Processing Mechanism of Massa Medicata Fermentata Based on the Correlation Analysis of Strains, Chemical Compositions and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

The traditional Chinese medicine of fermented medicine may be under the involvement of multiple strains and the interaction between these microorganisms. Liu Shenqu (Massa Medicata Fermentata, MMF) is one of the most widely used fermented medicines, whose potential processing mechanism is still unclear. In this work, UPLC/MS and GNPS methods were employed to rapidly predict chemical compositions in MMF. Moreover, the dynamic changes of strains, chemical compositions and anti-inflammatory activity of MMF during fermentation process were investigated, and subsequently strains-chemical compositions-efficacy interactions were revealed by Pearson correlation analysis and partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis. As a result, 24 components were identified, and the potential strains including Bacillus, Burkholderia_Caballeronia_Paraburkholderia, Enterobacter, Aspergillus heterocaryoticus, Rhizopus arrhizus, Kazachstania bulderi, which related to the production of anti-inflammatory active ingredients were exposed. These results demonstrated chemical compositions-strains-efficacy interactions during fermentation of MMF, and provide reference for the exploration of the processing mechanism of MMF.

Automated summary

In this study, UPLC/MS and GNPS methods were used to predict chemical compositions of fermented medicine. The dynamic changes of strains, chemical compositions and anti-inflammatory activity during fermentation process were investigated, and the interactions between strains, chemical compositions and efficacy were revealed. The potential strains related to the production of anti-inflammatory ingredients were identified.