Study on the potential effective ingredients of Xiaosheng prescription for dry eye disease

Xiaosheng prescription (XSP) has been used for dry eye disease (DED) for more than 10 years in Eye Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences. However, the effective ingredients involved have remained unclear, which was investigated in this study by the correlation of ingredient and therapeutic activity. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) cultured with 110 mM NaCl solution in vitro and C57BL/6 mice injected subcutaneously with scopolamine hydrobromide were used to establish dry eye models, and the therapeutic effect of XSP extract 1 was better than that of XSP extract 2 significantly. Then, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and data analysis program Progenesis QI and Makerlynx XS were used to analyze the potential effective ingredients of XSP, and 4 compounds were speculated and identified, in which Schisandrin and 1 μM of Schisantherin A could obviously increase the cell survival rate of injured cells on the cell model. It can be indicated that Schisandrin and Schisantherin A are probably the potential effective ingredients in XSP for DED.