A New Concept on Quality Marker for Quality Assessment and Process Control of Chinese Medicines

Chinese medicine （CM） is the most typical conventional therapy compared with any other traditional or alternative medicine systems. The active components of CMs are either primary or secondary metabolites generated by metabolic and biosynthetic enzymes in plants, protecting the plants from environmental stress. The characteristics of these metabolites are diverse, complicated and unique. In this paper, current approaches for quality assessment were extensively reviewed, a new concept of quality marker （Q-marker） was then proposed for CM quality assessment. Additionally, definition of the Q-marker, as well as the relevant methods, were discussed, on the basis of the biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites and source of biological active components. Study design of Q-marker is complex system for quality assessment and production process control of CM products with transitivity and traceability. Therefore, the system with characteristics of transmission and traceability is expected to be established for regulation of quality. Upon the concept which the transitivity and traceability in the quality assessment and production process control covered the entire process, such as raw materials, decoction slices, processing, extraction and production can be further enhanced. The transitivity and traceability will inevitably require close attention to ＂who, what, where, when, and why＂ details at each stage of Q-markers of CM production form raw materials to patent product. The establishing quality standards are enablers of many and various transitivity and traceability solutions, not a solution in them. It means that the transitivity and traceability system is readily link between products and across borders in quality. According to the thinking mode and methods of investigation on quality assessment of CM product, we focus on the entire process, in terms of safety and effectiveness and quality control. The standard preparation of CM or CM decoction is not only the basis for study of Q-marker, but also the basis for transmission and traceability of the quality of CM product.

Network Pharmacology Bridges Traditional Application and Modern Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has developed over thousands of years and has accumulated abundant clinical experience, forming a comprehensive and unique medical system. Emerging evidence has begun to illustrate TCM as an area of important medical rediscoveries. This review article briefly introduced the concept, significance, and technology of network pharmacology based on network biology and systems biology. It focused on the theoretical system and potential prospect of TCM network applied in TCM research and development including predicting new drug targets, action mechanism, new drug discovery; evaluating pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, safety, toxicology, quality control, and bioinformatics of drugs. We also discussed the opportunities and challenges in the development and application of network pharmacology in the modernization of TCM research.

Network Pharmacology Evaluation Method Guidance-Draft

Foreword Note:Some of the document contents may involve certain patents,the identification of which is not the responsibility of the institution that releases the document.Main drafting organizations:Tsinghua University,Specialty Committee of Network Pharmacology of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies(WFCMS).

Quality Evaluation of Astragali Radix based on DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity and Chemical Analysis

Objective To assess the quality of Astragali Radix from different areas based on the biological evaluation and chemical analysis. Methods The bioassay method of 1,1- diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl （DPPH） radical scavenging activity for Astragali Radix was established. The parameters of DPPH assay including sample extraction time, reaction time, repeatability, and stability were detected. Furthermore, a method of HPLC-MS was developed to simultaneously determine calycosin-7-O-glucoside, ononin, formononetin, and astragaloside IV in Astragali Radix samples. And the total flavonoids and total saponins were detected by spectrophotometry. The relationship between DPPH evaluation and chemical analysis was studied by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Twelve batches of Astragali Radix from different origins showed a wide range of DPPH radical scavenging activities （ICso = 1.395-9.894 tJg/mL）. Based on DPPH assay, Sample ]0 derived from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region （ICso = 1.395 iJg/mL） showed the best quality of all samples. Chemical analysis showed that different compounds selected as indices would cause different results for quality evaluation. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the contents of total flavonoids （P = 0.032）, calycosin-7-giucoside （P = 0.035）, and astragaloside IV （P = 0.010） were positively correlated with DPPH radical scavenging activity. Conclusion Except for chemical analysis, DPPH radical scavenging activity can be used as a good alternative to assess and control the quality of Astragal/Radix.

Systems Biology Application in Research on Sustainable Utilization of Chinese Materia Medica Resources

This paper reviews the progress of systems biology applied to researching on sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica （CMM） resources in the following aspects： identification and evaluation of CMM resources, analysis of biosynthesis and their regulation of active ingredients in medicinal plants, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology research of medicinal plants, and molecular breeding of medicinal plants. Development of systems biology is currently leading to extremely broad applications in the field of CMM resources, and systems biology wiil become a significant approach for the sustainable utilization of CMM resources.

Progress of Studies on Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Complex Network Analysis

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a distinct medical system that deals with the life-health-disease-environment relationship using holistic, dynamic, and dialectical thinking. However, reductionism has often restricted the conventional studies on TCM, and these studies did not investigate the central concepts of TCM theory about the multiple relationships among life, health, disease, and environment. Complex network analysis describes a wide variety of complex systems in the real world, and it has the potential to bridge the gap between TCM and modern science owing to the holism of TCM theory. This article summarizes the current research involving TCM network analysis and highlights the computational tools and analysis methods involved in this research. Finally, to inspire a new approach, the article discussed the potential problems underlying the application of TCM network analysis.