Exploring active ingredients of anti-osteoarthritis in raw and wine-processed Dipsaci Radix based on spectrum-effect relationship combined with chemometrics

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Dipsaci Radix (DR) is the dry root of the Dipsacus asper Wall. ex DC., which has the function of tonifying the liver and kidney, continuing tendons and bones, and regulating blood vessels. However, there are few reports on the main active ingredients.Aim of the study: This study aimed to find the main active components of DR in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) by spectrum-effect relationship and compare the differences between RDR and WDR. Materials and methods: Firstly, the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used to establish the fingerprint of DR, and 10 peaks of them were determined by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Then, the OA rat model was established by injecting sodium iodoacetate to study the effect of DR on OA. The spectrum-effect relationship was analyzed by grey relational analysis (GRA) and Pearson correlation analysis.Results: According to the pharmacological results, compared with the model group, the cartilage score, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Mankin score of rats in low, medium and high dose groups were decreased, and the therapeutic effect of wine-processed DR tended to be better than raw DR at the same dose. Finally, the active components of DR were preliminarily determined as 4 (loganic acid), 6 (chlorogenic acid), 8 (caffeic acid), 14 (dipsanoside B), 16, and 17 (asperosaponin VI) which had a large correlation in GRA and Pearson correlation analysis.Conclusion: This study established the spectrum-effect relationship between the raw and wine-processed DR for the first time, which provided a theoretical basis for the study of the pharmacodynamic substance basis of DR before and after processing. This research provided a reference for the subsequent study of DR.