Research Progress on the Quality Control of Proteins and Peptides in Animal-derived Traditional Chinese Medicines

Animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines is an important part of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs), which usually exhibits remarkable and rapid effect. However, the chemical composition of animal-derived TCMs is unclear and the quality standard is relatively low, which limits its further development and utilization. Proteins and peptides are important components of animal-derived TCMs, which usually in high content and diverse in compositions, and usually possess characteristic structures and pharmacological activity. Therefore, the analysis and quality control of these components are important and meaningful. In recent years, with the continuous development of proteins and peptides analysis technology, the research level of animal-derived TCMs has been greatly improved. This paper reviewed and summarized the strategies, methods and techniques for the study of proteins and peptides in animal-derived TCMs, especially the application of proteomics technologies based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and also discussed the future orientations and prospects in animal-derived TCMs.