Bioactivity-based ultra-performance liquid chromatography-coupled quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for NF-κB inhibitors identification in Chinese Medicinal Preparation Bufei Granule.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations have become effective treatments for many diseases. However, their active ingredients are still uncertain and difficult to identify. In this study, we propose a strategy that integrates ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) and bioactive (NF-κB inhibitor) luciferase reporter assay systems for the rapid determination of various anti-inflammatory compounds of TCM preparations. In this way, Bufei Granule (BFG), a TCM preparation used for the clinical therapy of asthma, was analyzed by the two ways of component identification and activity detection. Potential anti-inflammatory constituents were screened by NF-κB activity assay systems and simultaneously identified according to the mass spectrometry data. Three structural types of NF-κB inhibitors (caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids and Pentacyclic triterpenes) were characterized. Further cytokine detection confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of the potential NF-κB inhibitors. Compared with conventional chromatographic separation and inhibitory activity detection, integrating UPLC/Q-TOF-MS identification and virtual validation was more convenient and more reliable. This strategy clearly demonstrates that MS data-based fingerprinting is a meaningful tool not only in identifying constituents in complex matrix but also in directly screening for powerful trace ingredients in TCM preparations.