Rapid qualitative profiling and quantitative analysis of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex and seven flavonoids by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry

Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex is the bark of Juglans mandshurica Maxim., which has been used as a folk medicine plant in China and India. In this study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed to clarify and quantify the chemical profiling of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex rapidly. A total of 113 compounds were characterized. Among them, seven flavonoids were simultaneously quantified in 15 min, including myricetin, myricetrin, taxifolin, kaempferol, quercetin, quercitrin, and naringenin. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, and the limits of detection and quantification. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.9990) within test ranges. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 2.16%. Accuracy validation showed that the recovery was between 95.6 and 101.3% with relative standard deviation values below 2.85%. The validated method was successfully applied to determine the contents of seven flavones in Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex from seven sources and the contents of these places were calculated respectively. This method provides a theoretical basis for further developing the medicinal value of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex.     

发光铱(Ⅲ)配合物抗肿瘤活性研究及应用

铱(Ⅲ)配合物因其发光量子产率高且波长易调控、发光寿命长和光稳定性好的特点,在发光材料领域备受关注。铱(Ⅲ)配合物细胞渗透能力强,能靶向多种细胞组织并影响其结构和功能,表现出独特的抗肿瘤活性,是目前金属抗肿瘤药物特别是PDT光敏剂方向的研究热点。本文重点关注铱(Ⅲ)配合物的结构对其发光性能与抗肿瘤性能的影响,综述了近期铱(Ⅲ)配合物在生物成像、探针与传感、抗肿瘤诊疗等领域的研究进展,并对目前研究中存在的问题及其应用前景进行探讨和展望。     

Spectrum–effect relationship of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Laportea bulbifera based on multivariate statistical analysis

Laportea bulbifera, named Hong He Ma in Chinese, is a Chinese herbal medicine commonly used by the Miao nationality of China. In this study, 43 batches of L. bulbifera were collected from different origins in China. Ethanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether were used to prepare different extracts of the plant. UHPLC technique was used to establish the fingerprints, whereas DPPH assay and RAW264.7 inflammatory cell models were used to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, respectively. Moreover, the spectrum–effect relationship between relative peak area of common peaks and efficacy value was set up by multivariate statistical analysis. Furthermore, 10 batches were selected randomly for validation of those models. The results showed that ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts possess excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, respectively. Peaks A₆ and A₇ demonstrated the greatest antioxidant activity, while peak A₁₇ showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activity. After a verified experiment, the result was obtained and illustrated that the spectrum–effect relationship which we established could reliably infer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds of the Chinese herbal medicine.     

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.     

Promotion of a quality standard for Porana sinensis Hemsl. based on the efficacy-oriented Effect-Constituent Index

Multicompound determination for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may often be inadequate, since these compounds may not be associated with, or fully represent, the clinical effects of TCM. Moreover, the individual contributions of each constituent to the pharmacological effect are often not considered. In China, Porana sinensis is widely used as a substitute for Erycibe sources to treat joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis. The existing quality control methods for P. sinensis neither consider the individual contributions of various compounds nor control the actual quality associated with different clinical efficacies. In the present study, a novel efficacy-oriented approach, named the effect-constituent index (ECI), was established for P. sinensis. Analyses of the spectrum–effect relationship and components in rat plasma were conducted to systematically and scientifically select quality markers. Quantitative analysis of multicomponents via a single marker method was introduced to enhance the practical application value of the established ECI. The established ECI shows a good ability to distinguish and predict the bioeffect-based quality of P. sinensis. The present study also provides a reference for the establishment and application of ECI as a quality control method for TCMs.     

组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱偏压力学性能试验研究

设计了一种由槽钢和方形钢管拼焊形成的组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱,将其灵活地布置在框架结构的中节点,可使柱肢与填充墙等厚,有效地提高建筑使用面积。共制作了6根组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱试件,考虑了偏心距和长细比两种变化参数。通过对其进行偏心受压试验研究,考察了试件的破坏形态和荷载-挠度曲线,并分析了其在不同偏心距和长细比下的荷载-应变曲线发展规律。结果表明:组合式十字形钢管混凝土柱中钢管和槽钢对混凝土的约束作用强,表现为较高的延性系数;偏心距或长细比越大,试件的极限承载力及弹性刚度越小,且偏心距越大延性越好,长细比对延性影响不显著;在受拉侧纵向应变基本上符合平截面假定,在受压侧纵向应变不符合平截面假定。     

Quantitation of memantine hydrochloride bulk drug and its tablet formulation using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry

The use of quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry for the determination of non‐UV active memantine hydrochloride with relative simplicity and precision has been demonstrated in this study. The method was developed on a 500 MHz NMR instrument and was applied to determination of the drug in a tablet formulation. The analysis was performed by taking caffeine as an internal standard and D₂O as the NMR solvent. The signal of methyl protons of memantine hydrochloride appeared at 0.75 ppm (singlet) relative to the signal of caffeine (internal standard) at 3.13 ppm (singlet). The method was found to be linear (r² = 0.9989) in the drug concentration range of 0.025 to 0.80 mg/ml. The maximum relative standard deviation for accuracy and precision was <2. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.04 and 0.11 mg/ml, respectively. The robustness of the method was revealed by changing nine different parameters. The deviation for each parameter was also within the acceptable limits. The study highlighted possibility of direct determination of memantine hydrochloride in pure form and in its marketed tablet formulation by the use of quantitative NMR, without the need of derivatization, as is the requirement in HPLC studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非晶态固体的结构可以决定性能吗?

晶态固体的力学性能与塑性变形主要由结构缺陷, 比如位错的运动决定. 而在非晶态固体中结构如何决定性能, 仍然是固体力学、材料学和凝聚态物理学共同关心但尚未解决的核心问题之一.传统材料学研究的经典范式为"结构决定性能". 遵循这一信条, 已经有大量的实验表征与理论、模拟研究, 尝试将非晶态固体的某种结构特征与性能建立一一对应关系. 但是, 科学界对于非晶固体结构-性能关系成立与否, 以及背后隐藏的规律知之甚少. 本文针对非晶态固体的变形机制以及其微结构特征, 基于分子动力学模拟, 定量评估短程简单结构与中长程复杂结构在决定非晶态固体动力学性能方面的效用. 通过海量抽样每种具体玻璃结构的激活能(标识激发难易程度), 尝试将结构参数与激活能建立定量关系, 从而揭示出非晶态固体结构-性能关系的隐藏主控因素为结构的空间关联, 受限比几何结构本身更关键. 只有某种结构在空间上呈现亚纳米级的空间关联长度, 这种完备结构才有可能有效地决定非晶态固体的力学性能, 而短程简单结构则无效. 进一步, 给出了评价非晶态固体结构预测性能有效性的普适定量方法, 为建立广义无序物质的结构-性能关系提供了筛选准则.      

Insights into the electrochemical degradation of sulfamethoxazole and its metabolite by Ti/SnO2-Sb/Er-PbO2 anode

Electrochemical degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and its metabolite acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (Ac-SMX) by Ti/SnO₂-Sb/Er-PbO₂ were investigated. Results indicated that the electrochemical degradation of SMX and Ac-SMX followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The rate constants of SMX and Ac-SMX were 0.268 and 0.072 min^-1 at optimal current density of 10 and 14 mA/cm², respectively. Transformation products of SMX and Ac-SMX were identified and the possible degradation pathways, including the cleavage of S-N bond, opening ring of isoxazole and nitration of amino group, were proposed. Total organic carbon removal of SMX was nearly 63.2% after 3 h electrochemical degradation. 22.4% nitrogen of SMX was transformed to NO₃^-, and 98.8% sulfur of SMX was released as SO₄^2-. According to quantitative structure-activity relationship model, toxicities of SMX and Ac-SMX to aquatic organisms significantly decreased after electrochemical degradation. Electric energy consumption for 90% SMX and Ac-SMX degradation was determined to be 0.58-8.97 and 6.88-44.19 Wh/L at different experimental conditions, respectively. Compared with parent compound SMX, the metabolite Ac-SMX is more refractory and toxic, which emphasizes the importance of taking its metabolites into account when investigating the disposal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater.