Classification of Aurantii Fructus samples by multivariate analysis

Twenty commercial samples of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (Poncitrus trifoliata) and 30 of Aurantii Fructus Maturus (Citrus aurantium and C. wilsonii) were collected from the Taiwan and China herbal markets. The contents of 12 constituents in these samples were determined by HPLC and were used to assess the potential relationships with their plant origins. Multivariate analysis including principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used as classification procedures. Natural groupings of the samples divided into three sets successfully, 20 P. trifoliata, 15 C. aurantium, and 15 C. wilsonii, were observed by using PCA and CA. The application of LDA gave correct assignation percentages of 100.0% for all three groups.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction of synephrine from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus

In this work, molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) has been used to selectively enrich, purify, or remove synephrine from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus. To this end, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was prepared by self-assembly from the template synephrine, the functional monomer methacrylic acid, and the crosslinker ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in 1:4:20 molar ratio. Subsequent molecular interrogation of the MIP binding sites revealed preferential structural selectivity for synephrine relative to other structurally related naturally occurring compounds (i.e. octopamine and tyramine ). This selectivity was subsequently exploited to achieve substantial sample clean-up of extracts of crude Aurantii Fructus Immaturus and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus stir-baked with bran. The purity of synephrine in the extracts after MISPE represented approximately 24.21-fold enrichment of the synephrine in the untreated extracts of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus stir-baked with bran. High recoveries (85–90%) from the samples proved that the method was valid for selective enrichment, purification, or removal of synephrine from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus.     

Chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for the analysis of phenethylamine [corrected] alkaloids in Citrus aurantium

Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) is a plant belonging to the family Rutaceae, whose fruit extracts have been used recently for the treatment of obesity. The most important biologically active constituents of the C. aurantium fruits are phenethylamine alkaloids (i.e. octopamine, synephrine, tyramine, N-methyltyramine and hordenine). Synephrine is a primary synthesis compound with pharmacological activities such as vasoconstriction, elevation of blood pressure and relaxation of bronchial muscle. Synephrine is present in the peel and the edible part of Citrus fruit. Of the adrenergic amines of natural origin, synephrine has been found to be the main constituent of C. aurantium fruits and extracts; the other alkaloids are either absent or present in only low concentrations. It is known that synephrine and the other amines found in C. aurantium have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, owing to adrenergic stimulation. In light of the great commercial proliferation of C. aurantium herbal medicines in recent years, this review provides an overview of various extraction, separation and detection techniques employed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of the alkaloids in C. aurantium and related species. The application of chromatographic and electrophoretic methods for the separation and determination of these active components in C. aurantium plant material and derivatives are described. Since synephrine is a chiral compound, enantioselective chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques for the analysis of synephrine enantiomers in natural products are presented. Furthermore, examples of identification of these active compounds in complex matrices by hyphenated methods, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, are described. The advantages and limitations of these separation and identification methods are assessed and discussed.     

Quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker combined with HPLC fingerprint qualitative analyses for comprehensive evaluation of Aurantii Fructus

The present study aimed to develop a strategy involving quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker in combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint qualitative analysis for performing the quality control of Aurantii Fructus. The content of 12 components (eriocitrin, neoeriocitrin, narirutin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, meranzin, poncirin, naringenin, nobiletin, tangeretin, and auraptene) in samples was determined using reliable relative correction factors that were obtained using naringin as an internal reference standard. The new method demonstrated good applicability, and no significant differences were observed between the external standard method and the new method as determined by calculating standard method difference. Qualitative evaluation of samples was conducted using similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and quality fluctuation analysis. Chromatographic fingerprint data were divided into three groups by similarity and hierarchical cluster analyses, and seven components may have a more significant impact on the quality of Aurantii Fructus in quality fluctuation analysis. Overall, the study suggests that the qualitative and quantitative analyses of multicomponents using quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker combined with chromatographic fingerprinting can be considered good quality criteria for performing quality control and providing technical support for the further pharmacological and pharmaceutical research of Aurantii Fructus.     

反相高效液相法测定枳实、枳壳中橙皮甙和柚皮甙的含量

 采用高效液相法测定了枳实和枳壳中的橙皮甙和柚皮甙含量。柱为HypersilODS1柱(250mm×4 6mmi d ),流动相为乙腈 0 5%乙酸溶液(体积比为22∶78),流速为1 0mL/min,检测波长为283nm。柚皮甙和橙皮甙的线性范围分别为0 060g/L～0 604g/L和0 0125g/L～0 125g/L,柚皮甙和橙皮甙的平均回收率分别为97 1%和95 3%。该方法具有操作简便、分析快速、准确等优点。     

Simultaneous quantification of adrenergic amines and flavonoids in C. aurantium, various Citrus species, and dietary supplements by liquid chromatography

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of 6 amines and 20 flavonoids in fruits and extracts of 30 Citrus species, including C. aurantium, near-Citrus relatives, and dietary supplements by liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. The separation was achieved with a Phenomenex Synergi Hydro reversed-phase column using gradient mobile phase of sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) and acetonitrile. Elution was run at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and UV at 254, 280, and 330 nm. Among the amines analyzed, synephrine, the main component, was present in the levels from 0.11 to 2.0 mg/g dry weight in 21 Citrus species and 0.07 to 18.62% in dietary supplements claiming to contain C. aurantium. The flavanones and flavones were analyzed in the same Citrus samples and were species-specific. The levels of flavones were very low compared with those of flavanones. The method facilitated the simultaneous quantification of 6 amines and 20 flavonoids in various Citrus species, the distinction between the different Citrus species, and the analysis of dietary supplements containing C. aurantium.     

Analysis of Bioactive Saponins in Fructus Gleditsiae abnormalis and Fructus Gleditsiae sinensis by LC-ELSD

Fructus Gleditsiae abnormalis and Fructus Gleditsiae sinensis are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. As different developmental stages of fruits of the same plant Gleditsia sinensis Lam., whether Fructus Gleditsiae sinensis can be used as the substitute of Fructus Gleditsiae abnormalis has long been debated. To compare the differences of the content of main active saponins between the two fruits, we established a new LC-ELSD method for simultaneous determination of four major saponins present in two fruits. After fully validated, the method was successfully applied to quantitatively analyze the four bioactive saponins of twenty samples, 11 of Fructus Gleditsiae abnormalis and 9 of Fructus Gleditsiae sinensis obtained from different locations. It was shown that there were no significant differences in saponins contents and LC profiles between the two fruits. Moreover, the developed method can be used for quality control of Fructus Gleditsiae abnormalis and Fructus Gleditsiae sinensis.     

基于化学模式识别技术的枳实HPLC定量指纹图谱研究

建立了枳实的高效液相色谱(HPLC)指纹图谱分析方法。色谱柱为Tnature-ACCHROM C18色谱柱(4.6 mm×250 mm,5μm);以乙腈-0.5%甲酸水溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱,结合液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间质谱(HPLC-QTOF-MS)联用技术对枳实指纹图谱中的共有峰进行鉴定;采用相似度评价、聚类分析(CA)、主成分分析(PCA)和正交偏最小二乘判别分析(OPLS-DA)对22批枳实进行数据分析及质量评价。结果显示:指纹图谱共标定12个共有峰,HPLC-QTOF-MS分析指认出11个成分;22批枳实样品的相似度在0.9以上;CA、PCA和OPLS-DA的分析结果一致,其中江西产地聚为一类,湖南和福建产地聚为一类,并筛选出橙皮苷、新橙皮苷和柚皮苷3个差异性质量标志物。所建立的枳实HPLC指纹图谱方法稳定、可靠,可为其质量控制提供参考依据。     

Triterpenes and triterpene saponins from the stems of Akebia trifoliata

To characterize the stems of Akebia trifoliata chemically, a detailed phytochemical examination was carried out on A. trifoliata stems, with particular attention to the triterpene and triterpene saponin constituents, and resulted in the isolation of three new triterpenes (1-3) and three new triterpene saponins (11-13), together with seven known triterpenes (4-10) and 12 known triterpene saponins (14-25). The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic data, and the results of hydrolysis. Four saponins (22-25), which were obtained in good yields and were not isolated from Akebia quinata stems, are concluded to be applicable as marker compounds in chemically distinguishing between A. trifoliata and A. quinata by conventional TLC examination. To the best our knowledge, the current work is the first chemical investigation of A. trifoliata.     

Comprehensive quality evaluation of Fructus Schisandrae using electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry coupled with chemical pattern recognition techniques

Electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n)) was used to evaluate Fructus Schisandrae of similar species (Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruits and Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. fruits) and different growth characteristics (color, shape, etc.). The application of chemical pattern recognition in the ESI-MS(n) data analysis was carried out by principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Then the antioxidant activity of different Fructus Schisandrae samples were determined by an LC-ESI-MS method and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Using the ESI-MS(n) method coupled with chemical pattern recognition analysis and correlated with the antioxidant activity evaluation, the two similar species were successfully distinguished, thus improving the therapeutic safety and effectiveness. The superior characteristics of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruits were obtained and made the selection and breeding of Chinese medicine materials more scientific. This study indicates that ESI-MS(n) is a valuable tool for the authentication of botanical origin and can also be useful for the quality control of Chinese medicinal herbs.     

Quantitative analyses of indoloquinazoline alkaloids in Fructus Evodiae by high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Fructus Evodiae (Wuzhuyu), the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa and related varieties, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. The bioactive constituents include the indoloquinazoline alkaloids rutaecarpine, evodiamine and dehydroevodiamine. A new assay based on high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/UV/APCI-MS/MS) was developed for the measurement of the indoloquinazoline alkaloids in commercial Fructus Evodiae products. Initially, the MS/MS fragmentation pathways of indoloquinazoline alkaloids were investigated to identify fragment ions that might be useful for the sensitive and selective detection of trace indoloquinazoline alkaloids during LC/MS/MS. Then, quantitative MS analysis of five indoloquinazoline alkaloids in 12 commercial Fructus Evodiae products from different geographical sources was performed. Analyte recovery was in the range of 97.5-105.3% for all with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 6%, the intra-assay and inter-assay RSDs were less than 7%, and good linear relationships were shown with correlation coefficients for the analytes exceeding 0.999. Therefore, this LC/MS/MS assay facilitated the rapid quantitative analysis of rutaecarpine, evodiamine, evodiamide, 14-formyldihydrorutaecarpine and dehydroevodiamine in 12 commercial Fructus Evodiae products with excellent recovery, repeatability, accuracy and sensitivity. This method is simple and specific and can be used for identification and quality control of this traditional Chinese remedy.     

Determination of a new chromone from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus by DFT/GIAO method

Investigation of EtOAc fraction from the 95% ethanol extract of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus led to the isolation of one new chromone (1) and seven known flavonoids (2–8). Their structures were elucidated mainly by NMR and HR-ESI-MS, as well as on comparison with the reported NMR data. The final substituent pattern of 1 was defined by comparison of ¹³C NMR data calculated by DFT/GIAO with those of experimental NMR data.     

川桂皮挥发油的化学组成

采用GC－MS技术分析了川桂（Cinnamomum wilsonii）皮挥发油的化学组成，共确定了其中42种化学成分与相对含量，占总组分相对含量的94．14％，其中有40种为萜类或其衍生物；研究结果显示，川桂皮油的主要成分为桉油素（11．02％），1（10），4－杜松二烯（10．21％），乙酸异龙脑酯（6．30％），杜松醇（5．53％），桉叶油醇（5．34％）等，与该植物叶和同属药用植物肉桂皮挥发油的主要组成均差别较大。     

Terpenoids and coumarins isolated from the fruits of Poncirus trifoliata

Four new triterpenes, 21alpha-methylmelianodiol (1), 21beta-methylmelianodiol (2), hispidol A 25-methyl ether (3) and hispidol B 25-methyl ether (4), and a new coumarin, isoschininallylol (5), were isolated from the fruits of Poncirus trifoliata RAFINESQUE, along with seventeen known compounds. The structures of the new compounds (1 - 5) were elucidated by interpretation of their spectroscopic data.     

Supercritical fluid extraction and quantification of aflatoxins in Zizyphi Fructus by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

An integrated method combining supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS/MS) was developed and successfully applied to quantify aflatoxins (AFs) in Zizyphi Fructus (fruits of Zizyphus jujube), a traditional Chinese medicine. To minimize the potential interferences caused by the complex matrix in Zizyphi Fructus, a SFE pretreatment was performed. In addition, electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) spectra were also compared. The results showed that the calibration curves of AFB(1), AFB(2), AFG(1), and AFG(2) were all linear over the range of concentration from 1 to 50 ng/g, the squared correlation coefficients (r(2)) were over 0.995, and the detection limits of the method were between 0.17 and 0.32 ng/g. It showed high recovery and good precision in quantitating AFs in Zizyphi Fructus without further clean-up. Further, fragmentation pathways of protonated AFs in APCI-MS/MS were clearly proposed which could predict the existence of AFB or AFG series. To test the empirical validity of the proposed methodology in this paper, eight random samples of Zizyphi Fructus collected from supermarkets and traditional Chinese medicine stores in different geographical areas of Taiwan were analyzed. The results indicated that low levels of AFs were detected in only one of them.     

Toxic effects of Citrus aurantium and C. limon essential oils on Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Citrus aurantium and C. limon were selected in the search for natural plant insecticides. The essential oils of C. aurantium and C. limon and ethanol extracts of the seeds, pulp, albedo, and peel of C. aurantium were incorporated into the larval diet of the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera frugiperda. Larval and pupal mortality were quantified and adult malformation was observed. C aurantium essential oil had antifeedant action and the mixture of albedo ethanol extract and C aurantium essential oil had toxic effects on S. frugiperda larvae at early stages, when they had not yet produced major damage to the crop. Our results indicated that a mixture of ethanol extract of albedo and C. aurantium essential oil (250 microg of extract mix per g of diet) deterred feeding by 46% and had the highest larval mortality (100%) of the materials tested. The peel extract (250 microg per g of diet) produced an increment in growth rate and diet consumption. However, 40% of the larval and 45% of the pupal populations died after 96 h of treatment. The blend of essential oil and C. aurantium albedo ethanol extract showed the lowest consumption and a poor nutrient conversion into biomass. Finally, the presence of D-limonene and nootkatone in the peel ethanol extract, and C. limon and C. aurantium essential oils, may be the cause of the response in the feeding behavior and toxic effects found on S. frugiperda.     

Comparison of fatty acid profile and antioxidant potential of extracts of seven Citrus rootstock seeds

The extracts of seven Citrus rootstock seeds have been compared regarding fatty acid profile and antioxidant potential. Sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) was found to contain the highest oil amount (34%), while the Poncirus trifoliata cultivars contained the highest percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (84-87%). In addition, the antioxidant properties of the extracts from defatted seeds have been evaluated by measuring their radical scavenging activity against 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. The highest antioxidant activities were observed in the case of the acetone extract of sour orange and Citrumelo Swingle (76% and 75%, respectively), at a concentration of 0.17?mg?mL(-1). Moreover, the total phenolic content of the extracts, determined using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent, was found to be correlated with the radical scavenging activity results. The acetone extracts of sour orange and Citrumelo Swingle exhibited the highest phenolic content [112.3 and 103.4?mg gallic acid equivalent?g(-1) dry sample weight, respectively].     

Fragmentation patterns study of iridoid glycosides in Fructus Gardeniae by HPLC‐Q/TOF‐MS/MS

Iridoid glycosides (IGs), the major constituents in Fructus Gardeniae, have demonstrated various pharmacological activities, but there is no systematic chemical profile of IGs in Fructus Gardeniae in the published literature until now. Therefore, it is imperative that a rapid and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐Q/TOF‐MS/MS) method is established for comprehensive characterization of IGs in Fructus Gardeniae. Firstly, the fragmentation patterns of six known IGs were investigated and proposed and further concluded the diagnostic fragment ions and characteristic fragmentation pathways. Then, based on the summarized fragmentation patterns and the known compounds in the literatures, the other IGs in Fructus Gardeniae were identified successively. As a result, a total of 20 IGs were identified, of which three pairs of epimers were structurally characterized and differentiated. More importantly, one compound, the isoshanzhiside methyl ester, was tentatively identified as a new compound. The results of this study demonstrate the superiority of HPLC‐MS with a high‐resolution mass spectrometer for the rapid and sensitive structural elucidation of the multiple groups of constituents in Fructus Gardeniae. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

快速微波法制备掺氮石墨烯用于碱性氧还原电催化剂

采用微波法在氨气气氛下快速加热石墨烯（G）制备了含氮量在4.05 wt%-5.47 wt%的掺氮石墨烯（NG）. 将上述的掺氮石墨烯用作碱性电解质条件下的氧还原电催化剂,起始还原电势为0.17 V（vs SHE）,接近商用碳载铂催化剂的0.21 V（vs SHE）. 采用透射电子显微镜、拉曼光谱和X射线光电子能谱研究了掺氮石墨烯的形貌、结构和掺杂氮原子的键合方式. 结果发现,掺氮石墨烯的氧还原起始电位随着石墨氮原子含量的提高而上升,说明石墨类型的氮含量是影响其氧还原催化活性的关键因素. 实验结果表明,微波法快速制备的掺氮石墨烯在碱性条件下表现出较高的氧还原催化活性,具有作为碱性燃料电池阴极催化剂的潜力.     

Structural characterization and identification of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans in Fructus Schisandrae using electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry

The electrospray ionization ion trap multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ) and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MSⁿ) have been applied successfully to the direct investigation of a number of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan constituents from the methanol extracts of the Fructus Schisandrae in the positive ion mode. The detailed structural characterization of the same skeleton and different peripheral substituents had been studied and the precise elemental compositions of ions at high mass resolution had been obtained. So the fragmentation mechanisms could be clarified. And the lignan components in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruits (SCF) and Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. fruits (SSF) were identified by comparing the structural information and fragmentation mechanisms. Then a pair of isobaric compounds was differentiated. Meanwhile these two similar fruits were distinguished. The research results demonstrated that ESI-MSⁿ technique is a sensitive, selective and effective tool for the direct analysis and rapid determination of constituents in complex mixtures from nature products. And these should be useful for the identification of similar compounds and differentiation of similar species from Chinese herbs.