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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Chem.
Sec. Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1581429
This article is part of the Research TopicMedicinal and edible TCMs: Extraction and Isolation, Structural Elucidation, Pharmacological Evaluation, Structural Modification, and Quality ControlView all articles
Effect of Freeze-pressure regulated extraction Technology on the physicochemical properties and pharmacological activities of Guizhi extract
Provisionally accepted- 1Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
- 2Jiangxi Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Nanchang, China
- 3State Key Laboratory for the Modernization of Classical and Famous Prescriptions of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
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Extraction is the core process for obtaining bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. Enhancing the extraction efficiency of aromatic herbs has become a critical challenge. This study introduced a novel freeze-pressure regulated extraction (FE) technique to improve the extraction efficiency of Gui Zhi (GZ). Compared to traditional methods, FE yielded a significantly lower pH of 4.74, a higher zeta potential of -13.93 mV, and a smaller average particle size of 304.57 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) confirmed that FE creates larger pores and an expanded surface area, facilitating more effective compound release. HPLC analysis indicated that FE increased the cinnamaldehyde content from 348.53 to 370.20 μg/g. UPLC-MS analysis further demonstrated that FE is more effective for extracting volatile and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the therapeutic effect of GZ extract on a wind-cold syndrome model was investigated. FE significantly alleviated symptoms and restored lung tissue integrity, through the regulation of the citric acid cycle and thiamine metabolism pathways. The findings not only support the application of FE technology in herbal extraction but also offer novel approaches for the efficient utilization of herbs like GZ in modern medicine.
Keywords: Extraction, Gui Zhi, Freeze-pressure puffing, Wind-cold syndrome model, Plasma metabolomics Analysis of Variance, APAP: Acetaminophen, ATP: adenosine triphosphate, CoA: Coenzyme A, ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, FE: Freeze--pressure regulated Extraction, GZ: Gui Zhi, HE: Hematoxylin and Eosin Staining
Received: 22 Feb 2025; Accepted: 09 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Luo, Wan, Wang, Wu, Yang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yaqi Wang, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
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