literature on the chemical composition and their pharmacological activities of Codonopsis and provided the basis for the further development and utilization of Codonopsis resources.

Protective effect of polysaccharide from Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To investigate the protective effects of polysaccharide from Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice.Methods The model of CCl4-induced acute hepatic injury was set up in mice, and then treated with polysaccharide from Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae to observe the activities of ALT, AST and TG in serum and the levels of SOD, GSH and MDA in hepatic tissue and Observed the pathological changes in the liver of mice.Results Compared with model control group, the lance asiabell root polysaccharide liver injury in mice all dose groups in the activity of serum ALT(97.5 ± 22.12 U/L, 108.8 ± 22.15 U/L, 125.2 ± 19.68 U/Lvs. 152.3 ± 17.32 U/L), AST (72.5 ± 21.3 U/L, 89.2 ± 17.47 U/L, 104.3 ± 19.34 U/Lvs.1215 ± 22.31 U/L) and TG(0.75 ± 0.32 mmol/L, 0.80 ± 0.22 mmol/L, 0.96 ± 0.21 mmol/L vs.1.44 ± 0.23 mmol/L) reduce, can increase the liver damage the activity of SOD(215.6 ± 22.68 U/mg, 203.2 ± 22.18 U/mg, 186.2 ± 18.34 U/mgvs.164.3 ± 17.54 U/mg), GSH(17.74 ± 2.12μmol/g, 14.84 ± 1.12μmol/g, 13.93 ± 2.15μmol/gvs.12.23 ± 2.09μmol/g) in liver tissue of mice, decrease the activity of MDA(6.22 ± 2.12 nmol/mg, 6.22 ± 2.12 nmol/mg, 8.36 ± 1.84 nmol/mgvs.9.35 ± 1.68 nmol/mg) in liver tissue, showing significant differences (P<0.05), and there was certain dose dependent, and can improve the pathological injury of liver tissue.Conclusion Polysaccharide from Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae had protective effects on acute liver induced by acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice.

Research and Analysis on National Scientific and Technological Achievements of Radix Angelicas, Radix Astragall and Radix Codonopsis / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective By learning about the current basic situation of research on national scientific and technological achievements of three species of Chinese herbal, Radix Angelicas, Radix Astragall and Radix Codonopsis, to reveal the features in literature and research content, and provide reference for related research in future. Methods By using content analysis approach, the basic situation of achievements, the research content of achievements, and assessment and application of achievements were classified and statistically analyzed by classifying and statistical function of computer. Results The provinces that rank the top of national scientific and technological achievements of the three species of Chinese herbal were Gansu, Hebei and Shandong. The achievements were mainly undertaken by college or university, hospital and scientific research institutions. The source of project achievements mainly originated from local project and optional project. The research content of the achievements largely focused on the fields like drug therapeutic effect, pharmaceutical preparation, cultivation techniques, storing and processing. Conclusion In the database (HowNet) of national scientific and technological achievements, the amplification of national scientific and technological achievements of the three species of Chinese herbal is slow, the achievements mainly focus on application technology, the conversion rate of achievements is low, and large amount of data of achievement items in database is missing.

Content Determination of Total Flavonoids and Polysaccharides in Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae from Mount Taishan / 医学研究杂志

Objective To establish the method for content determination of total flavonoids and polysaccharides in Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae from Mount Taishan.MethodsThe content of the total flavonoids was determined by UV spectrophotometry and the polysaccharide content was measured with the phenol-sulphuric acid method.ResultsThe optimal detective wavelength was 510nm for the total flavonoids.Satisfactroy linear relationship with the Absorbability was achieved when the mass concentration of rutin was within a range of 8～48?g/ml(r=0.9986).The average recovery rate was 99.31%(RSD=1.82%,n=5).The optimal detective wavelength was 490nm for the polysaccharides.There was good linear relationship between the Absorbability and the content of glucose in a range of 5～50?g/ml(r=0.9964) with an average recovery of 99.12%(RSD=1.49,n=4).ConclusionThis method is sensitive,simple and accurate,and it can be used for the quality control of Radix Codonopsis Lanceolatae from Mount Taishan.

Study on RP-HPLC Chromatography Fingerprint of Radix Codonopsis of Different Age from Shanxi province / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective Chromatography fingerprint of Radix Codonopsis of different age from Shanxi province was studied to provide the reference for the science appraisal of intrinsic quality of Radix codonopsis. Method A RP-HPLC method was applied on GraceSmart-RP18 (250 mm?4.6 mm, 5 ?m) column with acetonitrile-0.1% acetic acid gradient elution as mobile phase, and the flow-rate was 0.6 mL/min. The detection wavelength was at 268 nm and the column temperature was at 30 ℃. Result Chromatography fingerprint of Radix Codonopsis can demonstrate obviously the difference and the similarity of Radix Codonopsis of different age. The RSD were lower than 3% in the precision, stability and the repetitiveness trial, and the codonopsis pilosula alkyne glucoside can be used as the reference to identify the active composition of Radix Codonopsis. Conclusion The method was simple, reproducible and reliable. The integrity of fingerprint can be used to supply the reference for the quality control of Radix Codonopsis from Shanxi provice.

Pharmacological Action of Polysaccharides from Radix Codonopsis on Immune Function and Hematopoiesis in Mice / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To study the influences of polysacch arides(PS)from Radix Codonopsis on immune function and hematopoiesis in mice.Methods Several experiments have been condu cted for detecting delayed type hypersensitivity(DTH),hemolysin antibody concentration,endogenous spleen colony,3 H-TdRpermeate nuleated cells in bon e marrow.Results By oral administration,PS from Radix Codonopsis can promote the humoral immunity and PS at a small dosage en-hance the cellular immunity.PS from Radix Codonopsis can also elevate the hemoglobin cont ent of the hemolysis -induced blood -deficiency mice and increase the formation of endogenous spleen c olony,but has less effect on DNA synt hesis in the bone marrowof blood -deficiency mic e caused by 60 Co -?ray.Conclusion PS from Radix Codonopsis can enhance the im-mune function and improve the compen satory hematopoiesis of spleen and t heir mechanisms need to be further studied.

Comparison of Radix Codonopsis and Radix Astragali on ECG of experimental myocardial ischemia rats / 中草药

Object To compare the effects of Radix Codonopsis (RC) and Radix Astragali (RA) on ECG of experimental myocardial ischemia rats. Methods The model of myocardia ischemia was made by injection of pituitrin (Pit) in rats. The changes of ECG were observed with three parameters, viz. the heart rate, the locomotions of T wave and S T section. Results Both RC and RA can decrease the run up of T wave in ECG of rats with experimental myocardial ischemic injury in which RC is superior to RA. While RA has stronger effect on the slowering of the heart rate than RC.Conclusion Both RC and RA have protective effect on experimental myocardial ischemic injury induced by Pit.

Chromatography fingerprint of Baitiao Radix Codonopsis in Gansu Province by HPLC / 中成药

AIM To establish chromatography fingerprint of Radix Codonopsis. METHODS HPLC was applyed on a Hypersil ODS column with water-methanol gradient elution, flow-rate of 0.8 ml?min -1 . Determination of content of atractylenodie Ⅲ adopted ELSD and PAD with methanol-water(67∶ 33), flow-rate of 1.0 ml?min -1 , column temperature at 30?C , ELSD:carried-gas flow-rate of 2.2 L?min -1 , drift-tuber temperature was 80?C ;PAD:wavelength was 220 nm. RESULTS 25 common peaks were picked up, their similarity among 10 batchs of samples was more than 98.12 % based on marker composition(Atractylenolide Ⅲ). CONCLUSION The chromatography fingerprint of Baitiao Radix Codonopsis could be used as their characteristic chromatography fingerprint of hydrophobic fraction.

Study on IR fingerprint of 13 kinds of Chinese medicinal granules / 中成药

AIM: To identify the Chinese medicinal granule by measuring IR fingerprints. METHODS: 13 kinds of granules were extracted with butanone respectively and then the obtained extracts were measured with the FT IR spectrometer. RESULTS: By IR fingerprint of 13 kinds of granules drugs, different batches of the same crude drug had a stable and repeatable fingerprint. CONCLUSION: By using IR fingerprint, Chinese medicinal granule can be identified and provides a rapid method for drug identification and quality control.

Comparison of Radix Codonopsis and Radix Astragali on central nervous system / 中草药

Object To study the difference between Radi x Codonopsis (RC) and Radix Astragali (RA) on the central nerv ous system. Methods Sleeping was induced by pentobarbital sodium and ether. The water maze was used. Results Both RC and RA could prolong the sleeping time induced by pentobarbital sodium and ether. RC and RA had effect on the scopolamine-indu ced study and memory disturbance of mice. Conclusion The effect of RC on prolonging the sleeping time induced by pentobarbital sodium and ether is better than that of RA. On the study and memory disturbance induced by sc opolamine, RC is also better tha n RA.

Studies on Quality Standard of Fufang Dangshen Tablets / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To establish the quality control standard of Fufang Dangshen tablets. Methods Radix Codonopsis, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae and Radix Tinosporae in Fufang Dangshen tablets were identified by TLC. The content of tanshinoneⅡ A in Fufang Dangshen tablets was determined by HPLC. Results Radix Codonopsis, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae and Radix Tinosporae could be detected by TLC. TanshinoneⅡ A showed a good linear relationship in the a range of 0.050～ 0.451? g, r=0.9998. The average recovery was 97.48 % and RSD was 0.60 % . Conclusion The established methods are accurate, reproducible and can be used for the quality control of Fufang Dangshen tablets. 