The components transitive regularity of three dosage forms of Liuwei Dihuang Fufang

ObjectiveTo explore the transitive regularity of holistic constituents from the crude slices of the medicinal raw materials (MCS) to the formula granules (FG), fufang decoction (FD), and finally, the concentrated pills (CP) of Liuwei Dihuang Fufang (六味地黄复方, LWDHF).

MethodsSamples for MCS, FG, FD, and CP of LWDHF were obtained, and a fingerprint database was established using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), by separating the samples in an XB-C18 column and analyzing the transitive regularity of components using the total quantum statistical moment (TQSM), including total quantum zero moment (AUC_T), total quantum first moment (MRT_T), total quantum second moment (VRT_T), and its similarity approach. The AUC_T, MRT_T, and VRT_T were calculated based on the representative HPLC chromatograms of FG, FD, and CP of LWDHF.

ResultsAUC_T of FG, FD, and CP of LWDHF was 71 804, 46 553, and 144 646 µV·s, respectively; MRT_T was 14.43, 14.54, and 18.85 min, respectively; and VRT_T was 106.98, 112.84, and 269.12 min², respectively. Comparing the similarity of FG/FD, FG/CP and FD/CP of LWDHF, the TQSM similarity values were 98.66%, 76.62%, and 75.37%, respectively, whereas the traditional similarity evaluation values were 98.68%, 85.43%, and 85.60%, respectively.

ConclusionThe results perform little distinction in the total composition between FG and FD, whereas some distinction existed between FD and CP. Experimental evidence, therefore indicates that FG could be used as the alternative of MCS in clinical applications.