Many species of Bulbus fritillariae are used as traditional medicines for thousands of years; however, their application is not standardized. To clarify the differences and homologies, the antimuscarinic and anti-inflammatory effects of five BM species were firstly tested and compared at cellular level. With an integrated strategy combining UPLC-Q/TOF MS, PCA and ANN analysis, the active ingredients among 28 different chemical markers were predicted and identified. SB and QB extracts showed the best antimuscarinic effects and several steroidal alkaloids, such as solanidine, contributed to this effects. However, ZB was superior to reduce the inflammatory response. Another five components were responsible by decreasing the expression of NF-kappa B, including puqiedine, zhepeiresinol, 2-monopalmitin, N-demethylpuqietinone, and isoverticine. More novelty, a new cluster of five BM species based on active ingredients as potential quality markers was depicted to illustrate their functions. These results of the study could make a reference for the medicinal application of BM species in clinic; and the integrated strategy provided an effective method to obtain the quality markers from medical herbs, which was helpful for the quality control of traditional medicinal products. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
