Two New Triterpenoid Saponins from Stauntonia obovatifoliola Hayata ssp. intermedia

Two new hederagenin‐type saponins, staunoside G ( 1 ) and staunoside H ( 2 ), along with twelve known triterpenoid saponins, were isolated from stems of Stauntonia obovatifoliola Hayata ssp. intermedia. Their structures were determined by analysis of HR‐EI‐MS, and 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR data, and comparison with those in literature. The two new compounds showed moderate cytotoxicities against three tumor cells, i.e., A549 (lung carcinoma), 4T1 (mammary carcinoma), and HeLa (cervical carcinoma).     

Simultaneous high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric confirmation of the ten bioactive compounds in Semen Sojae Preparatum

Semen Sojae Preparatum is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines. A reliable and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of the ten bioactive compounds contained in Semen Sojae Preparatum. The samples were first extracted by pressurized liquid extraction using 80% ethanol at 100°C for 15 min and three static extraction cycles. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile under gradient elution, and the detection wavelength was set at 210 nm. The samples were further analyzed on a high‐performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry system to confirm the determination results. All the ten analytes were well separated, and the calibration curves showed good linearity. The intra‐ and interday precisions were evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation values within the ranges of 0.20–1.43% and 0.40–4.78%, respectively. The recoveries for the ten analytes were all in the ranges of 96.2–104.3%, with relative standard deviation values < 3.85%. The established high‐performance liquid chromatography method could serve as a reliable and accurate method for the quality evaluation of Semen Sojae Preparatum from different origins.     

Fingerprint analysis and multi‐ingredient quantitative analysis for quality evaluation of Xiaoyanlidan tablets by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

A rapid and sensitive ultra high performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection was developed for the fingerprint analysis and simultaneous determination of seven active compounds in Xiaoyanlidan (XYLD) tablets. The chromatographic separations were obtained on an Agilent Eclipse plus C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm id, 1.8 μm) using gradient elution with water/formic acid (1%) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Within 63 min, 36 peaks could be selected as the common peaks for fingerprint analysis to evaluate the similarities among several samples of XYLD tablets collected from different manufacturers. In quantitative analysis, seven compounds showed good regression (R > 0.9990) within test ranges and the recovery of the method was within the range of 95.9–104.3%. The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of seven compounds in six batches of XYLD tablets. These results demonstrate that the combination of chromatographic fingerprint analysis and simultaneous multi‐ingredient quantification using the ultra high performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection offers a rapid, efficient, and reliable approach for quality evaluation of XYLD tablets.     

Homoisoflavonoids profiling of Ophiopogon japonicus by off‐line coupling high‐speed countercurrent chromatography with high‐performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector‒quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry

Roots of Ophiopogon japonicus have been used as a functional food ingredient and traditional Chinese medicine for a long time in China. Homoisoflavonoids are one of the major kinds of bioactive compounds in O. japonicus; however, literature data about its homoisoflavonoids profile are scarce because of the complex ingredients with low abundance. Here, homoisoflavonoid fraction was prepared by petroleum ether extraction. Then, a high‐speed countercurrent chromatography off‐line coupling with high‐performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector?quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry was developed for systematic identification of homoisoflavonoids. After that, 39 homoisoflavonoids, including 29 homoisoflavanone and 10 homoisoflavone, were unambiguously or tentatively identified, while 12 of them were reported in O. japonicus for the first time. Finally, eight available homoisoflavonoids were sensitively, precisely, and accurately determined by standard calibration curves, with limit of detection and limit of quantification in the range of 0.05–0.30 μg/mL and 0.12–0.66 μg/mL, relative standard deviation less than 7.3% for intra‐ and interday variations, and recovery at 94.5–105.2%. Collectively, our developed method is efficient, reliable, and valuable to profile chemical components of complex natural products.     

Simultaneous determination of eight major steroids from Polyporus umbellatus by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detections

Polyporus umbellatus is a widely used diuretic herbal medicine. In this study, a high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization–mass spectrometric detection (HPLC‐APCI‐MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of steroids, as well as for the quality control of Polyporus umbellatus. The selectivity, reproducibility and sensitivity were compared with HPLC with photodiode array detection and evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). Selective ion monitoring in positive mode was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight major components and β‐ecdysterone was used as the internal standard. Limits of detection and quantification fell in the ranges 7–21 and 18–63 ng/mL for the eight analytes with an injection of 10 µL samples, and all calibration curves showed good linear regression (r² > 0.9919) within the test range. The quantitative results demonstrated that samples from different localities showed different qualities. Advantages, in comparison with conventional HPLC–diode array detection and HPLC‐ELSD, are that reliable identification of target compounds could be achieved by accurate mass measurements along with characteristic retention time, and the great enhancement in selectivity and sensitivity allows identification and quantification of low levels of constituents in complex Polyporus umbellatus matrixes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of a novel diarylheptanoid (Juglanin B) from green walnut husks (Juglans regia L.) in rat plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A simple and reliable analytical method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a diode array detector (DAD) was developed for the determination of a novel diarylheptanoid (Juglanin B) from green walnut husks (Juglans regia L.) in rat plasma using rhoiptelol as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Sinochrom ODS‐AP C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 μm i.d., 5 mm) with acetonitrile–10 mM postassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH = 3; 55:45, v/v) as mobile phase, and the detection wavelength was set at 214 nm. The plasma samples were prepared using methanol as protein precipitator. The extraction recovery of Juglanin B ranged from 70.26 to 78.59%, and the calibration curve had a good linearity in the range 0.08–50 μg/mL (r² = 0.9932). The RSDs of intra‐ and inter‐day precision ranged from 1.19 to 4.92% and 4.35 to 4.54%, respectively. The HPLC‐DAD method described is a simple, rapid and reliable method for the determination of Juglanin B level and for use in studies involving pharmacokinetics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Salting‐out assisted liquid–liquid extraction coupled to dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of chlorophenols in wine by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A novel procedure of sample preparation combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection is introduced for the analysis of highly chlorinated phenols (trichlorophenols, tetrachlorophenols, and pentachlorophenol) in wine. The main features of the proposed method are (i) low‐toxicity diethyl carbonate as extraction solvent to selectively extract the analytes without matrix effect, (ii) the combination of salting‐out assisted liquid–liquid extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction to achieve an enrichment factor of 334–361, and (iii) the extract is analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography to avoid derivatization. Under the optimum conditions, correlation coefficients (r) were >0.997 for calibration curves in the range 1–80 ng/mL, detection limits and quantification limits ranged from 0.19 to 0.67 and 0.63 to 2.23 ng/mL, respectively, and relative standard deviation was <8%. The method was applied for the determination of chlorophenols in real wines, with recovery rates in the range 82–104%.     

Identification and Determination of the Major Constituents in the Traditional Uighur Medicinal Plant Saussurea involucrata by LC-DAD-MS

A liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of the major constituents in Saussurea involucrata (SI). A comprehensive validation of the developed method was conducted, and the unique properties of the present method were confirmed by analyzing 11 SI samples. Seventeen compounds including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lignanoids were identified by online ESI-MS and by comparison with known data in the literature and standard compounds; of these, eight were simultaneously quantified by LC-DAD. All linear regressions were acquired with R ² > 0.99, and the limits of detection ranged from 0.85 to 3.03 ng. Repeatability was evaluated by intra- and inter-day assays; the relative standard deviation (RSD) value was within 4.95%. Recovery studies for the quantified compounds were found to be within the range 97.31–101.17% with an RSD of less than 2.18%. Overall, the present hyphenation procedure is highly efficient and reliable, and hence suitable for qualitative and quantitative analysis of a large number of samples.     

Rapid selective accelerated solvent extraction and simultaneous determination of herbicide atrazine and its metabolites in fruit by ultra high performance liquid chromatography

A selective accelerated solvent extraction procedure achieved one step extraction and cleanup for analysis of herbicide atrazine and its metabolites in fruit. Using a BEH C18 analytical column and the gradient mode with 2 mM ammonium acetate aqueous solution/acetonitrile as a mobile phase achieved effective chromatographic separation of the five analytes within 4 min. The calibration curves were linear over two orders of magnitude of concentration with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9996?0.9999. The method limit of quantification was 1, 2, 1.5, 3, and 2 μg/kg for atrazine, desethylatrazine, desisopropylatrazine, desethyldesisopropylatrazine, and hydroxyatrazine, respectively, in the case of atrazine it is at least two orders of magnitude lower than the maximum residue limit (0.25 mg/kg). The intra‐day and inter‐day precisions of the five analytes were in the range of 2.1–3.5 and 3.1–4.8 %, respectively. The recoveries of the five analytes at three spiked levels varied from 85.9 to 107% with a relative standard deviation of 1.8–4.9% for pear and apple samples. The ultra high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method was proved to be fast, inexpensive, selective, sensitive, and accurate for the quantification of the analytes in pear and apple samples.     

Integrating qualitative and quantitative characterization of traditional Chinese medicine injection by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry

The present study aims to describe and exemplify an integrated strategy of the combination of qualitative and quantitative characterization of a multicomponent mixture for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine injections with the example of Danhong injection (DHI). The standardized chemical profile of DHI has been established based on liquid chromatography with diode array detection. High‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrospray multistage tandem ion‐trap mass spectrometry have been developed to identify the major constituents in DHI. The structures of 26 compounds including nucleotides, phenolic acids, and flavonoid glycosides were identified or tentatively characterized. Meanwhile, the simultaneous determination of seven marker constituents, including uridine, adenosine, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, p‐coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid B, in DHI was performed by multiwavelength detection based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The integrated qualitative and quantitative characterization strategy provided an effective and reliable pattern for the comprehensive and systematic characterization of the complex traditional Chinese medicine system.     

Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD)-oriented RP-UFLC method for quantification of lansoprazole with superior method robustness

A reversed-phase ultrafast liquid chromatography method was developed for quantification of lansoprazole in pharmaceutical dosage form using analytical quality by design approach. Systematic planning and experimentation using design of experiment approach were used for method development and optimization studies. A central composite design was used for optimizing the chromatography, by choosing organic phase proportion and flow rate as the critical method variables for evaluating their effect on critical analytical attributes like resolution, plate number, and tailing factor. The optimal chromatography was accomplished on a C-18 column (250?×?4.6?mm, 5?µm) using methanol:water (70:30, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0?mL/min. Photo diode array (PDA) detection was performed at 284?nm. Caffeine was used as the internal standard. Method validation studies revealed that the calibration curve was linear over 1.0–300?µg/mL. The method was found accurate with average recovery between 98.99 and 102.87%. The percent relative standard deviation values obtained for precision were as per ICH guideline and within the acceptance limits (<2%). Results of system suitability indicated superior method robustness. In a nutshell, the method was found to be highly suitable for its applicability in the determination of lansoprazole in bulk and tablet dosage form.     

Rapid quantitative analysis of individual anthocyanin content based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection with the pH differential method

A new quantitative technique for the simultaneous quantification of the individual anthocyanins based on the pH differential method and high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection is proposed in this paper. The six individual anthocyanins (cyanidin 3‐glucoside, cyanidin 3‐rutinoside, petunidin 3‐glucoside, petunidin 3‐rutinoside, and malvidin 3‐rutinoside) from mulberry (Morus rubra) and Liriope platyphylla were used for demonstration and validation. The elution of anthocyanins was performed using a C₁₈ column with stepwise gradient elution and individual anthocyanins were identified by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the pH differential method, the high‐performance liquid chromatography peak areas of maximum and reference absorption wavelengths of anthocyanin extracts were conducted to quantify individual anthocyanins. The calibration curves for these anthocyanins were linear within the range of 10–5500 mg/L. The correlation coefficients (r²) all exceeded 0.9972, and the limits of detection were in the range of 1–4 mg/L at a signal‐to‐noise ratio ≥5 for these anthocyanins. The proposed quantitative analysis was reproducible with good accuracy of all individual anthocyanins ranging from 96.3 to 104.2% and relative recoveries were in the range 98.4–103.2%. The proposed technique is performed without anthocyanin standards and is a simple, rapid, accurate, and economical method to determine individual anthocyanin contents.     

Simultaneous and rapid determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylate derivatives in wheat flour and rice by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection

A simple and reliable method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo‐diode array detection has been proposed for the simultaneous determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated derivatives in wheat flour and rice, especially focusing on the optimization of sample extraction, cleanup, and chromatographic separation conditions. Sample pretreatment consisted of a first step using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe based extraction procedure and a subsequent cleanup step based on solid‐phase extraction. The method was extensively validated in wheat flour and rice, obtaining satisfactory analytical performance with good linearity (R² ≥ 0.999), acceptable recoveries (80.0–104.4%), and repeatability (RSDs 1.3–10.7%). The limits of detection (21.7–57.4 μg/kg) and quantitation (72.3–191.4 μg/kg) for deoxynivalenols were lower than those usually permitted by various countries’ legislation in these food matrices. The method was applied to 34 wheat and rice samples. The results were further compared with results of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.     

Chemical constituents of Meconopsis horridula and their simultaneous quantification by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Meconopsis horridula Hook.f. Thoms has been used as a traditional Tibetan medicine to clear away heat, relieve pain, and mobilize static blood. In this study, a reliable method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry was established for the identification of components in this herb. A total of 40 compounds (including 17 flavonoids, 15 alkaloids, and eight phenylpropanoids) were identified or tentatively identified. Among them, 17 components were identified in the herb for the first time. Compound 39 appears to be a novel compound, which is confirmed as 3‐(kaempferol‐8‐yl)‐2,3‐epoxyflavanone by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Moreover, seven major constituents were simultaneously quantified by the developed high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem triple‐quadrupole mass spectrometry method. The quantitative method was validated and quality parameters were established. The study provides a comprehensive approach for understanding this herbal medicine.     

Residual determination and risk assessment of buprofezin in plum (Prunus domestica) grown in open‐field conditions following the application of three different formulations

This study was conducted to characterize the residual level and perform a risk assessment on buprofezin formulated as an emulsifiable concentrate, wettable powder, and suspension concentrate over various treatment schedules in plum (Prunus domestica). The samples were extracted with an AOAC quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe, ‘QuEChERS’, method after major modifications. As intrinsic interferences were observed in blank plum samples following dispersive‐solid phase extraction (consisting of primary secondary amine and C₁₈ sorbents), amino cartridges were used for solid‐phase extraction. Analysis was carried out using liquid chromatography with diode array detection and confirmed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The method showed excellent linearity with determination coefficient (R² = 1) and satisfactory recoveries (at two spiking levels, 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg) between 90.98 and 94.74% with relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤8%. The limit of quantification (0.05 mg/kg) was considerably lower than the maximum residue limit (2 mg/kg) set by the Codex Alimentarius. Absolute residue levels for emulsifiable concentrates were highest, perhaps owing to the dilution rate and adjuvant. Notably, all formulation residues were lower than the maximum residue limit, and safety data proved that the fruits are safe for consumers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Single standard substance for the determination of nine volatile components in the distillate of Fructus Gardeniae and Radix Curcumae (an intermediate of Xingnaojing Injection)

Xingnaojing Injection is a traditional Chinese medicine extensively used for stroke and cerebral ischemia. For better in‐process quality control of Xingnaojing Injection, a method for the analysis of its intermediate (i.e., the distillate of Fructus Gardeniae and Radix Curcumae ) is needed to monitor and optimize the hydrodistillation extraction process. In this work, nine major volatile components in the intermediate were identified: isophorone, 4‐methylene‐isophorone, curcumenone, curcumenol, curdione, curzerenone, furanodienone, curcumol, and germacrone. A quantitative analysis of multi‐component with a single‐marker method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of the nine components. In this method, only curdione was needed as the reference substance, and the other eight components were determined using their relative correction factors to curdione. In the method validation, good linearity (r  > 0.9999), sensitivity, repeatability, and accuracy (recoveries within 95.3–105.4%) were shown. The repeatability and robustness of the relative correction factors were studied with different column temperatures, flow rates, detection wavelengths, columns, and instruments. In sample analyses, consistent results between the proposed method and the external standard method were shown. The proposed method provides a comprehensive and low‐cost tool for the quality assessment of the intermediate of Xingnaojing Injection.     

Simultaneous determination of six active components by a single standard to determine multicomponents combined with fingerprint analysis for the quality control of Rhizoma Chuanxiong

To control the quality of Rhizoma Chuanxiong, a method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography method coupled with diode array detection was developed for the quantitative analysis of six active ingredients using a single standard to determine multi‐components and chemical fingerprint analysis for the first time. The separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax SB‐C₁₈ column by gradient elution with methanol and aqueous phase (containing 0.5% glacial acetic acid) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV wavelength was set at 274 nm. This assay was fully validated with respect to precision, repeatability, and accuracy. All calibration curves showed good linearity (R²> 0.9994) within test ranges. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were lower than 0.01 and 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation for repeatability and the intermediate precision of six analytes were less than 1.6 and 2.5%, respectively, the overall recovery was 96.1–103.1%. In addition, fingerprint chromatography using hierarchical clustering analysis and similarity analysis was performed to differentiate and classify the samples. The method described here could provide a more comprehensive and reasonable scientific assessment of the quality of Rhizoma Chuanxiong. Therefore, the strategy is feasible, credible, and is easily and effectively adapted for evaluating the quality control of Rhizoma Chuanxiong.     

Simultaneous Determination of Antibiotics in Anti-Acne Cosmetics by Rapid LC with DAD

A suitable method that allows, for the first time, the simultaneous determination of nine antibiotics which may help the therapy of acne vulgaris by rapid liquid chromatography with diode array detection in 7 min is presented in this work. An SB RP18 (50 × 4.6 mm; 1.8 μm particle size) column was used with the mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 0.1 mol L⁻¹ potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 2.5) and acetonitrile at the gradient elution program. The correlation coefficients were all above 0.9999 in the linear range between 4–100 μg mL⁻¹, the average spiked recoveries (n = 6) were 92.2–103.2% with RSD ranging from 0.04 to 4.5% depending on the target analytes. The method detection limits were in the range of 0.02–0.2 μg mL⁻¹ in anti-acne cosmetics. The analysis of real cosmetic preparations demonstrated the fitness for the whole analytical procedure. The proposed method appeared therefore as a sound alternative for official testing method, which could overcome the general problems of time consuming, lack of the specificity and precision difficulty.

     

Determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides in tea by matrix solid‐phase dispersion cleanup followed by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

Matrix solid‐phase dispersion combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been developed as a new sample pretreatment method for the determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides (chlorsulfuron, bensulfuron‐methyl, chlorimuron‐ethyl, and pyrazosulfuron) in tea by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The extraction and cleanup by matrix solid‐phase dispersion was carried out by using CN‐silica as dispersant and carbon nanotubes as cleanup sorbent eluted with acidified dichloromethane. The eluent of matrix solid‐phase dispersion was evaporated and redissolved in 0.5 mL methanol, and used as the dispersive solvent of the following dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure for further purification and enrichment of the target analytes before high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. Under the optimum conditions, the method yielded a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 5.0 to 10 000 ng/g for target analytes with a correlation coefficients (r²) ranging from 0.9959 to 0.9998. The limits of detection for the analytes were in the range of 1.31–2.81 ng/g. Recoveries of the four sulfonylurea herbicides at two fortification levels were between 72.8 and 110.6% with relative standard deviations lower than 6.95%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of four sulfonylurea herbicides in several tea samples.     

A new validated HPLC method for the determination of sulforaphane: application to study pharmacokinetics of sulforaphane in rats

A simple, accurate and reproducible high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of sulforaphane (SF) in rat plasma. The method involves a simple liquid–liquid extraction procedure to extract both SF and 7‐hyrdoxycoumarin, the internal standard. The chromatographic analysis was achieved on a Shimadzu LC 20A HPLC system equipped with a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C₁₈ column and an isocratic mobile phase consisting of 10 mm KH₂PO₄ (pH 4.5) and acetonitrile HPLC grade (40:60, v/v) run at a flow rate of 1 mL/min for 10 min. The UV detection wavelength was set at 202 nm. The method exhibited good linearity (R² > 0.999) over the assayed concentration range (0.05–2 μg/mL) and demonstrated good intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy (relative standard deviations and the deviation from predicted values were <15%). This method was also successfully applied for studying the pharmacokinetics of SF in spontaneously hypertensive rats following single oral dietary doses of SF. The pharmacokinetics of SF show linear behavior at the dose range investigated in this study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.