The effective components of Coptis chinensis were extracted by ultrasound-assisted technology, and the contents of palmatine and berberine were used as indexes by using Coptis chinensis as raw material and eutectic solvent as extractant. In addition, the effects of hydrogen bond donor type, molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor to acceptor, material-liquid ratio, water content of eutectic solvent system, sonication time, power, and ultrasonic temperature on the extraction rate of palmatine and berberine were studied. The optimum extraction technology of palmatine and berberine from Coptis chinensis was determined by single-factor experiment and response surface optimization test. As a result, it showed that the eutectic solvent system was constructed with choline chloride as hydrogen bond acceptor and phenol as hydrogen bond donor, with a molar ratio of 1:3. In addition, water content of the eutectic solvent system was 30, ratio of material to liquid was 30g/mL, ultrasonic time was 30min, ultrasonic power was 200W, and ultrasonic temperature was 60°C. At this time, the contents of palmatine and berberine in Coptis chinensis were 16.7145mg/g and 57.4013mg/g, respectively, which were predicted to be the same as the value, and the extraction effect was better than that of traditional extraction solvent method.

In this paper, a valid evaluation method for the quality control of Danggui Kushen pills (DKP) has been established based on quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker (QAMS). Gallic acid, matrine, oxymatrine, catechin, ferulic acid, and rutin were selected as the indexes for quality evaluation of DKP. The analysis was achieved on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) via gradient elution. Gallic acid was used as internal standard to determine the relative correction factors (RCF) between gallic acid and other five constituents in DKP. The contents of those components were calculated at the same time. The accuracy of QAMS method was verified by comparing the contents of six components calculated by external standard (ES) method with those of the QAMS method. It turned out that there was no significant difference between the quantitative results of QAMS method and external standard method. The proposed QAMS method was proved to be accurate and feasible according to methodological experiments, which provided an accurate, efficient, and economical approach for quality evaluation of DKP.

Background: Sangbaipi decoction (SD), a traditional Chinese “Ancient Classical Prescription” consisting of eight medicinal materials, is usually used to treat asthma due to excess lung Qi and phlegm fire. Objective: To establish a comprehensive quality evaluation method for SD. Methods: HPLC fingerprint analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied for the quality control of SD prepared from different batches of medicinal materials. A total of 10 batches of SD samples were prepared and analyzed. Results: A total of 24 common peaks and six active components (gardenoside, rutin, berberine, palmatine, baicalein, and wogonin) were identified in the HPLC fingerprint of SD. The ten batches of SD samples were divided into four groups via HCA and PCA. The HPLC fingerprint similarities of the 10 batch samples were 0.934 or higher. The precision, stability, repeatability, and other methodological indexes suggested that the developed method met the requirements for qualitative fingerprint research. Conclusion: The results indicated that HPLC fingerprints combined with PCA and multicomponent determination can be successfully applied to SD quality control. This study also provides a basis for a more comprehensive quality evaluation method for SD. Highlights: The fingerprint of SD, a TCM famous classical formula, was established by HPLC in this paper. Moreover, contents of six pharmacodynamic related components in SD were determined simultaneously in order to establish a comprehensive quality evaluation method of SD. This study can also provide a basis for raw material selection, quality evaluation, extraction process, preparation development and pharmacodynamic material basis research of SD.

As a traditional medicine with extensive history, Ornithogalum caudatum has high nutritional and medicinal value. However, its quality evaluation criteria are insufficient because it is not included in the pharmacopeia. Simultaneously, it is a perennial plant, and the medicinal ingredients change with the growth years. Currently, studies on the synthesis and accumulation of metabolites and elements in O. caudatum during different growth years are unavailable. To address this issue, in this study, the 8 main active substances, metabolism profiles, and 12 trace elements of O. caudatum from different growth years (1, 3, and 5 years old) were analyzed. The main substances of O. caudatum changed significantly in different years of growth. Saponin and sterol contents increased with age; however, the polysaccharide content decreased. For metabolism profiling, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was performed. Among the three groups, 156 differential metabolites with variable importance in projection values >1.0 and p < 0.05 were identified. Among the differential metabolites, 16 increased with increasing years of growth and have the potential to become age-identified markers. A trace element study showed that the contents of K, Ca, and Mg were higher, and the ratio of Zn/Cu was less than 0.1%. Heavy metal ions in O. caudatum did not increase with age. The results of this study provide a basis to evaluate the edible values of O. caudatum and facilitate further exploitation.

Taking Phellodendron chinense Schneid (PcS) as the raw material with ultrasonic‐assisted eutectic solvent, the effects of various DESs on the extractable content of palmatine and berberine in PcS were investigated. On the basis of the single‐factor test, the best DES was determined to be choline chloride and 1,3‐propanediol (mole ratio 1 : 2). After optimizing by the response surface method, the optimum extraction conditions were as follows: the solid‐liquid ratio was 1 : 30 (w/v), water content was 30% (v/v), vortex time was 7 min, ultrasonic time was 20 min, ultrasonic temperature was 60°C, ultrasonic power was 400 W, and the content of palmatine in PcS was 5.421 ± 0.283 mg/g, and the content of berberine in PcS was 15.573 ± 0.539 mg/g. Therefore, DES prepared from choline chloride and 1,3‐propanediol can be used to extract palmatine and berberine from PcS. The optimized process conditions determined by the response surface method are reliable and can provide a reference for the green extraction of effective components from PcS.

In this paper, ultrasonic-assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES) extraction was applied to the acquisition of chromones (cimicifugin, prim-o-glucosylcimifugin, and 5-o-methylvisamminoside) from Saposhnikoviae radix (SR). The extraction effects of 11 prepared DESs were screened taking contents of chromones as indexes. Furthermore, the optimum extraction conditions were confirmed using a single-factor test and response surface optimization test. Scavenging activities of DPPH anion and ABTS cation radicals of different SR extracts (DES, methanol, and ethanol) were studied. The analysis results of best extraction conditions optimized by Design-Expert software were as follows: extraction time (40min), extraction temperature (60°C), and the solid/liquid ratio (32mL/g). Scavenging rates of the DES extract for DPPH anion radical and ABTS cation radical were found to be 75.31 and 65.71, which were higher than those of methanol and ethanol extracts. In conclusion, the developed extraction method can be regarded as a safe, green, and more effective approach for the extraction of chromones in SR.