Study on Quality Markers and Action Mechanisms of Inulae Flos on Anti-Hepatitis Through Network Pharmacology and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Fingerprints

Objective:The objective of the study is to combine network pharmacology with high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)to screen for quality markers(Q-markers)of Inulae Flos and predict mechanism on anti-hepatitis.Materials and Methods:Active ingredient library of Inulae Flos is structured using databases and the literature.“Compound-target-pathway”network on anti-hepatitis and protein–protein interaction(PPI)network are constructed using network pharmacology.Next,chromatographic fingerprints of Inulae Flos in 7 origins are obtained through HPLC,and chemometric analysis is implemented to identify chemical markers,which is combined with network pharmacology to identify Q-markers and detect content.Results:1,6-O,O-Diacetylbritannilactone,Ivangustin,and Inulanolide A are key ingredients of Inulae Flos to interact with 82 potential targets related to anti-hepatitis.Furthermore,signal transducer and activator of transcription 3,tumor necrosis factor,interleukin-6,and transcription factor AP-1 are the core targets in the PPI network.Chromatographic fingerprints of the Inulae Flos define 20 common peaks and identify 8 peaks using reference substances.Through partial least square discriminant analysis,7compounds including caffeic acid,chlorogenic acid,and 1,6-O,O-Diacetylbritannilactone were main chemical markers for variability.1,6-O,O-Diacetylbritannilactone is both a key ingredient and exclusive chemical marker.Therefore,1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone is a Q-marker of Inulae Flos,and the average content is 1.82 mg/g.Conclusion:1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone is determined to be a Q-marker of Inulae Flos.

Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Based Bile and Urine Metabonomics Study on the Ameliorative Effects of Curcuma wenyujin Rhizoma on Acute Blood Stasis in Rats

Background: Curcuma wenyujin rhizome(CWR) is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine for treating blood stasis in China for 1000 of years. However, the underlying mechanism of CWR remains unclear. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to clarify the bioactive mechanism of CWR in treating blood stasis. Materials and Methods: In this study, pharmacological indexes, including hemorheology and four blood coagulation indexes were tested. Bile and urine metabolomics were engaged by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Multivariate statistical analysis were used to screen out differential endogenous metabolites. Results: The results indicated that CWR significantly ameliorated the hemorheology and coagulation functions of acute blood stasis(ABS) model rats. Moreover, 27 endogenous metabolites between the CWR group and the ABS group were screened, and the levels were all improved to certain degrees by CWR preadministration. Metabonomics results indicated that ABS was mainly related to linoleic acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, pentose and glucuronate intercereasonversions, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and primary bile acid biosynthesis. Conclusion: In a word, the metabolomics method is consistent with the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) that can be a powerful means to illustrate the biological activity mechanism of CWR in treating blood stasis and to offer research demonstration for further study on the effector mechanism of TCM.