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Epimedii Folium (EF) is a commonly used traditional Chinese drug that includes many species. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition), EF includes Epimedium brevicornu Maxim, E. Sagittatum (Sieb. et Zucc) Maxim, E. pubescens Maxim, E. koreanum Nakai, and Epimedium Wushanense T.S. Ying. It has been reported that the active constituents in EF are different, resulting in the uneven quality of commercial medicinal materials. To explore the specific differences and make a comprehensive quality evaluation of EF, we established an analytical method to simultaneously detect 45 constituents including 23 flavonoids, 4 phenolic acids, 12 amino acids, 5 nucleosides, and 1 alkaloid in 5 species of EF, based on ultrafast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). In addition, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and grey correlation analysis (GRA) were used to discriminate and evaluate different species of samples. The results showed that EF could be divided into three categories and EBM was superior to the other four species. This study provides data basis for the comprehensive evaluation and a new perspective on the quality control of EF from different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrastigmae Radix, also known as Sanyeqing (SYQ) in Chinese, is an important traditional Chinese medicine with a long history. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg mainly grows in the south of the Yangtze River and is widely distributed. The content of bioactive constituents in SYQ varies greatly in different habitats, and there are obvious differences in the content of bioactive constituents between southwestern SYQ (WS) and southeastern SYQ (ES). To distinguish and evaluate the quality of ES and WS, an analytical method based on ultrafast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of 60 constituents including 25 flavonoids, 9 phenolic acids, 15 amino acids, and 11 nucleosides in 47 samples from ES and WS. In addition, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), t-test, and gray correlation analysis (GRA) were used to discriminate and evaluate the ES and WS samples based on the contents of 60 constituents. The results showed that there were significant differences in the bioactive constituents between ES and WS, and ES was superior to WS in terms of quality evaluation. This study not only provides basic information for differentiating ES and WS but also provides a new perspective for the comprehensive evaluation and quality control of SYQ from two different habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxilli Herba (TH) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a wide range of clinical application. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on its chemical composition in recent years. At the same time, Taxillus chinensis (DC) Danser is a semi parasitic plant with abundant hosts, and its chemical constituents varies due to hosts. In this study, the characterization of chemical constituents in TH was analyzed by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS). Moreover, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to reveal the differential constituents in TH from different hosts based on the qualitative information of the chemical constituents. Results showed that 73 constituents in TH were identified or tentatively presumed, including flavonoids, phenolic acids and glycosides, and others; meanwhile, the fragmentation pathways of different types of compounds were preliminarily deduced by the fragmentation behavior of the major constituents. In addition, 23 differential characteristic constituents were screened based on variable importance in projection (VIP) and p-value. Among them, quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucuronide, quercitrin and hyperoside were common differential constituents. Our research will contribute to comprehensive evaluation and intrinsic quality control of TH, and provide a scientific basis for the variety identification of medicinal materials from different hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic (AM), called Huangshukui in Chinese, is a widely used medicinal plant. Each part of AM has medicinal value, including Abelmoschi Radix (AR), Abelmoschi Herba (AH), Abelmoschi Folium (AF), Abelmoschi Corolla (AC), and Abelmoschi Semen (AS). However, only AC is documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In order to investigate whether there is any difference between AC and the other parts of AM, an analytical method based on ultra-fast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of 35 constituents in different parts of AM. Moreover, principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to classify and evaluate the different parts of AM based on the content of the 35 constituents. The total contents of the 35 constituents in AC were significantly higher than in the other parts of AM and the results revealed significant differences between AC and the other parts of AM. Eight constituents were remarkably related to the sample classifications. This research does not just provide the basic information for revealing the distribution patterns in different parts of AM from the same origin, but also complements some of the scientific data for the comprehensive quality evaluation of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophiopogonis Radix, also known as Mai-dong in Chinese, was a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and functional health food. Two products of Ophiopogonis Radix are largely produced in the Sichuan and Zhejiang province, which are called "Chuan maidong (CMD)" and "Zhe maidong (ZMD)" respectively. To distinguish and evaluate the quality of CMD and ZMD, an analytical method based on ultra-fast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for simultaneous determination of 32 constituents including 4 steroidal saponins, 3 homisoflavonoids, 15 amino acids, and 10 nucleosides in 27 Mai-dong samples from Sichuan and Zhejiang. Furthermore, principal components analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), t-test, and grey relational analysis (GRA) were applied to discriminate and evaluate the samples from Sichuan and Zhejiang based on the contents of 32 constituents. The results demonstrated that the bioactive constituents in CMD and ZMD were significantly different, and CMD performed better in the quality assessment than ZMD. This study not only provides a basic information for differentiating CMD and ZMD, but offers a new insight into comprehensive evaluation and quality control of Ophiopogonis Radix from two different producing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]