Effect of stability of internal standard on quantification of 15 flavonoids in Epimedium using CZE

A CZE method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 flavonoids, including epimedin B, epimedin A, hexandraside F, epimedin C, icariin, sagittatoside B, sagittatoside A, hexandraside E, 2′′‐O‐rhamnosyl icariside II, baohuoside VII, baohuoside I, caohuoside C, epimedoside C, baohuoside II, and kaempferol‐3‐O‐rhamnoside, in different species of Epimedium, and the effect of stability of internal standard (IS) on quantification was also investigated. As a result, rutin was not available for use as an IS because of its unstable property in sample solution, which suggested that the stability of IS both in standards and sample solution should be considered for the analysis. Using stable daidzein as IS, the analysis was performed within 35 min by using 50 mM borax buffer containing 20% ACN as a modifier (pH 10.0), while separation voltage was 25 kV and temperature was at 30°C. The method was validated to be accurate, simple, and repeatable, and was successfully applied to the analysis of 36 samples from 17 species of Epimedium.     

近红外光谱法快速测定淫羊藿中淫羊藿苷和朝藿定C

基于近红外光谱法对淫羊藿中有效成分淫羊藿苷和朝藿定C的含量进行快速同时定量分析,采用偏最小二乘法(PLS)建立近红外光谱信息与预测组分含量间的数学校正模型。结果表明通过标准正态变量转换(SNV)与一阶导数对光谱进行预处理,所建立的淫羊藿苷和朝藿定C的校正模型效果最佳。淫羊藿苷与朝藿定C校正集均方差(RM SEC)分别为0.217、0.718;相关系数分别为0.9825、0.9863;预测均方差(RM SEP)分别为0.155,0.297。该方法简单、准确,更适合于淫羊藿药材中主要成分的快速分析。     

Development and Validation of Nonaqueous Capillary Electrophoresis Method for Simultaneous Estimation of Icariin,Icariside II,and Epimedin K in Epimedium Leaves

This paper describes a novel nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis method for the separation and determination of Icariin, Icariside II, and Epimedin K in Epimedium leaves. Three flavonoids were extracted by ultrasonication with EtOH-H₂O (70:30) followed by a HP 20 resin column cleanup procedure. The optimized electrophoretic conditions were obtained with the running solution of 8 mM borate MeCN/H₂O (60:40, v/v) (pH 11.40), separation voltage of +20 kV and detection wavelength of 270 nm. The limits of quantification ranged from 0.24 to 0.84 mg/kg (signal/noise = 3) for three flavonoids. Three flavonoids in 10 Epimedium leaves were successfully measured and evaluated.     

基于人工神经网络的淫羊藿红外光谱的研究

对于不同产地和不同栽培条件的药材, 其药效的不同是由于其所含化学成分和各成分含量的比例不同所造成的, 这种差异将造成红外图谱的差异。但这些差异非常细微,单纯地从谱图去区分其特征是非常困难的。文章利用傅里叶变换红外光谱,测定了42种来自吉林3个不同产地的淫羊藿样品的红外光谱,并对光谱数据进行了相应的预处理。为了提高神经网络的训练速度,在利用人工神经网络建立模型之前,通过小波变换的方法对光谱变量进行了压缩。同时对建立的模型的相关参数进行了详细的讨论。实验表明,建立的模型能够正确地对42个淫羊藿样品进行产地鉴别,同时避免了传统光谱分析对药材的分离和提取,从而为中药质量的科学控制和现代化管理提供了可靠的依据。     

Exploration of genetic diversity among medicinally important genus Epimedium species based on genomic and EST-SSR marker

Epimedium species has gained prime importance due to their medicinal and economic values. Therefore, in this study, 26 genomic SSR and 10 EST-SSR markers were developed for 13 medicinal species of the Epimedium genus and one out-group species Vancouveria hexandra W. J. Hooker to explore the existing genetic diversity. A total of 100 alleles by genomic SSR and 65 by EST-SSR were detected. The genomic SSR markers were presented between 2–7 alleles per locus. The observed heterozygosity (H_o) and expected heterozygosity (H_e) ranged from 0.00 to 4.5 and 0.0254 to 2.8108, respectively. Similarly, for EST-SSR, these values were ranged from 3.00 to 4.00 and 1.9650 to 2.7142. The number of alleles for EST-SSR markers ranged from 3 to 10 with an average of 3.51 per loci. It has been concluded that medicinally important species of the genus Epimedium possesses lower intraspecific genetic variation.     

Pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of epimedin C after oral administration of epimedin C and Herba Epimedii extract in rats

Epimedin C, an ingredient of Herba Epimedii, has potential for treatment of cardiovascular disease and bone loss. However, there is still no sensitive analytical method to monitor epimedin C in biological samples. The goal of this study was to develop a sensitive and reliable method based on a LC‐MS/MS for evaluating the pharmacokinetics of epimedin C after administration of Herba Epimedii in rat. Electrospray ionization in positive‐ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring were used to identify and quantitate active components. Analytes were separated by a reverse‐phase C₁₈ column. Liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate, evaporation and reconstitution was used to plasma sample preparation. Mass transition of precursor ion → product ion pairs were monitored at m/z 823.4 → 313.1 for epimedin C and m/z 237.1 → 178.9 for carbamazepine (internal standard). A calibration curve gave good linearity (r > 0.999) over the concentration range 2.5–500 ng/mL. Pharmacokinetic data demonstrated that there was rapid distribution and slow elimination after epimedin C administration (1 mg/kg, i.v.). Oral bioavailabilities of epimedin C in the pure compound and in the Herba Epimedii were around 0.58% and 0.13%, respectively. The result suggests that other herbal ingredients of Herba Epimedii may suppress the oral bioavailability of epimedin C. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of an ultra‐performance convergence chromatography method for the quality control of Angelica gigas Nakai

Ultra‐performance convergence chromatography, which integrates the advantages of supercritical fluid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography technologies, is an environmentally friendly analytical method that uses dramatically reduced amounts of organic solvents. An ultra‐performance convergence chromatography method was developed and validated for the quantification of decursinol angelate and decursin in Angelica gigas using a CSH Fluoro‐Phenyl column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 1.7 μm) with a run time of 4 min. The method had an improved resolution and a shorter analysis time in comparison to the conventional high‐performance liquid chromatography method. This method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, and accuracy. The limits of detection were 0.005 and 0.004 μg/mL for decursinol angelate and decursin, respectively, while the limits of quantitation were 0.014 and 0.012 μg/mL, respectively. The two components showed good regression (correlation coefficient (r²) > 0.999), excellent precision (RSD < 2.28%), and acceptable recoveries (99.75–102.62%). The proposed method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize, and quantify decursinol angelate and decursin in Angelica gigas and its related medicinal materials or preparations, with the advantages of a shorter analysis time, greater sensitivity, and better environmental compatibility.     

A pharmaco-metabonomic study on the therapeutic basis and metabolic effects of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. on hydrocortisone-induced rat using UPLC-MS

This paper describes the pharmaco-metabonomic study on Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. treated rats with a pathologic condition similar to the 'kidney deficiency syndromes' in traditional Chinese medicine and its therapeutic basis. UPLC-MS technique was used for the development of chemical profile of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. and endogenous metabolite profiles of rats pre- and post-hydrocortisone interfered and treated with this herbal medicine. The comparison among profiles was performed with a statistical technique, principle component analysis (PCA). Significant difference in endogenous metabolite profiles was observed in the intervention rats and the abnormality of metabolism recovered towards the normal level after administration with Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. extract. Four active constituents of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. were found into the blood circulation of kidney-deficient rats and two of their metabolites in the urine. This work suggests that the metabonomic approach is a potentially powerful tool to explore the therapeutic basis and to clarify the possible action mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.     

Flavonoids Isolated from Heat‐Processed Epimedium koreanum and Their Anti‐HIV‐1 Activities

Systematic phytochemical investigation on heat‐processed Epimedium koreanum led to the isolation of 13 flavonoids, including five new prenyl‐flavonol glycosides, koreanosides A–E ( 1 – 5 , resp.). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of detailed analysis of the 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR spectroscopic data and chemical reactions. Apigenin ( 11 ) exhibited moderate anti‐HIV‐1 activity with an EC₅₀ value of 12.8±3.27 μg/ml.     

A new aryltetrahydronaphthalene lignan from Epimedium brevicornum

A new aryltetrahydronaphthalene lignan,(+)-cycloolivil formaldehyde condensate(1),was isolated from the whole plants of Epimedium brevicornum(Berberidaceae).Its structure was elucidated on the basis of MS,1D and 2D NMR techniques.