Preliminary Study Of Compatibility Relations In Chinese Formula Mahuangtang Based On Path Analysis Model

Objective:Path analysis model was used to preliminarily reveal the compatible principle of Mahuangtang, so as to investigate the relation between four herbal drugs in the compound and the relation between herbal drugs and the efficacy of the compound respectively. After that, the practical significance of Mahuangtang compatibility has to be validated and further elaborated. Besides, whether path analysis model could be used to reveal compatible relation of Chinese herbal compounds would then be discussed.Methods:1. The sweating efficacy of Mahuangtang was investigated by counting the number of sweat drops, and at the same time, guinea pig isolated trachea spiral strip was used to investigate the compound’s relaxiation effect on tracheal smooth muscle. The experiment results were treated as indicators of two aspects of Mahuangtang’s efficacy:relieving superficies through diaphoresis(发汗解表)and relieving cough and asthma(止�'�平喘)Followed by fitting the quantity of each drug in the compound and the efficacy with linear model, correlation analysis between each herbal drug with two pharmacological results was accomplished respectively through path analysis model. Therefore the influence of compatibility on efficacy has to be explored on medicinal materials level. 2. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was applied to obtain main chemical composition information from the compound. Accompanied with pharmacodynamic results above, the relationship between main chemical components and the efficacy of the compound was further detected. Then, the influence of compatibility on efficacy would be elucidated on chemical components level, and finally discovered the interaction pathway with mecicinal drugs-chemical composition-pharmacodynamics model.3. The active ingredients ephedrine, pseudoephedrine from Ephedra and amygdalin from bitter almond were taken as an example to verify pathway set above through HPLC method.Results:1. The results from pharmacodynamic experiments showed that as the major influencial element, Ephedra proved to be significantly affected pharmacodynamic results of Mahuangtang. It has made a great contribution in regression equation (p<0.01) regardless of in the experiment of inducing sweat transpiration(发汗)or antiasthmatic action(平喘)Meanwhile, the path analysis result still demonstrated that outcome, the path coefficient between Ephedra and transpiration inducing effect was0.8727and the value between Ephedra and antiasthmatic was0.5376, and proved it as key factor in Mahuangtang. Cassia Twig in the compotion also played an important role in affecting pharmacodynamic results of Mahuangtang. The influence of both Bitter Almond and Licorice should have taken into consideration with regard to they affected the results of pharmacodynamics less. With different path coefficient, the whole pharmacodynamic effect was influenced variously by four herbal drugs in Mahuangtang.2. Twelve chromatographic peaks which were closely related to both quantity of the herbal drugs and pharmacodynamic effects were filtered. In Mahuangtang, with different relevation, each of fours herbal drugs was correlated to these peaks directly or not.3. The result of determining quantity of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine has revealed that total amount of them was induced with the appearance of Bitter Almond while Cassia Twig and Licorice were less affect the determination result (p>0.05). For determination data obtained from amygdalin, all of Ephedra, Cassia Twig and Licorice showed insignificant effect (p>0.05) on it.Conclusion:1. Path analysis model of Mahuangtang and pharmacodynamics has displayed that four herbal drugs in the composition were interrelated and interacted on medicinal materials level, chemical component level and pharmacodynamic level, so as to compose a complex network system. Among the path analysis model, the path coefficient of Ephedra was greater than any others, followed by that of Cassia Twig on the aspect of pharmacodynamic effect of the compotion. Accompany with path coefficient of herbal drugs interaction, the outcome was exactly fitted the traditional understanding of Mahuangtang, and further confirmed the feasibility of utilizing path analysis model to revel the compatibility of Chinese herbal prescriptions.2. Different status of each herbal drug in Mahuangtang could be reflected by different value of path coefficient. In turn, the value of path coefficient would directly reflect the intensity of herbal drug’s effect. Thus solving the contradiction between the number of experimental groups and thoroughness of prescription separation, and let the experiment results more intuitive when research compatibility of Chinese herbal prescriptions.