The chemical and pharmacological variability of key bio-actives present in commercially available Angelica sinensis, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Rhodiola rosea samples

There is global demand for better quality control (QC) of medicinal herbs including standardisation of bio-active chemical components and pharmacological testing. The quantitative variability of key chemical markers in A. sinensis, G. uralensis and R. rosea from several sources and the pharmacological activity was determined to confirm that the chemical markers' variability is linked to the biological activity. To quantify the chemical variation, three novel, simple and rapid UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS methods were developed and validated. The qualitative chemical variability of the bio-actives was further studied using 1H NMR metabolomics and principal component analysis (PCA). The pharmacological anti-inflammatory activity of the commercials extracts and marker compounds was assessed using the Griess reagent NO scavenging assay. The A. sinensis samples exhibited the greatest chemical fold-variation while G. uralensis showed the least chemical variability. R. rosea samples indicate the presence of other Rhodiola sub-species. The PCA clustering was consistent with observed trends and identified adulteration. The bioactivity of the selected marker compounds was linked to the extracts activity. The use of PCA analysis and in vitro anti-inflammatory testing improve and provide rationale for better QC of herbal extracts.