Ionic liquid and aqueous two‐phase extraction based on salting‐out coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of seven rare ginsenosides in Xue‐Sai‐Tong injection

A method of ionic liquid salt aqueous two‐phase extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography has been developed for the analysis of seven rare ginsenosides including Rg₆, F₄, 20(S)‐Rg₃, 20(R)‐Rg₃, Rk₃, Rk₁, and Rg₅ in Xue‐Sai‐Tong injection. The injection was mixed with ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bromide aqueous solution, and a mixture was obtained. With the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate and dipotassium phosphate into the mixture, the aqueous two‐phase mixture was formed after ultrasonic treatment and centrifuged. Rare ginsenosides were extracted into the upper phase. To obtain a high extraction factors, various influences were considered systematically, such as the volume of ionic liquid, the category and amount of salts, the amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate, the pH value of system, and the time of ultrasonic treatment. Under the optimal condition, rare ginsenosides in Xue‐Sai‐Tong injection were enriched and detected, the recoveries of seven rare ginsenosides ranged from 90.05 to 112.55%, while relative standard deviations were lower than 2.50%. The developed method was reliable, rapid and sensitive for the determination of seven rare ginsenosides in the injections.     

Direct Resolution of the Enantiomers of Betaxolol and Related Intermediates,and Its Application

An OJ-H chiral column has been used for direct resolution of the enantiomers of betaxolol and related intermediates in the preparation of (S)-betaxolol. The enantiomers can be excellently resolved (R _S > 2) within 9.4 min with high peak symmetry. The enantiomers of some acetylated intermediates, which cannot be resolved on an OD-H column, can also be resolved. The method is simple and suitable for routine determination of ee values in the preparation of (S)-betaxolol.

     

LC-MS-MS Determination of (S,R)-Penehyclidine in Rat Plasma

A sensitive and selective method for determination of (S,R)-penehyclidine in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is described. The procedure employed the use of an internal standard (I.S.) and a simple protein precipitation step. The method developed was linear from 0.1 to 100 ng mL⁻¹, with a sensitivity of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ as the lower limit of quantification. The intra- and inter-day assay accuracy (relative error) was within 8.27% and precision (RSD) was below 6.7%. It was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of (S,R)-penehyclidine in rat plasma.

     

Determination of Flavonoid Markers in Honey with SPE and LC using Experimental Design

Determination of flavonoid markers quercetin, hesperetin, and chrysin, found in north Iranian citrus honey samples, was carried out by solid phase extraction (SPE) and isocratic liquid chromatographic separation using central composite design. Optimum conditions for SPE were achieved using 10 mL methanol/water (13:87, v/v, pH = 7) as the washing solvent and 4 mL methanol for elution. Good clean-up and high recovery >90% were observed for all analytes. The use of water/ACN/THF/AcOH (54:36:5:5, v/v) was found to serve as the optimum mobile phase composition and allowed for the separation of analytes from endogenous compounds present in honey. SPE parameters, such as maximum loading capacity and breakthrough volume, were also determined for each analyte. Limit of detection, linear range, recovery, repeatability of retention times, and peak heights were 3.11 × 10⁻⁸–4.44 × 10⁻⁸ g g⁻¹, 0.50–50.0 μg mL⁻¹ (R ² > 0.99), 90.7–96.9%, 3.0–3.6%, and 1.0–2.6%, respectively. Precision of the overall analytical procedure, estimated by five replicate measurements for quercetin, hesperetin and chrysin in citrus honey, as well as the relative standard deviations were 4.3%, 3.8%, and 5.5%, respectively.

     

Dose‐dependent exposure profile and metabolic characterization of notoginsenoside R1 in rat plasma by ultra‐fast liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry

Notoginsenoside R₁ (NGR₁), a diagnostic protopanaxatriol‐type (ppt‐type) saponin in Panax notoginseng, possesses potent biological activities including antithrombotic, anti‐inflammatory, neuron protection and improvement of microcirculation, yet its pharmacokinetics and metabolic characterization as an individual compound remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the exposure profile of NGR₁ in rats after oral and intravenous administration and to explore the metabolic characterization of NGR₁. A simple and sensitive ultra‐fast liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of NGR₁ and its major metabolites, and for characterization of its metabolic profile in rat plasma. The blood samples were precipitated with methanol, quantified in a negative multiple reaction monitoring mode and analyzed within 6.0 min. Validation parameters (linearity, precision and accuracy, recovery and matrix effect, stability) were within acceptable ranges. After oral administration, NGR₁ exhibited dose‐independent exposure behaviors with t_1/2 over 8.0 h and oral bioavailability of 0.25–0.29%. A total of seven metabolites were characterized, including two pairs of epimers, 20(R)‐notoginsenoside R₂/20(S)‐notoginsenoside R₂ and 20(R)‐ginsenoside Rh₁/20(S)‐ginsenoside Rh₁, with the 20(R) form of saponins identified for the first time in rat plasma. Five deglycometabolites were quantitatively determined, among which 20(S)‐notoginsenoside R₂, ginsenoside Rg₁, ginsenoside F₁ and protopanaxatriol displayed relatively high exploration, which may partly explain the pharmacodynamic diversity of ginsenosides after oral dose.     

Enantioseparation of Aromatic β³-Amino acid by Precolumn Derivatization with o-Phthaldialdehyde and N-Isobutyryl-l-cysteine

In this study we describe the enantioseparation of aromatic β³-amino acids by precolumn derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde and N-isobutyryl-l-cysteine. Derivatization conditions were studied in detail for (R,S)-β-phenylalanine and (R,S)-β-tyrosine revealing a reaction time of 1 min and a molar ratio of the reagents β^³-amino acid to o-phthaldialdehyde to N-isobutyryl-l-cysteine of 1:25:25 as optimal. The method was validated for (R,S)-β-phenylalanine in a bacterial cell extract. The analysis provided excellent specificity and reproducibility. The limit of quantification was 25 pmol per 0.5 μL injection. The method could be successfully transferred to the enantioseparation of other β^³-amino acids. Enantioseparation of all studied compounds could be achieved in 4–11 min.

     

Validated Chiral LC Method for the Enantiomeric Separation of Palonosetron Hydrochloride

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the separation of palonosetron hydrochloride (PALO) and its (R,R)-enantiomer in bulk drug samples with an elution time of about 20 min. The chromatographic separation was carried out by normal phase chromatography using an immobilized cellulose based chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak-IC) with a mobile phase composed of n-hexane:ethanol:1,4 dioxane:trifluoroacetic acid:diethylamine (65:30:5:0.3:0.3, v/v) pumped at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. The resolution (R _s ) between the enantiomers was found to be greater than 3.0 and interestingly the (R,R)-enantiomer was eluted prior to the (S,S)-enantiomer (PALO) in the developed method. Mobile phase additives, trifluoroacetic acid and diethylamine played a key role in achieving chromatographic resolution between the enantiomers and also in enhancing chromatographic efficiency. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the (R,R)-enantiomer were found to be 0.03 and 0.1 μg respectively for 10 μL injection volume. The developed method shows excellent linearity (r ² > 0.999) over a range of LOQ to 0.3% for the (R,R)-enantiomer. The percentage recovery of the (R,R)-enantiomer in bulk drug samples ranged from 97.2 to 102.3 revealing good sensitivity of the developed method. Robustness studies were also carried out on the developed method.

     

Quality Evaluation of Angelica sinensis by Simultaneous Determination of Ten Compounds Using LC-PDA

A simple, rapid and valid analysis method for simultaneously determination of ten characteristic components, including six phthalides [(Z)-ligustilide, (Z)-butylidene phthalide, riligustilide, levistolide A, (3Z)-(3aR,6S,3′R,8′S)-3a.8′,6.3′-diligustilide and 3,9-dihydroxyl-ligustilide], three aromatic acids (o-phthalic acid, vanillic acid and ferulic acid) and one macrolide (brefeldin A), in the radix of Angelica sinensis, a valued traditional Chinese medicinal herb was developed by liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection. Riligustilide, levistolide A, (3Z)-(3aR,6S,3′R,8′S)-3a.8′,6.3′-diligustilide, 3,9-dihydroxyl-ligustilide and brefeldin A were first quantitatively determined in Angelica sinensis. Separation was performed on an Alltima C-18 analytical column by gradient elution with (A) 0.2% aqueous formic acid and (B) methanol as mobile phase. The column temperature was set at 25 °C. The method was validated for system suitability, precision accuracy and linearity. The average recovery of the method was 93.8–102.2% and linearity was (R ² > 0.998). Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of ten analytes in 46 samples of A. sinensis from various sources including different collecting locations, harvesting time, storage time, drying methods, and medicinal portions of the herb. The results obtained suggest that the method can efficiently evaluate the quality of A. sinensis from different sources, which benefit its quality control.     

Two new steroids with cytotoxicity from the marine sponge Dactylospongia elegans collected from the South China Sea

A new steroid, (3S,5R,9R,10S,13R,17R,20R,24S,22E)-ergosta-6,8,22-triene-3,25-diol (1), and its sulfonated analogue (2) together with a known one, 5α,8α-epidioxy-cholest-6-en-3β-ol (3) were isolated from the marine sponge Dactylospongia elegans collected from the South China Sea. The new structures including absolute configurations were established by the HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR analysis coupled with the X-ray crystal analysis. Both of 1 and 2 exhibited cytotoxicity against cancer cell line MCF-7 with IC₅₀ values of 9.7 and 8.5 μM, respectively.     

New lipoxygenase and cholinesterase inhibitory sphingolipids from Carthamus oxyacantha

Two new sphingolipids: oxyacanthin A [(2S,3S,4R)-2-{[(2R,5E)-2-hydroxyoctadec-5-enoyl]amino}hexaeicosane-1,3,4-triol; 1] and B [(2S,3S,4R)-2-{[(2R,5E)-2-hydroxyoctadec-5-enoyl]amino}hexaeicosane-1,3,4-triol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside; 2], together with 1-octacosanol, β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and luteolin 7-O-β-glucopyranoside were isolated from the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Carthamus oxyacantha. Their structures were elucidated using ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra and 2D NMR analyses (HMQC, HMBC and COSY) in combination with mass spectrometry (EI-MS, HR-EI-MS, FAB-MS and HR-FAB-MS) experiments and in comparison with the literature data of the related compounds. Both the compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory potential against lipoxygenase (LOX) in a concentration-dependent manner with IC₅₀ values 83.3 ± 1.3 and 245.7 ± 1.1 µM, whereas compound 2 showed inhibition against enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with IC₅₀ values 65.3 ± 0.1 and 93.6 ± 0.1 µM, respectively.     

Simultaneous quantification of 10 saponins in Chinese Shizhu Panax by UPLC-ESI-MS

A simple and rapid method was established and validated for the simultaneous quantification of 10 saponins, namely ginsenosides-Rb₁, Rb₂, Rb₃, Rc, Rd, Rg₁, Rg₂, Re, Rf and Notoginsenside R₁, in Chinese Shizhu Panax by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS). In addition, the contents of the analytes in different parts of Chinese Shizhu Panax were also analysed. The results showed that the concentration of saponins had a reference to the different parts of Chinese Shizhu Panax. The established method could be used as a new analytical approach for assessment of the quantity of Chinese Shizhu Panax.     

Synthesis of Dihydro- and Tetrahydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazines from the Reaction of Nitrilimines with 1-Substituted-1-methylhydrazine

Abstract

The reaction of nitrilimines (2) with 1-substituted-1-methylhydrazines (3–6) led to the formation of the respective amidrazones (7) when R = CH₃, Ph, and to the acyclic adducts (8,9) when R = CHO and COCH₃. The acyclic adducts underwent thermal oxidative cyclization at CH₃ to give the unexpected 1,2,4,5-tetrazines (10,11). Dihydro-l,2,4,5-tetrazines (12) were also seperated when R = CHO.     

A Validated LC Method for Determination of the Enantiomeric Purity of Darifenacin in Bulk Drug and Extended Release Tablets

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of enantiomeric purity of darifenacin [(S)-enantiomer] in bulk drugs and extended release tablets. Normal phase chromatographic separation was performed on an immobilized cellulose based chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak-IC) with n-hexane:ethanol:diethylamine (50:50:0.3, v/v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. The elution time was ~15 min. The resolution (R _s ) between the enantiomers was greater than four and interestingly the (R)-enantiomer was eluted prior to darifenacin in the developed method. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for the (R)-enantiomer were 0.02 μg and 0.07 μg, respectively, for a 10 μL injection volume. The method was extensively validated in terms of linearity, precision and accuracy and satisfactory results were obtained. Robustness studies were also conducted. The sample solution stability of darifenacin was determined and the compound was found to be stable for a study period of 48 h.

     

Enantioselective Extraction System Containing Binary Chiral Selectors and Chromatographic Enantioseparation Method for Determination of the Absolute Configuration of Enantiomers of Cyclopentolate

The distribution coefficients and enantioseparation of cyclopentolate were studied in an extraction system containing d-tartaric acid ditertbutyl ester in organic phase and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) in aqueous phase. Various parameters involved in the enantioseparation such as the type and the concentration of chiral selectors, pH value and a wide range of organic solvents were investigated. The maximum enantioselectivity (α = 2.13) and optimum distribution coefficients (K _R = 0.85, K _S = 0.40) were obtained under the following conditions: 0.10 mol/L HP-β-CD in aqueous phase and 0.20 mol/L d-tartaric acid ditertbutyl ester in decanol as organic phase. Cyclopentolate is present as a racemic mixture to the aqueous phase. The potentially different biological activities of cyclopentolate enantiomers have not been examined yet. Two chiral liquid chromatography methods have been developed for the direct separation of the enantiomers of cyclopentolate. First method was used for the quantification analysis of cyclopentolate enantiomers in aqueous phase. Second method used two chiroptical detectors: electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and optical rotation (OR) for the identification of individual cyclopentolate enantiomers from the organic phase enriched with (R)-enantiomer. The absolute stereochemistry was determined by means of the comparison of the experimental and computed ECD spectra and signs of OR. The ECD spectra of chiral analytes were measured on-line using HPLC-ECD technique.

     

Three ginkgolide hydrates from Ginkgo biloba L.: ginkgolide A monohydrate,ginkgolide C sesquihydrate and ginkgolide J dihydrate,all determined at 120 K

A low‐temperature structure of ginkgolide A monohydrate, (1R,3S,3aS,4R,6aR,7aR,7bR,8S,10aS,11aS)‐3‐(1,1‐dimethylethyl)‐hexa­hydro‐4,7b‐di­hydroxy‐8‐methyl‐9H‐1,7a‐epoxymethano‐1H,6aH‐cyclo­penta­[c]­furo­[2,3‐b]­furo­[3′,2′:3,4]­cyclopenta­[1,2‐d]­furan‐5,9,12(4H)‐trione monohydrate, C₂₀H₂₄O₉·H₂O, obtained from Mo Kα data, is a factor of three more precise than the previous room‐temperature determination. A refinement of the ginkgolide A monohydrate structure with Cu Kα data has allowed the assignment of the absolute configuration of the series of compounds. Ginkgolide C sesquihydrate, (1S,2R,3S,3aS,4R,6aR,7aR,7bR,8S,10aS,11S,11aR)‐3‐(1,1‐di­methyl­ethyl)‐hexa­hydro‐2,4,7b,11‐tetrahydroxy‐8‐methyl‐9H‐1,7a‐epoxy­methano‐1H,6aH‐cyclopenta­[c]­furo­[2,3‐b]­furo­[3′,2′:3,4]­cyclo­penta­[1,2‐d]­furan‐5,9,12(4H)‐trione sesquihydrate, C₂₀H₂₄O₁₁·1.5H₂O, has two independent diterpene mol­ecules, both of which exhibit intramolecular hydrogen bonding between OH groups. Ginkgolide J dihydrate, (1S,2R,3S,3aS,4R,6aR,7aR,7bR,8S,10aS,11aS)‐3‐(1,1‐di­methyl­ethyl)‐hexa­hydro‐2,4,7b‐tri­hydroxy‐8‐methyl‐9H‐1,7a‐epoxy­methano‐1H,6aH‐cyclo­penta­[c]­furo­[2,3‐b]furo[3′,2′:3,4]­cyclo­penta­[1,2‐d]­furan‐5,9,12(4H)‐trione dihydrate, C₂₀H₂₄O₁₀·2H₂O, has the same basic skeleton as the other ginkgolides, with its three OH groups having the same configurations as those in ginkgolide C. The conformations of the six five‐membered rings are quite similar across ­ginkgolides A–C and J, except for the A and F rings of ginkgolide A.     

Chromatography Modeling Software Applicability for Non-Conventional Columns: a Case Study of Calixarene- and Resorcinarene-Bonded Stationary Phases

In this study a systematic evaluation of the applicability of DryLab for calixarene- and resorcinarene-bonded stationary phases and some other relatively new reversed-phase columns with the presence of conventional alkyl-bonded phases was carried out. Calixarene- and resorcinarene-bonded stationary phases belong to the reversed-phase materials. However, depending on the analytes, they show some additional interactions, since their steric, polar and ionic properties are different compared to those of conventional alkyl-bonded phases. Three different mixtures of model analytes, consisting of alkyl substituted benzene derivatives, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid esters and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were used to verify the accuracy of DryLab prediction of retention times and to compare the results of 20 different liquid chromatographic phases. The type and the content of the organic modifier as well as the temperature and the gradient time were systematically changed using same conditions for all stationary phases. The results showed that the prediction on the calixarene- and resorcinarene-bonded stationary phases as well as on other reversed-phase columns is highly accurate in both isocratic and gradient modes. The predictions and real experiments were highly correlated with an average absolute error (∆t _R) of 0.027 min (<2 s) and an average percent absolute error (%∆t _R) of 0.38 on the calixarene- and resorcinarene-bonded stationary phases, and ∆t _R of 0.04 min (<3 s); %∆t _R of 0.51 on the other reversed-phase columns in this study. As a result, DryLab could be applied with very accurate predictions in method development using calixarene- and resorcinarene-bonded stationary phases, which were used as an example for “new” stationary phase materials.

     

Precursors to dodecahedrane

The title compounds, (2R,2′′S,3b′S,4a′R,7b′S,8a′R)‐per­hydro­di­spiro­[furan‐2,3′‐di­cyclo­penta­[a,e]­pentalene‐7′,2′′‐furan]‐5,5′′‐dione, C₂₀H₂₆O₄, and (3aR,3bR,4aR,4bS,5aS,8aR,8bR,9aR,9bS,10aS)‐per­hydro­dipentaleno­[2,1‐a:2′,1′‐e]­pentalene‐1,6‐dione, C₂₀H₂₆O₂, are intermediates identified during the synthesis of dodecahedrane. Crystallographic studies have established the ring‐junction stereochemistry for these important intermediates. All the ring junctions are cis‐fused, and the molecular packing is stabilized by van der Waals interactions.     

Hydro­gen‐bonded molecular ladders in trans‐1,2‐bis(2‐nitro­anilino)­cyclo­hexane

Crystals of the title compound, C₁₈H₂₀N₄O₄, contain equal numbers of (R,R) and (S,S) mol­ecules, but these are not precise enantiomorphs, neither are they related by crystallographic symmetry; in addition, each mol­ecule exhibits approximate, but not exact, twofold rotational symmetry. There are intramolecular N—H?O hydrogen bonds [N?O 2.609 (4)–2.638 (5) Å; N—H?O 125–132°] and the mol­ecules are linked into molecular ladders by C—H?O hydrogen bonds [C?O 3.306 (6)–3.386 (6) Å; C—H?O 146–160°].     

Cytotoxic oplopane sesquiterpenoids from Arnoglossum atriplicifolium

Pale Indian plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium (L.) H. Rob.) is a plant with traditional medicinal usage among the Cherokee Native American tribe for treating cancer. Two oplopane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from an extract of A. atriplicifolium from Western North Carolina. The compounds were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation using an MCF-7 breast tumour cell line assay. The known compound (1S,6R,7R,8R)-1-acetoxy-6,7-diangeloxy-8,10-epoxy-2-oxo-oplopa-3,14Z,11,12-dien-13-al (1) had an EC₅₀ value of 9.0 μM against MCF-7 cells, while the new compound (1S,3R,6R,7R,8R,11S)-1-acetoxy-6,7-diangeloxy-8,10,11,13-bisepoxyoplopan-2-one (2) had an EC₅₀ value of 96 μM. The compounds were characterised by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and by comparison with literature values in the case for 1. Based on NOESY analysis, a correction of the relative configuration for 1 is presented. The presence of these compounds may help to explain the folk remedy usage of this plant as an anticancer agent.     

Polar steroid derivatives from the Vietnamese starfish Astropecten polyacanthus

Five polar steroid derivatives, including one new glycosylated polyhydroxysteroid namely polyacanthoside A (1), were isolated from the water-soluble materials from the MeOH extract of the Vietnamese starfish Astropecten polyacanthus using various chromatographic separations. The structure elucidation was confirmed by spectroscopic experiments such as HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR. Among the isolated compounds, (20R,24S)-3β,6α,8,15β,24-pentahydroxy-5α-cholestane (3) showed significant cytotoxic effect against five human cancer cell lines as HepG2, KB, LNCaP, MCF7 and SK-Mel2 with the IC₅₀ values from 18.03 ± 2.63 to 21.59 ± 3.23 μM.