Simultaneous quantitation of 23 bioactive compounds in Tanreqing capsule by high‐performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Tanreqing capsule (TRQC) is a formulation frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat pyrexia, cough, expectoration and pharyngalgia. Since the pharmacological action of traditional Chinese medicines is closely related to their complex and diverse constituents, understanding the exact composition of TRQC is important to elucidate its clinical effectiveness and mechanism of action as well as to establish quality control methods and resolve safety issues. Herein, we employed high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantitation of 23 bioactive compounds in five batches of TRQC; the analytes could be categorized into five types: organic acids (seven compounds), flavonoids (10 compounds), iridoids (two compounds), phenylethanoid glycosides (two compounds) and bile acids (two compounds). The calibration curves for all analytes showed good linearity (r > 0.9953), and the inter‐ and intra‐day precisions did not exceed 4.94 and 4.97%, respectively. The recoveries varied from 90.47% to 109.80%; the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) did not exceed 4.94%; and the repeatability (RSD < 4.72%) and stability (RSD < 4.88%) were also within acceptable limits. Thus, this study can be viewed as a fundamental reference for setting comprehensive TRQC quality standards.     

Synthesis,characterization, photophysical,and redox properties of three trinuclear Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes possessing 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline ligands

Three ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes with 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline ligands have been successfully designed and synthesized. They have been fully characterized by ESI-MS, ESI-HRMS, ¹H NMR, and elemental analyses. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the three complexes have been investigated in organic solvent. The geometrical configuration and the electron density distribution in the frontier molecular orbitals of the three complexes have been studied. The three complexes show metal-to-ligand charge transfer (¹MLCT) absorption at 445 nm, and intense triplet metal-to-ligand (³MLCT) emission at around 619 nm in fluid solution at 298 K and 580 nm in low-temperature glass. Electrochemical studies of the three complexes are consistent with one Ru^III/II reversible couple at around 1.31 V accompanied by three ligand-centered reduction couples.

     

Hydrogen-Bond Cyclization Programming of Ultrasensitive Esters and Its Application in Gene Delivery

The ester bond as a universal linker has recently been applied in gene delivery systems owing to its efficient gene release by electrostatic repulsion after its cleavage. However, the ester bond is nonlabile and is difficult to cleave in cells. This work reports a method in which a secondary amine was introduced to the β-position of the ester bond to generate a hydrogen-bond cyclization (HBC) structure that can make the ester bond hydrolysis ultrafast. A series of molecules comprising ultrasensitive esters that can be activated by H₂O₂ were synthesized, and it was found that those able to form an HBC structure showed complete ester hydrolysis within 5 h in both water and phosphate-buffered saline solution, which was several times faster than other methods reported. Then, a series of amphiphilic poly(amidoamine) dendrimers were constructed, comprising the ultrasensitive ester groups for gene delivery; it was found that they could effectively release genes under quite a low concentration of H₂O₂ (<200 μm ) and transport them into the nucleus within 2 h in Hela cells with high safety. Their gene transfection efficiencies were higher than that of PEI_25k. The results demonstrated that the hydrogen-bond-induced ultrasensitive esters could be powerfully applied to construct gene delivery systems.     

A Study of the Activity of Recombinant Mn-Superoxide Dismutase in the Presence of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of the best characterized enzyme maintaining the redox state in the cell. A bacterial expression system was used to...     

Anti-Staphylococcus aureus evaluation of gallic acid by isothermal microcalorimetry and principle component analysis

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The emergence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus requires new antibacterial drugs. In this study, using a thermal activity monitor air...     

Optimal parameter selection for constraint-following control for mechanical systems based on Stackelberg game

Nonlinear Dynamics - This paper proposes an optimal parameter design of control scheme for mechanical systems by adopting the Stackelberg game theory. The goal of the control is to drive the...     

Colorimetric Detection of Fe(II) and Co(II) by Using Terpyridine-Based Derivative

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - A multi-ion chromogenic sensor based on a terpyridine moiety was developed for the semiquantitative, visual, and sensitive speciation analysis of Fe2+ and Co2+...     

Hydroxyethyl cellulose-based electrically conductive,mechanically resistant,strain-sensitive self-healing hydrogels

Cellulose - Self-healing hydrogels that mimic human skin and have numerous senses of external tension and temperature are a current topic in science. However, getting skin-compatible performance...