Multidimensional Fingerprinting Strategy for the Quality Evaluation of Sporoderm-Broken Ganoderma lucidum Spores

Abstract

It remains challenging to improve the quality standard system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for TCM development. Currently, it is urgently needed to develop an integrated, effective, and scientific approach to improve the efficacy, safety, and quality consistency of sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum (SSGL). In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied in combination with electrochemical (EC) technologies for constructing a multidimensional fingerprint (FP) to comprehensively assess SSGL samples. First, an EC FP (EC-FP) was constructed with the B-Z oscillation system; thereafter, eight representative parameters of this system were obtained and compared across the 15 samples. Furthermore, an HPLC FP (HPLC-FP) was also built for further analyzing the representative parameters. Subsequently, the systematically quantified FP method (SQFM), principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and orthogonal partial least squares method−discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were employed for classifying distinct samples and comparing the results between HPLC-FP and EC-FP. The two approaches complemented one another and successfully distinguished samples from various sources. In conclusion, bivariate correlation analysis (BCA) was employed to examine the relationships between FP and efficacy for both HPLC-FP and EC-FP. A linear correlation (r ≥ 0.800) between peak top potential (Epet) and HPLC peak area suggested that Epet might be used to predict chemical content. This novel method innovates detection dimensions, transcends single-mode detection for trace bioactive components in complex matrices, and expands EC detection’s frontier in separation science. In the present work, HPLC-FP and EC-FP contribute to detecting the SSGL quality, which offers a new way for improving the SSGL quality standard and studying its quality standard method.