Comprehensive quality evaluation of salt plantain seeds based on multi index components combined with EW-TOPSIS method
Chinese medicinal herbs are unique traditional Chinese medicines that play an important role in preventing and treating diseases. There are various types and sources of traditional Chinese medicine, which have the characteristics of holistic action, diverse composition, complex target of action, and interactions between components. The quality of traditional Chinese medicine products directly affects the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, effective control of the quality of traditional Chinese medicine is a prerequisite for ensuring the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. However, due to the generally low content of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine and the instability of some chemical components, it is difficult to prepare and expensive for traditional Chinese medicine chemical reference standards, making it difficult to promote the multi index quality control mode. The quality evaluation mode of traditional Chinese medicinal materials is mostly based on traditional experience, multiple indicator components, fingerprint spectra, and spectral efficiency relationships to comprehensively evaluate their quality. However, the above evaluation methods often suffer from subjective factors, complex experiments, and poor reproducibility. Currently, the multi index comprehensive evaluation model is still the main research direction for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine. The multi index quality control method of quantitative analysis of multi-component by single maker (QAMS) utilizes an easily available and inexpensive internal reference substance to simultaneously determine multiple components, ultimately achieving the goal of controlling the overall quality of traditional Chinese medicine. Chemometrics, as an emerging analytical experimental method in modern times, is characterized by the introduction of multivariate methods into chemical research, the calculation of information about the research object, and the ability to quickly and comprehensively identify and classify large amounts of samples during processing. TOPSIS is a multi criteria decision analysis method that has been widely used in the quality evaluation of various traditional Chinese medicinal materials. This method can objectively assign weights to each indicator, effectively avoiding the influence of subjective factors on the internal quality evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials.
Plantago asiatica L. or Plantago depression Willd. is a dried and mature seed of Plantago asiatica L., a plant in the Plantago family. It has the effects of clearing heat, diuresis, promoting diuresis, eliminating dampness, stopping diarrhea, improving vision, and eliminating phlegm. Plantago asiatica has a wide range of applications and abundant medicinal sources, with broad prospects for development and utilization. Salt Plantago asiatica is a processed product and a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in China. It has a long history of application and precise therapeutic effects. Plantago asiatica contains various chemical components, mainly including cyclohexene ether terpenes, phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenes, and sterols. However, Plantago asiatica belongs to a multi base original medicinal herb, and the geographical differences in genetic diversity of its germplasm resources are quite obvious. There are significant differences in genotype between wild and cultivated species, with corresponding differences in the content of each component. Different components have different therapeutic effects. Therefore, establishing a scientific, convenient, and reasonable quality evaluation method to comprehensively and accurately evaluate the quality of salted Plantago asiatica and guide the rational utilization of Plantago asiatica resources has important practical significance. Li et al. optimized the processing technology of salted Plantago asiatica using AHP-CRITIC mixed weighting method and response surface methodology, while Gu et al. quantitatively controlled the levels of ginnipponic acid, verbascoside, and isoverbascoside in both raw and salted Plantago asiatica products using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS method, Li et al. used pharmacology combined with metabolomics to compare and investigate the diuretic effects of raw and salted Plantago asiatica on saline loaded model rats, and to elucidate their mechanisms of action. Currently, there are few quantitative control components for salted Plantago asiatica in research, and no literature reports have been retrieved on the one test multiple evaluation method for its components. In addition, the comprehensive quality evaluation of Plantago asiatica was conducted using chemometrics combined with entropy weight distance method. This study collected Plantago asiatica medicinal materials from 18 representative production areas in five provinces including Jiangxi, Henan, Anhui, Shandong, and Guangxi. Plantago asiatica was processed using the same method according to the processing requirements of salted Plantago asiatica under the first part of the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the four parts of the saline roasting method. HPLC-QAMS method was used to determine the quality of Plantago asiatica. There are 10 components in salted plantain seeds, Comprehensive quality evaluation of Plantago asiatica salt products from different origins using chemometrics combined with entropy weight TOPSIS method. In order to provide scientific experimental data for the overall quality control of salted Plantago asiatica, and to provide reference for the rational development and utilization of Plantago asiatica resources.

 

 

Preparation of test solution. When preparing the test solution for this experiment, the extraction solvents were first screened: 60% methanol, 70% methanol, and 70% ethanol. The results showed that the extraction rate of the 10 components measured was higher when extracted with 70% methanol. Subsequently, the extraction method and time were investigated, using ultrasound and heating reflux for 40, 50, 60, and 70 minutes, respectively. The results showed that when 70% methanol was heated and refluxed for 60 minutes, the extraction rate of the 10 components was the highest and the interference of impurities was the least. After comprehensive consideration, the optimal extraction method for the test sample of salt psyllium was ultimately determined to be 60 minutes of reflux extraction with 70% methanol.

QAMS method and chemometric result evaluation. In order to objectively evaluate the quality of Plantago asiatica medicinal materials, 18 batches of Plantago asiatica from different origins in 5 provinces across the country were selected and processed according to the method of salt Plantago asiatica in the current Chinese Pharmacopoeia. QAMS and ESM methods were used to quantitatively analyze and detect 10 components in the 18 batches of salt Plantago asiatica. At the same time, chemical stoichiometry was used to analyze the test results. The results showed that the content of 10 chemical components, including aucubin, geniposide, 10 hydroxy Plantago asiatica glycoside, Plantago asiatica glycoside, verbascoside, isoverbascoside, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin, in Plantago asiatica from different origins fluctuated to some extent, but the quality of Plantago asiatica from the same origin was relatively stable. The EW-TOPSIS results showed that the overall quality of salted plantain seeds obtained from the production area in Jiangxi Province was good. The average Euclidean closeness of the optimal solution of salted plantain seeds obtained from Xingan County, Jiangxi Province was higher than that of the samples from other production areas, indicating that the overall quality of salted products obtained from plantain seeds produced in Xingan County, Jiangxi Province was good.

In summary, this experiment used HPLC-QAMS method combined with chemometrics and entropy weight TOPSIS method to comprehensively evaluate the quality of salt psyllium obtained from different origins. A quantitative quality control mode for 10 indicator components of salt psyllium was established, which increased the number of quantitatively measured components compared to existing literature reports. At the same time, HPLC-QAMS method effectively reduced the inspection cost, which is conducive to the popularization and application of multi indicator component quantitative control mode. A comprehensive quality evaluation method combining chemometrics and entropy weight distance method was established. The established method is stable, accurate, and feasible, and controls the quality of the medicinal herb from multiple aspects and perspectives, providing experimental basis for the establishment of its quality standards. It also provides further exploration of the pharmacological differences caused by the chemical components of salt psyllium obtained from different origins and the medicinal herbs. The rational utilization of resources provides data support. At the same time, the raw materials of traditional Chinese medicine also have a certain impact on the quality of its products. In this study, the same raw material of Plantago asiatica was selected to obtain salt Plantago asiatica for multi index component quantitative control and chemometric comprehensive evaluation. In the future, different raw materials will be collected for further research.