Planta Med 2011; 77 - PA55
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282251

Application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a tool for quality control in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

VA Huck Pezzei 1, JD Pallua 1, C Pezzei 1, SA Schönbichler 1, LK Bittner 1, GK Bonn 1, CW Huck 1
  • 1Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Leopold-Franzens University, Innrain 52a, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Traditional Chinese Medicine is becoming more and more popular all over the world. Novel analytical tools for quality control are highly demanded enabling analysis starting at breeding and ending at biological fluids including urine or serum. Compared to analytical separation methods (chromatography, electrophoresis) near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) allows analyzing matter of interest non-invasively, fast and physical/chemical parameters simultaneously. It can be used for the quantitative control of certain ingredients. In many cases identification can only be achieved by pattern recognition. Therefore, NIRS combined with cluster analysis offers huge potential to identify e.g. species, geographic origin, special medicinal formula etc (Figure 1). In the present contribution the fundamentals, possibilities of NIR applied in quality control of TCM are pointed out and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed in detail by several practical examples [1,2].

A Büchi FT-NIR spectrometer was used for recording. Cluster analyes and PLS calibration models were generated with NirCal 4.21 and/or The Unscrambler. A Perkin Elmer 400 spectrometer in combination with a microscope with a nitrogen cooled MCT detector-array was used to acquire the hyperspectral images.

NIR imaging is highly useful to judge the botany and morphology of the sample and allows visualizing the distribution of active plant ingredients. Stable PLS calibration models can be applied for quantitative determination of API's, judgment of raw materials, during the production and the preparation of medicinal formulations. Cluster analyes are highly suitable for identifying falsification, species and georgraphic regions. Both methods in combination are applied to monitor the quality of patented formulations.

Figure 1: Flow diagram of NIRS application fields in TCM

Acknowledgement: Eurasia-Pacific Uninet (EPU) (Salzburg, Austria), the Ministry for Science and Research and the Ministry for Health, Family and Youth (Vienna, Austria) (Novel Analytical Tools for Quality Control in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Project No. 80855), the Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck (Nachwuchsförderung) for financial support

References: 1. Pezzei C, Pallua JD, Schaefer G, Seifarth C, Huck-Pezzei V, Bittner LK, Klocker H, Bartsch G, Bonn GK, Huck CW (2010). Mol Biosyst 6: 2287.

2. Pallua JD, Pezzei C, Huck-Pezzei V, Schönbichler S, Bittner LK, Bonn GK, Saeed A, Majeed S, Farooq A, Najam-ul-Haq M, Abel G, Popp M and Huck CW (2011) Curr Bioactive Comp 7: in press.