Abstract
Taxilli Herba (TAXH) is an important traditional Chinese medicine with a long history, dating from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present times. However, the active constituents in it that parasitize different hosts vary, affecting its clinical efficacy. Given the complexity of the host origins, evaluating the quality of TAXH is critical to ensure the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. In the present study, a quantitative method based on ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established, which simultaneously determined the content of 33 active constituents, including 12 flavonoids, 4 organic acids, 12 amino acids, and 5 nucleosides in 45 samples. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was employed to classify and distinguish between TAXH and its adulterants, Tolypanthi Herba (TOLH). A hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was conducted combined with a heatmap to visually observe the distribution regularity of 33 constituents in each sample. Furthermore, gray relational analysis (GRA) was applied to evaluate the quality of samples to get the optimal host. The results demonstrated that TAXH excelled TOLH in quality as a whole. The quality of TAXH parasitizing Morus alba was also better, while those that were parasitic on Cinnamomum camphora and Glyptostrobus pensilis had relatively poor quality. This study may provide comprehensive information that is necessary for quality control and supply a scientific basis for further exploring the quality formation mechanism of TAXH.
Highlights
Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Danser is an evergreen shrub of the family loranthaceae—of which the primary medicinal parts are the stems, branches, and leaves—named TaxilliHerba (TAXH)
33 active constituents were quantified by UFLC–QTRAP–MS/MS in 45 samples of Taxilli Herba (TAXH) and Tolypanthi Herba (TOLH)
An OPLS–DA model was developed to discriminate between TAXH and TOLH
Summary
Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Danser is an evergreen shrub of the family loranthaceae—of which the primary medicinal parts are the stems, branches, and leaves—named TaxilliHerba (TAXH). Its harvest occurs from winter to spring, after which thick stems are removed, cut into sections, dried, or dried after steaming before becoming TAXH [1] It is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is widely used in TCM clinical practice and Chinese patent medicine production. Modern pharmacology research indicates that TAXH is able to inhibit tumor growth and induce cell apoptosis [11,12], decrease the blood fat [13], lower blood pressure [14], and fight off viruses [15], but it possesses the obvious effect of anti-inflammation and analgesia [16] More than that, it has an antioxidant effect and neuroprotective activity [17,18]. These excellent pharmacological benefits are attributed to the bioactive constituents in this Chinese medical herb
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