Review of the article „Comparative analysis of the multiple absorbed bioactive components in rat serum after oral administration of Xienxin Tang by HPLC-DAD coupled with HPLC-Q-TOF/MS“, verified by Publons, Web of Science

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Xiexin Tang (XXT) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula administered in clinics for more than 1800 years. Recently, many studies have investigated the pharmacological effects and chemical composition of XXT. However, systematic studies on the material basis of its efficacy are lacking. In present study, the serum pharmacochemistry technique and high-performance liquid chromatography diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was performed to screening and analysis of the multiple absorbed bioactive components and metabolites of orally dosed XXT in rat serum. Methods: Bio-samples and herbal extracts were analyzed and detected by HPLC-DAD coupled with HPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Upon comparison of the chromatograms of the single-constituent decoctions with that of the XXT formulation, the peak number and intensity of the formulated decoction showed some variation from those of the single-constituent decoctions. Results: Twenty-one serum-adsorbed constituents were identified after intragastric administration of herbal extracts, of which 8 originated from Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (RRR), 5 from Coptidis Rhizoma (CR), and 8 from Scutellariae Radix (SR). The results show that the main adsorbed constituents in the serum were anthraquinones, anthrones, chromones, and butyrophenones for RRR, alkaloids for CR, and flavonoids for SR. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that an effective and reliable analytical method is set up for screening the bioactive components of Chinese herbal medicine, which provided a meaningful basis for further pharmacology and active mechanism research of XXT.