1. Academic Validation
  2. Comprehensive Evaluation of the Quality of Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets Based on Multi-Component Quantification Combined with an In Vitro Biological Assay

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Quality of Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets Based on Multi-Component Quantification Combined with an In Vitro Biological Assay

  • Molecules. 2022 Aug 10;27(16):5102. doi: 10.3390/molecules27165102.
Yadan Wang 1 Zhong Dai 1 Jiangong Yan 2 Xianfu Wu 1 3 Shuangcheng Ma 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
  • 2 Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing Technology Innovation Center of Hebei Province, College of Pharmacy, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050200, China.
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Abstract

Tripterygium glycosides tablets (TGTs) are widely used in clinical practice to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, with significant beneficial effects but also high toxicity, necessitating rigorous quality evaluation and control. In current study, a rapid resolution liquid chromatography tandem electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (RRLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of 14 components of ten batches of TGTs produced by different manufacturers, including four Diterpenoids, three triterpenoids, and seven sesquiterpene Alkaloids. Meanwhile, the NO inhibition effects of these TGTs were evaluated in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells for their downstream anti-inflammatory activities, as well as their cytotoxicity. The results indicate that the TGTs from different manufacturers showed poor quality consistency, as evidenced by large variations in chemical profiles and biological effects, which may increase the risks associated with clinical use. To improve the quality status of TGTs, it is crucial to identify indicator components whose characterization can accurately reflect the efficacy and toxicity of TGTs from which they were derived. Our study reveals that triptolide, triptoquinone B, celastrol, and demethylzelaysteral considerably contributed to the anti-inflammatory activity and/or cytotoxicity of TGTs, implying that they should be further investigated as candidate indicator components for TGT quality control.

Keywords

RRLC–ESI–MS/MS; Triptergium glycosides tablets (TGTs); anti-inflammatory activity; celastrol; cytotoxicity; demethylzelaysteral; quality consistency; triptolide; triptoquinone B.

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