A comprehensive quality assessment strategy integrating multidimensional fingerprints with antioxidant activity analysis: A case study of Codonopsis pilosula.

Codonopsis pilosula (CP), a typical medicine-food homology tonic herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is often referred to as "Little Ginseng". Current studies on CP are largely confined to its chemical constituents, and systematic approaches for evaluating its overall quality remain lacking. In this study, an integrated analytical framework was developed for the quality assessment of CP by combining chromatographic, electrochemical, thermal fingerprints, the 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay and chemometric analysis. First, a three-wavelength fused chromatographic fingerprint (TWFF) based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was established using two quantitative markers, lobetyolin (LBT) and chlorogenic acid (CGA), enabling improved detection of weak-response constituents and enhanced coverage of chromatographic information. In parallel, an electrochemical fingerprint (ECFP) based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillation system and a differential scanning calorimetry quantum fingerprint (DSC-QFP) were constructed to provide complementary information on electrochemical activity and thermal behavior. All fingerprints were assessed using a dual-parameter evaluation method (DPEM) based on macroscopic qualitative similarity (Sₘ) and macroscopic quantitative similarity (Pₘ), enabling qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The three analytical dimensions were further integrated using the coefficient of variation weighting method (CVWM), thereby improving the objectivity and robustness of quality evaluation. Partial least squares (PLS) modeling combined with Pearson correlation analysis using TWFF, ECFP and ABTS assay data revealed the relationship between chemical fingerprints and antioxidant-related activity, and enabled the screening of potential antioxidant-related constituents. Overall, this study proposes an innovative multidimensional analytical strategy, providing a new reference for the comprehensive characterization and quality evaluation of CP and other complex traditional herbal medicines.