The conventional flame photometric detector （FPD） is widely used for sulfur-selective gas chromatography. However， the FPD is sensitive to hydrocarbon backgrounds. Its sulfur response also depends strongly on flame stability. These factors limit stable trace sulfur determination in complex matrices. A pulsed flame photometric detector （PFPD） provides a time-resolved approach to this problem. Sulfur emission appears later than most hydrocarbon background emissions after pulsed combustion. A suitable acquisition window can therefore improve sulfur selectivity. In this study， a high-sensitivity single-channel PFPD was designed and tested. The aim was to establish reproducible operating conditions for trace sulfur analysis. The detector consisted of five functional modules： the combustion and ignition module， the gas supply module， the optical collection and detection module， the temperature-control module， and the mechanical support and sealing module. The combustion zone consisted of a vertically mounted quartz chamber. The chamber had an outer diameter of 4 mm. Its inner diameter was 2 mm. Its total length was 17.5 mm. The effective combustion length was 12 mm. The calculated chamber volume was 37.68 mm³. Numerical simulation was used to examine flame propagation and self-extinction. A 12 mm effective length maintained a stable finger-shaped flame front. The flame was self-terminated near the lower limiting orifice at about 1.97 ms. The hydroxyl radical mass fraction decreased close to baseline within 5 ms， whereas the temperature decayed more gradually and approached its initial level at approximately 30 ms. These results supported the chamber design for periodic pulsed combustion. The optical unit used a quartz light guide and a BG-12 band-pass filter. The filter matched the sulfur emission band near 394 nm. A photomultiplier tube （PMT） recorded the time-resolved emission signal. Two electronic pneumatic control （EPC） units were used for gas regulation. One unit controlled hydrogen and air for the ignition chamber. The other unit controlled hydrogen and air for the combustion chamber. This design separated ignition conditions from analytical combustion conditions. It also reduced uncertainty caused by coupled gas adjustment. The optimization started with the ignition chamber. Then the combustion chamber was optimized under the fixed ignition baseline. Finally， detector temperature and PMT voltage were evaluated. Peak area， sensitivity， and signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） were used as indicators. Gas chromatographic tests used a sulfur-specific quartz capillary column. Nitrogen was used as the carrier gas. The gate delay was 6 ms. The gate width was 18 ms. The trigger level was 500 mV. A stable pulsed flame was obtained at an ignition-chamber hydrogen flow of 8.0 mL/min. The corresponding ignition-chamber air flow was 19.0 mL/min. Under this ignition baseline， the combustion chamber was further adjusted. A higher sulfur response was obtained at 5.0 mL/min hydrogen. The corresponding air flow was 3.7 mL/min. Detector temperature also affected the delayed sulfur emission. The response was low at 110-130 ℃. At about 150 ℃， the delayed sulfur signal was higher. Peak area and sulfur sensitivity were also higher at this temperature. Higher temperatures from 170 to 250 ℃ reduced the peak area and sensitivity. PMT voltage affected signal amplitude， SNR， and waveform fidelity. Increasing the voltage from 590 to 710 V improved the SNR. At 730 V， the delayed emission plateau showed peak clipping. This behavior indicated saturation or nonlinear response in the detection chain. Dynamic dilutions of a 10 μmol/mol hydrogen sulfide （H₂S） standard gas were used to evaluate the linear range. A 1.1 μmol/mol H₂S standard gas was used for the quantitative repeatability test and， after 30-fold dynamic dilution， for determination of the sulfur detection limit. The quantitative repeatability， evaluated from the peak areas of seven consecutive injections， was 0.37%. The sulfur detection limit was 4.1×10⁻¹³ g/s， and the linear range spanned approximately two orders of magnitude. The developed PFPD showed stable pulsed combustion behavior. It also provided reliable quantitative response for trace sulfur detection. The dual-EPC design helped clarify the relationship between ignition and analytical combustion. The optimized conditions provide an experimental basis for self-developed PFPD systems.

In line with modern educational concepts and the demand for innovative talents， a course focused on self-designed experiments has been incorporated into the traditional instrumental analysis curriculum. This initiative aims to enhance students’ ability to apply knowledge effectively. While mastering instrument operation， students are encouraged to anticipate potential challenges during experiments. Under instructor guidance， students constructed an online system for solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography and post-column derivatization with fluorescence detection. They addressed real analytical needs such as improving sensitivity and precision， minimizing interference， and conducting rapid analyses of trace carbamate pesticides in vegetable samples. This self-designed liquid chromatography experiment course， tailored to students’ learning characteristics and interests， successfully engages their initiative and fosters independent innovation capabilities. As a result， it also improves teaching effectiveness and enhances learning efficiency.

To cultivate systematic thinking and innovation capabilities in senior undergraduate students majoring in chemistry and related fields， this project proposes an open-ended experiment that focuses on the preparation， characterization， and application of biomass-derived functional materials. The experiment incorporates essential procedures such as the preparation of biochar materials and the polymer synthesis. Characterization of the material’s structure and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity is performed using scanning electron microscopy， infrared spectroscopy， and water contact angle measurements. During the application phase， the self-prepared materials are utilized to adsorb glycopeptide antibiotics from real water samples， followed by quantitative analysis using high performance liquid chromatography. Throughout the experiment， students will enhance their ability to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge， master skills across the entire analytical workflow—from sample pretreatment to instrumental analysis—while also improving their competencies in material preparation， instrument operation， and data analysis. Through this hands-on practice， students will develop a practical understanding of the application of analytical technologies in environmental remediation and monitoring， thereby strengthening their innovative capacity to identify and solve complex chemical problems. Furthermore， the implementation of this open-ended experiment contributes to advancing the resource utilization of biomass materials， aligning with the demands of a low-carbon economy.

Instrumental analysis is a crucial foundational course for pharmacy majors， and its teaching effectiveness directly relates to the cultivation of students’ analytical testing abilities， scientific research literacy， and innovative thinking. Current teaching commonly faces problems such as complex content systems， difficulty in understanding principles， and disconnection between theory and experiments， resulting in students’ lack of active inquiry awareness and critical thinking. To address these issues， this study takes pharmacy students from 2019-2023 classes at the School of Pharmacy， Guangzhou Medical University as subjects， exploring a teaching model that combines inquiry-based teaching with the cultivation of critical thinking. By constructing a stepwise inquiry approach that progresses from imitative to comparative to case-based learning and designing problem-oriented learning tasks and reflective assessment mechanisms， the study aims to guide students in achieving knowledge construction and cognitive enhancement within authentic problem contexts. Teaching practice results indicate that this model effectively promoted students’ transition from passive acceptance to active inquiry， significantly improving their analytical testing abilities， scientific research literacy， and innovative capabilities. However， some students still exhibited habitual thinking in knowledge transfer and analysis strategy selection， and the depth of critical reasoning needs to be further strengthened. This study provides a systematic pathway and empirical evidence for the teaching reform of instrumental analysis courses， and is of significant importance for cultivating high-quality pharmacy professionals with innovative capabilities.

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， as a complex system of substances， has long faced the challenges of an unclear material basis and obscure mechanisms of action， which has hindered its modernization and internationalization. To address these challenges， the “Herbalome” project was launched in 2007. This initiative aims to systematically reveal the material composition， structure， and biological functions of TCM through the integration of multidisciplinary technologies， thereby elucidating the synergistic mechanisms of multi-component and multi-target interactions. This paper reviews key methodological and technological advancements in the field of herbal material science. Specifically， regarding the composition and structural identification of herbal compounds， the integration of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with two-dimensional chromatography and intelligent data mining strategies has enabled high-throughput characterization of the complex chemical constituents of TCMs， as well as the discovery of novel compounds. Furthermore， advancements in multidimensional high-performance preparative chromatography and the development of novel multidimensional multi-channel separation and purification devices have overcome bottlenecks in the large-scale systematic preparation of TCM compounds. Additionally， nuclear magnetic resonance technology， enhanced by artificial intelligence techniques， such as intelligent heteronuclear single quantum coherence （HSQC） recognition and deep learning models， has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of structural identification. In the study of the biological effects of herbal substances， target-oriented and phenotype-oriented pharmacological technologies， such as cellular label-free integrative pharmacology， thermal proteome profiling， and affinity mass spectrometry， have facilitated the discovery of targets and the elucidation of mechanisms for bioactive components in TCM. Moreover， TCM databases and computational simulation techniques， including virtual screening， molecular dynamics， and artificial intelligence prediction models， have supported the construction and simulation of complex “multi-component and multi-target” interaction networks. Structural biology techniques， particularly cryo-electron microscopy， have provided atomic-level insights into the interactions between TCM bioactive components and target proteins， advancing our understanding of structure-activity relationships and multi-target mechanisms. In conclusion， the synergistic advancement of various techniques， including separation analysis， bioeffect evaluation， and computational modelling， is driving a paradigm shift in herbal material science from “experience-dependent” to “data-driven” approaches. The ongoing emergence and integration of novel technologies will continue to reveal unexplored areas within traditional Chinese medicine， systematically elucidate its multi-component， multi-target synergistic mechanisms， and enable the in-depth discovery of novel structures， targets， and biological effects. This progress will provide innovation insights to support the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine as well as modern drug discovery.

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， a treasured cultural heritage of the Chinese nation， plays a significant role in treating various diseases. However， the extreme complexity of its chemical components makes the comprehensive elucidation of the material basis and pharmacological mechanisms a major challenge in modern TCM research. To deeply investigate the material basis of TCM and interpret its holistic regulation mechanism involving multiple components and targets， Liang Xinmiao and his colleagues proposed the concept of herbal materiomics， which focuses on two main research directions： the material basis （including qualitative/quantitative analysis and isolation of active compounds） and the functional mechanisms （in-depth study of biological effects and modes of action）. In herbalome research， chromatographic analysis and preparative purification are powerful tools for deciphering the composition of complex TCM systems， with the development of novel chromatographic separation materials being a key driver of progress. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the development of novel high performance chromatographic separation materials since 2020 and their applications in herbalome research. It focuses on three chromatographic modes： reversed-phase liquid chromatography （RPLC）， hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography （HILIC）， and supercritical fluid chromatography （SFC）. The structural and performance characteristics of these novel materials are highlighted， along with their applications in the analysis and preparative purification of key active components such as alkaloids， flavonoids， saponins and terpenoids. In RPLC， the separation selectivity and retention capacity of the stationary phases for compounds such as alkaloids and flavonoids have been effectively enhanced through two primary strategies： first， by incorporating polar groups such as fluorine atoms， amides， carboxyl groups into the traditional C18/C8/phenyl skeletons； second， by utilizing natural product derivatives like cardanol and rosin as functional ligands. Furthermore， this approach has led to the creation of novel materials possessing orthogonal separation characteristics. In HILIC， various functionalized stationary phases have been developed， including β-cyclodextrin， nitrogen-containing heterocycles， core-shell structured amides， and surface-polymerized phases. These phases significantly improve the retention and separation efficiency of strongly polar compounds （e.g.， saponins， oligosaccharides） by providing abundant hydrogen bonding， electrostatic， and π-π interactions. In SFC， the development of novel stationary phases extends from modified functional skeletons （e.g.， phenyl） to zwitterionic and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic hydrophilic stationary phases. Additionally， mixed-mode stationary phases have been developed to effectively ameliorate the peak tailing problems associated with basic compounds. Concurrently， the emergence of small-particle-size ordered mesoporous silica materials enables ultra-high column efficiency and rapid separation of components such as tanshinones. This review further illustrates the successful application of these novel materials in both high-performance analytical and preparative chromatography， using four important classes of TCM active ingredients—alkaloids， flavonoids， saponins， and terpenoids—as examples. These novel materials afford significant chromatographic improvements—notably in separation selectivity， peak symmetry， analysis speed， and the resolution of previously difficult-to-separate isomers. Critically， the integration of these advanced materials has facilitated the construction of highly orthogonal multidimensional chromatographic systems （e.g.， RPLC×RPLC， HILIC×RPLC）， thereby providing the capacity for in-depth profiling and identification of dozens to hundreds of components from complex TCM extracts. In the field of preparative chromatography， these materials enable efficient and large-scale purification of target monomers， including trace active ingredients， thereby significantly enriching compound libraries for herbalome research. This includes the implementation of sophisticated multi-dimensional and multi-mode preparative strategies， which have facilitated the discovery of novel compounds and unprecedented skeletons. Finally， the article concludes by outlining future development directions of chromatographic materials， emphasizing the need to enhance separation selectivity and orthogonality， improve separation efficiency and preparative loading capacity， and develop versatile stationary phases. These advancements are crucial to better support the in-depth development of herbalome research. This review aims to provide a material foundation and technical reference for resolving the material basis of complex TCM systems.

Medicinal plants serve as a valuable source of naturally occurring bioactive compounds， which have played a vital role in promoting human health， preventing and treating various diseases for thousands of years. However， the phytochemical profiles of medicinal plants， including traditional Chinese herbal medicines （TCHMs）， are notably complex and highly diverse， posing a tough challenge for the rapid screening and identification of their potential bioactive constituents. This challenge is central to pharmacological research and drug development efforts in medicinal plants including TCHMs. Therefore， the rapid and efficient screening of bioactive components from complex natural products has become a key research direction in academia. To address this issue， affinity ultrafiltration coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （AUF-LC-MS） has emerged as an efficient technique that integrates affinity-based capture， ultrafiltration， and liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis to enable rapid screening and characterization of potential small-molecule bioactive compounds. Known for its low sample consumption， high specificity， exceptional sensitivity， operational simplicity and high efficiency， this approach leverages specific interactions between target molecules and chemical extracts to identify bioactive ligands from complex mixtures， making it particularly suitable for studying intricate matrices such as medicinal plant extracts and TCHM formulations. This study summarizes the principles， characteristics， and recent applications of AUF-LC-MS technology in the screening of potential active components in medicinal plants including TCHMs over the past decade （2015-2025）. Based on different levels of AUF-LC-MS screening， including compound level， single TCHM level， and TCHM formula level， a comprehensive summary is provided. AUF-LC-MS screening of single TCHM level is further analyzed and summarized based on the number of targets， including single target screening， dual-targets screening， and multi-targets screening. At the same time， comparisons were made between other different natural active substance screening approaches and the AUF-LC-MS method. In addition， it outlines prospective research directions for the further development of AUF-LC-MS with the aim of providing new insights for the study of the pharmacological substances of TCHMs and the development of new drugs.

Polysaccharides derived from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） have attracted widespread attention due to their excellent bioactivities， such as immunomodulatory， anti-inflammatory， and anti-tumor effects. However， these polysaccharides exhibit inherent characteristics including large molecular weights， complex monosaccharide compositions， and diverse branched structures. These features result in low bioavailability and difficulties in unraveling their structure-activity relationships （SARs）， thereby imposing significant limitations on their practical applications. In contrast， oligosaccharides possess distinct advantages： they have low molecular weights， relatively simple structures， and are easy to purify and characterize structurally. Owing to these properties， oligosaccharides serve as ideal models for deciphering the SARs of TCM polysaccharides. Consequently， the preparation， separation and purification， and structural characterization of TCM oligosaccharides have become the core research focuses in this field.This paper firstly reviews various degradation strategies from the perspective of degradation approaches. These strategies include chemical hydrolysis， oxidative degradation， enzymatic hydrolysis， and assisted degradation methods. For each method， a comparative analysis of their degradation mechanisms， product distribution characteristics， and applicable scopes is conducted. Meanwhile， it elaborates on the modification effects of different methods on the degree of polymerization （DP）， anomeric configuration， and branched structure of oligosaccharides， as well as their potential regulatory roles in the bioactivities of oligosaccharides. Subsequently， this paper carries out a systematic review on the chromatographic techniques commonly used for the separation and purification of degraded oligosaccharides， including gel filtration chromatography （GFC）， ion-exchange chromatography （IEC）， hydrophilic interaction chromatography （HILIC）， and porous graphitized carbon chromatography （PGC）. For each chromatographic technique， this paper provides a detailed account of its separation principle， applicable scenarios， and specific applications in the separation of degraded oligosaccharides. Finally， regarding the oligosaccharide structural characterization techniques-such as monosaccharide composition analysis， methylation analysis， and nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） spectroscopy-the paper clarifies the complementarity between different techniques and their respective limitations.In summary， this paper focuses on the application of combined strategies-such as chemical hydrolysis， enzymatic hydrolysis， and physicochemical hybrid methods—in the preparation of degraded oligosaccharides derived from TCM， as well as the roles and key points of separation techniques and characterization techniques in structural elucidation. Looking ahead， the preparation， separation and purification， and structural analysis of TCM oligosaccharides require the further establishment of standardized protocols. Additionally， the integrated application of artificial intelligence and multi-omics technologies should be actively promoted in this research field. It is believed that with the continuous in-depth exploration of degraded oligosaccharides， their SARs will become increasingly explicit. It is anticipated that progress in the purification and structural elucidation of TCM-degraded oligosaccharides， together with the convergence of artificial intelligence and multi-omics approaches， will bring clarity to their structure-activity relationships. This will， in turn， enable their more precise and impactful application in functional food design and pharmaceutical development.

Natural products have consistently served as an invaluable source for novel drug development， and the efficient and targeted screening of bioactive constituents from these complex mixtures is crucial for advancing drug discovery. Bioaffinity fishing techniques exploit the highly specific interactions between ligands and their biological targets—such as antigen-antibody， enzyme-substrate， and hormone-receptor interactions—to simultaneously separate and identify active compounds from complex natural product extracts. When coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry， bioaffinity fishing enables the integrated separation， screening， and analysis of bioactive molecules in a single step. This comprehensive review focuses specifically on bioaffinity fishing materials， which are fundamental to the effectiveness and reproducibility of the fishing process. The review systematically explores recent advances over the past three years， categorizing the discussion along two primary dimensions： carrier materials and immobilization methods. In terms of carrier materials， the article provides a comprehensive review of both carrier-free and carrier-based systems. Carrier-free approaches， including affinity ultrafiltration and size exclusion chromatography， utilize free targets in solution， while carrier-based systems immobilize the target onto a solid support. The review details a wide spectrum of innovative supports such as magnetic beads， which facilitate easy separation； metal-organic frameworks， known for their high surface area and tunable porosity； silica-based materials （e.g.， mesoporous silica and silica chromatographic stationary phases）， prized for their stability and versatility； gel-based materials like agarose and synthetic polymers， which offer superior biocompatibility； microchannel-based systems， including capillary columns and microfluidic chips that enable high-throughput screening with minimal sample consumption； fluorescent materials that integrate fishing with real-time activity monitoring and imaging； and other emerging materials such as graphene， carbon nanotubes， and paper-based substrates. Each material system is evaluated regarding its preparation， advantages， limitations， and representative applications in fishing active ingredients from natural products. Regarding immobilization strategies， the review compares three principal methodologies： physical adsorption， which is simple but often prone to leakage and low efficiency； physical encapsulation， which protects the target yet may incur mass transfer limitations and potential activity loss； and chemical cross-linking， which enhances stability but risks altering the target’s conformation and activity. A significant portion of the discussion is devoted to advanced directional immobilization techniques designed to preserve biological activity and improve efficiency. These include various bioorthogonal reactions such as Halo-tag/alkyl chloride， His-tag/Ni-NTA， SpyTag/SpyCatcher， SNAP-tag/benzylguanine， and the use of unnatural amino acid incorporation combined with click chemistry （e.g.， azide-alkyne cycloaddition， thiol-ene addition）. These strategies allow for precise orientation and covalent attachment of proteins， leading to improved stability， reduced nonspecific binding， enhanced chromatographic performance， and higher binding affinity. Notably， these methods enable the one-step immobilization of even low-abundance or endogenous targets without the need for prior purification， greatly expanding the technique’s applicability. Finally， the review outlines current challenges and prospective directions for the field. Key challenges include the lack of clear selection criteria for carrier materials， potential detrimental effects of immobilization on target structure and function， and the need to balance generality with cost-effectiveness. Future efforts should focus on developing more efficient and targeted immobilization protocols， creating multifunctional composite materials that combine separation， detection， and screening capabilities， fostering interdisciplinary collaborations integrating nanotechnology and bioinformatics， and adhering to green chemistry principles to ensure sustainability. As technological progress continues， bioaffinity fishing is poised to play an increasingly vital role in elucidating the material basis of natural medicine efficacy and accelerating the discovery of new therapeutic agents.

Yupingfeng Granules， a classical and widely prescribed formula in traditional Chinese medicine， is extensively employed in clinical practice for its well-documented immunomodulatory and preventive activities. However， the highly complex chemical composition of this multi-herb formula and the specific material basis responsible for its therapeutic effects in vivo remain inadequately characterized and systematically elucidated. Research on its pharmacokinetically critical blood-entering components， which are indicative of systemic exposure and potential direct activity， particularly under representative pathological conditions， remains notably scarce and insufficient. This study therefore aims to systematically characterize the comprehensive chemical profile of Yupingfeng Granules by employing advanced analytical techniques such as HPLC-MS. Furthermore， it seeks to comprehensively investigate and characterize its blood-entering components specifically in cyclophosphamide-induced immunodeficient rat models， comparing them with normal physiological conditions where applicable. The overarching objective is to identify， quantify， and shed light on the formula′s potential active constituents that reach the systemic circulation. This work is expected to provide a more solid and detailed scientific basis for a deeper， molecular-level understanding of the pharmacodynamic mechanism of this important traditional Chinese medicine preparation and to inform its future rational clinical application and quality control. An ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF MS） technology was used to identify the chemical composition of Yupingfeng Granules and the plasma-entering components after administration to immunodeficient model rats. The prepared granule and serum samples were analyzed using a Waters CORTECS UPLC C18 column （150 mm×2.1 mm， 1.6 μm） with gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phases. The flow rate was set at 0.3 mL/min， the column temperature was maintained at 35 ℃， and the injection volume was 3 µL. Data were acquired in both positive and negative ion modes using an electrospray ionization source. The identification of chemical constituents was performed by comparing retention times， accurate relative molecular masses， and MS/MS fragment ions with those of reference standards， along with reference to relevant literature. Through a systematic analysis involving comparison of retention times， accurate molecular weights， and MS/MS fragment ions， combined with cross-referencing against relevant literature and authenticated reference standards， the chemical profile of Yupingfeng Granules and the bioactive components absorbed in vivo were comprehensively characterized. The investigation successfully identified a total of 52 chemical constituents in Yupingfeng Granules. Furthermore， 11 bioavailable components were detected in rat plasma after administration. These compounds encompass a diverse range of chemical classes， specifically including 11 flavonoids， 13 organic acids， 13 phenylpropanoids， 12 terpenoids， and 3 additional components categorized as aldehydes， nucleosides， and amino acids. This detailed identification provides a thorough overview of the chemical composition of the granules and elucidates the key constituents that are systemically absorbed. This study systematically analyzed the blood-entering components of Yupingfeng Granules under immunodeficient pathological conditions. This distinction is critically important， as the altered internal environment in a disease model may significantly influence the absorption， metabolism， and distribution of herbal compounds. The research not only clarifies the comprehensive chemical material basis of the formula in vitro by establishing a detailed chromatographic fingerprint but also， more significantly， bridges the gap to in vivo pharmacology by identifying which specific compounds from the complex mixture actually enter the systemic circulation. By correlating the in vitro chemical profile with the in vivo exposure data， the study effectively pinpoints a refined set of potential direct-acting substances that are most likely to contribute to the observed therapeutic effects. Consequently， these findings provide crucial experimental clues and a reliable analytical foundation for subsequent， more targeted research. This includes in-depth investigations into efficacy correlation—linking specific blood components to immunomodulatory activities—and the detailed exploration of its molecular mechanisms of action， thereby significantly advancing the scientific understanding of this classic formula.