pH as a Key Factor for the Quality Assurance of the Preparation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma Formula Granules
by
, and
Shuting Xie
1,
Ke Min
1,
Hai Li
1,
Ying Wang
1,
Mincong Liu
1,
Ming Ma
1,
Desheng Zhou
2,*,
Haijun Tu
3,* and
Bo Chen
1,* 1
Key Laboratory of Phytochemical R&D of Hunan Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
2
The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410007, China
3
College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 8091; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228091
Submission received: 20 October 2022
/
Revised: 17 November 2022
/
Accepted: 18 November 2022
/
Published: 21 November 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Food Bioactives: Chemical Challenges and Bio-Opportunities)
Abstract
:Gastrodiae rhizoma (GR) formula granules and preparations have been used as a popular traditional Chinese medicine for clinical treatment since they have good pharmacological activity to treat nervous system diseases. Gastrodin and parishins have been the main active components in aqueous extracts for GR formula granules, but their pharmacological activities and metabolism are different. For quality control of the extracts, the extraction conditions should be investigated to accurately control the contents of two kinds of components. In this paper, the transfer rate of six index components (including gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E) obtained by HPLC were used as indicators to investigate the effect of pH on the GR extraction process. The results demonstrated that pH is a key factor for preventing transforming parishins into gastrodin and maintaining high content of parishins in the extracts. It can be concluded that the weak acid environment could improve the transfer rate of parishins, thus ensuring the gastrodin and parishins consistency between GR raw materials and its aqueous extracts. Therefore, pH is an essential condition for accurate quality control of the extracts.
1. Introduction
Gastrodiae rhizoma (GR) is the dried tuber of Orchidaceae, which has the effects of calming wind and spasmolysis, calming liver yang, expelling wind, and dredging collaterals [1,2]. It is widely utilized in infantile convulsion, epilepsy, convulsion, headache, vertigo, etc. [3,4,5,6,7,8]. It is stipulated that the characteristic map of GR formula granules in National Medical Products Administration was six index components, including gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E [9]. Pharmacological studies showed that gastrodin exhibits neuro-protective effects against cerebral I/R injury [10]. p-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol can provide neuroprotection by preventing brain damage [11,12]. Parishins, such as parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E, had significant protective effects on myocardial cells [13,14,15,16]. In summary, GR formula granules and preparations have been used as the popular traditional Chinese medicine for clinical treatment since their effective pharmacological activity. It should be noted that gastrodin has a short action time in vivo, so it needs multiple doses to be treated clinically. Fortunately, parishins significantly prolong t1/2 (P0.01), which is 2.7-fold time of gastrodin, respectively [17]. However, it is common to pay more attention to the content of gastrodin in GR formula granules than parishins, resulting in different levels of parishins in GR formula granules in the market, which is against standardized quality control of GR formula granules as well as reducing the pharmacological activity of GR. Hence, investigating the content of multiple index components containing parishins in GR formula granules for improving the retention of parishins in GR formula granules is important.
Previous studies showed the presence of a large amount of parishins in GR formula granules [18,19,20,21]. Parishins were conjugated consisting of one citric acid unit and multiple gastrodins units by ester linkages. Parishins contain a large number of ester groups that are easy to hydrolyze, and can be hydrolyzed under too acidic or too alkaline conditions to produce gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and a large number of byproducts, which may lead to the loss of parishins in GR preparation such as GR formula granules, Huoxue Rongluo Pills and Tianma Gouteng Decoction, further resulting in a decline in efficacy [18]. Thus, controlling the pH of the preparation process of GR formula granules can further improve the preparation technology standard of GR formula granules and better ensure that the formula granules purchased in the market have the same medicine effect as the traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces. In recent years, alkali hydrolysis-HPLC is usually applied to investigate the effect of alkali concentration on hydrolysis [22]. Yet, these studies were only focused on determining the content of free and total gastrodin in GR formula granules, and pay little attention to the effect of pH. However, pH was generally a key factor in quality control of formula granules; therefore, investigating the appropriate range of pH in the preparation of GR formula granules is meaningful for its standardization.
As a simple, rapid, and accurate method, HPLC is often used in quantitative analysis of components in traditional Chinese medicine [23]. Based on this, a method of alkali hydrolysis-HPLC for quantitative analysis of gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E from GR formula granules and preparations was established. Taking parishin A as a model compound of parishins, the stability of parishin A in different pH environments was investigated. In addition, we prepared 14 batches of GR standard decoctions in weak acid environment, and detected the transfer rates of the above six index components by HPLC, taking them as indexes to estimate the retention rate of parishins at the reasonable pH. The simplified workflow is shown in Figure 1. In this work, we measured the content of six index components from 14 batches of GR decoction pieces and standard decoctions, and investigated the effect of pH on the retention rate of six index components in the preparation process of GR formula granules. The results demonstrated effective improvement of the retention of parishins in GR formula granules and related preparations by controlling the solution in weak acid environment, greatly improved the efficacy of GR formula granules, and provides a reference for the quality control of preparations.
2. Results and Discussion
2.1. Quantitative Analysis of Index Components in GR by HPLC
To accurately determine the index components such as gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E, the sample preparation conditions were optimized and validation of the method was completed.
The extraction efficiency of index components from GR with different solvents such as ethanol, MeOH, water, 25% MeOH, 50% MeOH, and 75% MeOH was investigated. The extraction efficiency of the components was the highest in 50% MeOH solution (see Figure 2a). In addition, ultrasonic for 30 min and the 1/50 ratio of material to liquid could completely extract six index components from GR (see Figure 2b,c).
The selection of the HPLC conditions was guided with the requirement for obtaining chromatograms with satisfactory resolutions of the analytes. To achieve more chemical information and effective separation of each component, taking 50% MeOH as blank solvent, and GR decoction piece (No. S2), GR standard decoction (No. Y2), and commercially available GR formula granule as test solutions, and mixed standard solution as references, the separation of six index components reached the requirements of quantitative analysis by optimizing the gradient of HPLC (see Figure 3). As shown in Figure 3, these peaks from six index components are presented in the same retention time of GR decoction piece, GR standard decoction, commercially available GR formula granules, and the mix standard solution, but no corresponding peaks in the blank solvent, which indicates that other impurities in the test solutions have no interference with the determination of the above six index components. In addition, we also investigated the parameter of peak symmetry and peak capacity in gradient elution. As listed in Table 1, the tailing factor (T) of six index compounds were between 0.848 and 1.045, which meets the peak symmetry requirements. This 250 mm chromatographic column can reach the peak capacity of 43 under the optimized conditions [24].
The method validation was conducted according to the accepted Guidance for Analytical Method Validation in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition). In order to verify the feasibility of the quantitative method, we first constructed calibration curves for six index components by HPLC. According to the calibration curve as Table 1, the limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E were 0.040, 0.035, 0.050, 0.050, 0.057, and 0.500 mg/L, and the limit of quantitation (LOQ, S/N = 10) were 0.130, 0.090, 0.150, 0.150, 0.185, and 1.650 mg/L, respectively. It was found that all compounds had excellent linearity (all R2 were greater than 0.9996). In order to prove that the method produces reliable results, we evaluated the uncertainty of slope and intercept in the linear equation. The results listed in Table 1 show that the uncertainties of slope and intercept in the six standard curves are within the expected range, which can provide support for data validity [25].
Second, to evaluate the performance of this method, we also investigated its recovery, precision, repeatability, and stability. As is shown in Tables S1 and S2, the recovery rates range from 96.5% to 103.0%, which ensured the accuracy of the sample determination. In addition, the precision for the six analytes was also acceptable with the RSD of 0.20–1.45%. The results of stability test demonstrated that RSD values of the peak areas for the six analytes were less than 1.53%. In addition, the RSD of 1.03–2.75% in parallel experiments proved the method was completely repeatable. The above validated items mentioned above verified that HPLC method established was appropriate for further analysis of GR samples.
Determination of Six Index Components in GR Real Samples
In this study, the content of gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E in GR decoction pieces and standard decoctions was determined by HPLC. A total of 14 batches of GR decoction pieces and standard decoctions were prepared in parallel, and the content of the six index components in each batch were calculated, and these results were listed in Table 2. We found that the content of six index components of GR decoction pieces from different sources were quite varied, which may be due to different planting environments in producing areas and processing techniques of medicinal materials (see Table 2). Furthermore, the total contents of gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol in 14 batches of standard decoctions were all higher than 0.25% to a great extent, which meets the standard of “Pharmacopoeia of China”. Overall, the above experiments demonstrated that proposed HPLC is not only capable of simultaneous analysis of six index components in GR, but also possesses good method performances, which provides a facilitating tool for quantitative analysis of main components in traditional Chinese medicine.
2.2. The Effect of pH on the Transfer Rate of Parishins in GR Formula Granules
Parishins in GR formula granules may hydrolyze if the pH of the solution is too acidic or too alkaline due to the instability of ester group, resulting in the loss of pharmacological activity. In addition, there are different preparation processes of major pharmaceutical companies, the content of parishins in GR formula granules on the market is uneven, and the efficacy is different. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the appropriate range of pH and standardize the preparation technology of GR formula granules for the quality assurance of the preparation of GR formula granules. Parishin A, as a typical model compound of parishins, is a glycoside compound formed by dehydration and condensation of one molecule of citric acid and three molecules of gastrodin. Under certain conditions, it can undergo a hydrolysis reaction to produce gastrodin monomer and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and its potential hydrolysis path was shown in Figure S1, and its hydrolysis in alkaline solution was successfully verified by HPLC (see Figure S2). In addition, the hydrolysis behaviors of parishin A were investigated at different pH, reaction temperature, and reaction time. We found that changing the water bath temperature and hydrolysis time will not cause the hydrolysis of parishin A under pH is 4.3, e.g., weak acid environment (the results are not given in this study), while the degree of hydrolysis of parishin A gradually increased when the pH was greater than 7.0 (Figure 4), which suggests parishin A are relatively stable under weak acidic conditions.
To this end, we prepared 14 batches of GR standard decoction in a weak acid environment, and calculated the paste yield of GR standard decoction. The paste yields of 14 batches of GR standard decoction ranged from 11.71% to 28.84% (see Table 3). From the results of the transfer rate in Table 3, the pH of the decoction was controlled between 3 and 6 by dripping acetic acid (e.g., weak acid environment), which ensured the relative stability of parishins and kept them in the standard decoction as much as possible, thus the hydrolysis of parishins were greatly reduced.
As shown in Figure 5, the content of hydrolysis products, such as gastrodin and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, were relatively constant, which indicates parishins did not hydrolyze in a weak acid environment (e.g., pH = 3 to 6). In addition, the transfer rate of six index components changes in the similar proportion (see Figure 5), which suggests the retention of parishins in GR formula granules can be improved by adjusting pH to weak acidity, thus enhancing the curative effect of GR formula granules. In short, the transfer rate of parishins in the preparation process of GR formula granules will greatly improve if the solution is controlled in weak acidity, which suggests that pH plays an important role for the quality assurance of the preparation of GR formula granules.
2.3. Importance of pH in the Preparation of GR Formula Granules
In this study, the HPLC fingerprints of 3 batches of GR formula granules (H1, H2, and H3) from three different hospitals in Changsha were monitored, and compared with GR standard decoction (Figure 6). It can be clearly seen that parishins in 3 batches of GR formula granules sold from hospitals were obviously lost (e.g., peak 3 to 6 decreased) compared with GR standard decoction, while the content of gastrodin increased significantly (e.g., peak 1 increased). This indicates that parishins, including parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E, were mostly hydrolyzed, which may be due to the preparation of GR formula granules without controlling pH.
In order to estimate the effect of pH on commercially available GR preparations, a compound preparation containing GR, e.g., HuoxueRongluo Pill II, was selected as a research object. HuoxueRongluo Pill II is an in-hospital preparation of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was a Chinese patent medicine for the treatment of ischemic stroke after compatibility adjustment according to the mechanism of invigorating qi deficiency and stagnation of disease in traditional Chinese medicine. It was made up of eight Chinese medicines, namely Lonicerae japonicae caulis, Picriae herba, GR, Chaenomelis fructus, Acori tatarinowii rhizoma, Persicae semen, Angelicae dahuricae radix, and Paeoniae radix rubra, according to the ratio of 6:3:3:3:2:2:2:2 without additional additives. Since parishins are effective medicinal ingredients in Huoxue Rongluo Pill II, its retention in the preparation process should be considered. To this end, the retention of parishins in Huoxuerongluo Pill II was monitored by HPLC. We can see from Figure S3 that the transfer rate of parishins in Huoxuerongluo Pill II was high (approximate 80%) and there was no obvious loss. We speculated that pH is the key factor, because the water extracts of eight Chinese medicinal materials in Huoxuerongluo Pill II were all weakly acidic (see Table S3), which makes parishins keep a stable environment, and thus a high transfer rate. Overall, we again confirmed that pH was a key factor for the quality assurance of GR preparations. We therefore suggest that paying more attention to the pH in the preparation process of formula granules or compound preparations, in order to avoid the situation of large loss of active ingredients.
Traditional Chinese medicine granules are granules made from single Chinese medicine decoction pieces by heating, extracting, separating, concentrating, drying, and granulating [26,27]. Formula granules overcome the problems of traditional Chinese medicine, such as difficult carrying, inconvenient preservation, and time-consuming decoction, and have a broad application prospect. Standard decoction as the intermediate of formula granules can be used as a material standard to measure the consistency between formula granules and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces [28]. Hence, GR decoction pieces, GR standard decoctions, and commercially available GR formula granules were selected as the research object in this study, their similarities and differences were investigated by HPLC.
With the increasing people studying the chemical constituents of GR, a new class of active constituents has been identified, including parishins. After administration, these ingredients are usually used as prodrugs to release gastrodin in the small intestine, and its half-life is 2.7 times that of gastrodin, which takes a long time in vivo. However, as the earliest active ingredient found in GR, gastrodin is often more easily noticed by people, but parishins, which have better efficacy, are ignored instead. In this study, we proposed that pH is a key factor for the quality assurance of the preparation of GR formula granules for the first time. We demonstrated that parishins will be incompletely hydrolyzed when GR decoction pieces were heated and extracted without considering pH condition, thus the content of gastrodin in standard decoction will be greatly increased, while parishins will not be retained. Only by strictly controlling the pH in the preparation process of GR formula granules to maintain weak acidity will the transfer rate of parishins be obviously improved. Considering the sensitivity of parishins in GR formula granules to pH, sufficient reasons confirm that the pH value is the key factor to ensure the preparation quality of GR formula granules.
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Materials, Reagents, and Chemicals
Huoxuerongluo Pill II was provided by the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine. GR formula granules were purchased from a local drugstore (Changsha, China). The samples of GR decoction piece were from different provinces, including Hubei (No. S1–S3), Hunan (No. S4–S6), Sichuan (No. S7–S8), Jilin (No. S9–S11), and Yunnan (No. S12–S14) (the detailed information is listed in Table S4), which met the technical requirements for quality control and standard formulation of traditional Chinese medicine formula granules. These decoction pieces were further verified as GR by Professor Desheng Zhou from the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E standards were all purchased from Chengdu Kloma Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Chengdu, China) and their chemical structures are shown in Figure S4. Methanol and acetonitrile were both purchased from Beijing Inoke Technology Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China) Phosphoric acid, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, and sodium hydroxide were all purchased from Sinopharm. The experimental water was made by SZ-93 automatic double pure water distiller.
3.2. Instruments
The instruments included Shimadzu LC-20A (Shimadzu Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China), FW-80 high-speed universal pulverizer (Beijing Yongguang Medical Instrument Co., Ltd., Beijing, China), AP135W electronic balance (Shimadzu Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China), MTN-2800D nitrogen blowing concentration device (Tianjin Aote sainz Instrument Co., Ltd., Tianjing, China), F-030SD ultrasonic cleaner (Shenzhen Fuyang Technology Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China), Sorvall 16R high-speed centrifuge (Shanghai Thermo Fisher Scientific Shier Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China), SZ-93 automatic double water distiller (Shanghai Yarong Biochemical Instrument Factory, Shanghai, China), and SCIENTZ-10ND freeze dryer (Zhejiang Ningbo Xinzhi Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Ningbo, China).
3.3. HPLC Analysis
3.3.1. Preparation of Standard and Sample Solutions
Measures of 10.0 mg of gastrodin, p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, parishin A, parishin B, parishin C, and parishin E standard were dissolved in 50% methanol as standard solution with the concentration of 1000 µg/mL. Then, 2.12 g KH2PO4 and 5.56 g K2HPO4 were mixed in 200 mL of distilled water to prepare 0.2 mol/L phosphate buffer (PBS) with pH 7.0, and stored at 4 °C, which was used for subsequent pH adjustment of the solution. Furthermore, 0.2 g of GR decoction piece powders of No. S1–S14 was ultrasonically extracted (power 200 W and frequency 53 kHz) for 30 min with 5 mL of 50% methanol. The filtered supernatant was analyzed by HPLC.
To estimate the transfer rates of six index components from decoction piece to standard decoction of GR, 14 batches of GR standard decoctions were prepared. The preparation process was as follows: 10.0 g of GR decoction pieces of No. S1–S14 was soaked for 30 min by appropriate amounts of distilled water, acetic acid solution was then added to keep the pH between 3 and 6. After slightly boiling for 30 min, the supernatant was filtered. The extraction procedure was repeated again. Two filtrates were combined, then freeze-dried. Then, 0.2 g of GR dry extract of No. Y1–Y14 was ultrasonically extracted (power 200 W and frequency 53 kHz) for 30 min with 5 mL of 50% methanol. The filtered supernatant was analyzed by HPLC.
3.3.2. HPLC Analysis
The chromatographic separation was completed on an Inertsil ODS-3 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm), and the gradient elution was carried out with acetonitrile (B) and 0.1% phosphoric acid water solution (A). The gradient elution program was 0–5 min, 8% B, and 5–35 min, 8–40% B. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, the detection wavelength was 220 nm, the injection volume was 10 µL, and column temperature was kept at 30 ℃ during gradient elution.
3.4. Calculation of the Transfer Rate of Paste Extraction
Accurately weigh the quality of the extract, and calculate the paste rate by the formula of (the quality of dry extract/the total amount of decoction pieces) × 100%, while the transfer rate is calculated according to the ratio of the content of active ingredients in dry extract obtained by making standard decoction pieces per gram to the content of active ingredients in each gram of decoction pieces, that is, the transfer rate = wv/(WvM) [29,30], where “w” represents the mass concentration of ingredients in standard decoction, “v” represents the volume of standard decoction, “W” represents the mass concentration of crude drugs in standard decoction, and “M” represents the mass fraction of ingredients in decoction pieces.
3.5. Investigation on Hydrolysis Conditions of Parishin A
Parishins contain multiple ester group, they can be hydrolyzed at acid or alkaline environment. In order to obtain the optimal pH range to prevent parishins from hydrolizing, the effect of pH on hydrolysis of parishin A (a model compound of parishins) was investigated. First, 200 µL of PBS at pH 2.64, 3.86, 4.68, 5.64, 6.79, 7.64, 8.66, 9.61, and 10.30 adjusted with phosphoric acid or sodium hydroxide solution was added into a 2 mL chromatography vial. Then, 180 µL of methanol and 20 µL of 1000 µg/mL parishin A solution were then added into a vial, and heated at 100 °C in an oven for 30 min. The obtained solution was filtered through a 0.22 µm filter membrane for further quantitation analysis by HPLC. For protection against the column, the pH range of this study only examined 2.64–10.30. In parts less than 2.64 and greater than 10.30, its instability has been shown in previous studies [2,31].
4. Conclusions
In the course of this study, we explored the stability of parishin A at different pH and concluded that the extraction process of parishins should be controlled in a weak acid environment (pH range from 3 to 6). The results show that the transfer rate of parishins in the preparation process of GR formula granules will greatly improve when the solution is controlled in weak acidity, which suggests that pH plays an important role for the quality assurance of the preparation of GR formula granules. We therefore suggest paying more attention to the pH in the preparation process of formula granules or compound preparations to avoid the situation of large loss of parishins, thus ensuring the efficacy consistency of GR preparation and raw materials. Overall, this study provides some references for the preparation of formula granules and the clinical use of traditional Chinese medicine.
Supplementary Materials
The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/molecules27228091/s1, Table S1–S4: Sample information, the results of methods validation, and additional tables. Figures S1–S4: additional figures.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, B.C., D.Z. and H.T; methodology, S.X. and K.M.; validation, S.X., H.L., Y.W. and M.L.; formal analysis, M.M.; investigation, S.X. and H.L.; visualization, S.X. and K.M.; supervision, B.C., D.Z. and H.T.; writing—original draft, S.X. and K.M.; writing—review and editing, B.C., D.Z., H.T. and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
The authors acknowledge support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22276050, 22276049), and the Hunan Key R&D Program (2020SK2092).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available in this article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
- The National Pharmacopoeia Commission of P.R. China. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China; China Medicine Science Technology Press: Beijing, China, 2015; pp. 54–55. [Google Scholar]
- Hu, M.; Yan, H.; Fu, Y.; Jiang, Y.; Yao, W.; Yu, S.; Zhang, L.; Wu, Q.; Ding, A.; Shan, M. Optimal Extraction Study of Gastrodin-Type Components from Gastrodia elata Tubers by Response Surface Design with Integrated Phytochemical and Bioactivity Evaluation. Molecules 2019, 24, 547. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Li, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Hu, Y.; Cui, X.; Xiong, Y. Quality Evaluation of Gastrodia elata Tubers Based on HPLC Fingerprint Analyses and Quantitative Analysis of Multi-Components by Single Marker. Molecules 2019, 24, 1521. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Li, Y.; Zhang, E.; Hong, Y.Y.; Chen, Y.; Tao, L.; Xu, Y.; Chen, T.; Shen, X. Gastrodin Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction in Vascular Dementia Rats by Suppressing Ferroptosis via the Regulation of the Nrf2/Keap1-GPx4 Signaling Pathway. Molecules 2022, 27, 6311. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Matias, M.; Silvestre, S.; Falcão, A.; Alves, G. Gastrodia elata and epilepsy, Rationale and therapeutic potential. Pharmacol. Res. 2016, 23, 1511–1526. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, Q.; Li, Z.; Wang, D.; Yang, S.; Feng, Y. Myocardial protection properties of parishins from the roots of Gastrodia elata Bl. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2019, 121, 109645. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chen, C.; Fu, Y.; Li, M.; Ruan, L.; Xu, H.; Chen, J.; Zhao, W.; Meng, H.; Xing, Y.; Hong, W.; et al. Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics approach to evaluate preventive and therapeutic effects of Gastrodia elata Blume on chronic atrophic gastritis. J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 2019, 164, 231–240. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Wang, Z.; Li, Y.; Liu, D.; Mu, Y.; Dong, H.; Zhou, H.; Wang, X. Chemical constituents from the rhizomes of Gastrodia elata f. glauca and their potential neuroprotective effects. Phytochem. Lett. 2018, 24, 167–171. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- YBZ-PFKL-2021122; National Medical Products Administration, National Drug Standard. Standards Press of China: Beijing, China, 2021.
- Liu, Y.; Gao, J.; Peng, M.; Meng, H.; Ma, H.; Cai, P.; Xu, Y.; Zhao, Q.; Si, G. A Review on Central Nervous System Effects of Gastrodin. Front. Pharmacol. 2018, 9, 24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liu, Y.; Lu, Y.; Huang, L.; Shi, L.; Zheng, Z.; Chen, J.; Qu, Y.; Xiao, H.; Luo, H.; Wu, G. Para-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol Delays the Progression of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Models of Caenorhabditis elegans through Activating Multiple Cellular Protective Pathways. Oxidative Med. Cell. Longev. 2022, 2022, 8986287. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kaengkan, P.; Baek, S.; Choi, Y.; Kam, K.; Kim, J.; Wu, Y.; Do, B.; Kang, S. Combination effect of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and mesenchymal stem cells on the recovery of brain damage in a rat model of brain ischemia. Anim. Cells Syst. 2013, 17, 160–169. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhao, X.; Zhou, S.; Yan, R.; Gong, C.; Gui, Q.; Zhang, Q.; Xiang, L.; Chen, L.; Wang, P.; Li, S.; et al. Parishin from Gastrodia elata Ameliorates Aging Phenotype in Mice in a Gut Microbiota-Related Manner. Front. Microbiol. 2022, 13, 877099. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Liu, Z.; Wang, W.; Feng, N.; Wang, L.; Shi, J.; Wang, X. Parishin C’s prevention of A β 1-42-induced inhibition of long-term potentiation is related to NMDA receptors. Acta Pharm. Sin. B 2016, 3, 189–197. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Lin, Y.; Sun, Y.; Weng, Y.; Matsuura, A.; Xiang, L.; Qi, J. Parishin from Gastrodia elata Extends the Lifespan of Yeast via Regulation of Sir2/Uth1/TOR Signaling Pathway. Oxidative Med. Cell. Longev. 2016, 2016, 4074690. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Yang, P.; Han, Y.; Gui, L.; Sun, J.; Chen, Y.; Song, R.; Guo, J.; Xie, Y.; Lu, D.; Sun, L. Gastrodin attenuation of the inflammatory response in H9c2 cardiomyocytes involves inhibition of NF-kB and MAPKs activation via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling. Biochem. Pharmacol. 2013, 85, 1124–1133. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tang, C.; Wang, L.; Liu, X.; Cheng, M.; Qu, Y.; Xiao, H. Comparative pharmaco-kinetics of gastrodin in rats after intragastric administration of free gastrodin, parishin and Gastrodia elata extract. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2015, 176, 49–54. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Li, Z.; Wang, Y.; Ouyang, H.; Lu, Y.; Qiu, Y.; Feng, Y.; Jiang, H.; Zhou, X.; Yang, S. A novel dereplication strategy for the identification of two new trace compounds in the extract of Gastrodia elata using UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS. J. Chromatogr. B 2015, 988, 45–52. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ye, X.; Wang, Y.; Zhao, J.; Wang, M.; Avula, B.; Peng, Q.; Ouyang, H.; Zhong, L.; Zhang, J.; Khan, I. Identification and Characterization of Key Chemical Constituents in Processed Gastrodia elata Using UHPLC-MS/MS and Chemometric Methods. J. Anal. Methods Chem. 2019, 2019, 4396201. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Tang, C.; Wang, L.; Li, J.; Liu, X.; Cheng, M.; Xiao, H. Analysis of the metabolic profile of parishin by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry. Biomed. Chromatogr. 2015, 29, 1913–1920. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wong, H.; Hu, B.; So, P.; Chan, C.; Mok, D.; Xin, G.; Li, P.; Yao, Z. Rapid authentication of Gastrodiae rhizoma by direct ionization mass spectrometry. Anal. Chim. Acta 2016, 938, 90–97. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liu, Y.; Yi, J.; Chen, Y.; Liu, Z.; Liu, Y. RP-HPLC detemination of free gastrodin and total gastrodin in Gastrodia elata. Chin. J. Pharm. Anal. 2010, 30, 30–32. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yang, R.; Min, K.; Wang, Y.; Chen, S.; Ma, M.; Li, M.; Yan, J.; Chen, B.; Yao, S. Rapid semi-quantitative analysis of hemolytic triterpenoid saponins in Lonicerae Flos crude drugs and preparations by paper spray mass spectrometry. Talanta 2022, 239, 123148. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Meston, D.; Themelis, T.; Zhou, Z.; De Vos, J.; De Pra, M.; Steiner, F.; Becue, I.; Daeseleire, E.; Desmet, G.; Eeltink, S. Development of a generic ultra-high-pressure gradient liquid-chromatography method development protocol: The analysis of residual multi-class antibiotics in food products as a case study. J. Chromatogr. A 2022, 1684, 463565. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Avila, L.M.; dos Santosb, A.F.; de Mattosb, D.M.; de Souza, C.G.; de Andrade, D.F.; d’Avila, L.A. Determination of ethanol in gasoline by high-performance liquid chromatography. Fuel 2018, 212, 236–239. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- He, J.; Zhu, X.; Yang, P.; Song, P. Present situation and new development ideas of traditional Chinese medicine granules. Zhong Cao Yao 2018, 49, 4717–4725. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yang, L.; Jun, H.; Geng, L.; Tan, J.; Wang, L.; Qian, Z.; Zhang, W.; Song, Z. Discussion on the overall quality control mode of traditional Chinese medicine based on standard decoction. Chin. J. Exp. Tradit. Med. Formulae 2018, 24, 1–6. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xie, T. General situation of research on equivalence between traditional Chinese medicine granules and standard decoction. Guangdong Chem. Ind. 2021, 48, 142–143. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ni, L.; Dai, Y.; Dou, Z.; Wang, Z.; Zhou, Y. Study on law of quality value transmitting of Artemisiae Scopariae Herba standard decoction. Zhong Cao Yao 2020, 51, 2954–2966. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ling, L.; Lei, C.; Liu, H.; Zhang, J.; Xiang, A.; Lin, S.; Zhu, J.; Huang, D. Preparation and Quality Evaluation Study on Gastrodia elata Standard Decoction. Asia Pac. Tradit. Med. 2020, 16, 43–47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tian, Z.; Xiao, H.; Feng, S.; Liu, D.; Cheng, J.; Chen, S. Analysis of degradation law of parishins in effective components of Gastrodia elata Bge. Chin. J. Exp. Tradit. Med. Formulae 2017, 23, 18–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1.
A simplified workflow illustrating the preparation, pretreatment, and detection process of GR formula granules.
Figure 1.
A simplified workflow illustrating the preparation, pretreatment, and detection process of GR formula granules.
Figure 2.
Optimization of sample preparation conditions of GR formula granules. (a) the effect of extraction solvents including ethanol, MeOH, water, 25% MeOH, 50% MeOH, and 75% MeOH, on the extraction efficiency of six index components; (b) the effect of ultrasonic time (5, 15, 30, and 45 min) on the extraction efficiency of six index components; and (c) the effect of the ratio of material to liquid (1/100, 1/50, and 1/25) on the extraction efficiency of six index components.
Figure 2.
Optimization of sample preparation conditions of GR formula granules. (a) the effect of extraction solvents including ethanol, MeOH, water, 25% MeOH, 50% MeOH, and 75% MeOH, on the extraction efficiency of six index components; (b) the effect of ultrasonic time (5, 15, 30, and 45 min) on the extraction efficiency of six index components; and (c) the effect of the ratio of material to liquid (1/100, 1/50, and 1/25) on the extraction efficiency of six index components.
Figure 3.
Typical HPLC chromatogram of blank solvent (50% MeOH), GR decoction piece (No. S2), GR standard decoction (No. Y2), commercially available GR formula granule, and mixed standard solution.
Figure 3.
Typical HPLC chromatogram of blank solvent (50% MeOH), GR decoction piece (No. S2), GR standard decoction (No. Y2), commercially available GR formula granule, and mixed standard solution.
Figure 4.
The effect of pH on hydrolysis of parishin A.
Figure 5.
The effect of pH on the transfer rate of six index components, incuding (a) gastrodin, (b) p-hydroxybenzyl, (c) parishin A, (d) parishin B, (e) parishin C, and (f) parishin E in GR standard decoction at weak acid environment.
Figure 5.
The effect of pH on the transfer rate of six index components, incuding (a) gastrodin, (b) p-hydroxybenzyl, (c) parishin A, (d) parishin B, (e) parishin C, and (f) parishin E in GR standard decoction at weak acid environment.
Figure 6.
(a) Comparison of HPLC fingerprints between 3 batches of commercially available GR formula granules (H1, H2, and H3) and GR standard decoction. (b) Enlarged view of the mark areas with green lines in (a).
Figure 6.
(a) Comparison of HPLC fingerprints between 3 batches of commercially available GR formula granules (H1, H2, and H3) and GR standard decoction. (b) Enlarged view of the mark areas with green lines in (a).
Table 1.
In this experiment, the standard curve, limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3), and limit of quantitative (LOQ, S/N = 10) of six index components of GR were determined by HPLC. All calibration points were repeated three times.
Table 1.
In this experiment, the standard curve, limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3), and limit of quantitative (LOQ, S/N = 10) of six index components of GR were determined by HPLC. All calibration points were repeated three times.
| Compound | Calibration Curve | Uncertainties of Slopes | Uncertainties of Intercepts | Linear Range (mg/L) | R2 | LOD (mg/L) | LOQ (mg/L) | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gastrodin | y = 20,322 x − 47,498 | 50 | 2.6 × 104 | 20–1000 | 0.9999 | 0.040 | 0.130 | 0.928 |
| p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol | y = 37,946 x − 30,919 | 136 | 6.8 × 104 | 5–1000 | 0.9996 | 0.035 | 0.090 | 1.045 |
| parishin A | y = 18,330 x − 36,509 | 98 | 5.7 × 104 | 20–1200 | 0.9999 | 0.050 | 0.150 | 1.028 |
| parishin B | y = 16,156 x − 4942.5 | 100 | 5.7 × 104 | 20–1200 | 0.9999 | 0.050 | 0.150 | 1.039 |
| parishin C | y = 13,934 x − 1890.9 | 96 | 5.5 × 104 | 1–1000 | 0.9996 | 0.057 | 0.185 | 1.001 |
| parishin E | y = 12,300 x − 12,5776 | 96 | 5.6 × 104 | 20–1200 | 0.9997 | 0.500 | 1.650 | 0.848 |
Table 2.
Contents of six components in 14 batches of GR decoction pieces and standard decoctions (n = 3).
Table 2.
Contents of six components in 14 batches of GR decoction pieces and standard decoctions (n = 3).
| Samples | No. | Mass Fraction (mg/g) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastrodin | p-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol | Parishin A | Parishin B | Parishin C | Parishin E | ||
| GR decoction pieces | S1 | 4.1 ± 1.9 | 0.2 ± 1.9 | 7.8 ± 0.6 | 3.7 ± 0.7 | 1.7 ± 0.7 | 6.3 ± 0.8 |
| S2 | 1.6 ± 1.8 | 0.1 ± 1.1 | 3.6 ± 2.8 | 2.0 ± 1.6 | 0.8 ± 2.8 | 4.3 ± 2.1 | |
| S3 | 5.0 ± 2.2 | 1.5 ± 0.7 | 8.8 ± 0.5 | 7.3 ± 0.6 | 2.6 ± 0.6 | 9.6 ± 1.6 | |
| S4 | 4.2 ± 2.2 | 0.3 ± 1.6 | 6.3 ± 1.8 | 4.8 ± 2.5 | 1.7 ± 1.7 | 12.6 ± 2.2 | |
| S5 | 2.9 ± 2.2 | 0.2 ± 2.1 | 4.0 ± 1.3 | 3.6 ± 1.2 | 1.1 ± 2.1 | 9.5 ± 0.8 | |
| S6 | 1.6 ± 1.4 | 0.2 ± 1.4 | 4.1 ± 1.1 | 2.6 ± 1.7 | 0.6 ± 2.3 | 8.3 ± 2.1 | |
| S7 | 1.4 ± 2.1 | 0.8 ± 0.9 | 6.0 ± 2.3 | 3.2 ± 2.1 | 0.8 ± 1.8 | 8.4 ± 1.6 | |
| S8 | 3.3 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 2.0 | 10.2 ± 1.7 | 5.1 ± 0.6 | 1.3 ± 2.1 | 6.0 ± 2.3 | |
| S9 | 1.8 ± 1.1 | 0.5 ± 1.1 | 1.4 ± 1.8 | 1.8 ± 2.0 | 0.4 ± 1.1 | 6.7 ± 1.7 | |
| S10 | 2.3 ± 1.0 | 0.5 ± 1.7 | 3.8 ± 1.5 | 2.9 ± 0.8 | 0.8 ± 0.3 | 8.7 ± 0.7 | |
| S11 | 2.5 ± 1.9 | 0.5 ± 0.5 | 6.1 ± 2.1 | 4.0 ± 1.4 | 1.2 ± 1.9 | 4.9 ± 2.6 | |
| S12 | 1.6 ± 2.0 | 1.8 ± 0.7 | 3.4 ± 2.4 | 4.0 ± 0.9 | 0.8 ± 1.0 | 10.0 ± 0.7 | |
| S13 | 1.6 ± 1.2 | 1.8 ± 1.2 | 4.0 ± 1.1 | 4.6 ± 1.2 | 0.8 ± 1.5 | 8.0 ± 1.0 | |
| S14 | 1.5 ± 1.8 | 0.4 ± 1.5 | 3.3 ± 1.7 | 1.9 ± 0.8 | 0.5 ± 1.8 | 4.7 ± 4.1 | |
| GR standard decoction | Y1 | 20.2 ± 0.7 | 2.8 ± 3.4 | 20.9 ± 0.4 | 12.8 ± 0.3 | 5.3 ± 0.7 | 15.5 ± 0.9 |
| Y2 | 11.1 ± 0.8 | 3.4 ± 2.0 | 10.4 ± 2.6 | 9.9 ± 1.5 | 2.9 ± 2.8 | 13.5 ± 3.1 | |
| Y3 | 24.4 ± 1.2 | 12.7 ± 2.0 | 20.9 ± 2.3 | 21.8 ± 0.5 | 8.3 ± 1.6 | 19.5 ± 3.5 | |
| Y4 | 11.1 ± 3.7 | 2.2 ± 3.1 | 6.1 ± 3.2 | 8.6 ± 3.8 | 2.5 ± 3.2 | 23.6 ± 3.7 | |
| Y5 | 17.1 ± 2.9 | 1.4 ± 2.6 | 14.2 ± 3.5 | 13.1 ± 2.7 | 5.4 ± 2.6 | 24.0 ± 3.5 | |
| Y6 | 6.6 ± 1.3 | 1.7 ± 3.6 | 12.0 ± 3.2 | 7.9 ± 2.8 | 2.0 ± 2.8 | 14.2 ± 2.1 | |
| Y7 | 10.5 ± 2.6 | 4.8 ± 0.1 | 19.8 ± 0.1 | 14.0 ± 0.1 | 3.5 ± 0.1 | 32.7 ± 0.1 | |
| Y8 | 10.2 ± 1.9 | 3.5 ± 4.4 | 18.4 ± 2.9 | 10.3 ± 1.3 | 2.8 ± 1.1 | 9.1 ± 2.8 | |
| Y9 | 12.0 ± 3.2 | 11.4 ± 3.2 | 12.9 ± 3.0 | 10.6 ± 2.5 | 2.9 ± 3.0 | 23.5 ± 1.2 | |
| Y10 | 10.4 ± 2.9 | 6.1 ± 2.9 | 9.3 ± 2.9 | 8.5 ± 1.0 | 2.3 ± 1.3 | 20.1 ± 0.8 | |
| Y11 | 10.2 ± 3.2 | 2.5 ± 2.6 | 13.0 ± 3.1 | 11.1 ± 1.2 | 3.3 ± 2.8 | 11.1 ± 1.2 | |
| Y12 | 11.0 ± 3.3 | 15.8 ± 1.1 | 27.2 ± 2.5 | 19.6 ± 2.1 | 4.5 ± 1.6 | 22.3 ± 3.3 | |
| Y13 | 12.5 ± 3.4 | 23.3 ± 3.7 | 17.4 ± 2.4 | 12.5 ± 2.5 | 3.0 ± 2.4 | 18.4 ± 2.6 | |
| Y14 | 19.8 ± 0.7 | 12.6 ± 2.5 | 21.2 ± 1.4 | 17.5 ± 0.2 | 6.0 ± 2.0 | 22.0 ± 0.6 | |
Table 3.
The extraction rate of GR standard decoction (No. Y1–Y14) and transfer rate of six index components (n = 3).
Table 3.
The extraction rate of GR standard decoction (No. Y1–Y14) and transfer rate of six index components (n = 3).
| No. | Paste Yield (%) | pH | Transfer Rate (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastrodin | p-Hydroxybenzyl Alcohol | Parishin A | Parishin B | Parishin C | Parishin E | |||
| Y1 | 21.9 ± 1.3 | 3.8 | 108.2 | 254.0 | 53.8 | 75.3 | 70.0 | 58.3 |
| Y2 | 11.7 ± 2.1 | 4.7 | 82.6 | 393.5 | 37.1 | 58.3 | 40.5 | 34.1 |
| Y3 | 18.6 ± 0.9 | 5.7 | 90.5 | 159.3 | 37.8 | 55.6 | 58.9 | 44.4 |
| Y4 | 18.0 ± 1.0 | 5.6 | 47.5 | 124.0 | 33.7 | 32.0 | 27.6 | 17.3 |
| Y5 | 24.4 ±1.2 | 5.6 | 144.8 | 192.6 | 61.5 | 87.7 | 117.3 | 86.3 |
| Y6 | 28.8 ± 2.9 | 5.7 | 115.9 | 213.2 | 49.5 | 87.4 | 90.1 | 84.8 |
| Y7 | 15.7 ± 2.2 | 5.4 | 118.7 | 91.9 | 61.1 | 68.7 | 71.8 | 51.6 |
| Y8 | 24.9 ± 1.6 | 3.0 | 76.4 | 144.6 | 37.6 | 50.1 | 54.6 | 44.7 |
| Y9 | 14.3 ± 2.1 | 4.4 | 94.3 | 300.5 | 50.0 | 85.5 | 109.6 | 128.9 |
| Y10 | 17.2 ± 0.6 | 5.3 | 78.7 | 193.9 | 39.9 | 50.9 | 50.2 | 41.6 |
| Y11 | 19.9 ± 0.3 | 5.3 | 79.8 | 106.3 | 44.9 | 54.4 | 52.3 | 42.4 |
| Y12 | 14.4 ± 1.1 | 5.4 | 100.0 | 126.6 | 32.3 | 70.5 | 81.9 | 113.2 |
| Y13 | 16.2 ± 1.0 | 5.8 | 130.0 | 206.9 | 37.4 | 44.2 | 60.2 | 71.2 |
| Y14 | 16.1 ± 1.8 | 4.3 | 211.4 | 519.4 | 76.1 | 147.4 | 178.7 | 104.8 |
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Xie, S.; Min, K.; Li, H.; Wang, Y.; Liu, M.; Ma, M.; Zhou, D.; Tu, H.; Chen, B. pH as a Key Factor for the Quality Assurance of the Preparation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma Formula Granules. Molecules 2022, 27, 8091. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228091
AMA Style
Xie S, Min K, Li H, Wang Y, Liu M, Ma M, Zhou D, Tu H, Chen B. pH as a Key Factor for the Quality Assurance of the Preparation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma Formula Granules. Molecules. 2022; 27(22):8091. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228091
Chicago/Turabian StyleXie, Shuting, Ke Min, Hai Li, Ying Wang, Mincong Liu, Ming Ma, Desheng Zhou, Haijun Tu, and Bo Chen. 2022. "pH as a Key Factor for the Quality Assurance of the Preparation of Gastrodiae Rhizoma Formula Granules" Molecules 27, no. 22: 8091. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228091
