Analysis of Pharmacodynamic Material Basis， Mechanisms， and Efficacy-related Quality Markers of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix with Different Therapeutic Effect
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20260364
- VernacularTitle:葛根、粉葛不同功效的药效物质基础、作用机制及随效质量标志物分析
- Author:
Xiaowei MENG
1
;
Zhenzhen YANG
1
;
Wenting WU
1
;
Ronghua LIU
1
;
Yongmei GUAN
1
;
Hui OUYANG
1
;
Liping HUANG
1
;
Yaqi WANG
1
;
Qiong LI
1
;
Huanhuan DONG
1
;
Jianping GONG
1
;
Weifeng ZHU
1
Author Information
1. Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine，Nanchang 330004，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Puerariae Lobatae Radix;
Puerariae Thomsonii Radix;
efficacy;
pharmacodynamic material basis;
mechanism;
quality marker（Q-Marker）
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(18):269-281
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix are the dried roots of Pueraria lobata and Pueraria thomsonii of the Leguminosae family， respectively. Since their separate inclusion in the 2005 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， the two herbs have been individually recorded. Although they share the same functions and indications， the required content of puerarin differs by a factor of up to eightfold between them. The current quality standard relies solely on a single indicator， puerarin， which fails to reflect the correlation between chemical constituents and core therapeutic effects. This has resulted in prominent issues of mixed use in clinical practice and production， thereby constraining the high-quality development of the industry. Modern research has demonstrated that Puerariae Lobatae Radix contains a comprehensive range and higher content of isoflavonoid constituents， while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix is rich in starch and polysaccharides. Puerariae Lobatae Radix exhibits stronger effects in antipyresis， cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection， and central analgesia， while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix demonstrates greater advantages in anti-inflammation， hypoglycemia， and peripheral analgesia. Based on this， the chemical material bases of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix at both the macromolecule and micromolecule levels were systematically reviewed and compared. The pharmacodynamic material bases and mechanisms of action underlying their three core therapeutic effects， namely "relieving exterior syndrome and clearing heat"， "promoting fluid production to quench thirst"， and "dredging channels and activating collaterals"， were summarized. The most highly correlated common metabolic pathway shared by both herbs for these three therapeutic effects is the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway， and their common core target is prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2）. This review provided clinical application recommendations based on the therapeutic differences between the two herbs， elucidated the scientific connotation of their "same origin but different effects"， and， grounded in the quality marker （Q-Marker）， proposed the concept of efficacy-related Q-Marker based on "substance-efficacy-syndrome" association， as well as a novel strategy for efficacy-oriented quality evaluation. Preliminary screening of quality markers associated with different therapeutic effects was also conducted. This study aims to provide critical scientific evidence for the precise clinical application of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix， the improvement of quality standards， and the high-quality development of the industry.
