Identification of interactions between multiple components in Socheongryong-tang using plant profiling approach.

Traditional herbal medicine consists of multiple components. There are interactions among the components, which affects both potency and toxicity. The preparation of herbal medicines can be a cause of interactions between multi-components in herbs. To demonstrate the difference in multi-herb interactions based on the preparation methods, the change in the active components in the different preparations of Socheongryong-tang (SCRT) was evaluated using metabolomics profiling. We performed multi-component profiling of the decoction of SCRT (SCRTD) and individual herb mixture (SCRTM) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS). Active compounds from SCRTD and SCRTM were identified using multivariate analysis, and the activities between the two groups were compared. We also evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of SCRT through investigating the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-induced macrophage RAW 264.7 cells in both groups. From the multivariate analysis, 53 active compounds that have different intensities between SCRTD and SCRTM were identified. The intensity of those component, such as ephedrines, glycyrrhizic acid, 6- gingerol and (2E,4E,8Z,10E)-N-isobutyl-2,4,8,10-dodecatetraenamide, which is a newly identified in Asiasarum heterotropoides was mostly higher in SCRTD than in SCRTM, which was related to the anti-inflammatory effect. From the iNOS inhibition test, it was found that SCRTD has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than SCRTM. It was demonstrated that multi-component interactions can be changed by the preparation method, and finally the anti-inflammatory effect in SCRT can be affected.