National Chinmedomics Research Center, Sino-America Chinmedomics Technology Collaboration Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Laboratory of Metabolomics, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China.
National Chinmedomics Research Center, Sino-America Chinmedomics Technology Collaboration Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Laboratory of Metabolomics, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China; State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau.
Phytomedicine. 2020 Aug;74:152928. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2019.152928. Epub 2019 Apr 12.
Quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has always been a hot issue to TCM. However, due to the complexity of TCM ingredients, the current quality standards of TCM have problems that are difficult to guarantee clinical efficacy. American ginseng, the dried roots of Pawajc quinquefolium L. (Araliaceae), is a valuable herbal medicine due to various pharmacological effects and huge health benefit, which are associated with numerous active ingredients such as ginsenosides. Although a large number of studies have investigated the active ingredients of American ginseng, Q-markers reflecting comprehensive review on its efficacies has yet been unrevealed.
The study aims to discover the Q-markers of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), provides a powerful method to clarify the significant ingredents of TCM and help further discovering extensive quality evaluation model,contributing to a significant improvement of TCM quality standard.
Mice general status, biochemical indexes assay, urine metabolic profile, and serum metabolic profile were utilized for model replication and efficacy evaluation. The in vitro and in vivo constituents of American ginseng using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) with Serum Pharmacochemistry of TCM were in-depth investigated. Q-markers that were associated with core markers of therapeutic effects were excavated by a plotting of correlation between marker metabolites and serum constituents (PCMS) approach.
Correlation analysis of 41 blood and urine labeled metabolites with 14 serum components showed that 24-methyl-7-cholesten-3β-ol, zizybeoside II, betulin, ginsenoside Rd, cinnamyl alcohol, pseudoginsenoside F11 is highly correlated with the therapeutic effects of Compound Zaofan Pill (CZP), while pseudoginsenoside F11 and ginsenoside Rd are highly correlated with the therapeutic effects of American ginseng. The six absorbed blood compounds can be considered as potential Q-markers for compound, of which two compounds, such as pseudoginsenoside F11 and ginsenoside Rd, can be considered as potential Q-markers for American ginseng.
The study has demonstrated that the Chinmedomics is an effective, comprehensive and fire-new method for discovering the Q-markers of TCM, and it may be more reasonable choices to establish quality standards of TCM.
中药质量控制一直是中药领域的热点问题。然而，由于中药成分的复杂性，目前中药的质量标准存在难以保证临床疗效的问题。西洋参，即五加科人参属植物西洋参（Pawajc quinquefolium L.）的干燥根，由于具有多种药理作用和巨大的健康益处，是一种有价值的草药，这与其包含的众多活性成分如人参皂苷有关。尽管大量研究已经研究了西洋参的活性成分，但尚未揭示反映其疗效综合评价的 Q 标志物。
本研究旨在发现西洋参的 Q 标志物，为阐明中药的重要成分提供有力方法，并有助于进一步发现广泛的质量评价模型，从而显著提高中药质量标准。
利用小鼠一般状态、生化指标测定、尿液代谢谱和血清代谢谱进行模型复制和疗效评价。采用超高效液相色谱-质谱联用（UPLC-MS）结合中药血清药物化学方法深入研究西洋参的体内外成分。采用标记代谢物与血清成分（PCMS）相关图的方法，挖掘与治疗作用核心标志物相关的 Q 标志物。
41 种血液和尿液标记代谢物与 14 种血清成分的相关性分析表明，24-甲基-7-胆甾-3β-醇、梓醇 II、白桦脂醇、人参皂苷 Rd、肉桂醇、伪人参皂苷 F11 与复方早放丸（CZP）的治疗作用高度相关，而伪人参皂苷 F11 和人参皂苷 Rd 与西洋参的治疗作用高度相关。6 种被吸收的血液化合物可被视为复方的潜在 Q 标志物，其中两种化合物，如伪人参皂苷 F11 和人参皂苷 Rd，可被视为西洋参的潜在 Q 标志物。
本研究表明，中药系统生物学是发现中药 Q 标志物的一种有效、全面和全新的方法，建立中药质量标准可能是更合理的选择。
