Pseudoguaianolides from the Flowers of Parthenium hysterophorus

Two new pseudoguaianolide‐type sesquiterpene lactones, named deacetyltetraneurin A ( 3 ) and hysterone E ( 4 ), were isolated from flowers of the plant Parthenium hysterophorus L., along with the seven known compounds parthenin ( 1 ), coronopilin, tetraneurin A, 8‐β‐hydroxycoronopilin, scopoletin, hysterone D, and conchasin A ( 2 ). The structures of all the compounds were deduced by means of elemental analysis and extensive spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR) studies, and confirmed for 3 and 4 by X‐ray crystallographic analysis.     

Studies on the Synthesis and Bioactivities of 4‐Amino Derivatives of Tetramic Acid

In order to study the potential bioactivities of 4‐amino tetramic acid derivatives, the 4‐amination products of pyrrolidine‐2,4‐diones ( 5 ) and 4‐hydroxy‐2‐oxo‐2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrrole‐3‐carboxylates ( 4 ) were prepared. The 4‐amination of 5 took place in high yield when catalyzed by acetic acid, whereas the 4‐amination of 4 was achieved through a 4‐ethoxy intermediate, which was prepared by acidic etherification. Their herbicidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, and antitumor activities were tested. The bioassays showed that two of the compounds exhibited good herbicidal activity against dicot Arabidopsis thaliana at a concentration of 10 µg/mL, and one compound gave instinct fungicidal activity against Pythium sp. at a concentration of 2 µg/mL.     

Synthesis of New (Pyrazol‐3‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives by Unexpected Aromatization During Oxidative Cyclization of 4,5‐Dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carbohydrazones and Their Biological Activities

A series of novel 2‐(4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐1H‐pyrazol‐3‐yl)‐5‐(Aryl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazoles were synthesized by unexpected aromatization during oxidative cyclization of 4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carbohydrazones using chloramine‐T as an oxidant. The hydrazones were derived from 4‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carbohydrazide and various substituted aldehydes. The structure of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectral data. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antitubercular and antioxidant activities. All the compounds 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f , 4g , 4h and 5a , 5b , 5c , 5d , 5e , 5f , 5g , 5h showed good antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (minimum inhibitory concentration = 25 µg/mL for 4f and 4g , 50–100 µg/mL for the rest). However, all the compounds exhibited poor antioxidant activity against 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picryl‐hydrazil free radical.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Hydrolysis of a Novel Anhydrogalactosucrose: 2′‐Methoxyl‐O‐1′,4′:3′,6′‐dianhydro‐β‐D‐fructofuranosyl 3,6‐anhydro‐4‐chloro‐4‐deoxy‐α‐D‐galactopyranoside

A novel anhydrogalactosucrose derivative 2′‐methoxyl‐O‐1′,4′:3′,6′‐dianhydro‐β‐D‐fructofuranosyl 3,6‐anhydro‐4‐chloro‐4‐deoxy‐α‐D‐galactopyranoside ( 4 ) was prepared from 3,6:1′,4′:3′,6′‐trianhydro‐4‐chloro‐4‐deoxy‐galactosucrose ( 3 ) via a facile method and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and 2D NMR spectra. The single crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis shows that the title molecule forms a two thee‐dimensional network structure by two kinds of hydrogen bond interactions [O(2) H(2)···O(7), O(5) H(5)···O(8)]. Its stability was investigated by acid hydrolysis reaction treated with sulfuric acid, together with the formation of 1,6‐Di‐O‐methoxy‐4‐chloro‐4‐deoxy‐β‐D‐galactopyranose ( 5 ) and 2,2‐Di‐C‐methoxy‐1,4:3,6‐dianhydromannitol ( 6 ). According to the result, the relative stability of the ether bonds in the structure is in the order: C(1) O C(5)≈C(3′) O C(6′)≈C(1′) O C(4′)>C(3) O C(6)≈C(1) O C(2′)>C(2′) O C(5′).     

Layer‐by‐layer Assembled Multilayers of Graphene/Mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin for Detection of Dopamine

Graphene/mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin multilayer films composed of graphene sheet (GS) and mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin (NH₂‐β‐CD) were fabricated easily by two steps. First, negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) and positively charged mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin (NH₂‐β‐CD) were layer‐by‐layer (LBL) self‐assembled on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a layer of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). Then graphene/mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin (GS/NH₂‐β‐CD) multilayer films were built up by electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide/mono‐(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy)‐β‐cyclodextrin (GO/NH₂‐β‐CD). Combining the high surface area of GS and the active recognition sites on β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD), the GS/NH₂‐β‐CD multilayer films show excellent electrochemical sensing performance for the detection of DA with an extraordinary broad linear range from 2.53 to 980.05 µmol·L^?1. This study offers a simple route to the controllable formation of graphene‐based electrochemical sensor for the detection of DA.     

Quantitative determination of sauchinone in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive and specific method using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC‐MS) was developed for the analysis of sauchinone in rat plasma. Di‐O‐methyltetrahydrofuriguaiacin B was used as internal standard (IS). Analytes were extracted from rat plasma by liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. A 2.1 mm i.d. × 150 mm, 5 µm, Agilent Zorbax SB‐C₁₈ column was used to perform the chromatographic analysis. The mobile phase was methanol–deionized water (80:20, v/v). The chromatographic run time was 7 min per injection and the flow‐rate was 0.2 mL/min. The tandem mass spectrometric detection mode was achieved with electrospray ionization interface in positive‐ion mode (ESI⁺). The m/z ratios [M + Na]⁺, m/z 379.4 for sauchinone and m/z 395.4 for IS were recorded simultaneously. Calibration curve were linear over the range of 0.01–5 µg/mL. The lowest limit of quantification was 0.01 µg/mL. The intra‐day and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were 2.94–9.42% and 95.79–108.05%, respectively. The matrix effect was 64.20–67.34% and the extraction recovery was 93.28–95.98%. This method was simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of sauchinone in rat plasma. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of fenofibric acid in rat plasma

A rapid and sensitive LC‐MS/MS method for the quantification of fenofibric acid in rat plasma was developed and validated. Plasma samples were prepared by liquid–liquid extraction with a mixture of N‐hexane–dichloromethane–isopropanol (100:50:5, v/v/v). Isocratic chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed‐phase Discovery C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase was methanol–water–formic (75:25:0.25, v/v/v). Detection of fenofibric acid and the internal standard (IS) diclofenac acid was achieved by ESI MS/MS in the negative ion mode using m/z 317 → m/z 213 and m/z 294 → m/z 250 transitions, respectively. The method was linear from 0.005 to 1.250 µg/mL when 100 μL plasma was analyzed. The lower limit of quantification was 0.005 µg/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision values were below 8.2%, and accuracy ranged from ?0.9 to 2.1% in all quality control samples. The recovery was 90.3–94.7% and 83.3% for fenofibric acid and IS, respectively. Total run time for each sample analysis was 2.5 min. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in six rats after oral administration of fenofibrate, the ester prodrug of fenofibric acid (equivalent to fenofibric acid 5 mg/kg). The method permits laboratory scientists with access to the appropriate instrumentation to perform rapid fenofibric acid determination. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sesquiterpene lactones from Centaurea rhizantha C.A. Meyer

Two new sesquiterpene lactones, rhizantholide A (1) and rhizantholide B (2), together with five known compounds (3-7) have been isolated from the aerial parts of Centaurea rhizantha (Asteraceae). Sesquiterpene lactones belong to guaianolide class, and rhizantholide B is a rare guaianolide characterized by a free primary alcoholic function at C-10 along with a 3β,10β-epoxy function. Their structures have been established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as HR-ESIMS. The antimicrobial activity of compounds 1-7 has been evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Only deacylcynaropicrin 8-O-[3′-hydroxy-2′-methylpropionate] (5) showed moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC/MBC value of 500 μg/mL. All isolated compounds have been also evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against cancer cells. Among them, compound 5 showed the highest cytotoxic activity with IC₅₀ values in the range 5.02–16.76 μg/mL.     

Determination of a novel nonfluorinated quinolone,nemonoxacin, in human feces and its glucuronide conjugate in human urine and feces by high‐performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Three methods were developed and validated for determination of nemonoxacin in human feces and its major metabolite, nemonoxacin acyl‐β‐ d ‐glucuronide, in human urine and feces. Nemonoxacin was extracted by liquid–liquid extraction in feces homogenate samples and nemonoxacin acyl‐β‐ d ‐glucuronide by a solid‐phase extraction procedure for pretreatment of both urine and feces homogenate sample. Separation was performed on a C₁₈ reversed‐phase column under isocratic elution with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid. Both analytes were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry with positive electrospray ionization in selected reaction monitoring mode and gatifloxacin as the internal standard. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of nemonoxacin in feces was 0.12 µg/g and the calibration curve was linear in the concentration range of 0.12–48.00 µg/g. The LLOQ of the metabolite was 0.0010 µg/mL and 0.03 µg/g in urine and feces matrices, while the linear range was 0.0010–0.2000 µg/mL and 0.03–3.00 µg/g, respectively. Validation included selectivity, accuracy, precision, linearity, recovery, matrix effect, carryover, dilution integrity and stability, indicating that the methods can quantify the corresponding analytes with excellent reliability. The validated methods were successfully applied to an absolute bioavailability clinical study of nemonoxacin malate capsule. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolation of a New Carotenoid and Two New Carotenoid Glycosides from Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pvar poinsettiae

An efficient method for the extraction of the carotenoids from Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pvar poinsettiae was developed. The glucosides of C.p. 450 (=(all‐E,2R,2′R)‐2‐[4‐(β‐D ‐glucopyranosyloxy)‐3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl]‐2′‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl)‐β, β‐carotene; 4 ) and of C.p. 473 (=(all‐E,2R,2′S)‐2‐[4‐(β‐D ‐glucopyranosyloxy)‐3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl]‐2′‐(3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl)‐3′,4′‐didehydro‐1′,2′‐dihydro‐β,ψ‐caroten‐1′‐ol; 5 ) were isolated for the first time. In addition, the hitherto unknown 3′,4′‐dihydro derivative of C.p. 450, called C.p. 460 (=(all‐E,2R,2′R)‐2‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl)‐2′‐(3‐methylbut‐2‐enyl)‐1′,2′‐dihydro‐β,ψ‐caroten‐1′‐ol; 6 ), was identified. The structures were established by UV/VIS, CD, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and mass spectra.     

Development and validation of LC‐MS/MS method for the estimation of β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

A simple, sensitive and specific high‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of β‐hydroxy‐β‐methyl butyrate (HMB) in small volumes of rat plasma using warfarin as an internal standard (IS). The API‐4000 LC‐MS/MS was operated under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode using the electrospray ionization technique. A simple liquid–liquid extraction process was used to extract HMB and IS from rat plasma. The total run time was 3 min and the elution of HMB and IS occurred at 1.48 and 1.75 min respectively; this was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in a water–acetonitrile mixture (15:85, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min on a Agilent Eclipse XDB C₈ (150 × 4.6, 5 µm) column. The developed method was validated in rat plasma with a lower limit of quantitation of 30.0 ng/mL for HMB. A linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 30–4600 ng/mL (r > 0.998) for HMB. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision values for HMB were acceptable as per Food and Drug Administration guidelines. HMB was stable in the battery of stability studies, viz. bench‐top, autosampler freeze–thaw cycles and long‐term stability for 30 days in plasma. The developed assay method was applied to a bioavailability study in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of 3,5-Dichloro-4-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)phenyl Containing 1,2,3-Thiadiazole Derivatives via Ugi Reaction and Their Biological Activities

A series of novel 3,5‐dichloro‐4‐(1,1,2,2‐tetrafluoroethoxy)phenyl containing 4‐methyl‐1,2,3‐thiadiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized via Ugi reaction. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and high‐resolution mass spectroscopy. The preliminary bioassay results indicated that some title compounds had good fungicide activity at 50 µg/mL; most of the compounds presented a certain degree of direct inhibition activity, good inactivation and curative activity against tobacco mosaic virus at 500 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL; some compounds showed good larvicidal activity against Plutella xylostella L. at 200 µg/mL and excellent larvicidal activities against Culex pipiens pallens at 2 µg/mL.     

Validated LC‐MS method for simultaneous quantitation of catalpol and harpagide in rat plasma: application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and diabetic rats after oral administration of Zeng‐Ye‐Decoction

A simple and efficient liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantitation of catalpol and harpagide in normal and diabetic rat plasma. Protein precipitation extraction with acetonitrile was carried out using salidroside as the internal standard (IS). The LC separation was performed on an Elite C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water within a runtime of 12.0 min. The analytes were detected without endogenous interference in the selected ion monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization. Calibration curves offered satisfactory linearity (r > 0.99) at linear range of 0.05–50.0 µg/mL for catalpol and 0.025–5.0 µg/mL for harpagide with the lower limits of quantitation of 0.05 and 0.025 µg/mL, respectively. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (RSD) were <9.4%, and accuracy (RE) was in the ?6.6 to 4.9% range. The extraction efficiencies of catalpol, harpagide and IS were all >76.5% and the matrix effects of the analytes ranged from 86.5 to 106.0%. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of catalpol and harpagide after oral administration of Zeng‐Ye‐Decoction to normal and diabetic rats, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity of Some Thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine Derivatives

A series of compounds 5‐amino‐2‐ethylmercapto‐4‐phenyl‐6‐subistitutedthieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidines ( 8a–d ), 4‐chloro‐7‐ethylmercapto‐9‐phenylpyrimido[5′,4′:4,5]thieno[3,2‐d]triazine ( 9 ), and 2‐ethylmercapto‐8‐oxo‐4‐phenyl‐7‐(4‐chlorophenyl)pyrimido [4′,5′:4,5]thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine ( 10 ) were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR , ¹³C NMR, and MS . All compounds were evaluated for their IC₅₀ values against three cancer cell lines (MCF ‐7, HUH ‐7 and BHK ) and WISH cells. The IC₅₀ of compound ( 8d ) was calculated for each cell line. Interestingly, the IC₅₀ for the normal human amnion WISH cell line was much higher (723 µg/mL) than those found for the tumor cell lines BHK (17 µg/mL), HUH ‐7 (5.8 µg/mL), and MCF ‐7 (8.3 µg/mL). The proliferation inhibition of normal (WISH ) and tumor (BHK , HUH ‐7, and MCF ‐7) cells by compound ( 8d ) was investigated using MTT assay, and the IC₅₀ was calculated after 48 h of treatment for each cell line.     

Rapid and efficient method for the quantification of lychnopholide in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for pharmacokinetic application

Lychnopholide is a sesquiterpene lactone usually obtained from Lychnophora and Eremanthus species and has pharmacological activities that include anti‐inflammatory and anti‐tumor. Lychnopholide isolated from Eremanthus matogrossenssis was analyzed in this study. The aims of this study were to develop and validate an analytical methodology by LC‐MS/MS and to quantify lychnopholide in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column using isocratic elution with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The detection was performed in multiple‐reaction monitoring mode using electrospray ionization in positive mode. The method validation was performed in accordance with regulatory guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The linear range of detection was 10–200 ng/mL (r > 0.9961). The intra‐ and inter‐day assay variability were <6.2 and <11.7%, respectively. The extraction recovery was approximately 63% using liquid–liquid extraction with chloroform. Lychnopholide was detected in plasma up to 60 min after intravenous administration in rats. This rapid and sensitive method for the analysis of the sesquiterpene lactone lychnopholide in rat plasma can be applied to pharmacokinetic studies of this compound. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Malva sylvestris L. extract suppresses desferrioxamine‐induced PGE2 and PGD2 release in differentiated U937 cells: the development and validation of an LC‐MS/MS method for prostaglandin quantification

Malva sylvestris is a species used worldwide as an alternative to anti‐inflammatory therapies; however, its mechanism of action remains unknown. In this paper, the anti‐inflammatory effects of M. sylvestris alcoholic extracts were evaluated by measuring the pro‐inflammatory mediators PGE₂ and PGD₂ in desferrioxamine‐stimulated phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate‐differentiated U937 cells. An HPLC‐DAD fingerprint of the M. sylvestris extract was performed and caffeic acid, ferulic acid and scopoletin were identified and quantified. An HPLC‐MS/MS method was developed and validated to separate and measure the prostaglandins. The lower limits of detection (~0.5 ng/mL for PGE₂ and PGD₂) and quantification (1.0 ng/mL for PGE₂ and PGD₂) indicated that the method is highly sensitive. The calibration curves showed excellent coefficients of correlation (r > 0.99) over the range of 1.0–500.0 ng/mL, and at different levels, the accuracy ranged from 96.4 to 106.4% with an RSD < 10.0% for the precision study. This method was successfully applied using U937‐d cells. A significant dose‐dependent reduction of PGE₂ and PGD₂ levels occurred using 10 µg/mL (10.74 ± 2.86 and 9.60 ± 6.89%) and 50 µg/mL of extract (48.37 ± 3.24 and 53.06 ± 6.15%), suggesting that the anti‐inflammatory mechanisms evoked by M. sylvestris may be related to modulation of these mediators. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative pharmacokinetic studies of andrographolide and its metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide in rat by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Andrographolide (AND), one of the major diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees, can be metabolized as a phase two metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide‐19‐O‐β‐d ‐glucuronide in human. The aim of this study is to characterize and synthesize the phase one metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide (DEO‐AND) after gavage feeding of AND in rats, and to compare the pharmacokinetics of AND and DEO‐AND after intravenous administration. DEO‐AND was first discovered existing in rat serum by HPLC‐MSⁿ after administration of AND. Furthermore, the target metabolite was synthesized and elucidated by NMR. In addition, a rapid, selective and sensitive UPLC‐ESI/MS method was developed for the first time to determine the content of AND and DEO‐AND in rats serum. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after a single intravenous dose of 5 mg/kg AND and DEO‐AND, respectively. In comparison, the pharmacokinetic parameters of metabolite DEO‐AND, including distribution rate constant, elimination rate constant, half‐life and mean residence time, were significantly less than those of AND (p < 0.05). However, the AUC_{0→720 min} value after intravenous administration of DEO‐AND was 781.59 ± 81.46 µg min/mL, which was 17.71 times higher than that of AND (44.13 ± 10.45 µg min/mL; p < 0.05). These results show the pharmacokinetic profile of AND to be significantly different from that of DEO‐AND by intravenous administration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical constituents from leaves and trunk bark of Rinorea oblongifolia (Violaceae)

Abstract

Two new coruleoellagic acid derivatives, 3,4′,5,5′,-tetramethylcoruleoellagic acid (1); 3′,4,4′,5,5′-pentamethylcoruleoellagic acid (2) and a new friedelane-type triterpene derivative rinol (5), were isolated from leaves and trunk bark of Rinorea oblongifolia (Violaceae) along with seven known compounds including 3,3′,4,4′,5′-pentamethylcoruleoellagic acid (3), hexamethylcoruleoellagic acid (4), 28-hydroxyfriedelin (6), friedelin (7), friedelan-3-ol (8), scopoletin (9) and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10). Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods including IR, 1D and 2D NMR in conjunction with mass spectrometry. Crude extracts of leaves and trunk bark as well as compounds 1–4 were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against 7 pathogenic bacterial strains (Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC49619, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, Klepsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603, Haemophilus influenza ATCC 49247, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa HM601, Staphylococcus aureus BAA 977). Compound (3) displayed noteworthy activity against Haemophilus influenza with MIC value of 9.38?µg/mL.     

An analytical method for cyclosporine using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric (LC‐MS) assay has been developed for cyclosporine A (CyA) in rat plasma using amiodarone as internal standard (IS). Rat plasma (100 µL) containing drug and IS were extracted using liquid–liquid extraction with 4 mL of 95:5 ether:methanol. After evaporation of the organic layer the residue was reconstituted with 500 µL of water. Then the aqueous layer was transferred to LC‐MS sample vials. A 10 µL volume was injected. The analysis was performed on a C₈ column 3.5 µm (2.1 × 50 mm) heated to 60°C with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:methanol:0.2% NH₄OH (60:20:20) at an isocratic flow‐rate of 0.2 mL/min. The ions used for quantitation of CyA and IS were m/z 1202.8 and 645.9, with retention times of 3.35 and 4.72 min, respectively. Linear relationships (r² > 0.99) were achieved between plasma or blood concentration and peak height ratios (drug:IS) over the concentration range 50–5000 ng/mL. The CV% and mean error were <19%. Based on validation data, the lower limit of quantification for the assay was 50 ng/mL. The reported assay method displayed high measures of linearity, sensitivity, reliability and precision, allowing its applicability in pharmacokinetic studies in rat. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stereospecific high‐performance liquid chromatography of taxifolin,applications in pharmacokinetics,and determination in tu fu ling (Rhizoma smilacis glabrae) and apple (Malus × domestica)

A stereospecific method of analysis of racemic taxifolin (+/?3,5,7,3′,4′‐pentahydroxyflavanone) in biological fluids is necessary to study pharmacokinetics and disposition in fruit and herbs. A simple high‐performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of all four taxifolin enantiomers. Separation was achieved on a Chiralcel® OJ‐RH column with UV detection at 288 nm. The standard curves in serum were linear over a range of 0.5–100.0 µg/mL for each enantiomer. The mean extraction efficiency was >88.0%. Precision of the assay was <15% (CV), and was within 12% at the limit of quantitation (0.5 µg/mL). The bias of the assay was <15%, and was within 6% at the limit of quantitation. The assay was successfully applied to stereospecific disposition of taxifolin enantiomers in rats and to the quantification of taxifolin enantiomers in tu fu ling (Rhizoma smilacis glabrae) and apple (Malus × domestica). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.