Quality Consistency Evaluation of Multiorigin Chinese Herbal Medicine by Using a Combination of Chemical Similarity and In Vitro Bioequivalence: Taraxaci Herba as a Case Study

Introduction Multiorigin phenomenon is quite common in Chinese herbal medicine, whereas quality consistency evaluation among the involved plant species is seldom considered. Objectives The present study, taking Taraxaci herba as a typical case, aimed to develop a strategy based on a combination of chemical similarity and in vitro bioequivalence to evaluate the quality consistency of three Taraxacum species. Materials and Methods The chromatographic fingerprints were established through two approaches, namely, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA/QTOF-MS) and gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS). The common characteristic peaks from chromatographic fingerprints were quantified. The bioactivities were tested by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity assays. Quality consistency of the three Taraxacum species was globally evaluated by using a combination of chemical similarity and in vitro bioequivalence through univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Results The statistical results showed no classification of the three species based on contents of quantified analytes and in vitro bioactivities, respectively. Conclusion This study not only demonstrated the medicinal interchangeability of three species of Taraxaci herba but also proposed a comprehensive strategy to evaluate quality consistency of multiorigin Chinese herbal medicines by integrating chemical similarity and in vitro bioequivalence.