The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and Modern Chinese Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Application Foundation Research and Development Laboratory in Anhui Province, Hefei, China.
Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.
J Mass Spectrom. 2021 May;56(5):e4711. doi: 10.1002/jms.4711.
The appropriate selection of quality marker (Q-marker) for performing the comprehensive quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) has much more significance. Wu-Wei-Wen-Tong Capsule (WWWTC), a TCMs prescription, is mainly utilized to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China. However, the comprehensive quality control for WWWTC has not been achieved because of lacking system analysis for the Q-marker. In this study, a dual wavelength, 203 and 270 nm, was selected based on the feature of 15 Q-markers, and a reliable UHPLC-UV fingerprinting approach was established, achieving the comprehensive quality evaluation of WWWTC. First, we identified 91 prototypes in rat plasma after administering a set amount of WWWTC by using UHPLC-QTOF/MS technique and selected them as the candidate Q-markers. Next, based on the "five principles" of Q-marker selection, 15 absorbed components among them including coumarin, cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic alcohol, and 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde derived from Monarch medicine of Cmnamomi Mmulus; epimedin C, icariin, baohuoside I, and anhydroicaritin derived from Monarch medicine Epimedii Folium; germacrone, the sesquiterpene compound in Minister medicine Rhizoma Wenyujin Concisum; pachymic acid, the tetracyclic triterpenoid acids in Assistant medicine Poria; baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, and wogonoside in Guide medicine Scutellariae Radix, respectively, were seriously chosen as the Q-markers, indicating preferable pharmacological effect on RA, characterization of transitivity and traceability as well as measurable components in WWWTC. The effective and meaningful strategy displayed a unique perspective for the exploration of Q-markers in the quality evaluation and further ensured efficacy and safety of the TCMs.
选择合适的质量标志物 (Q-marker) 对中药进行全面质量评价具有重要意义。乌芪温通胶囊 (WWWTC) 是一种中药方剂，主要用于治疗中国的类风湿关节炎 (RA)。然而，由于缺乏对 Q-marker 的系统分析，WWWTC 的综合质量控制尚未实现。在这项研究中，基于 15 个 Q-marker 的特征，选择了双波长 203nm 和 270nm，并建立了可靠的 UHPLC-UV 指纹图谱方法，实现了 WWWTC 的综合质量评价。首先，我们使用 UHPLC-QTOF/MS 技术在给予一定剂量的 WWWTC 后，在大鼠血浆中鉴定出 91 种原型，并将其选为候选 Q-marker。接下来，基于 Q-marker 选择的“五个原则”，从中选择了 15 种吸收成分，包括来自君药川芎的香豆素、肉桂酸、肉桂醛、肉桂醇和 2-甲氧基肉桂醛；来自君药淫羊藿的朝藿定 C、淫羊藿苷、宝藿苷 I 和脱水淫羊藿苷；来自臣药温郁金的倍半萜化合物莪术二酮；来自佐药茯苓的四环三萜酸 pachymic 酸；来自使药黄芩的黄芩苷、黄芩素、汉黄芩苷和汉黄芩苷。这些 Q-marker 分别作为 WWWTC 的质量标志物，具有较好的 RA 药理作用、传递性和可追溯性以及可测成分。这一有效而有意义的策略为 Q-marker 在质量评价中的探索提供了独特的视角，进一步保证了中药的疗效和安全性。
