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Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction (GJGD) is a classical Chinese medicine prescription that has been widely used in clinical practice for centuries. In recent times, TCM has received considerable attention for its potential efficacy in treating a wind-cold type of common cold. However, the effect of the Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction on the wind-cold type of common cold is still not fully understood, which presents challenges for both quality control, research and development. Furthermore, the identification of potential pharmacodynamic ingredients (PPIs) is important for developing quality control procedures for industrial and large-scale production.The aim of this study was to investigate the potential curative effect of Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction on wind-type of common cold using multidimensional qualitative analysis that combined water-decoction spectrums, in vivo plasma spectrums, and molecular docking to identify key constituents of GJGD.Water-based GJGDs were formulated according to the clinical usage documented in ancient medical texts. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was combined with computer-aided modeling screening to identify GJGD PPIs in rats following oral administration. Molecular docking experiments were carried out to predict the binding affinity of the PPIs to tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Finally, the active ingredients of GJGD were further validated through pharmacodynamic experiments by assessing their efficacy in treating a wind-cold type of common cold in rats.A total of 61 compounds were identified in the GJGD, 8 of which were detected in rat blood samples, providing stronger evidence for PPIs. Molecular docking also confirmed that these 8 compounds had a better affinity for TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. In animal studies, various doses of the GJGD groups and the positive control groups caused significant elevations (P 0.05) in the levels of white blood cell count and lymphocyte ratio and caused a significant decrease (P 0.05) in the monocyte ratio and neutrophilic granulocyte ratio compared to the model group. Organ indexes of the GJGD treated groups were higher than the model group (P 0.05). Significant neutrophil infiltration, hemorrhage, compensatory vacuole, and interstitium proliferation were observed in the lung tissue of the model group. However, the lung tissues of the various dose groups that received GJGD showed a near normal appearance, except for slight thickening, interstitium proliferation, and compensatory vacuole in some areas. The GJGD was found to be effective against a cold-wind type of common cold, which is in accordance with molecular docking studies suggesting that GJGD may be effective against a cold-wind type of common cold. Finally, based on multidimensional analysis, 8 potential compounds in GJGD were identified as PPIs (puerarin, 3'-hydroxy puerarin, 3'- methoxy puerarin, daidzin, cinnamic acid, paeoniflorin, liquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid).The present study combined water decoction spectral analysis, molecular docking, and in vivo blood plasma spectrum analysis to develop a multidimensional qualitative approach for the development of GJGD and to assess its effectiveness in a wind type of common cold in Sprague Dawley rats. Meanwhile, 8 compounds in the GJGD were identified as PPIs in this study, which may be useful in developing quality standards for complex TCM prescriptions.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), moisture content (MC) inspection using voltage level or a lock-in amplifier, with a features-based near-infrared light-emitting diode sensor is possible. Abundant absorption response in a wide frequency range and information in both the time-domain and frequency-domain can be obtained, with the square excitation method. However, planeness, heterogeneous particle sizes, and measurement noise negatively affect the time-domain feature during MC inspection. In this work, spectrum analysis (SA) for feature extraction is investigated, to precisely measure the MC of Dutong pills. The principal components for low and high frequencies, are aimed at counteracting the dimensional methods, which are used for supplying the lower dimensional features. The SA experimental results demonstrate that the low frequency components, ranging from the base to the 3rd harmonic components, have a high linear correlation with the MC. The calibration and validation experimental results reveal that the MC can be a monotonic function about the SA amplitudes or first principal component (PC1), with the proposed sensor. This method has the potential to be used for gauging automatic, in situ MCs, particularly for quality control and Process Analytical Technology in TCM. Future research opportunities include improving accuracy and application of the method under field conditions.

Compared with light intensity measurements of turbid liquids based on direct or lock-in amplification methods, the square excitation method (SEM) can be used to obtained abundant information from both the time- and frequency-domains. Voltage-based turbidimetry in the time domain (The voltage readout here refers to the signal obtained directly by the photodetector followed by an amplifier and is a function of the light intensity attenuated by scattering and absorption effects) is subject to measurement error because of the heterogeneous size distribution of suspended particles, fluctuations of the light source, and measurement noise. In this work, a novel low-cost turbidity sensor was proposed by combining spectral component extraction (SCE) with the transmitted (It) and scattered (Is) light signals and their ratio (It/Is). A near-infrared Light Emitting Diode (NIR-LED) at 860 nm was employed as the light source to reduce the system cost. Two independent preprocessing channels composed of a photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier, and a band-pass filter converted the modulated light to signals of a suitable scale. For conversion of the conditioned analog signals, a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter was used and the signal was further processed using a high-performance microcontroller (STM32F405). The SCE algorithm and turbidity correlation were implemented via the integrated digital-signal-processer combined with Fast Fourier Transform digital algorithm. Averaging of multiple measurements further improved the measurement precision when using the first, third, and fifth spectral components that were related to a known turbidity. The calibration measurements for the sensor revealed that the correlation coefficients from the linear fitting were reliable and satisfactory when using It, Is, and (It/Is). Additionally, validation measurements further demonstrated that the proposed sensor had low measurement error. The maximum measured error was 6% for a turbidity of 10 NTU while the lowest relative error was 0.4% for the 280 NTU solution. The results demonstrate that the sensor has potential for automatic in-situ turbidity measurement applications, particularly for in-situ extraction processes used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.