Department of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Treatment and Research Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450000, China.
Key Laboratory of Viral Diseases Prevention and Treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450000, China.
Sci Rep. 2018 May 29;8(1):8261. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26520-3.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for thousands of years, although concerns about the efficacy, legality, and safety of TCM continue to be raised. Chromatographic studies have detected the presence of heavy metals and plant toxins within some TCM preparations. However, chromatography is not able to identify all of the compounds of TCM, particularly those items that are not clearly labeled on the packaging. The present study aimed to establish a supplemental method that better assesses the ingredient components of TCM preparations.We established an effective approach to screen the biological and toxical composition of TCM based on high-throughput sequencing (HTS), as well as fast detection and validation of the toxical species by real-time PCR, based on ITS2 DNA barcoding. Ruyi jinhuang powder (RHP), a classical herbal prescription containing the toxical herb Arisaematis rhizoma, was chosen to test the method. This method could determine whether the Arisaematis Rhizoma had been replaced by Pinellia pedatisecta in the RHP. The results were validated by real-time PCR. 90% compositions of RHP were identified by ITS2 DNA barcoding, suggesting that more DNA barcoding markers are needed for TCM identification. The strategy of high-throughput sequencing has the potential for comprehensive ingredient profiling for TCM preparations. Real-time PCR provides a expeditious metehod for monitoring the safety and legality of TCM preparations.
中药（TCM）已经有几千年的历史了，但对其疗效、合法性和安全性的担忧仍在继续。色谱研究已经在一些中药制剂中检测到重金属和植物毒素的存在。然而，色谱法并不能识别所有的中药化合物，特别是那些在包装上没有明确标记的化合物。本研究旨在建立一种补充方法，以更好地评估中药制剂的成分。
我们建立了一种有效的方法，基于高通量测序（HTS）筛选中药的生物和毒性成分，以及通过实时 PCR 快速检测和验证毒性物种，基于 ITS2 DNA 条形码。如意金黄粉（RHP）是一种含有毒性草药天南星的经典草药处方，被选来测试这种方法。该方法可以确定 RHP 中的天南星是否被半夏取代。结果通过实时 PCR 进行了验证。通过 ITS2 DNA 条形码鉴定了 RHP 的 90%成分，表明需要更多的 DNA 条形码标记物来鉴定中药。高通量测序的策略有可能对中药制剂进行全面的成分分析。实时 PCR 为监测中药制剂的安全性和合法性提供了一种快捷的方法。
