基于结构中药学思维的中药研究方法探讨——以外用中药为例

物质在不同尺度的聚集状态是决定其性质的关键因素。结构中药学是以中药中天然存在的或经加工形成的聚集态为对象, 研究其组成结构特征、形成机制、体内命运及其功能关联性的中药学新兴交叉领域。相较于中药传统的分子层次研究, 结构中药学的研究对象具有跨尺度、异质性、多效应的特点, 是从介观视角和空间维度对中药药效物质和起效机制的再认识和再研究。中药外用是中医传承千年的用药特色, 但其科学内涵缺乏深入的阐释。笔者以外用中药为例分析了目前中药研究中存在的共性和个性问题, 并提出基于结构中药学思维的研究路径, 以期为相关领域提供参考。 

The Perspective of the Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Structural Chinese Medicine: Taking the External Use of TCM as An Example

The aggregation state of matter at different scales is the key factor to determine its properties. Structural Chinese medicine is a new cross field of Chinese medicine to study the composition and structure characteristics, formation mechanism, fate in vivo and functional correlation of clusters and aggregates naturally existing or formed by processing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Compared with the traditional molecular level research of TCM, the research objects of structural Chinese medicine have the characteristics of cross-scale, heterogeneity and multi-effect. It is a re-understanding and re-study of the pharmacodynamic substances and the effective mechanism of TCM from the mesoscopic perspective and spatial dimension. External use has been the characteristic of TCM for thousands of years, but lack of in-depth explanation. Taking the external use of TCM as an example, this paper analyzes the common and individual problems existing in the research of TCM, and puts forward the research path based on the thinking of structural Chinese medicine, in order to provide reference for the related fields.