Simultaneous determination of harpagoside and cinnamic acid in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography: application to a pharmacokinetic study

Radix Scrophulariae (Xuanshen) is one of the famous Chinese herbal medicines widely used to treat rheumatism, tussis, pharyngalgia, arthritis, constipation, and conjunctival congestion. Harpagoside and cinnamic acid are the main bioactive components of Xuanshen. The purpose of this study was to develop an HPLC–UV method for simultaneous determination of harpagoside and cinnamic acid in rat plasma and investigate pharmacokinetic parameters of harpagoside and cinnamic acid after oral administration of Xuanshen extract (760 mg kg⁻¹). After addition of syringin as internal standard, the analytes were isolated from plasma by liquid–liquid extraction. Separation was achieved on a Kromasil C₁₈ column, and detection was by UV absorption at 272 nm. The described assay was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, and limit of quantification according to the FDA validation guidelines. Calibration curves for both analytes were linear with the coefficient of variation (r) for both was greater than 0.999. Accuracy for harpagoside and cinnamic acid ranged from 100.7–103.5% and 96.9–102.9%, respectively, and precision for both analytes were less than 8.5%. The main pharmacokinetic parameters found for harpagoside and cinnamic acid after oral infusion of Xuanshen extract were as follows: C _max 1488.7 ± 205.9 and 556.8 ± 94.2 ng mL⁻¹, T _max 2.09 ± 0.31 and (1.48 ± 0.14 h, AUC_0–24 10336.4 ± 1426.8 and 3653.1 ± 456.4 ng h mL⁻¹, 11276.8 ± 1321.4 and 3704.5 ± 398.8 ng h mL⁻¹, and t _1/2 4.9 ± 1.3 and 2.5 ± 0.9 h, respectively. These results indicated that the proposed method is simple, selective, and feasible for pharmacokinetic study of Radix Scrophulariae extract in rats. Figure Radix Scrophulariae     

Authentication of Radix Aucklandiae and its substitutes by GC-MS and hierarchical clustering analysis

Radix Aucklandiae (Muxiang in Chinese), the dried root of Aucklandia lappa, is used as a medicinal material for digestive system disorders in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Owing to the similarity of morphologies and trade names, Radix Vladimiriae (Chuan-Muxiang), the roots of Vladimiria souliei and V. souliei var. cinerea, and Radix Inulae (Tu-Muxiang), the roots of Inula helenium and Inula racemosa, as well as the renal toxic aristolochic acid containing Radix Aristolochiae (Qing-Muxiang), the roots of Aristolochia debilis and Aristolochia contorta, are often used confusedly as the substitutes of Radix Aucklandiae. In order to ensure the effective and safe utility of Radix Aucklandiae, a GC-MS method was developed to generate the chemical profiles of essential oils of Radix Aucklandiae and its substitutes. In addition, hierarchical clustering analysis was used to compare the similarities of these chemical profiles. It was found that all the samples of A. lappa have similar chemical profiles and were clustered into one group, while the samples of Radix Vladimiriae, Radix Inulae, and Radix Aristolochiae were clustered into their own independent groups, respectively, suggesting that together with hierarchical clustering analysis, chemical profiles of essential oils generated by GC-MS could objectively discriminate Radix Aucklandiae from its common substitutes.     

Simultaneous determination of main phytoecdysones and triterpenoids in radix achyranthis bidentatae by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array-evaporative light scattering detectors and mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of two main types of bioactive compounds: four phytoecdysones and eight triterpenoids in Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (RAB), i.e., polypodine B (1), ecdysterone (2), 25-R inokosterone (3), 25-S inokosterone (4), ginsenoside Ro (5), chikusetsusaponin IVa (6), zingibroside R₁ (7), chikusetsusaponin IVa ethyl ester (8), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa (9), PJS-1 (10), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa butyl ester (11), and oleanolic acid (12). Optimum separations were obtained with a Zorbax C18 column, using a gradient elution with 0.08% aqueous formic acid (containing 5% isopropyl alcohol) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Phytoecdysones were detected by diode array detector (DAD) at 242 nm, whereas triterpenoids were monitored by evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) connected in series with DAD, temperature for the drift tube was 110 °C and the nitrogen flow rate was 3.2 L min⁻¹. The identity of the analytes was confirmed using retention times, ultraviolet absorbance and mass spectral data in comparison with reference compounds. The method was validated for acceptable precision (intra- and inter-day variation ≤ 4.87%), accuracy (recovery ≥ 88.9%) and sensitivity (LOD ≤ 0.43 μg mL⁻¹ (DAD) and 26.0 μg mL⁻¹ (ELSD), LOQ ≤ 0.97 μg mL⁻¹ (DAD) and 46.5 μg mL⁻¹ (ELSD), respectively). This rapid and reliable method was applied for the analysis of four cultivated and ten commercial samples. The results demonstrated that the method is suitable for routine analysis and quality control of RAB.     

Systematic study on metabolism and activity evaluation of Radix Scutellaria extract in rat plasma using UHPLC with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and microdialysis intensity‐fading mass spectrometry

Radix Scutellaria is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of various diseases. However, the activities of the absorbed components and metabolites of its main flavones in rat plasma need further investigation. In this study, a systematic method based on ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was developed to speculate the absorbed components and metabolites of the main flavonoids in Radix Scutellaria extract in rat plasma sample after oral administration of the extract. Twelve compounds, including four prototype components and eight metabolites, were confirmed in drug‐containing plasma. In these metabolites, five were originally detected in rat plasma. The possible metabolic pathways of these polyhydroxy flavones in vivo were described and clarified. Microdialysis with intensity‐fading mass spectrometry was originally employed to investigate the binding affinities of the absorbed components and metabolites with α‐glucosidase. The order of their binding affinities was P4 > P3 > P2 > P1≥M5 > M3 > M1. The research result is helpful to deepen the understanding of the absorbed components and metabolic pathways of main flavones from Radix Scutellaria, and provide a new approach to screen potential inhibitors from in vivo components originated from Chinese herb.     

牛膝多糖中单糖组分的毛细管电泳-电化学检测方法研究

利用毛细管电泳－电化学检测技术（CE－EC）对牛膝多糖水解液中的单糖进行了分离测定,证实牛膝多糖的化学组成中主要有葡萄糖、甘露糖和果糖3种单糖组分,并对其含量进行了测定。讨论了工作电位、分离电压、缓冲液浓度等因素对分离检测的影响。     

测定大豆和葛根中异黄酮的高效液相色谱法

建立了测定大豆和葛根７种异黄酮成分的高效液相色谱法,采用日本岛ｈｉｍ－ＰａｃｋＣＬＣＯＤＳ柱「１５０ｍｍ＊６．０ｍｍＩＤ;５μｍ）,Ｖ甲醇：Ｖ醋酸：Ｖ水＝３０：３．５：６６．５体系为流动相,０－８．５ｍｉｎ时流动相流速为１．０ｍＬ／ｍｉｎ,８．５－４７ｍｉｎ时流速为１．５ｍＬ／ｍｉｎ,柱温５０℃,检测波长２５４ｎｍ,外标法定量。     

毛细管电泳-电化学检测法测定黄芪及其制剂中的活性成分

采用毛细管电泳-电化学检测法(CE-ED)对中药黄芪的主要活性成分芦丁、阿魏酸、香草酸、绿原酸、槲皮素和咖啡酸进行了分离和测定。分别考察了工作电极电位、运行缓冲液的pH值和浓度、分离电压和进样时间等实验参数对实验结果的影响。在优化的实验条件下,以直径300 μm的碳圆盘电极为工作电极,检测电位为+0.95 V(相对于饱和甘汞电极),在10 mmol/L硼酸盐(pH 8.2)的运行缓冲溶液中,上述6种活性成分能在17 min内实现很好的基线分离,被测物浓度与峰电流在3个数量级范围呈良好的线性关系,检出限(S/N=3)范围为78～110 μg/L。在不同的加标水平下,6种活性成分的平均回收率为96.0%～103.0%,相对标准偏差为1.9%～3.6%(n=3)。该方法样品处理简单,无需预富集,已应用于实际样品的分析,并获得了令人满意的结果。     

高效液相色谱-质谱法快速鉴定复方毛冬青冲剂中三萜皂苷活性成分

建立了高效液相色谱-质谱法(HPLC-MS)快速鉴定复方毛冬青冲剂中三萜皂苷活性成分的方法.以甲醇为萃取剂超声萃取复方毛冬青冲剂30 min.采用高效液相色谱-离子阱质谱(HPLC-IT-MS)和高效液相色谱-飞行时间质谱(HPLC-TOF-MS)对萃取液进行分析,选用Agilent Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm),以水(含0.1 %甲酸)-乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,柱后流出液采用电喷雾离子阱质谱(ESI-IT-MS)和电喷雾飞行时间质谱(ESI-TOF-MS)的正、负离子模式进行检测.检测结果经离子阱一级质谱(IT-MS1)、离子阱二级质谱(IT-MS2)和分析时间质谱(TOF-MS)信息分析,并与相关文献报道进行比较,鉴定出1种三萜酸和8种三萜皂苷成分,并推测了其它3种可能的三萜皂苷化学成分,通过对照品对比分析,三萜酸确证为Ilexgenin A,其中一种三萜皂苷确证为Ilexsaponin A1.本方法无需对照品即可快速有效地鉴定出复方毛冬青冲剂中的三萜皂苷活性成分,为建立冲剂的质量标准提供了依据.     

山豆根中苦参碱和氧化苦参碱的胶束毛细管电泳法测定

用胶束毛细管电泳法（MECC）测定山豆根中的苦参碱及氧化苦参碱的含量，以盐酸麻黄碱作内标物，20mmol/L硼砂缓冲溶液（含30mmol/L十二烷基硫酸纳，体积分数40％甲醇）作电解质（pH=9.35），于208nm紫外检测，山豆根提取液中有效成分都获得基线分离；定量分析表明，苦参碱的质量浓度在0．08－0．52g/L、氧化苦参碱质量浓度在0．03－0．44g/L其峰面积与质量浓度呈线性关系（r分别为0．9987和0．9976）；此外，还讨论了不同缓冲液浓度、十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）浓度及甲醇含量对2种有效成分迁移行为的影响。     

Separation and identification of the organic acids in Angelicae Radix and Ligustici Rhizoma by HPLC and CE

Angelicae Radix (AR) and Ligustici Rhizoma (LR) are both derived from the Umbelliferae plants and contain similar organic acids as their bioactive compounds. Nine of these organic acids, including nicotinic acid, protocatechuic acid, phthalic acid, folinic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, folic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid were separated by HPLC and CE. Detection at 210 nm with a linear gradient containing 20 mM KH2PO4 (pH 3.5) and H2O-CH3CN in HPLC and with a buffer solution containing 10 mM LTAC, 2 mM Na2HPO4, 9 mM Na2B4O7(pH 9.56), and CH3CN in CE were found to be the most efficient eluents for this separation. The contents of the nine components in crude extracts of either AR or LR could easily be determined within 60 min by LC and within 20 min by CE. The structures of the individual peaks in the LC chromatogram were identified by LC-MS. The effects of buffers on the separation and validation of the two methods were examined.