Mass spectrometry imaging(MSI) is an imaging technique based on mass spectrometry, serving as a powerful tool for analyzing the composition and spatial distribution of substances. It holds broad application prospects in biologics research, drug development, environmental science and other fields. This article introduces the principles of MSI and highlights the characteristics of commonly used techniques, including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging, secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging, and ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of MSI in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), focusing on four aspects: the spatial distribution of TCM components, safety evaluation, quality control of TCM and quality control of TCM processing process. Furthermore, the advantages, challenges, and future directions of MSI in TCM quality control are discussed, aiming to provide a reference for related research.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injections, a hallmark achievement in the modernization of TCM, hold significant importance in advancing the development of TCM and enhancing clinical therapeutic effects. However, with the expanded clinical application of TCM injections, safety concerns have garnered widespread attention, particularly allergic reactions. Numerous researchers have delved into the safety issues of TCM injections. This paper summarized the research related to allergic reactions of TCM injections, including the types of allergic reactions, the allergenic components, their evaluation models and detection methods, as well as the challenges encountered in current research, aiming at providing references and basis for in-depth research and safe application of allergic reactions of TCM injections.

Currently, the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encounters substantial technical challenges, necessitating the urgent development of innovative evaluation methods for key quality attributes. This study proposes the construction of a quality assurance system centered on key quality attributes, with systems biology and chemical biology serving as its core components: utilizing multi-omics technologies to systematically analyze the core functional modules of TCM, integrating pharmacological approaches to precisely identify key bioactive components; applying chemical biology to elucidate the interaction mechanisms between components and their targets, while screening for quality markers associated with specific functions and clinical indications; establishing an integrated quality control system based on quality markers and biological potency to ensure comprehensive quality management from raw herb materials through to finished products. Additionally, it emphasizes the formulation of compatibility rules grounded in TCM theory, integrates clinical practice and multi-dimensional value assessments, and establishes a novel quality evaluation model with distinct TCM characteristics.This offers a comprehensive and systematic approach to ensuring the safety and efficacy of TCM while facilitating the high-quality development of the TCM industry.

Exogenous harmful residues and endogenous toxic components are the main contents of safety analysis for animal traditional Chinese medicine. This review summarizes the inspection methods for exogenous harmful residues, as well as the research methods for the toxic effects and mechanisms of endogenous toxic components. The strategies for enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity of toxic animal drugs and quality control, and prospects the development trend of safety analysis for animal drugs were also discussed. In the detection of exogenous harmful residues in animal drugs, traditional methods such as atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are widely used, and new methods such as high-resolution mass spectrometry and biochemical analysis are continuously developing. In the study of endogenous toxic components, the toxic components and mechanisms of some animal drugs including cantharidin and toad venom have been revealed through chemical composition analysis, toxicity tests and multiomics technologies, and some strategies for enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity have been proposed based on this. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen multidisciplinary integration to innovate detection technologies, clarify toxic mechanisms to achieve efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction, and improve the biosafety research system, so as to enhance the quality and safety of traditional Chinese medicine animal drugs and promote the internationalization process of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective: To systematically compare the types and contents of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in purplish-brown and yellow-brown Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, and to provide a scientific basis for their rapid identification and quality evaluation.
Methods: Headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) was employed to determine the VOCs in two colored samples. GC-IMS spectra and fingerprint profiles were established, and chemometric methods including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to visualize the differences in volatile components.
Results: A total of 44 VOCs were identified, including 1 aldehyde, 9 esters, 10 ketones, 2 enals, 14 alcohols, 3 acids, 2 furans, 1 disulfide, and 2 hydrocarbons. Alcohols and esters were the main volatile components. The fingerprint profiles showed high consistency within groups but significant differences between groups. Both PCA and PLS-DA effectively distinguished the two sample types. Compounds such as pentanol, methyl butyrate, 2-ethylfuran, 2-hexanol, and 2-methylpropenal were identified as key markers for differentiation.
Conclusion: HS-GC-IMS combined with chemometrics accurately distinguishes the volatile compounds of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen with different colors. This method is rapid, sensitive, and suitable for quality control and rapid authentication of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen.

Objective: Scutellarin in Shuganning injection has potential allergenicity and is prone to causing anaphylactoid reactions. There is an urgent need to establish a simple and rapid chromatographic quantitative method to achieve the limit control of scutellarin in Shuganning injection.
Methods: For scutellarin, HPLC method was used in the quantitative analysis using a Shim-pack GIS C₁₈ (2.1 mm×150 mm, 5 μm) column. The mobile phase was a blend of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid in water and acetonitrile, and gradient elution progress was applied for the whole process. The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min^-1 and the column temperature was maintained at 37 ℃. The detecting wavelength was 320 nm.
Results: The linear regression equation was y=51 456x-27 352, the correlation coefficient r=0.999 8, namely the calibration curve was linear in the range of 1.02-102.00 μg·mL^-1; the average recovery was 103.76%; the detection and quantification limit for determining scutellarin was 0.16 μg·mL^-1 and 0.57 μg·mL^-1, respectively; the injection sample was stable at room temperature for 48 h.
Conclusion: This method is easy to operate, reproducible and has high accuracy, thus can be used for quality control of Shuganning injection.

Research on the "Spectrum-Efficacy" correlation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) involves analyzing the relationship between chemical component fingerprinting ("spectrum") and pharmacodynamic data ("efficacy") to digitally and intelligently interpret the bioactive substances in TCM. This approach aims to establish an efficacy-oriented evaluation and research system for TCM. In recent years, with the rapid development of digital intelligence technologies, significant advances have been made in methodological innovation, application expansion, and clinical translation within this field. The integration of digital intelligence technologies has facilitated the elucidation of synergistic effects in TCM multi-component systems, becoming a key driver for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Currently, research on the "Spectrum-Efficacy" correlation of TCM has been widely applied in areas such as quality control of TCM, precise analysis of bioactive substances, compatibility rule studies, and new drug development. This article systematically reviews the application scenarios, technical challenges, and future directions of digital intelligence technologies in "Spectrum-Efficacy" research, aiming to provide theoretical and practical support for the modernization of TCM.

This study aims to review the current status and development trends of digital TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) specimen museums, providing a theoretical basis for their future construction. By systematically organizing literature and materials, practical experiences in platform architecture design, content planning, and technical implementation were summarized. The research results show that digital technology has significant application value in the TCM field. Currently, some Food and Drug Control Institutes have formed diverse construction achievements by integrating regional characteristics with technological innovation. However, current TCM specimen museums generally still face many challenges, such as insufficient digitalization. In conclusion, the digitalization of TCM specimen museums has become an inevitable trend in the industry. Targeted measures are urgently needed to solve existing problems and promote the sustainable development of digital TCM specimen museums. It is suggested to strengthen the standardization of data collection and storage, deepen the integration of technologies such as 3D, AR, and AI into the construction of specimen museums, and at the same time promote the spatial design combining regional culture with TCM. This will help create "one museum with one feature for one region" digital TCM specimen museums, further promoting their sustainable development and facilitating the digital inheritance of TCM.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate a mature three-dimensional reconstruction technique using Cordyceps sinensis as an example, to establish the methodology for creating digital specimens of traditional Chinese medicine. This can lay a solid the foundation for digitizing traditional Chinese medicine samples and identifying their characteristics.
Methods: Based on the research results related to the characteristics identification of Cordyceps sinensis generated by the research team and survey of the existing literature, a characteristic identification evaluation method was designed. The key technical factors of three-dimensional reconstruction (measurement methods, repeatability and reproducibility, synthetic computation, digital specimen format, and color correction) were investigated. A methodology for constructing three-dimensional digital specimens of Cordyceps sinensis was established, and several types of samples (various origins, different completeness, diverse types) were subjected to three-dimensional reconstruction to validate this novel method.
Results: Through this methodological research, the application of three-dimensional reconstruction technology in the construction of digital specimens of Cordyceps sinensis was elegantly established. This method can accurately reproduce all the characteristic identification features of the physical samples. All the samples could be reconstructed into their corresponding three-dimensional digital specimens.
Conclusion: Overall, combining computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction technology and methodology developed by us can create three-dimensional digital specimens of Cordyceps sinensis and provide a fundamental assessment for restoring the characteristic identification features.

Objective: To elucidate the pharmacological material basis of Danggui Buxue Decoction for its "blood-tonifying" effect through spectrum-effect relationship analysis.
Methods: The chemical constituents of Danggui Buxue Decoction were qualitatively analyzed using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC-QE/MS). An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) fingerprint of Danggui Buxue Decoction was established, and the common peaks of 30 batches of self-made Danggui Buxue Decoction were quantitatively analyzed. A zebrafish anemia model induced by phenylhydrazine was established, and the spectrum-effect relationship analysis method was applied to correlate the pharmacological data of 30 batches of Danggui Buxue Decoction with the fingerprint data to screen for its pharmacological material basis.
Results: A total of 90 prototype components were identified in the qualitative analysis of Danggui Buxue Decoction. The UPLC fingerprint of Danggui Buxue Decoction and the zebrafish anemia model were successfully established. The spectrum-effect relationship analysis of the pharmacological data and fingerprint data of 30 batches of Danggui Buxue Decoction revealed that the pharmacological materials of Danggui Buxue Decoction included 4-guanidinobutanoic acid (from Astragalus), isoleucine (from wine-prepared Angelica), lauric acid (from wine-prepare Angelica), ferulic acid (from both wine-prepared Angelica and Astragalus), 6-methoxy-2H-chromen-2-one (from both wine-prepared Angelica and Astragalus), sophoraisoflavone glucoside (from both wine-prepared Angelica and Astragalus), and an unknown peak 8.
Conclusion: This study screened the pharmacological material basis of Danggui Buxue Decoction through qualitative and quantitative analysis of its prototype chemical constituents combined with spectrum-effect relationship analysis, providing scientific support for the clinical application and secondary development of this classic prescription.