Macroscopic and microscopic authentication of Chinese and North American species of Ephedra

Ephedra sinica Stapf or Ma Huang has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 5000 years as a bronchodilating and stimulatory agent. In the West, it is popularly used in dietary supplements for weight loss and to enhance athletic performance. Adverse events have been reported following consumption of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids. There are about 50 known species of Ephedra. The ratio of ephedrine to other alkaloids varies from species to species; all North American species lack alkaloids. The method commonly used in the dietary supplement industry for botanical authentication is to analyze the product for the presence of chemical markers known to be present in the specific herb. However, this method does not ensure that the product contains authentic herb, especially if it has been spiked with chemical marker compounds. In the trade and raw drug market, Ephedra is available in the form of stem cuttings or powders, without any vouchers, thus making identification of the species difficult. Using light microscopy, we can detect the presence of Ephedra herb, even in powder form, and identify within certain limits its geographical origin. Identification of Chinese and North American species of Ephedra has been made easier by developing a key using leaf and internode length as key identification characters.     

Liquid chromatography-particle beam electron ionization mass spectrometry method for analysis of botanical extracts: evaluation of ephedrine alkaloids in standard reference materials

The preliminary validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography particle beam mass spectrometry method (HPLC-PB/MS) with electron impact ionization source for analysis of botanical extracts is presented. The LC-PB/MS system was evaluated for the analysis of ephedrine alkaloids using ephedra-containing National Institute of Standards and Technology dietary supplement standard reference materials (SRMs) 3241 Ephedra Sinica Stapf Native Extract and 3242 Ephedra Sinica Stapf Commercial Extract. The ephedrine alkaloids were separated by reversed-phase chromatography using a phenyl column at room temperature. A linear gradient method with a mobile phase composition varying from 5:95 [MeOH:0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in water] to 20:80 (MeOH:0.1% TFA in water) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min, with an analysis time of less than 20 min, was used. The source block temperature was evaluated to determine the optimal operating conditions by monitoring the intensities and fragmentation patterns of the ephedrine alkaloids. Ephedrine and N-methylephedrine were taken as a representative of the test alkaloids. The LODs on the sub-nanogram level were achieved, with ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and methylephedrine in the SRMs quantified by a standard addition method with recoveries of > or = 86% and RSDs of < or = 14% (n = 3).     

Chemical components of the Ephedra major from Iran

Ephedra is a dioecious shrub that belongs to the Ephedraceae family of gymnosperms. Almost all commercial applications of Ephedra extracts are derived from the ephedrine alkaloids found in the evergreen stems. The purpose of this study was to compare chemical components (total alkaloid, ephedrine, total phenol, total flavonoid and tannin) of Ephedra major plants during May to October months. The seeds and stems were collected from Bojnoord altitudes in east of Iran. Total alkaloid was separated by solvent and soxhelet extraction method. The results revealed that solvent extraction method is more efficient than soxhelet extraction method. The measurement of chemical components showed significant difference during May to October months. Data from HPLC analysis revealed that while root is depleted of ephedrine, the ephedrine amount in stem organ ranged from 1.50 ± 0.15 to 2.12 ± 0.01 mg/g dry weight. The results indicate that E. major can be as a suitable source of ephedrine.     

Metabolic fingerprinting of Ephedra species using 1H-NMR spectroscopy and principal component analysis

The metabolomic analysis of Ephedra species was performed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis. A broad range of metabolites could be detected by 1H-NMR spectroscopy without any chromatographic separation. The principal component analysis used to reduce the huge data set obtained from the 1H-NMR spectra of the plant extracts clearly discriminated three different Ephedra species. The major differences in Ephedra sinica, Ephedra intermedia and Ephedra distachya var. distachya were found to be due to benzoic acid analogues in the aqueous fraction and ephedrine-type alkaloids in the organic fraction. Based on this metabolomic recognition, one of nine commercial Ephedra materials evaluated was shown to be a mixture of Ephedra species. This method will be a useful tool for chemotaxonomic analysis and authentification of Ephedra species including quality control of plant materials.     

高效液相色谱法测定麻黄及其制剂中的麻黄类生物碱和川芎嗪

 用RP HPLC分离测定了麻黄及其制剂中的麻黄类生物碱及川芎嗪。采用色谱柱Nova Pak C18(15 0mm×3.9mmi.d .) ,二极管阵列检测器 (DAD)。测定麻黄类生物碱时 ,以甲醇 0 .0 2mol/LKH2 PO4 乙酸 三乙胺 (体积比为 4∶96∶0 .2∶0 .0 1)为流动相 ,在 2 10nm波长下检测 ;测定川芎嗪时 ,以甲醇 水 乙酸 (体积比为 35∶6 5∶0 .5 )为流动相 ,在 2 90nm波长下检测。分别测定了麻黄原药材、中成药 (小儿清肺丸、鹭鸶咳丸 )中麻黄碱、伪麻黄碱、去甲基麻黄碱、去甲基伪麻黄碱和川芎嗪的含量。     

Determination of ephedrine alkaloids in botanicals and dietary supplements by HPLC-UV: collaborative study

An international collaborative study was conducted of a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV method for the determination of the major (ephedrine [EP] and pseudoephedrine [PS]) and minor (norephedrine [NE], norpseudoephedrine [NP], methylephedrine [ME], and methylpseudoephedrine [MP]) alkaloids in selected dietary supplements representative of the commercially available products. Ten collaborating laboratories determined the ephedrine-type alkaloid content in 8 blind replicate samples. Five products contained ephedra ground herb or ephedra extract. These 5 products included ground botanical raw material of Ephedra sinica, a common powdered extract of Ephedra sinica, a finished product containing only Ephedra sinica ground botanical raw material, a complex multicomponent dietary supplement containing Ma Huang, and a high-protein chocolate flavored drink mix containing Ma Huang extract. In addition, collaborating laboratories received a negative control and negative control spiked with ephedrine alkaloids at high and low levels for recovery studies. Test extracts were treated to solid-phase extraction using a strong-cation exchange column to help remove interferences. The HPLC analyses were performed on a polar-embedded phenyl column using UV detection at 210 nm. Repeatability relative standard deviations (RSDr) ranged from 0.64-3.0% for EP and 2.0-6.6% for PS, excluding the high protein drink mix. Reproducibility relative standard deviations (RSDR) ranged from 2.1-6.6% for EP and 9.0-11.4% for PS, excluding the high protein drink mix. Recoveries ranged from 84.7-87.2% for EP and 84.6-98.2% for PS. The data developed for the minor alkaloids are more variable with generally unsatisfactory HORRATS (i.e., >2). However, since these alkaloids generally add little to the total alkaloid content of the products, the method gives satisfactory results in measuring total alkaloid content (RSDr 0.85-3.13%; RSDR 2.03-10.97%, HORRAT 0.69-3.23, exclusive of the results from the high protein drink). On the basis of these results, the method is recommended for Official First Action for determination of EP and PS in dietary supplements exclusive of the high protein drinks.     

Detection and validated quantification of nine herbal phenalkylamines and methcathinone in human blood plasma by LC-MS/MS with electrospray ionization

The herbal stimulants Ephedra species, Catha edulis (khat), and Lophophora williamsii (peyote) have been abused for a long time. In recent years, the herbal drug market has grown owing to publicity on the Internet. Some ingredients of these plants are also ingredients of cold remedies. The aim of the presented study is to develop a multianalyte procedure for detection and validated quantification of the phenalkylamines ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, methylephedrine, methylpseudoephedrine, cathinone, mescaline, synephrine (oxedrine), and methcathinone in plasma. After mixed-mode solid-phase extraction of 1 ml of plasma, the analytes were separated using a strong cation exchange separation column and gradient elution. They were detected using a Q-Trap LC-ESI-MS/MS system (MRM mode). Calibration curves were used for quantification using norephedrine-d3, ephedrine-d3, and mescaline-d9 as internal standards. The method was validated according to international guidelines. The assay was selective for the tested compounds. It was linear from 10 to 1000 ng/ml for all analytes. The recoveries were generally higher than 70%. Accuracy ranged from - 0.8 to 20.0%, repeatability from 2.5 to 12.3%, and intermediate precision from 4.6 to 20.0%. The lower limit of quantification was 10 ng/ml for all analytes. No instability was observed after repeated freezing and thawing or in processed samples. The applicability of the assay was tested by analysis of authentic plasma samples after ingestion of different cold medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, and after ingestion of an aqueous extract of Herba Ephedra. After ingestion of the cold medications, only the corresponding single alkaloids were detected in human plasma, whereas after ingestion of the herb extract, all six ephedrines contained in the plant were detected. The presented LC-MS/MS assay was found applicable for sensitive detection and accurate and precise quantification of all studied analytes in plasma.     

Separation and determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by combination of flow injection with capillary electrophoresis

A simple, rapid, and accurate method for the separation and determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine using direct UV absorbance detection has been developed by the combination of flow injection with capillary electrophoresis for the first time. The buffer solution used is a 40 mM borate solution with the pH adjusted to 9.5 using a 2 M NaOH solution. The linear calibration range is 50 to 1000 microg/mL (r = 0.9996) for both analytes, and the recoveries are 91.2-108.2% for ephedrine and 92.6-107.3% for pseudoephedrine, respectively. The relative standard deviation of the peak area is 1.6% for ephedrine and 1.3% for pseudoephedrine (n = 6) at a concentration of 500 microg/mL, respectively. A series of samples is injected repeatedly without current interruption and subsequent rinsing, and the contents of these two alkaloids in three marketed drugs and the medical plant, Ephedra sinica, are determined with satisfactory results by this method.     

Determination of ephedrine alkaloids in human urine and plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and precision of a method for ephedrine-type alkaloids (i.e., norephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, methylephedrine, and methylpseudoephedrine) in human urine and plasma. The amount of ephedrine-type alkaloids present was determined using liquid chromatography (LC) with tandem mass selective detection. The test samples were diluted to reflect a concentration of 5.00-100 ng/mL for each alkaloid. An internal standard was added and the alkaloids were separated using a 5 microm phenyl LC column with an ammonium acetate, glacial acetic acid, acetonitrile, and water mobile phase. Eight blind duplicates of human urine and eight blind duplicates of human plasma were analyzed by 10 collaborators. In addition to negative controls, test portions of urine and plasma were fortified at 3 different levels with each of the 6 ephedrine-type alkaloids at approximately 1, 2, and 5 microg/mL for urine and 100, 200, and 500 ng/mL for plasma. On the basis of the accuracy and precision results for this collaborative study, it is recommended that this method be adopted Official First Action for the determination of 6 different ephedrine-type alkaloids in human urine and plasma.     

Enantiomeric separation and quantification of ephedrine-type alkaloids in herbal materials by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

The separation of ephedrine-type alkaloids and their enantiomers in raw herbs and commercial herbal products was investigated by carrying out enantioselective separation in the first-dimension column (containing beta-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector) of a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) system, whereas a polar polyethylene glycol capillary column was used for separation in the second dimension. Naturally occurring ephedrine-type alkaloids and their synthetic analogues (enantiomeric counterparts) were adequately resolved from each other, as well as from potential interference species in the sample matrix using GC x GC, whereas single column GC analysis was unable to separate all the alkaloids of interest. Detection limits in the order of 0.1-1.3 microg/mL and linearity of calibration with R(2)>or=0.999 over approximately the range of 0.5-100 microg/mL for the quantitative determination of various ephedrine-type alkaloids were obtained. The commercial herbal products tested contained mostly (-)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (-)-N-methylephedrine and (-)-norephedrine, with concentrations in the range of 40-2100, 0-1,300, 15-300 and 0-30 microg/g of the product, respectively, and repeatability of analysis was generally in the range of 1-5%. The present GCxGC method is effective and useful for the determination of the dosage levels of the principle ephedrine-type alkaloids in commercial health supplements and complex raw herb formulations, as well the differentiation of ephedrine-containing products that were derived from natural plant or synthetic sources, e.g., simply by visualizing the presence or absence of the enantiomeric pairs of (+/-) ephedrine and (+/-)-N-methylephedrine in the GC x GC chromatograms.     

Metabolomics based on liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry reveals the chemical difference in the stems and roots derived from Ephedra sinica

To better understand different traditional uses of the stems (known as Mahuang) and roots (known as Mahuanggen) of Ephedra sinica, their chemical difference should be investigated. In this study, an ultra‐fast liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry untargeted metabolomics approach was established to reveal global chemical difference between Mahuang and Mahuanggen. Clear separation was observed in scores plots of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis. Twenty two chemical markers responsible for such separation were screened out and unambiguously/tentatively characterized. Then chemical markers of pharmacologically important ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were absolutely quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry under multiple reaction monitoring mode. The results showed that Mahuang was rich in ephedrine‐type alkaloids, while Mahuanggen was rich in macrocyclic spermine alkaloids. Additionally, different types of flavan‐3‐ols and flavones exist in Mahuang and Mahuanggen extracts. This research facilitates a better understanding of different traditional uses of Mahuang and Mahuanggen and provides references for chemical analysis of other medicinal plants.     

麻黄-甘草药对配伍过程中的主要药效成分的分析

利用高效液相色谱串联质谱联用法(HPLC-MS/MS)和气相色谱质谱联用法(GC-MS)分析了麻黄与甘草药对配伍前后水煎液中主要药效成分的变化,并通过小鼠的耳廓肿胀试验考察了甘草、麻黄单煎液及药对共煎液的抗炎活性变化。分别通过HPLC法和GC-MS法对甘草与麻黄中主要化学成分,甘草酸、甘草苷、麻黄碱和甲基麻黄碱进行了定量分析,通过单煎液和药对共煎液的对比,发现麻黄与甘草配伍共煎液中麻黄碱（含伪麻黄碱）的含量增加了14.52%;甲基麻黄碱（含甲基伪麻黄碱）的含量增加了64.0%;甘草酸含量增加了13.50%;而甘草苷含量降低了19.38%。药效实验证明,甘草与麻黄配伍后抗炎作用较甘草麻黄单煎液明显增强。从而在主要成分的变化程度上揭示了甘草与麻黄配伍过程中的增效机理。     

A validated HPLC‐PDA method for identification and quantification of two bioactive alkaloids,ephedrine and cryptolepine,in different Sida species

A simple, rapid, accurate and reproducible reverse‐phase HPLC method has been developed for the identification and quantification of two alkaloids ephedrine and cryptolepine in different extracts of Sida species using photodiode array detection. Baseline separation of the two alkaloids was achieved on a Waters RP‐18 X‐terra column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) using a solvent system consisting of a mixture of water containing 0.1% Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and acetonitrile in a gradient elution mode with detection at 210 and 280 nm for ephedrine and cryptolepine, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in a concentration range of 10–250 µg/mL for both the alkaloids with correlation coefficient values >0.99. The limits of detection and quantification for ephedrine and cryptolepine were 5 and 10 µg/mL and 2.5 and 5 µg/mL, respectively. Relative standard deviation values for intra‐day and inter‐day precision were 1.22 and 1.04% for ephedrine and 1.71 and 2.06% for cryptolepine, respectively. Analytical recovery ranged from 92.46 to 103.95%. The developed HPLC method was applied to identify and quantify ephedrine and cryptolepine in different extracts of Sida species. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of ephedrine and related compounds in pharmaceutical preparations by ion chromatography with direct conductivity detection

An ion chromatographic method with conductivity detection for the simultaneous determination of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and norephedrine was developed. A mixture of 2.0 mmol/L HNO3 and 2% (v/v) acetonitrile was used as eluent. The three ephedrine-like compounds were separated and determined within 20 min. The linear ranges were 0.08-50 microg/mL for ephedrine, 0.08-40 microg/mL for pseudoephedrine and 0.06-40 microg/mL for norephedrine. The detection limits were 0.03 microg/mL for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and 0.02 microg/mL for norephedrine. The method has been applied successfully to the determination of these sympathomimetics in pharmaceutical preparations and in Ephedra herbs.     

基于中空纤维液相微萃取的麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱优势构象的确定及含量测定

利用中空纤维液相微萃取方法(HF-LPME)分析麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱在不同基质中的优势构象,阐明了麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱的萃取机理;结合高效液相色谱(HPLC)建立了微量麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱的分离测定方法。以聚偏氟乙烯中空纤维为有机溶剂载体,正己醇为萃取溶剂,麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱的NaOH(5 mol/L)溶液为样品相,0.01 mol/L H2SO4溶液为接收相,在1200 r/min转速下萃取35 min,收集萃取液直接进行HPLC分析。麻黄碱和伪麻黄碱在水溶液中的线性范围为5～100 μg/L,检出限分别为1.9 μg/L和1.2 μg/L,富集倍数分别为38和61倍,平均回收率分别为100.6%±1.2%和103.2%±3.5%;在鼠尿液中的线性范围为100～5×104 μg/L,检出限分别为30 μg/L和42 μg/L,富集倍数分别为20和17倍,平均回收率分别为108.4%±4.4%和106.1%±5.4%。研究表明该方法操作简单,选择性高,适用于微量麻黄碱的含量测定和分析。     

Comparative pharmacokinetic studies of Ephedra herba in common cold and nephrotic syndrome rat models

Ephedra herba is a conventional Chinese medicine to treat cold, fever, asthma, edema, and lung diseases in the clinic. At present, most pharmacokinetic studies focus on the pharmacokinetic process of alkaloids in normal animals. However, the non-alkaloid components are also active. In addition, the pharmacokinetic studies under pathological state make more sense for clarifying the material basis of efficacy. In this study, a sensitive and rapid ultra-high-performance–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and applied to determine nine bioactive components (ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, methylephedrine, (+)-catechin, epicatechin, vitexin, vicenin-2, cinnamic acid, and ferulic acid) in normal, common cold and nephrotic syndrome rats after the oral administration of Ephedra herba. Compared to the normal group, except for ferulic acid, the exposure levels of the other eight components were significantly increased and the plasma clearance clearly declined in common cold rats. Similarly, the exposure levels of seven components other than cinnamic acid and ferulic acid were also significantly augmented and the plasma clearance decreased significantly in nephrotic syndrome rats. In brief, the pathological conditions of the common cold and nephrotic syndrome could lead to alterations in the pharmacokinetics profiles of the nine components, which provide a reference for further exploration of the pharmacodynamics basis of Ephedra herba.     

Separation and determination of ephedrine alkaloids and tetramethylpyrazine in Ephedra sinica Stapf by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple, sensitive, and reliable method using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) is developed for the simultaneous determination of ephedrine alkaloids and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) in Ephedra sinica Stapf. The sample is extracted with ethyl ether and submitted to GC-MS for identification and quantitation without derivatization. The column used for GC is an HP-5 (30.0 m x 250 microm x 0.25 microm, 5% phenyl methyl siloxane), and the carrier gas is helium. The detection limits for ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and TMP are 0.4 ng 0.7 ng, and 0.02 ng (signal-to-noise ratio of 3), respectively. The reproducibility of the total procedure is proved to be acceptable (RSD < 2%), and the recoveries are above 93%.     

Determination of ephedrine alkaloids in dietary supplements and botanicals by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: collaborative study

An interlaboratory study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and precision of a method for ephedrine-type alkaloids [i.e., norephedrine (NE), norpseudoephedrine (NPE), ephedrine (E), pseudoephedrine (PE), methylephedrine (ME), and methylpseudoephedrine (MPE)] in dietary supplements and botanicals. The amount of ephedrine-type alkaloids present was determined using liquid chromatography with tandem mass selective detection. The samples were diluted to reflect a concentration of 0.0200 to 1.00 microg/mL for each alkaloid. An internal standard was added and the alkaloids were separated using a 5 microm phenyl LC column with an ammonium acetate, glacial acetic acid, acetonitrile, and water mobile phase. Eight blind duplicates of dietary supplements or botanicals were analyzed by 10 collaborators. Included was a negative control, ephedra nevadensis, and negative controls fortified at 2 different levels with each of the 6 ephedrine-type alkaloids. The spike levels were approximately 100 and 1000 microg/g for NE, 100 and 600 microg/g for NPE, 6500 and 65000 microg/g for E, 1000 and 10 000 microg/g for PE, 300 and 3000 microg/g for ME, and 100 and 1000 microg/g for MPE. On the basis of the accuracy and precision results for this interlaboratory study, it is recommended that this method be adopted Official First Action for the determination of 6 different individual ephedrine-type alkaloids in dietary supplements and botanicals.     

Determination of diastereoisomeric alkaloids in urine by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection

A new and simple capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection was developed for the separation and the quantification of a pair of diastereoisomenc alkaloids（ephedrine and pseudoephedrine）.The limits of detection（S/N = 3） were 4.5×10^-8 mol/L for ephedrine and 5.2×10^-8 mol/L for pseudoephedrine,respectively.The RSDs of migration time and peak area were less than 1.3 and 2.5%（n = 5）,respectively.The applicability of the propose method was illustrated in the determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in human urine,ephedrine in nasal drops,and the monitoring of pharmacokinetics for pseudoephedrine.     

A systematic approach to quantitation of ephedra alkaloids in natural health products

A method for accurate determination of ephedrine (E) alkaloids in natural health products (NHP) is described. The NIST dietary supplement standard reference materials (SRMs) were selected for these studies. These SRMs comprise ground Ma Huang herb (Ephedra sinica Stapf.), a spray dried extract of the former, and commercial formulations derived from gel caps and a protein drink. The efficiency of sonication-assisted extraction and Soxhlet extraction was studied using both ammonium formate and potassium phosphate in 3% methanol as extraction media. The efficiency of SPE clean-up of the extract deteriorated rapidly when increasing amounts of sample matrix or analyte were processed, because of limited cartridge capacity. Quantitation by the method of additions was required to ensure the highest accuracy using both LC–UV and ES–LC–MS–MS techniques. Whereas the LC–UV method is more convenient and precise, the results are more questionable than ES–LC–MS–MS, because species-specific detection is not possible.