中药成分群易在肠道菌群及各种代谢酶的作用下，生成复杂多样的代谢产物；活性代谢产物是中药发挥整体药效作用的重要体内物质基础，也是新药发现的重要来源。由于中药成分的组群特性，经典化学药物代谢理论和技术难以概述和阐释中药代谢特性。本项目基于良好的前期基础，提出中药“多向代谢”（polymetabolism）的新理论，包括经典的I/II相代谢、量变代谢和内化代谢三种反应类型，拟以生脉方为模型方剂，在建立中药复杂组群代谢产物分析、制备等共性关键技术的基础上，深入揭示生脉方主要组分群的体内外代谢途径、规律和机理，确证本项目提出的“多向代谢”新理论；聚焦神经内分泌免疫调节作用，通过基于机制的药动/药效桥接研究，探讨各类代谢产物的药效作用特点，揭示各类代谢产物变化对生脉方治疗心脑血管疾病的影响。项目研究对于阐明中药代谢对整体疗效的贡献和基于活性代谢产物的创新药物发现具有重要科学价值。

Nature medicine is tended to produce a variety of metabolites by gut flora and enzymes. Active metabolites are important pharmacological material basis in vivo, as well as a source for new drug discovery. However, there are difficulties for explaining metabolic properties with classic drug metabolism theories due to the characters of nature medicine clusters. According to the foundation of research, we propose “polymetabolism” theory in this project, including classical phase I/II metabolism, quantitative metabolism and internalization metabolism. Based on the general method establishment of nature medicine complex cluster metabolites preparation and analysis, and using “Sheng Mai Fang” as a model, we plan to reveal the metabolic pathways, laws and mechanisms of major components in vivo and in vitro to prove the “polymetabolism” theory, meanwhile focusing on neuroendocrine-immune regulation, using mechanism based PK/PD bridging method to find the pharmacodynamics properties of metabolics as well as revealing influence of this metabolic variation on cardiac-cerebral vascular disease therapeutic effect of “Sheng Mai Fang”. Our research is of significant scientific values on evaluating the contributions of natural medicines metabolism to the total therapeutic effect and metabolites-based new drug discovery.