Differential compounds of licorice before and after honey roasted and anti-arrhythmia mechanism via LC-MS/MS and network pharmacology analysis

Abstract Licorice is mainly used to treat cough in clinics. After being roasted with honey, licorice has a cardiac protective effect. Due to its different sources, the chemical components in licorice are also diverse. To distinguish the different compounds between three sources of raw licorice (RL) and between three sources of honey-roasted licorice (HRL), a UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS method was established. Eighteen batches of samples were analyzed which were derived from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat., and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. In addition, the potential key pathways of HRL to anti-arrhythmia were explored by network pharmacology. Among the three sources of RL, 77 differential compounds were detected in the positive ion mode; and 62 differential compounds were detected in the negative ion mode, of which 21 differential compounds were detected in both ion modes. Twenty-nine differential compounds were identified before and after honey-roasted of G. uralensis Fisch., 51 and 17 differential compounds were identified in G. glabra L. and G. inflata Bat., receptively. The network pharmacological analysis predicted that Rap1, Ras, PI3K-Akt, and cAMP signaling pathway might be closely related to the anti-arrhythmia mechanism of HRL. This study provides a theoretical reference for the quality improvement and clinical application of licorice. Graphical Abstract