UPLC-QTOF-MS-Based Quantification and Antiplatelet Activity Evaluation of Herb Pair Interactions Between Red Ginseng and Trogopterus Feces

Red ginseng (RG) and Trogopterus Feces (TF) are one of the drug pairs in "nineteen medicaments of mutual antagonism" and not recommended for drug compatibility in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In addition, RG functions to "tonify Qi" and "nourish the blood," while TF can "promote blood circulation" and "relieve pain." Therefore, the two drugs are often combined to treat blood stasis syndrome in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Nevertheless, the combined application of RG and TF in TCM formulas has attracted much attention but still lacks in-depth research. To bridge this gap, our investigation employed UPLC-QTOF-MS technology coupled with in vitro pharmacological models to systematically examine both compositional alterations and functional consequences of RG-TF compatibility. Key findings revealed that co-decoction of these two herbal medicines induced a significant reduction in the content of bioactive ginsenosides derived from RG, while concurrently diminishing the antiplatelet aggregation efficacy observed in the single-herb decoction of RG. This chemical-pharmacological correlation provides compelling evidence for the incompatibility of RG with TF and elucidates the biochemical basis of their mutual antagonism documented in classical TCM literature.

Trogopterus Feces; antiplatelet aggregation; ginsenosides; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; red ginseng.