Assessment of Chinese medicinal herb metabolite profiles by UPLC-MS-based methodology for the detection of aristolochic acids

In this study, aristolochic acid in different herbal medicines containing a mixture of varying herb species was identified through fingerprint pattern similarities. Aristolochic acid I and II are nephrotoxic compounds naturally present in the Aristolochia plant species that are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicines. Twenty-four commercially available herbal formulations were extracted into an aqueous solution and injected into a UPLC-MS system. All the samples were analysed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) to check for the presence of aristolochic acids I and II. The same samples were then fingerprinted using two different gradient methods and the chromatograms deconvoluted into retention time (RT) and masses for the chemicals present taking concentration into account. Statistical analysis of this data revealed that samples were highly heterogeneous, and that the main differences between the preparations were concentrations of polar compounds. A model was constructed where the samples could be separated into two groups differentiated by the presence of the two forms of aristolochic acid.     

Rapid Determination of Aristolochic Acids I and II in Some Medicinal Plants by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Aristolochic acids (AA) are toxic components of Aristolochia plants which result in diseases of the kidney such as urothelial cancer. It is, therefore, essential to monitor the amount of aristolochic acid in herbal medicines. In this study a reversed-phase high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for rapid determination of aristolochic acids I and II. Baseline separation was achieved within five minutes by use of an ODS C₁₈ column with methanol–water, 60:40, as mobile phase. Two kinds of aristolochic acid were successfully determined in 31 herbal samples of Aristolochia fangchi Wu and Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis. The results indicated that in most samples the aristolochic acid I content is much higher than that of aristolochic acid II. The two kinds of aristolochic acid were not detected in Aristolochia fangchi from the Guangdong region, so Aristolochia fangchi from this region is recommended for use in herbal remedies.     

Quantitative fingerprinting based on the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method for an overall quality consistency assessment and antioxidant activity determination of Lianqiao Baidu pills using HPLC with a diode array detector combined with chemometric methods

Lianqiao Baidu pills are widely used herbal medicinal preparation that were analyzed to develop a quality consistency technique. The characteristic fingerprints of 28 batches of Lianqiao Baidu pill samples were established at five wavelengths and simultaneously assessed by using a limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method using 15 marker compounds. The principal component analysis and fingerprinting results were compared, and the qualitative classification of the samples by principal component analysis agreed with their quantitative evaluation by the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of the samples were surveyed and determined using a 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical‐scavenging approach. A relationship between the common peaks in the fingerprints and the antioxidant activities was established using a partial least squares model. The relationship can be used both to determine the antioxidant activities of the Lianqiao Baidu pill preparations in vitro and as a reference for the selection of active constituents for sample quality classification. The classification results for the samples based on principal component analysis agreed with the quantitative evaluation by the limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method, which demonstrated that the method can be applied to the holistic quality control of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations.     

Internal standard mass spectrum fingerprint: A novel strategy for rapid assessing the quality of Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid using wooden-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In this study, an internal standard (IS) wooden-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) fingerprint method was developed for rapid quality assessment and control of Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL) oral liquid, a famous herbal preparation registered by Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Sharp wooden tips with tip-end o.d. of 150–200 μm, which are similar to the diameter of commercially available ESI emitter, were used as solid substrates to extract samples and induce electrospray for mass spectrometric analysis. Various active ingredients present in SHL oral liquid, including organic acids, flavonoids, and phenylethanoid glycosides, etc., were simultaneously detected without any sample pretreatment and chromatographic separation. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid was used as an IS compound to calculate the content fluctuations of active ingredients, and principal component analysis was applied to the obtained fingerprints to achieve systematically and comprehensively quality assessment of investigated samples. The quality stability and consistency were successfully assessed, the sources of different manufacturers were traced, and the qualified, short expired and long expired products were also distinguished unambiguously. Our experimental data demonstrated that IS ambient mass spectrum fingerprint is a simple and efficient approach for rapid quality assessment and control of herbal medicines.     

色谱数据可视化及天然植物药指纹特征发现方法

提出一类色谱分析数据可视化方法,并用于发现天然植物药的化学指纹特征。选取中药材川芎作为典型研究对象,采用核主成分分析和空间投影变换法对色谱分析数据进行预处理,提取特征信息,再利用二维灰度映像对变换后的数据进行可视化表达,发现其化学指纹特征,从而直接反映出药材质量类别间的化学模式差异。将该方法用于辨识34个不同产地及等级的川芎样品,结果令人满意,证明其具有视觉模式分辨优点,是表达隐含特征指纹和辨识复杂化学物质体系的有力工具。     

Detecting aristolochic acids in herbal remedies by liquid chromatography/serial mass spectrometry

Targeted liquid chromatography/serial mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) analysis, using a quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometer, permitted the detection of aristolochic acids I and II in crude 70% methanol extracts of multi-component herbal remedies without any clean-up or concentration stages. The best ionisation characteristics were obtained using atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) and by including ammonium ions in the mobile phase. Limits of detection for aristolochic acids were influenced by the level of interference created by other components in the sample matrix. They were determined to be between 250 pg and 2.5 ng on-column within a matrix containing compounds extracted from 2 mg of herbal remedy. With a herbal remedy that only permitted the higher limit of detection, this sensitivity was sufficient to detect the aristolochic acids extracted from 0.1% dry weight of Aristolochia manshuriensis included in the preparation.     

Direct analysis of herbal powders by pipette-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Conventional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is widely used for analysis of solution samples. The development of solid-substrate ESI-MS allows direct ionization analysis of bulky solid samples. In this study, we developed pipette-tip ESI-MS, a technique that combines pipette tips with syringe and syringe pump, for direct analysis of herbal powders, another common form of samples. We demonstrated that various herbal powder samples, including herbal medicines and food samples, could be readily online extracted and analyzed using this technique. Various powder samples, such as Rhizoma coptidis, lotus plumule, great burdock achene, black pepper, Panax ginseng, roasted coffee beans, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis and Fructus Schisandrae Sphenantherae, were analyzed using pipette-tip ESI-MS and quality mass spectra with stable and durable signals could be obtained. Both positive and negative ion modes were attempted and various compounds including amino acids, oligosaccharides, glycosides, alkaloids, organic acids, ginosensides, flavonoids and lignans could be detected. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the acquired mass spectra allowed rapid differentiation of closely related herbal species.     

Capillary electrophoresis fingerprinting coupled with chemometrics to evaluate the quality consistency and predict the antioxidant activity of Sanhuang tablet as part of its quality control

A capillary electrophoresis fingerprint was constructed for Sanhuang tablet, a Chinese traditional patent medicine, that was commonly used in clinical practice, where the isosceles trapezoid method was first applied for the optimization of background electrolyte solution, and the resolution index was performed to assess the experimental conditions; furthermore, a novel linear quantitative fingerprint method was established for accurate qualitative and quantitative discrimination of the test samples from diverse commercial brands. The fingerprint analysis coupled with quantitative determination of two components was employed to elucidate that the quality consistency of the products was relatively good within one manufactory, but poor among different companies for the 30 batches of samples. In addition, the fingerprint–efficacy relationship between chemical components and antioxidant activity in vitro was investigated using partial least squares analysis, and the calibration and prediction of the antioxidant activity of the selected samples via fingerprint data were presented with the desired results. This work illustrates that the proposed fingerprint analysis based on linear quantitative fingerprint method can be applied for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations as part of their quality control, and the constructed mathematical model is particularly suitable for depicting the fingerprint–efficacy relationship.     

Quality assessment of Fructus xanthii based on fingerprinting using high-performance liquid chromatography

Because almost every traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a multicomponent system, QC of TCMs always involves various difficulties. As a current popular quality assessment approach, focusing on qualitative and quantitative analysis of certain compounds contained in herbal medicine has been widely used for the sake of expediency rather than being a practical and realistic way. However, this method does not take the existence of other constituents into account. Comparatively, the chromatographic fingerprint of the components is a more suitable approach to holistically assess the quality of herbal drugs. Fructus xanthii is a well-known herbal drug listed in all editions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, there is no quality evaluation method given in its monograph, even for the above-mentioned expediency. This paper reports an HPLC fingerprinting method for quality evaluation of F. xanthii. The HPLC profiles of 27 batches of commercial samples were further analyzed using chemometric methods, including similarity evaluation and principal component analysis. As a result, the established HPLC fingerprint contained 23 characteristic peaks; therein, 13 peaks were unambiguously assigned by comparing their retention times and UV spectra with those of reference compounds, and five peaks were tentatively identified on the basis of their MS/MS fragmentation patterns and UV spectra. Moreover, it could be clearly observed that caffeoylquinic acid and its analogs predominate in F. xanthii. Except for three samples identified as outliers, 24 other commercial samples displayed similar HPLC profiles, indicating that the quality of the herbs from different markets is stable and consistent.     

Quantitative analysis combined with chromatographic fingerprint and antioxidant activities for the comprehensive evaluation of Compound Danshen Tablets

The composition of traditional Chinese medicine is extremely complex, so it is difficult to ensure quality consistency. We took Compound Danshen Tablets as the object of the study, by using high‐performance liquid chromatography to establish multiwavelength fusion fingerprints. Characteristic fingerprints of 30 batches of samples were generated at four wavelengths and evaluated by systematic quantified fingerprint method. An on‐line antioxidant determination method was used for the determination of the antioxidant components in Compound Danshen Tablets. The fingerprint analysis of the marker compounds can reflect the content of the marker compounds, which were determined by using the external standard method. This study elucidated that multiwavelength fusion fingerprint profiles and multiple markers compound analysis in conjunction with the assay of antioxidant activity offered a reliable and efficient approach to quantitatively evaluate the quality consistency of the traditional Chinese medicine and herbal preparations.     

Determination of aristolochic acids in medicinal plants (Chinese) prepared medicine using capillary zone electrophoresis

Aristolochic acids (I and II) are commonly found in medicinal plants such as Radix aristolochiae and have been reported to cause acute hepatitis and end-stage renal failure. The aim of this work was to develop a method for the analysis of aristolochic acids in medicinal plant/Chinese prepared medicine (CPM) using (CZE). The buffer used was 30 mM sodium tetraborate at pH 9.5, detection was at 254 nm, applied voltage at 18 kV and the temperature was set at 25 degrees C. The effect of ionic strength, pH, and applied voltage on the separation was investigated. The precision values (relative standard deviation, RSD, %) for the relative migration time and peak area or peak height for aristolochic acids I and II were found to be less than 0.3% and between 2.6 to 4.0%, respectively. The limit of detection for aristolochic acids I and II was found to be 1.2 and 0.9 mg/L, respectively. The proposed method using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with CZE was used to determine the amount of aristolochic acids in medicinal plants or CPM samples with complex matrix and the results were compared with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Method precision (RSD, n = 6) was found to be less than 4% when those from applied to medicinal plants and CPM samples.     

Analysis of amino acids in latent fingerprint residue by capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry

The analysis of the chemical composition of fingerprints is important for the development and improvement of existing fingerprint enhancement techniques. This study demonstrates the first analysis of a latent fingerprint sample, using an optimized CE‐MS method. In total 12 amino acids were detected in the fingerprint sample. MS/MS fragmentation was used to provide additional identity confirmation, for which eight of the twelve detected amino acids generated confirmatory product ions. Nine amino acids were quantified and their relative abundances were consistent with previous studies with serine and glycine being the most abundant. The successful detection of amino acids from latent fingerprints demonstrates that CE‐MS is a potential future technique for further study of such compounds in fingerprint samples.     

指纹图谱法在参麦注射液质控中的应用

 中医药理论和实践要求综合评价中药的质量 ,指纹图谱法是对中药制剂进行综合宏观分析的可行手段之一 ,因此采用反相高效液相建立了参麦注射液的特征指纹图谱。条件 :Hypersil C18(4 6mmi d × 2 5 0mm ,5 μm)反相柱 ,流动相由水 (A)和乙腈 (B)组成 ,B的体积分数在 5 0min内由 5 %线性增长到 95 % ,流速为1 0mL/min ;紫外检测 ,波长为 2 0 2nm。 2 3个特征指纹峰与内标 (联苯 )的峰面积比作为指标 ,结合主成分分析 投影判别法比较了同一厂家不同批次产品和不同厂家同类产品的化学指纹差异。     

Simultaneous analysis of six aristolochic acids and five aristolactams in herbal plants and their preparations by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-fluorescence detection

Aristolochic acid analogues, including aristolochic acids (AAs) and aristolactams (ALs), are known to be nephrotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic. In this paper, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-fluorescence detection (HPLC-DAD-FLD) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of six AAs together with five ALs. Baseline separation was obtained on an ODS C18 analytical column with 0.2% HAc/methanol gradient elution. The hyphenation of DAD and FLD allows the method to directly meet the analysis requirements of most herbal plants with high sensitivity and selectivity. For trace analysis, aristolochic acids were reduced to their corresponding aritstolactams in acidic solution containing iron powder, and then high sensitive detection and quantification were carried out. The method was successfully validated in the matrices of various Aristolochiaceae plants and their preparations. Linearities of around 3-4 orders of magnitude were obtained with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.9970. The detection limits were decreased to 0.2ng/ml. Satisfactory intra-day and inter-day precisions were achieved with RSDs less than 5.74%, and the average recovery factors were in the range of 94.5-99.2%.     

Enforcement of the ban on aristolochic acids in Chinese traditional herbal preparations on the Dutch market

In traditional chinese medicine several Aristolochia species are used. Aristolochia spp. contain a mixture of aristolochic acids (AAs), mainly AA I and AA II which are nephrotoxicants and carcinogens. After AA-related nephropathy (AAN) and urothelial cancer were described in female patients in Belgium following intake of AA-contaminated herbal preparations, herbs with AAs were prohibited worldwide. Confusing nomenclature can cause AA contamination of certain Chinese traditional herbal preparations (THPs). Here we report the results of investigations by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA) into the presence of AAs in THPs sampled on the Dutch market using a liquid-chromatography–-mass spectrometry method. Between 2002 and 2006 we sampled 190 Chinese THPs using recent information on Chinese THPs potentially containing AAs. AA I was found in 25 samples up to a concentration of 1,676 mg/kg. AA II was also found in 13 of these samples up to 444 mg/kg. All 25 positive samples including Mu Tong, Fang Ji, Tian Xian Teng and Xi Xin were part of a group of 68 THPs identified as possibly containing AAs. In a worst-case scenario, use of a sample of Mu Tong with the highest AA content over a 7-day period would result in the same intake levels of AAs which significantly raised the cancer risk in the Belgian AAN cases. Our results show that contaminated THPs still can be found on the market following worldwide publicity. Therefore, it can be concluded that testing of possibly AA-contaminated THPs is still essential. Figure Various Chinese Herbs     

Selective analysis of aristolochic acid I in herbal medicines by dummy molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction and HPLC

In this study, surface molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared as the selective sorbents for separation of aristolochic acid I in herbal medicine extracts by a facile approach. A less toxic dummy template, ofloxacin, was used to create specific molecule recognition sites for aristolochic acid I in the synthesized polymers. The polymers were characterized by Fourier‐transfer infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption test. The adsorption capacity was calculated using adsorption kinetics, selectivity, and recycling experiments. The obtained polymers exhibited high thermostability, fast equilibrium time, and excellent binding ability. Subsequently, the polymers applied as the solid‐phase extraction absorbent was proposed and used for the enrichment and analysis of aristolochic acid I in herbal plants. The result showed that the aristolochic acid I was enriched up to 16 times after analysis by using high‐performance liquid chromatography. The good linearity for aristolochic acid I was obtained in the range of 0.1–200 μg/mL (R ² = 0.9987). The recovery and precision values were obtained (64.94–77.73%, RSDs% ≤ 0.8%, n  = 3) at three spiked concentration levels. This work provided a promising method for selective enrichment, extraction, and purification of aristolochic acid I from complex herbal plants.     

Rapid determination of aristolochic acids I and II in herbal products and biological samples by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are a mixture of structural-related compounds, in which aristolochic acid I (AA I) and aristolochic acid II (AA II) are reported to be correlated with Aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). In this work, a rapid and sensitive ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to determine AA I and AA II in herbal products and biological fluids. By using gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of a mixture of 10 mM ammonium formate buffer (pH 3.0) and acetonitrile, AAs could be determined within 10 min. Under optimum UHPLC-MS/MS conditions, the limit of detections was 0.14 and 0.26 ng mL⁻¹ for AA I and AA II, respectively. Run-to-run repeatability and intermediate precision of peak area for AA I and AA II were less than 5.74% relative standard deviation (RSD). Accuracy was tested by spiking 10, 100 and 1000 ng mL⁻¹ in rat serum and the recoveries were within 76.5-92.9%. Matrix effects were within 78.8-127.7%. The developed method was successfully applied to determine AA I and AA II in several herbal products and to investigate their pharmacokinetic behavior in female Wister rats. The result shows that the developed UHPLC-MS/MS method is efficient, sensitive, and accurate for the determination of AA I and AA II in herbal products and biological samples.     

Bioactivity fingerprint analysis of cyclooxygenase-2 ligands from radix Aconiti by ultrafiltration–UPLC–MSn

A novel fingerprinting method, bioactivity fingerprint analysis, based on an ultrafiltration–ultraperformance liquid chromatography–multistage tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS ⁿ ) method is proposed for the quality control of herbal medicines from the bioactivity viewpoint concerning the efficacy of herbal medicines. The bioactivity fingerprints reflecting the anti-inflammatory activities of radix Aconiti and radix Aconiti preparata were established. With use of ultrafiltration UPLC–MS ⁿ , 11 cyclooxygenase-2 ligands from radix Aconiti preparata and 14 cyclooxygenase-2 ligands from radix Aconiti were found after incubation with cyclooxygenase-2. Twelve of the cyclooxygenase-2 ligands were identified by the ultraperformance UPLC–MS ⁿ method. The enrichment factor of each peak in the bioactivity fingerprint was calculated and was demonstrated to be characteristic, which makes bioactivity fingerprint analysis for the quality control of herbal medicines possible from the viewpoint of their bioactivities.

Global detection and analysis of volatile components from sun-dried and sulfur-fumigated herbal medicine by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The sulfur-fumigation process can induce changes in the contents of volatile compounds and the chemical transformation of herbal medicines. Although literature has reported many methods for analyzing volatile target compounds from herbal medicine, all of them are largely limited to target compounds and sun-dried samples. This study provides a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF/MS) method based on a chemical profiling approach to identify non-target and target volatile compounds from sun-dried and sulfur-fumigated herbal medicine. Using Chrysanthemum morifolium as a model herbal medicine, the combined power of this approach is illustrated by the identification of 209 and 111 volatile compounds with match quality >80% from sun-dried and sulfur-fumigated Chrysanthemum morifolium, respectively. The study has also shown that sulfur-fumigated samples showed a significant loss of the main active compounds and a more destructive fingerprint profile compared to the sun-dried ones. 50 volatile compounds were lost in the sulfur-fumigated Chrysanthemum morifolium sample. The approach and methodology reported in this paper would be useful for identifying complicated target and non-target components from various complex mixtures such as herbal medicine and its preparations, biological and environmental samples. Furthermore, it can be applied for the intrinsic quality control of herbal medicine and its preparations.