Identification of a Multicomponent Traditional Herbal Medicine by HPLC–MS and Electron and Light Microscopy

Abstract

Background: Commercial pharmaceutical herbal products have enabled people to take traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in a convenient and accessible form. However, the quantity and quality should be additionally inspected. To address the issue, a combination of chemical and physical inspection methods were developed to evaluate the amount of an herbal formula, Xiang-Sha-Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang (XSLJZT), in clinical TCM practice. Methods: A high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) method with electrospray ionization was developed to measure the herbal biomarkers of guanosine, atractylenolide III, glycyrrhizic acid, dehydrocostus lactone, hesperidin, and oleanolic acid from XSLJZT. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photographs and light microscopy photographs with Congo red and iodine–KI staining were used to identify the cellulose fibers and starch content. Furthermore, solubility analysis, swelling power test, and crude fiber analysis were contributed to measure the starch additive in pharmaceutical products. Results: The results demonstrated large variations in the chemical components of different pharmaceutical brands. The SEM photographs revealed that the starch was oval, smooth, and granular, and that the raw herbal powder appears stripy, stretched, and filiform. The stained light microscopy photographs of all of the pharmaceutical products showed added starch and raw herbal powder as extenders. Conclusion: The developed chemical and physical methods provide a standard operating procedure for the quantity control of the herbal pharmaceutical products of XSLJZT.

Perspective of mesenchymal transformation in glioblastoma

“…As reviewed by Leier et al biotechnology-based therapeutic strategies, such as cDNA replacement, CRISPR-based DNA repair and exon skipping, are being developed as a form of mutation-directed therapies to repair the NF1 gene [ 71 ]. Furthermore, since the loss of NF1 in glial cells has been found to be associated with increased RAS activity, targeting the RAS-downstream signaling pathways (e.g., the RAF-MEK-ERK signaling cascade) through MEK inhibition may be another viable therapeutic strategy to prevent NF1-associated mesenchymal transformation in GBM [ 17 , 57 , 78 ].…”

Pharmacokinetic Herb-Drug Interactions of Xiang-Sha-Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang and Paclitaxel in Male Sprague Dawley Rats and Its Influence on Enzyme Kinetics in Human Liver Microsomes

“…XSLJZT is a herbal formula that contains a high polyphenol content. Liu et al reported that glycyrrhizin and liquiritin from Glycyrrhiza uralensis ( Gan Cao ), quercetrin, and hesperidin from Citrus reticulata ( Chen Pi ), ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1 from Panax ginseng ( Ren Shen ), 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol from Zingiber officinale , and costunolide and dehydrocostus lactone from Aucklandia lappa ( Mu Xiang ) could be detected in XSLJZT using HPLC-MS ( Liu et al, 2017 ). Polyphenols can potentially influence the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs either by additive or synergistic effects, which can result in toxicity ( Mahbub et al, 2015 ; Klimaszewska-Wisniewska et al, 2016 ).…”

“…(2 g), Sha ren), and Aucklandiae Radix ( Aucklandia costus Falc. (2 g), Mu xiang) ( Liu et al, 2017 ). All materials were purchased from Sun Ten Pharmaceutical (New Taipei City, Taiwan) and authenticated by a non-profit organization, Brion Research Institute of Taiwan (New Taipei City, Taiwan).…”

Comprehensive identification of Vitex trifolia fruit and its five adulterants by comparison of micromorphological, microscopic characteristics, and chemical profiles

“…Morphological and microscopic identifications were the most accepted conventional methods (Xu, Song, Zhou, Li, & Li, 2015), of which the former was suitable for intact raw herbs, and the latter was appropriate for the herbs that were broken or powdered (Zafar, Ahmad, Sultana, & Lubna, 2019; Zhao, Liang, & Ping, 2011). And as for some medicinal herbs that have been made into some dosage forms such as decoction, granules or tinctures, chemical profiling was preferred (Liu, Cheng, Hsieh, & Tsai, 2017). Nevertheless, there were few studies on the comparison of chemical constituents between VTF and its adulterants.…”