Study on the therapeutic material basis of traditional Chinese medicinal preparation suanzaoren decoction

Methodology for elucidating the therapeutic material basis and quality control indices of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Preparation Suanzaoren decoction was developed. Combination of Suanzaoren decoction was designed and sixteen groups were obtained. Effects on frequency of spontaneous motion, sleeping number and sleeping duration in mice were studied with sixteen combinations of Suanzaoren decoction to get the pharmacological data. RP-HPLC method was developed to analyze the chromatographic profiles of natural components in all combinations. Areas (corrected by weighting amounts) of chromatographic peaks were collected as chemical data. The pharmacological and chemical data were correlated by chemical statistical methods, and then the therapeutic material basis (thirteen chemical constituents with sedative and hypnotic effects among forty-eight chromatographic peaks) of Suanzaoren decoction were elucidated. Spinosin from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, ferulic acid from Rhizoma Chuanxiong, mangiferin from Rhizoma Anemarrhenae and glycyrrhizic acid from Radix Glycyrrhizae were selected as quality control indices. This paper provided a new methodology for elucidating the therapeutic material basis and quality control indices for T.C.M. It is instructive for modernization of Chinese herbs and its compound preparations.