Hui Shen, Na Lin, Yi Zheng, Meili Chen, Wei Fang, Dianlei Wang, Nianxia Sun
A comprehensive and efficient approach was developed in this work to improve the quality control of AMDs and to identify the bioactive compounds contributing to UC alleviation.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Atractylodes macrocephala (AM) was traditionally used to strengthen the spleen and supplement qi, aligning with ulcerative colitis (UC) therapy. However, the quality evaluation of AM water decoctions (AMDs) remained limited, with polysaccharides overlooked and their material basis unexplored.
AIM OF THE STUDY: This study established an integrated quality evaluation system via small-molecule components and polysaccharide fingerprints and identified the bioactive components for improving UC by spectrum-effect relationship analysis.
METHODS: The small-molecule fingerprint of AMDs was established via HPLC. Meanwhile, AM polysaccharides (AMPs) were systematically characterized by content, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, UV-Vis, and FT-IR spectra. Subsequently, grey correlation analysis (GCA), bivariate correlation analysis (BCA), and partial least squares regression analysis (PLSR) were performed to integrate the small-molecule and polysaccharide fingerprints, correlating the characteristic profiles with pharmacodynamic indices to screen for potential efficacy-related markers.
RESULTS: Fingerprinting of AMDs resolved sixteen common and seven differential peaks, while AMPs were structurally similar but differed in chemical and monosaccharide compositions. In addition, AMDs alleviated DSS-induced UC symptoms by retarding weight loss, decreasing the disease activity index, reducing colon shortening, restoring spleen index, preserving intestinal tissue structure, modulating inflammatory cytokines, and enhancing the colonic mucosal barrier. GCA, BCA, and PLSR further identified seven UC-alleviating markers, including peaks F10, F11, F12 (atractylenolide III), F13, F14 (atractylenolide II), F15, and monosaccharide composition.
CONCLUSION: A comprehensive and efficient approach was developed in this work to improve the quality control of AMDs and to identify the bioactive compounds contributing to UC alleviation.