Study on the Fingerprints of Acanthopanax trifoliatus Fractions with Varying Polarities and the Relationship Between Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activity Using Multivariate Analysis

Objectives: To evaluate the Spectrum-Effect relationships between the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Fingerprints of fractions with different polarities and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of A. trifoliatus and to identify its pharmacodynamic material basis. Materials and Methods: Chemical Fingerprints of A. trifoliatus fractions with different polarities (all fractions and ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water fractions) were obtained by HPLC, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed. The foot swelling and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) content in mice induced by carrageenan were used as anti-inflammatory markers, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) methods were used as antioxidant indicators. Moreover, the Spectrum-Effect relationship between common peaks and efficacy value was conducted by Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Partial Least Squares analysis (PLS). Results: PCA identified three principal components, and all fractions of A. trifoliatus had good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Based on GRA and PLS analysis, peaks 1 and 2 (neochlorogenic acid), 4 and 5 (chlorogenic acid), 8, 9, 10, 11 (isochlorogenic acid B), and 12 were involved in anti-inflammatory efficacy, and peaks 1 and 2 (neochlorogenic acid), 3, 4, and 5 (chlorogenic acid), and 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13 (isochlorogenic acid A) were involved in antioxidant efficacy. Conclusion: This study on the Spectrum-Effect relationship of different polar fractions of A. trifoliatus provides data to support the discovery of the pharmacodynamic material basis of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of A. trifoliatus.