Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey, Hongshen, in Chinese) and Ophiopogonis Radix (Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f) Ker-Gawl., Maidong, in Chinese) are traditional Chinese herbal pairs, which were clinically employed to enhance the immune system of cancer patients. This study employed the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK–PD) spectrum-effect association model to investigate the antitumor active substances of P. ginseng and O. japonicus (PG–OJ). The metabolic processes of 20 major bioactive components were analyzed using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) in the lung tissue of tumor-bearing mice treated with PG–OJ. The ELISA method was employed to detect the levels of TGF-β1, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the lung tissue of mice at various time points, and to analyze their changes after drug administration. The results showed that all components presented a multiple peaks absorption pattern within 0.083 to 24 h post-drug administration. The tumor inhibition rate of tumor and repair rate of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 all increased, indicating a positive therapeutic effect of PG–OJ on A549 tumor-bearing mice. Finally, a PK–PD model based on the GBDT algorithm was developed for the first time to speculate that Methylophiopogonanone A, Methylophiopogonanone B, Ginsenoside Rb1, and Notoginsenoside R1 are the main active components in PG–OJ for lung cancer treatment.
Lonicerae japonicae Flos (LJF) possesses a good anti-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) effect. However, the material basis of LJF in treating RSV is still unclear. In this study, a sensitive and accurate quantitative method based on UHPLC-QQQ MS was established and validated for the simultaneous determination of the 15 ingredients from LJF in RSV-infected mice plasma. Multiple reaction monitoring was performed for quantification of the standards and of the internal standard in plasma. All the calibration curves show good linear regression within the linear range (r2 > 0.9918). The method validation results, including specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, extraction recovery, matrix effect, and stability of 15 ingredients, are all within the current acceptance criteria. This established method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of 15 compounds from LJF. Furthermore, the repair rate of lung index and the improvement rate of IFN-γ and IL-6 improved after administration of the LJF, indicating that LJF possessed a positive effect on the treatment of RSV infection. Finally, by combining Spearman and Grey relation analysis, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid C, secoxyloganin, chlorogenic acid, and loganic acid are speculated to be the main effective ingredients of LJF in treating RSV. This study lays the foundation for attempts to reveal the mechanisms of the anti-RSV effect of LJF.