Explored the pharmacodynamic material basis of <i>Carthamus tinctorius</i> L. in anti-MI/RI based on the ‘spectrum-effect’ relationship analysis combined with UPLC-MS

<i>Carthamus tinctorius</i> L. is widely used for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), its major quinochalcone glycoside, is effective against myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI), while other compounds' roles remain unclear. This study established chemical fingerprints of 9 <i>C. tinctorius</i> populations <i>via</i> ultra-performance liquid chromatography, evaluated cardiomyocyte protective effects using Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and performed spectrum-effect analysis integrating grey correlation analysis and partial least-square (PLSR), combined with compound identification <i>via</i> ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Seven potential active components were screened: HSYA, kaempferol-3-<i>O</i>-β-sophorose, saffloquinoside A, roseoside, quercetin-3,7-di-<i>O</i>-β-D-glucoside, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3,6-di-<i>O</i>-β-D-glucoside, saffloquinoside C. These may be key anti-MI/RI substances in <i>C. tinctorius</i>, with specific pharmacological mechanisms to be further verified, providing a reference for exploring its representative active components.