The Study of Chemical Constituents and Metabolite Profiles of Chitong Xiaoyanling Granules in Normal and Periodontitis Model Rats Based on Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the periodontal support tissues. The typical symptoms of periodontitis are inflammation and alveolar bone resorption. Chitong Xiaoyanling Granules (CXG) is composed of 10 Chinese herbs, which have the efficacy of dispersing wind, clearing heat, cooling blood, and relieving pain. CXG is clinically used for the treatment of periodontitis and other diseases, with remarkable efficacy and broad application prospects. However, due to the lack of systematic research on its chemical constituents and metabolites, it is of great significance to characterize the various chemical components and metabolites of CXG. In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the chemical constituents and metabolites of CXG, and the differences in metabolite profiles between normal and model rats were compared. A total of 147 compounds were identified in CXG, including 53 flavonoids, 28 terpenoids, seven chromones, eight coumarins, eight organic acids, 12 phenols, 10 alcohols, nine sugars, and 12 others. In normal and model rats, 191 and 179 CXG-related xenobiotics were detected respectively. In conclusion, a rapid and accurate identification method was used to identify the chemical components and metabolites of CXG, which laid a foundation for the study of the quality control and pharmacological mechanisms of CXG.