A multi-index decision analysis method for saposhnikoviae radix based on biological-chemical integrative evaluation

Saposhnikoviae Radix (SR) is an essential traditional herbal medicine with various bioactivities. The clinical efficacy of herbal medicines is intrinsically linked to their quality attributes, making rigorous quality control an imperative approach for ensuring the safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). While TCM quality evaluation methods encompass characterization assessments and discrete physical, chemical, and biological evaluations, these approaches demonstrate inherent limitations in comprehensively reflecting medicinal material quality. In this study, we established and validated an analytical method for SR using Orbitrap, successfully characterizing 59 compounds. Through metabolic profiling in rats, we identified 26 compounds that underwent metabolic transformation and elucidated their metabolic pathways, thereby identifying potential bioactive constituents. Based on network pharmacology analysis, an Ig-E induced RBL cell antiallergic model was selected to evaluate the vitro bioactivity of SR and its compounds, among which hamaudol exhibited superior antiallergic activity (inhibition rate = 195.72 %). Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) screening were employed for multivariate statistical analysis of nine Saposhnikoviae Radix batches. Then, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was implemented to determine the weight coefficients of individual components, leading to the calculation of batch-specific scores. These scores were subsequently validated against the overall bioactivity of each batch. This study established a multidimensional evaluation system based on Multi-Attribute Decision Making method, which holds significant implications for quality control and evaluation of SR. Furthermore, it lays a fundamental basis for content and bioactivity assessment of high-quality TCM.