Background The dried fruit of Chaenomeles speciosa, known as Chaenomelis Fructus or Zhoupi Mugua, is a type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is widely used to treat many diseases. Guangpi Mugua, the dried fruit of the Chaenomeles sinensis, is its most commonly known adulterant. Objective To establish a robust approach for the quality control and identification of Chaenomelis Fructus. Method Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was optimized and used to discriminate Chaenomelis Fructus from Guangpi Mugua. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with fingerprint analysis and partial least-squares (PLS) discrimination analysis (DA) was employed to study the chemical differences between Chaenomelis Fructus and Guangpi Mugua. The single standard to determine multi-components (SSDMC) method, with credible precision, repeatability, stability, and durability, was developed for quantitative analysis of the abundant markers. Results The developed TLC and HPLC methods were effective in the authentication of Chaenomelis Fructus. Moreover, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, pomolic acid, corosolic acid, 3-O-acetylpomolic acid, and one unknown compound were identified to be critical markers for the discrimination of Chaenomelis Fructus from Guangpi Mugua. Conclusion Adulteration has always been a challenge in the development of TCM. This study presents useful insights that may help solve the problem of adulteration during the preparation of Chaenomelis Fructus. Highlights The present study provides a systematic method for the quality control of Chaenomelis Fructus. This is therefore the first step towards solving the problem of adulteration to improve the clinical safety and effectiveness of Chaenomelis Fructus.

中文翻译：

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木瓜木瓜及其常见掺杂物广皮木瓜的鉴别

背景木瓜的干果被称为木瓜或周皮木瓜，是一种广泛用于治疗多种疾病的中药 (TCM)。广皮木瓜是木瓜的干果，是其最常见的掺假品。目的建立木瓜属植物的质量控制和鉴定方法。方法优化薄层色谱法(TLC)，用于鉴别木瓜和广皮木瓜。采用高效液相色谱法（HPLC）结合指纹分析和偏最小二乘法（PLS）判别分析（DA）研究木瓜和广皮木瓜的化学差异。确定多组分 (SSDMC) 方法的单一标准，具有可靠的精度、可重复性、稳定性和耐久性，用于定量分析丰富的标记。结果开发的薄层色谱法和高效液相色谱法在木瓜属植物的鉴定中是有效的。此外，齐墩果酸、熊果酸、pomolic酸、科罗索酸、3-O-乙酰pomolic酸和一种未知化合物被确定为鉴别木瓜和广皮木瓜的关键标志物。结论 掺假一直是中医药发展的难题。本研究提供了有用的见解，可能有助于解决木瓜制备过程中的掺假问题。亮点 本研究为木瓜的质量控制提供了系统的方法。