Abstract
Licorice is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for a long time in China and still in great use today. The effect of licorice on tonifying spleen and invigorating qi has been proved for thousands of years, but the material basis of its effect is not clear. In this paper, we established the fingerprints of 21 batches of licorice collected from different origins in China with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to identify the common peaks. Its effect of tonifying spleen and invigorating qi was confirmed through a series of praxiology experiments. The spectrum-effect relationship between HPLC fingerprints and its effect of tonifying spleen and invigorating qi of licorice was examined by gray relational analysis and partial least squares regression analysis. Results showed that the effect of licorice on tonifying spleen and invigorating qi resulted from various compounds and peaks. X2–X6 is presumed to be the main pharmacological substance base. This research successfully identified the spectrum-effect relationship between HPLC fingerprints and the effect of licorice on tonifying spleen and invigorating qi. The research method based on the spectrum-effect relationship helps provide new research ideas and strategies for the study of the basis of the medicinal materials and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine.
Highlights
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., known as licorice, is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
We studied the spectrumeffect relationship between the fingerprint and the effect of tonifying spleen and replenishing qi on licorice by the gray relation analysis (GRA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). is study expects to provide a scientific basis for the basic research of pharmacodynamic substances and quality control standards of licorice
Partial least squares regression analysis (PLSR) integrates multiple functions to realize regression modeling, data structure simplification, and correlation analysis between two sets of variables at the same time. It can make maximum use of data information and has the characteristics of high prediction accuracy and easy model interpretation. rough DPS software and PLSR analysis, the peak area of fingerprints of licorice saponins from 21 places was taken as an independent variable (X), and the efficacy data obtained from each experiment was taken as dependent variable (Y) for PLS regression analysis to obtain the regression equation fitted by X and Y. e regression coefficient reflects the contribution of each X to Y. e greater the absolute value of the PLS regression coefficient, Table 4: Correlation between common peaks of saponins from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. and forced Swimming experiment
Summary
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., known as licorice, is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Licorice is an “essential herbal medicine” in China; it is used to treat diseases. Still, it has been listed as a medicinal and edible homologous plant by the Ministry of Health of China [1]. Licorice has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxification, relieving cough and expectorating phlegm, tonifying spleen and invigorating qi, delaying and relieving pain, and harmonizing all kinds of medicine. Ese traditional effects have been confirmed by modern research [2]. Triterpenoid saponin is one of the main active components of licorice, which has antiviral, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and other pharmacological effects [3, 4]. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the content of Glycyrrhizic Acid and Liquiritin is used as the quality control standard [5]; such a single measurement index is challenging to meet the current quality control requirements of licorice, so the quality standard of licorice still needs to be improved [6]
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