Objective: To develop a method for identifying tinctures by assessing their biological activity at different temperatures based on Arrhenius kinetics. Methods: The tinctures of anti-inflammatory and cardiotonic actions were chosen for the Spitotox-test. Chromatographic ethanol (HPLC grade, 99.8%, Fisher Scientific, UK) and deionized high-resistance water (18.2 MΩ cm, Milli-Q, Millipore) were used to prepare 70% water-alcohol extractant. The dispersity of the infusions and solvents was evaluated by LALLS (Malvern, UK) (micrometer range) and DLS (nanometer range) (Zetasizer Nano ZS, Malvern, UK) methods. Results: The observed (obs) values of activation energy ( °bsEa) of ligand-receptor interactions of infusoria Spirostomum ambiguum and components of tinctures with regard to the extractant: water volume ratio was ranked in descending order of toxicity: motherwort (1:10; 87±13 kJ/mol)>calendula (1:7; 103±18 kJ/mol)>eucalyptus (1:7; 159±5 kJ/mol)>valerian (1:5; 135±6 kJ/mol)>hawthorn (1:4; 113±20 kJ/mol). The found values of activation energy were included in the previously created library for the construction of the correlation diagram « °bsEa-LD50», which allowed to assess the toxicity of tinctures in comparison with other pharmaceutical substances. Conclusion: The method for assessing the biological activity of tinctures was developed by Arrhenius kinetics. The values of activation energy °bsEa of ligand-receptor interactions can be used for the identification of tinctures.

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop methods for identifying herbal medicines and tinctures by processing spectral results across a wide range of wavelengths using principal component analysis (PCA). Methods: Medicinal plants and tinctures of valerian, motherwort, and hawthorn have been analyzed using UV spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry, ATR FTIR spectrometry, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. PCA was used to process the results of spectral analysis. Statistical processing of spectral results was carried out using the OriginPro program (OriginLab Corporation, USA, 2021). Results: For herbal medicines with sedative, hypotensive, and cardiotonic effects, spectral data libraries have been created in the following dimensions: UV spectrophotometry with 1800 absorption units (Ai), spectrofluorimetry with 4010 fluorescence intensity units (Ii), IR spectroscopy with a light transmittance of 50250 units (Ti), and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry with an intensity of 1568 (Ii). These libraries were used as the primary matrices for PCA. Visualization of the PCA results was done using a scores plot and a loadings plot, which illustrate the contribution of each principal component (PC) to the PCA model. After performing chemometric processing on the original spectral results, it was discovered that samples belonging to the same botanical genus occupy distinct and compact regions in two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. Unknown plant samples (blind samples) and samples of other botanical species were successfully tested using new method. Conclusion: For the first time, tinctures and medicinal plants were identified based on their botanical genus using spectral techniques coupled with principal component analysis, eliminating the need for a chemical reference substance.

Objective: To substantiate the possibility of using polarimetry to control the quality of tinctures as an additional pharmacopoeial method. Methods: The polarimetric method (POL-1/2, Atago, Japan, the measurement accuracy of±0.002 °) was used to measure the optical activity (α °) of motherwort, valerian and hawthorn tinctures. The dynamic light scattering method (DLS; Zetasizer Nano ZS, Malvern, UK) was used to assess the stability of alcoholic and aqueous dilutions of tinctures according to the intensity of dynamic light scattering dependent on the size (d, nm) of the dispersed phase particles and the values of the electrokinetic potential (ξ, mV). Results: For the first time in this investigation, the polarimetry approach was proposed to evaluate the cardiotonic and hypotensive tinctures' quality and for their identification. Valerian tincture, dilution 1:40,-0.10°<α°<-0.89°; motherwort, tincture-dilution 1:10,-0.10°<α°<-2.21°; hawthorn, tincture without dilution,-0.76°<α°<-1.55°-these are the acceptable ranges of optical activity (α°) of their alcohol dilutions. Beyond these intervals, the use of the polarimetric approach is impossible. Values of optical activity below 0.1 correspond to too low a content of optically active components. Tinctures with optical activity above the upper value of the interval were unstable dispersed systems with low values of the electrokinetic potential (|ξ|≪25mV) and micron particle sizes. Reference tinctures were made from raw materials (Leonurus cardiaca L.) to verify the results. The quality parameters: optical activity (α°), spectra of dynamic light scattering by intensity, volume, and number ("I-d"; "V-d"; "N-d"), electrokinetic potential (ξ) values, and photon pulse count per second (Count Rate, kcps) corresponded to the results obtained for pharmaceutical dosage forms. Conclusion: The permissible intervals of optical activity (α°) of their ethanol dilutions, as well as their relationships with the particle size of the dispersed phase and the values of the electrokinetic potential, were established for the first time to evaluate the quality of tinctures. The obtained results show that polarimetry can be recommended as an additional pharmacopoeial quality control method for tinctures.

Quality control of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) is challenging due to their multicomponent composition. For most HMPs, chemical reference standards (CRSs) required for traditional chromatographic and spectral analyses are unavailable. According to USP and Ph. Eur., an exception is valerian tincture, for which highly specific CRSs have been developed. The aim of this study was to use principal component analysis (PCA) and the novel two-dimensional diffuse laser scattering (2D-DLS) method to identify HMPs and their aqueous-ethanolic extracts according to their botanical genera without relying on specific marker compounds. Spectral data were compiled into an extensive library covering a wide wavelength range—from 0.02 nm to 15,000 nm. PCA of the spectral data (UV spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction) enabled clustering of samples by individual botanical genera. The most significant information for sample differentiation was provided by wavenumbers of 1400, 1180, and 931 cm⁻¹ in the IR spectra and wavelengths of 450 nm and 672 nm in the UV and fluorescence spectra, respectively. During model cross-validation, all “blind samples” were correctly classified by botanical genus, achieving a non-error rate (NER) of 100%. Furthermore, the unique 2D-DLS method was used to rapidly identify tinctures without opening the glass bottles.

Objective: To prove the benefits of biopharmaceutical parameters of cannabinoids over NSAIDs using quantitative structure and activity relationships (QSAR). Methods: The topological indices of Wiener (W) and Balaban (J) were calculated using the previously developed original program ChemicDescript (certificate no. 2003612305). Results: It was shown that the calculated topological indices were in one-to-one correspondence with such biopharmaceutical parameters as the constants of equilibrium binding to cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, toxicity, and lipophilicity. For example, it was shown that when the Wiener index changes from 480 to 530 LogK increases from 1.0 to 3.5. The LD50-W/J and logP-W/J diagrams demonstrate that cannabinoids are less toxic and more lipophilic than NSAIDs. Cannabidiol and cannabinol, having close values of their topological indices and insignificant psychoactivity, have the highest LD50 values, i.e. they are the least toxic. Moreover, for synthetic cannabinoids–nabilone and THJ-2201–the Wiener index is approximately 2 times higher than for plant analogues. Conclusion: In connection with the successful promotion of cannabinoid analgesics in the global pharmaceutical market, the results obtained are important for demonstrating their advantages over NSAIDs in terms of toxicity and lipophilicity. The results demonstrate the possibility of predicting the cannabinoid receptor binding energy of synthetic and newly identified plant cannabinoids, as well as assessing their toxicity and lipophilicity.