ObjectiveTo conduct a comparative quality analysis of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos and calyx of Inulae Flos， elucidating the scientific connotation of the "removing calyx" process in the traditional processing of Inulae Flos. MethodsInulae Flos decoction pieces were collected， and the fuzz and calyx of Inulae Flos were prepared according to the experiences of old medicine workers. Subsequently， according to the methods under the "Inulae Flos" item in the 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， the appearance characteristics and thin-layer chromatography（TLC） identification of these samples were tested， and the moisture content， total ash content， extract content were also measured. The characteristic fingerprint patterns of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were established by high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， followed by similarity evaluation， principal component analysis（PCA）， and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）. The contents of cryptochlorogenic acid， caffeic acid， 1，3-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid， 1，5-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid， and 1-O-acetyl britannilactone were determined to compare the quality differences of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos. ResultsThe moisture content of Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos was all<10%. The determination results of total ash content were as follows：Calyx of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>fuzz of Inulae Flos， and the determination results of alcohol-soluble extract content were as follows：Fuzz of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>calyx of Inulae Flos. HPLC fingerprint patterns of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were established， and 22 common peaks were identified. The similarity analysis and PCA showed that the overall quality of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos was similar， while the overall quality of calyx of Inulae Flos differed significantly from that of Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos. PLS-DA results showed that Inulae Flos， fuzz of Inulae Flos， and calyx of Inulae Flos clustered into distinct groups， indicating significant differences among them. Cryptochlorogenic acid and caffeic acid had relatively high contents in calyx of Inulae Flos， the contents of 1，3-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid and 1，5-O-dicaffeoylqunic acid in Inulae Flos and fuzz of Inulae Flos were higher than those in calyx of Inulae Flos. The order of 1-O-acetyl britannilactone content was determined as follows：fuzz of Inulae Flos>Inulae Flos>calyx of Inulae Flos. ConclusionThe scientific nature of "Removing Calyx" process in the cleansing of Inulae Flos by old medicine workers is demonstrated by the resulting fuzz of Inulae Flos decoction pieces exhibiting enhanced cleanliness and higher content of the index component 1-O-acetyl britannilactone. This study provides a reference basis for further improving and enhancing the processing method and quality control standards of Inulae Flos.

BACKGROUND:Through scientific research addressing the effect of calcined deer antler slices on promoting the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,it aims to provide empirical support for the integration and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and modern regenerative medicine,and promote the widespread application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of skeletal system diseases.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of calcined deer antler slices on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation.METHODS:Different calcination samples were prepared by wrapping deer antler slices with materials such as clay,yellow clay,and salted yellow clay,resulting in seven different samples(clay-cotton cloth,yellow clay-cotton cloth,salted yellow clay-cotton cloth,yellow clay-tin foil,salted yellow clay-tin foil,yellow clay-honey roasted,salted yellow clay-honey roasted antler slices).Water-soluble extract content in deer antler slices was determined before and after calcination.CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate the effects of different aqueous extracts of calcined antler slices on the proliferation activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Calcination significantly increased the water-soluble extract content of deer antler slices,with the highest content observed in samples treated with yellow clay and honey.(2)Calcined deer antler slices significantly promoted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation,among which the yellow clay-honey roasted deer antler slices have the most significant effect on promoting the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

The Maillard reaction is a complex process in which amine compounds such as amino acids， peptides， and proteins undergo condensation， polymerization， and other reactions with carbonyl compounds such as reducing sugars， ketones， and aldehydes at room temperature or under heating conditions， ultimately producing substances such as melanoidins and aromatic compounds. The processing of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） often involves heating and the addition of auxiliary materials， providing complete conditions for the occurrence of the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is affected by various factors such as temperature， pH， moisture， substrate， reaction time and pressure， the progress of the reaction also affected by different processing technologies of TCM and the addition of different excipients. The Maillard reaction involves multiple substances， most of which have significant physiological activity or toxicity， affecting the efficacy and pharmacological effects of TCM. It can also produce various flavor substances and browning products that change the flavor and color of TCM. The Maillard reaction mechanism， influencing factors， related components， and the impact of Maillard reaction on various aspects of TCM processing are reviewed from multiple perspectives in this article， providing reference for the further improvement of processing mechanism and quality control of TCM.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for the quality control of Hypericum perforatum. METHODS High- performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was used to establish fingerprints for 20 batches of H. perforatum and determine the contents of its main components： chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin and quercetin. Cluster analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software. The chromaticity values （luminance value L*， red-green value a*， and yellow- blue value b*） of H. perforatum powder were measured using electronic eye. A prediction model for the contents of seven components in H. perforatum based on its appearance chromaticity values was established using machine learning algorithms. The predictive performance of the models was evaluated using root-mean-square-error （RMSE）. RESULTS A total of 16 common peaks were calibrated in the fingerprints of 20 batches of H. perforatum， and 9 peaks were identified， which were chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin， quercetin， hypericin and hyperforin； the similarities of the 20 batches of samples and reference fingerprint ranged from 0.889-0.987. The contents of chlorogenic acid， rutin， hyperin， isoquercitrin， avicularin， quercitrin and quercetin were 0.025%-0.166%， 0.048%-0.339%， 0.082%-0.419%， 0.017%-0.209%， 0.011%-0.134%， 0.020%-0.135%， 0.041%-0.235%， respectively. Cluster analysis results showed that 18 batches of qualified H. perforatum were grouped into three categories， when the Euclidean distance was set to 1.4. L* of the 20 batches of H. perforatum ranged from 62.814 to 75.668， a* ranged from 1.409 to 3.490， and b* ranged from 25.249 to 30.759. RMSE of three prediction models， namely XGBoost， LightGBM， and AdaBoost， ranged from 0.008 to 0.070， indicating good fitting performance. XGBoost model predicted the contents of the other six components with high accuracy， except for rutin. CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprints and content determination methods are accurate， reproducible， and reliable. The content prediction model based on appearance chromaticity values， combined with machine learning algorithms， can be used for the quality control of H. perforatum.

Taste is a sensation produced by the reaction of substances in the mouth with taste receptor cells， and a normal taste function is essential for our daily life and health. As receivers of taste molecules， taste receptors include sour， bitter， sweet， salty， and umami receptors， which are mainly distributed in the oral cavity， gastrointestinal tract， respiratory tract epithelium and other organs and play a physiological role. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has five flavors （sour， bitter， sweet， pungent， and salty）， which are closely related to the efficacy. Except the pungent flavor and umami taste receptors， the other five taste receptors correspond to the five flavors in the TCM theory， while the correlations between them have not been studied， such as those between bitter receptors and bitter TCM and between sweet receptors and sweet TCM. This article reviews the research reports on taste receptors in recent years. By analyzing the relationships of taste receptors with five flavors of TCM， signaling mechanisms， and diseases based on "receptor-TCM" correlations， this article puts forward the possibility of combining the TCM theory of five flavors with modern biomedical research， providing a reference for the research on "flavors" in TCM and the correlations between TCM and taste receptors.

Taste is a sensation produced by the reaction of substances in the mouth with taste receptor cells， and a normal taste function is essential for our daily life and health. As receivers of taste molecules， taste receptors include sour， bitter， sweet， salty， and umami receptors， which are mainly distributed in the oral cavity， gastrointestinal tract， respiratory tract epithelium and other organs and play a physiological role. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has five flavors （sour， bitter， sweet， pungent， and salty）， which are closely related to the efficacy. Except the pungent flavor and umami taste receptors， the other five taste receptors correspond to the five flavors in the TCM theory， while the correlations between them have not been studied， such as those between bitter receptors and bitter TCM and between sweet receptors and sweet TCM. This article reviews the research reports on taste receptors in recent years. By analyzing the relationships of taste receptors with five flavors of TCM， signaling mechanisms， and diseases based on "receptor-TCM" correlations， this article puts forward the possibility of combining the TCM theory of five flavors with modern biomedical research， providing a reference for the research on "flavors" in TCM and the correlations between TCM and taste receptors.

BACKGROUND:Through scientific research addressing the effect of calcined deer antler slices on promoting the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,it aims to provide empirical support for the integration and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and modern regenerative medicine,and promote the widespread application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of skeletal system diseases.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of calcined deer antler slices on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation.METHODS:Different calcination samples were prepared by wrapping deer antler slices with materials such as clay,yellow clay,and salted yellow clay,resulting in seven different samples(clay-cotton cloth,yellow clay-cotton cloth,salted yellow clay-cotton cloth,yellow clay-tin foil,salted yellow clay-tin foil,yellow clay-honey roasted,salted yellow clay-honey roasted antler slices).Water-soluble extract content in deer antler slices was determined before and after calcination.CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate the effects of different aqueous extracts of calcined antler slices on the proliferation activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Calcination significantly increased the water-soluble extract content of deer antler slices,with the highest content observed in samples treated with yellow clay and honey.(2)Calcined deer antler slices significantly promoted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation,among which the yellow clay-honey roasted deer antler slices have the most significant effect on promoting the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE To explore the optimal parameters of simmered Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and the correlation between the chroma values and the intrinsic composition of simmered Rhei Radix et Rhizoma decoction pieces powder.METHODS The single-factor-response surface method was used to investigate the simmering temperature,simmering time,paper dosage and plant ash dos-age,the response surface experiment was carried out on the basis of the single factor experiment,the appearance traits,total anthraqui-nones,free anthraquinones,leachables,sennoside A and B contents were taken as indicators,the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)was used to give weights to each index,and the process was optimized.The chroma values of raw and simmered products were deter-mined by electronic eye,the correlation and regression analysis were carried out by SPSS22.0 software,and the chroma-component re-gression equation was constructed.RESULTS The optimal process of simmering Rhei Radix et Rhizoma was 140 ℃,5 times of plant ash,2 layers of wet paper wrapped and being simmered for 2.5 h.CONCLUSION The simmering process of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma optimized by AHP combined with response surface method is reasonable and feasible,the color of decoction pieces has a significant correlation with the component content,and the regression equation constructed is reliable,which can predict the intrinsic component content of decoction pieces through chroma values.

OBJECTIVE To explore the optimal parameters of simmered Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and the correlation between the chroma values and the intrinsic composition of simmered Rhei Radix et Rhizoma decoction pieces powder.METHODS The single-factor-response surface method was used to investigate the simmering temperature,simmering time,paper dosage and plant ash dos-age,the response surface experiment was carried out on the basis of the single factor experiment,the appearance traits,total anthraqui-nones,free anthraquinones,leachables,sennoside A and B contents were taken as indicators,the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)was used to give weights to each index,and the process was optimized.The chroma values of raw and simmered products were deter-mined by electronic eye,the correlation and regression analysis were carried out by SPSS22.0 software,and the chroma-component re-gression equation was constructed.RESULTS The optimal process of simmering Rhei Radix et Rhizoma was 140 ℃,5 times of plant ash,2 layers of wet paper wrapped and being simmered for 2.5 h.CONCLUSION The simmering process of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma optimized by AHP combined with response surface method is reasonable and feasible,the color of decoction pieces has a significant correlation with the component content,and the regression equation constructed is reliable,which can predict the intrinsic component content of decoction pieces through chroma values.

ObjectiveTo compare the quality of two kinds of honey-processed Lilii Bulbus（HPLB） prepared by empirical and pharmacopoeial methods based on chemical analysis and intelligent sensory technology， and to improve and upgrade the quality standard of HPLB on the basis of excavating and inheriting the traditional experience of famous experts in traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）. MethodSamples of HPLB were prepared according to the method in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia（honey was added before frying） and the empirical method of the old pharmacists（honey was added after frying）， and the appearance characteristics， thin layer chromatography（TLC） identification， inspection， leachables and other items of the two kinds of samples were detected according to the methods under the Lilii Bulbus in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The fingerprints of HPLB with different honey addition methods were established by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， and the contents of regaloside A， regaloside B and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural（5-HMF） were determined， the quality difference between the two HPLB samples was evaluated by multivariate statistical analysis. Meanwhile， electronic nose and electronic tongue were used to measure the sense of smell and taste， and combined with multivariate statistical analysis， the difference sensors were screened with the variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 in order to compare the differences between the two kinds of HPLB. ResultCompared with HPLB prepared by the pharmacopoeial method， the sample prepared by the empirical method had lower water content， slightly higher soluble extract content， better appearance and easy storage. HPLC fingerprints of two kinds of HPLB samples were established， and the similarity between them was≥0.999， indicating that the composition of two species was similar. And 29 common peaks were calibrated， among which peaks 8 and 18 were regaloside A and regaloside B. The quantitative analysis of the index components in the two kinds of HPLB samples showed that the difference in the contents of regaloside A and regaloside B was not statistically significant， whereas the content of 5-HMF in empirical HPLB was significantly higher than that of the pharmacopoeial HPLB（P<0.01）. The electronic tongue and electronic nose test results showed that the umami， umami richness and saltiness of the empirical HPLB were higher than those of the pharmacopoeial HPLB. The results of electronic nose detection showed that the four sensors W1W， W2S， W5S and W1S were the differential odor sensors of the two samples， among which the response values of W1S and W2S sensors were higher than those of the pharmacopoeial HPLB， which might be related to the content of 5-HMF. ConclusionCompared with the pharmacopoeial HPLB， the empirical sample is of better quality， but the two can be clearly distinguished by electronic nose and electronic tongue， which can provide a reference for excavating and inheriting the traditional experience of famous experts in TCM and further improving the processing methods and quality standards of HPLB.