A sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of alisol A and alisol A 24-acetate from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alisma orientale</Emphasis> (Sam.) Juz. in rat plasma

A liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of alisol A and alisol A 24-acetate from Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juz. in rat plasma using diazepam as an internal standard. A 200-μl plasma sample was extracted by methyl tert-butyl ether and the separation was performed on Kromasil C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase of acetonitrile (containing 0.1% of formic acid)–water (73:27, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min in a run time of 10 min. The two analytes were monitored with positive electrospray ionization by selected ion monitoring mode. The lower limit of quantitation for both alisol A and alisol A 24-acetate were 10 ng/ml. The calibration curves were linear in the measured range 10–1,000 ng/ml for alisol A and 10–500 ng/ml for alisol A 24-acetate. The mean extraction recoveries were above 74.7% for alisol A and above 72.4% for alisol A 24-acetate from biological matrixes. The intra- and inter-day precision for all concentrations of quality controls was lower than 14.1% (RSD %) for each analyte. The accuracy ranged from −12.3% to 9.8% (RE %) for alisol A, and −8.6% to 14.2% (RE %) for alisol A 24-acetate. The method was successfully applied to the study on the pharmacokinetics of alisol A and alisol A 24-acetate in rat plasma.     

Stimulation quantification of four natural lipase inhibitors from Alismatis Rhizoma by high-performance thin-layer chromatography method

The lipase inhibitory activities of four main components from the rhizomes of Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juz. were evaluated by an in situ high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)‒bioautographic assay taking orlistat as control standard. The order of relative activity was alisol B 23-acetate > alisol B > alisol A > alisol C 23-acetate. With that, an accurate, efficient and sustainable HPTLC method was developed to simultaneously determine the four lipase inhibitors from the methanolic extracts of Alismatis Rhizoma (AR). The method was carried out on HPTLC glassed plates (20 × 10 cm) coated with silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ (0.2 mm thickness) using a mixture of cyclohexane and ethyl acetate (1:1, V/V) as the mobile phase. The R_F values found for alisol B 23-acetate, alisol C 23-acetate, alisol B and alisol A were 0.62, 0.42, 0.28 and 0.09, respectively. The method was validated for specificity, linear range, precision, stability, and recovery. The results determined by scanning densitometry showed no significant difference to the results obtained by HPLC. The developed method was verified to be trustworthy for the evaluation of quality markers in AR.

     

超声细胞粉碎萃取结合超高效液相色谱用于六味地黄丸的整体分析（英文）

针对中药复方制剂六味地黄丸的质量控制提出了一种多指标全药材整体分析新策略。从组成六味地黄丸的每一味药材中选取1~2个药效成分,即选取熟地黄中的毛蕊花糖苷、山茱萸中的莫诺苷和马钱苷、牡丹皮中的丹皮酚和芍药苷、山药中的尿囊素、茯苓中的茯苓酸、泽泻中的23-乙酰泽泻醇B作为六味地黄丸的质量控制指标成分,采用快速、简便、高效的超声细胞粉碎提取(UCGE)法对这8个指标成分进行同步提取。用响应曲面分析中的Box-Behnken模式对UCGE提取过程中对提取效率影响较大的料液比、提取时间和提取温度等参数进行了优化。得到最优的提取条件:料液比1∶45(g/mL)、提取时间40 min、提取温度20℃。进一步利用超高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测(UPLC-PAD)技术实现多指标成分在同一根色谱柱上的同步分离和检测,从而建立六味地黄丸的多指标全药材整体色谱。采用HSS T3色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm,1.8μm),以乙腈-水为流动相进行梯度洗脱,基于指标成分的紫外光谱特征选择5个检测波长同时检测,并进行了线性关系、检出限、定量限、精密度、稳定性、重复性、准确性等方法学验证。该研究为六味地黄丸质量标准的建立提供了依据,同时也为中药复方制剂提供了一种质量控制新模式和新理念。     

Geographic impact evaluation of the quality of Alismatis Rhizoma by untargeted metabolomics and quantitative assay

The geographic impact on the quality of Alismatis Rhizoma (derived from the tuber of Alisma orientale), a reputable diuretic traditional Chinese medicine, has seldom been evaluated. Here a metabolomics‐driven approach targeting the bioactive protostane triterpenes was developed, by incorporating UHPLC with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry‐based untargeted metabolite profiling and multiple reaction monitoring quantitative assay, to probe the triterpene differences between Alismatis Rhizoma samples collected from Sichuan, Fujian, and Jiangxi Provinces. Following the metabolomics workflows, the samples from Sichuan and Jiangxi displayed distinct differences in their triterpene profiles, whereas those from Fujian showed remarkable intra‐class variation. Twenty‐three triterpenes were identified to contribute most to the differentiated clustering. A sensitive, precise, repeatable, and accurate quantitative assay method was established on a hybrid triple quadrupole‐linear ion trap mass spectrometer to quantify the contents of eight triterpene compounds. Taking into account the metabolomics and quantitation results, alisol B 23‐acetate and alisol A are significantly different in Alismatis Rhizoma from Sichuan and Jiangxi Provinces, and they may have the potential for geographic discrimination. These results illustrate how geographic difference impacts the triterpene chemistry of Alismatis Rhizoma. Metabolomics‐driven chemical comparison is suitable for the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.     

Pharmacokinetics,hepatic disposition,and heart tissue distribution of 14 compounds in rat after oral administration of Qi-Li-Qiang-Xin capsule via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry

In the present study, a specific and sensitive approach using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of 14 constituents in rat plasma, liver, and heart. The method was fully validated and successfully applied to pharmacokinetic, hepatic disposition, and heart tissue distribution studies of 14 compounds after the oral administration of Qi-Li-Qiang-Xin capsule. Ginsenoside Rb1, alisol A, astragaloside IV, and periplocymarin were found to be highly exposed in rat plasma, while toxic components such as hypaconitine, mesaconitine, and periplocin had low circulation levels in vivo. Moreover, sinapine thiocyanate, neoline, formononetin, calycosin, and alisol A exhibited significant liver first-pass effects. Notably, high levels of alisol A, periplocymarin, benzoylmesaconine, and benzoylhypaconine were observed in the heart. Based on high exposure and appropriate pharmacokinetic features in the systemic plasma and heart, astragaloside IV, ginsenoside Rb1, periplocymarin, benzoylmesaconine, benzoylhypaconine, and alisol A can be considered as the main potentially effective components. Ultimately, the results provide relevant information for discovery of effective substances, as well as further anti-heart failure action mechanism investigations of Qi-Li-Qiang-Xin capsule.     

Capillary array electrophoresis for the research of asymmetric transformation reaction of L-proline to D-proline

One asymmetric transformation reaction of L-proline (L-Pro) to D-proline was studied by a home-made capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) for the first time. The aldehyde catalysts and the organic acid solvents for the asymmetric transformation reaction were rapidly screened and the enantiomeric excess values of the asymmetric product of L-Pro were directly obtained from the electrophoretogram of CAE.     

Aldehyde Oxidase Activity and Stability in Water-Miscible Organic Solvents

In this study, the catalytic activity of aldehyde oxidase was investigated in various water-miscible organic solvents for the first time. The enzyme was partially purified from rabbit liver, and its activity was determined in the absence/presence of nine hydro-organic mixtures. The effects of pH and temperature on the enzyme activity were also investigated. The activity was reduced in the presence of all nine organic solvents. However, in some cases, the residual activity remained almost unchanged throughout the incubation of enzyme at 35 °C for 24 h. Considering potential advantages of doing reactions in the presence of organic solvents, these results could be of value. The enzyme showed different behavior in the reaction solutions making it difficult to formulate results in a single comprehensive model. The results indicated that binding and cleavage of the substrate are influenced in the presence of organic solvents.     

Multiple Morphologies and Their Transformation of a Polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine) Block Copolymer

Summary: We report the multiple morphologies and their transformation of polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) in low‐alkanol solvents. In order to improve the solubility of polystyrene block in alcohol solvents, the solution of block copolymer sample was treated at a higher temperature, and then the influence of rate of decreasing temperature on multiple morphologies (including spheres, rods, vesicles, porous vesicles, large compound vesicles, and large compound micelles) was observed. The transformation of spheres to rods, to tyre‐shaped large compound micelles, and to sphere‐shaped large compound micelles was also realized. The formation mechanisms of the multiple morphologies and their transformation are discussed briefly.

Aggregates of PS‐P4VP formed in butanol by quenching from 110 °C to room temperature.     

Evaluation of the antiviral and antimicrobial activities of triterpenes isolated from Euphorbia segetalis

A phytochemical reinvestigation of the whole plant of Euphorbia segetalis yielded five tetracyclic triterpenes: 3beta-hydroxy-cycloart-25-en-24-one (1), cycloart-25-ene-3beta,24-diol (2), cycloart-23-ene-3beta,25-diol (3), lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-3beta-ol (4) and lanosta-7,9(11),24(31)-trien-3beta-ol (5). beta-acetoxy-cycloart-25-en-24-one (1a) and glutinol (6), lupenone (7), dammaranodienol (9), cycloartenol acetate (10), 24-methylenecycloartanol acetate (11) and beta-sitosterol (12), isolated previously, were evaluated for their antiviral activities against Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and African swine fever virus (ASFV). Lupenone exhibited strong viral plaque inhibitory effect against HSV-1 and HSV-2. The in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities of la, cycloart-23-ene-3beta,25-diol, 3-acetate (3a) and 6-12 were also investigated.     

Three New Cucurbitacins from Hemsleya lijiangensis

Three new cucurbitacins were isolated from the BuOH extract of the rhizomes of Hemsleya lijiangensis.Their structures were elucidated as 23,24-dihydro cucurbitacin F-16,25-diacetate(1),23,24-dihydro cucurbitacin F-16,25-diacetate-2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(2),23,24-dihydro-cucurbitacin F-16-acetate(3),resectively,by spectral analyses.     

Convenient preparative routes to 19-hydroxy, 19-oxo-, 19-oic-, and 19-nor-deoxycorticosterone

Practical synthetic routes to 19-hydroxy-, 19-OXO-, 19-oic-, and 19-nor-deoxy-corticosterone were developed. 19-Hydroxydeoxycorticosterone (11) and its 21-acetate 10 were first prepared by two routes via O-protected 19-oxygenated intermediates 6 and 17 starting from readily available pregnenolone acetate (1) and dehydroepiandrosterone acetate (12). The key step in the first route is the application of Henbest acetoxylation at C-21 to the enamine 7 derived from 6. The second route involves introduction of a hydroxyacetyl side chain at C-17 starting with base-catalyzed condensation of 17 with methoxyacetic ester. 19-Oxo- and 19-oic-deoxycorticosterone (23 and 25) and their 21-acetates 22 and 24 were obtained via chromium trioxide oxidation of 10 under different controlled conditions. Alkaline hydrolysis of 22 under decarbonylation led to 19-nor-deoxycorticosterone(26). Alternatively, a short-step synthesis of the latter steroid from estrone methyl ether (27) was achieved by utilizing the same procedure for construction of the corticoid side chain.     

O-季铵化-N-壳聚糖Schiff碱的合成及表征

对壳聚糖氨基和羟基进行化学改性,合成了水溶性双功能化壳聚糖衍生物O-季铵化-N-壳聚糖Schiff碱(O-HTCCS);用红外光谱表征了产物的结构;确定了O-HTCCS的最佳合成条件,并测定了其溶解性能.结果表明,合成O-HTCCS的最佳条件为:壳聚糖Schiff碱/缩水甘油三甲基氯化铵(GTMAc)摩尔比为1∶5;反应时间24 h;反应温度70℃.在最佳条件下合成O-HTCCS的产率为78.5%,季铵化度为89.7%.与此同时,O-HTCCS的水溶性随季铵化度的增大而提高,季铵化度达到70%以上能溶于水;且其在有机溶剂中的溶解性优于壳聚糖.     

Effects of first dimension eluent composition in two-dimensional liquid chromatography

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) has received a great deal of attention during the past few years because of its extraordinary resolving power. The biggest advantage of this technique is that very high peak capacities can be generated in a relatively short time. Numerous approaches to maximize the peak capacity in LC×LC have been employed. In this work we investigate the impact of the first dimension mobile phase on selectivity. LC×LC has several potential advantages over one-dimensional LC (1DLC) in that unconventional solvents, at least in reversed-phase LC, can be used. For example, solvents which strongly adsorb in the UV in the first dimension are not problematic in LC×LC. This so because the UV detector is placed after the second dimensional column, as pulses of the first dimension eluent arrive at the second dimensional column, they elute well before the solutes of interest and therefore do not interfere at all with detection of solute peaks. So far, the most widely used solvents in reversed-phase 1DLC are methanol and acetonitrile. However, the "UV advantage" of 2DLC allows us to employ UV active solvents, such as acetone. We compare their differential selectivities to that of acetonitrile for the separation of 23 indole acetic acids of interest in plant biology. We also apply them to the separation of a maize seed extract, a very complex sample. In both sample sets, mobile phase composition can be an important parameter to increase the orthogonality of the two dimensions and thus, to increase the effective peak capacity of LC×LC.     

Parallel microwave-assisted library of imidazothiazol-3-ones and imidazothiazin-4-ones

A methodology for the generation of a microwave-assisted parallel library and its conversion into a second library is described. A 24-membered library of substituted 4(5)-sulfanyl-1H-imidazoles was generated and subsequently converted into a second library of bicyclic imidazo[5,1-b]thiazol-3-ones and imidazo[5,1-b]thiazin-4-ones. The first library was generated using a three-component reaction and transformed into a daughter library with a polymer-supported coupling agent. The procedure involved the use of an array of expandable reaction vessels, which can accommodate pressure buildup due to microwave heating without loss of volatile solvents or reagents. Library generation time for each library was 16 min.     

Interaction of 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone with n-butylamine in halocarbon solvents

The rapid interaction between 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone (DClNQ) and n-butylamine results in the formation of 2N(n-butylamino)-3-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone as the final product. The reaction is found to proceed through the initial formation of charge-transfer (CT) complex as an intermediate. The final product of the reaction has been isolated and characterized using FTIR, H1 and C13 NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The rate of formation of product has been measured as a function of time in different halocarbon solvents, viz., chloroform, dichloromethane and 1:1 (v/v) mixture of two solvents. The pseudo first order and second order rate constants at various temperatures for the transformation process were evaluated from the absorbance time data. The activation parameters (E(a), DeltaS#, DeltaH#, and DeltaG#) were obtained from temperature dependence of rate constants. The influence of dielectric constant on the properties of reaction was discussed and the probable course of reaction is presented.     

Potential use of deep eutectic solvents to facilitate lignocellulosic biomass utilization and conversion

High reliance on crude oil for energy consumption results in the urgent need to explore and develop alternative renewable sources. One of the most promising routes is the transformation of biomass into biofuels and chemicals. The introduction of deep eutectic solvents in 2004 received a considerable amount of attention across different research fields, particularly in biomass processing. The effectiveness of deep eutectic solvents in breaking down the recalcitrant structure in biomass highlights its impact on the transformation of biomass into various value-added products. In addition, deep eutectic solvents are widely regarded as promising “green” solvents due to their low cost, low toxicity, and biodegradable properties. In this paper, some background information on lignocellulosic biomass and deep eutectic solvents is given. Furthermore, the roles of deep eutectic solvents in biomass processing are discussed, focusing on the impacts of deep eutectic solvents on the selectivity of chemical processes and dissolution of biomass. This review also highlights the advantages and limitations of deep eutectic solvents associated with their usage in biomass valorization.     

Lab in a syringe: fully automated dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with integrated spectrophotometric detection

A new approach for the integration of various analytical steps inside a syringe (Lab in a Syringe) is presented. Fully automated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with integrated spectrophotometric detection is carried out in-syringe using a very simple instrumental setup. The lighter-than-water organic droplets released in the extraction step accumulate at the head of the syringe, where two optical fibers are placed on both sides of the syringe, facing each other and enabling the in situ quantification of the extracted compounds. By this, monitoring of the progressively accumulating droplet in the head of the syringe was further possible. In this first report, the developed instrumental setup has been applied to the determination of the dye rhodamine B in water samples and soft drinks. The main parameters influencing the extraction such as the selection of the extractant and disperser solvents, extractant/disperser and organic/water phase ratios, pH of the aqueous phase, extraction flow rates, and extraction time were investigated. Under the selected conditions, rhodamine B was quantified in a working range of 0.023-2 mg L(-1) with a limit of detection of 0.007 mg L(-1). Good repeatability values of up to 3.2% (RSD) were obtained for ten consecutive extractions. The enrichment factor for a 1 mg L(-1) rhodamine B standard was 23, and up to 51 extractions were accomplished in 1 h.     

Self-assembly fibrillar network gels of simple surfactants in organic solvents

The self-assembled fibrillar network (SAFIN) organogels of a simple surfactant molecule, sodium laurate (C(11)H(23)COONa, SL), in organic solvents were investigated. The sol-gel transformation temperature depended on the SL concentration, the solvent, and the concentration of Na(+) was evaluated. An important finding is that Na(+) ions play an important role in forming organogels, which was regarded as the induction factor of gelation, but other cations, for instance, Li(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+), do not have this capability. The observations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) proved that the organogels were network structures with fibers and ribbons by trapping a certain amount of organic solvent. High-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) images indicated that each of the fibers or ribbons was composed of cylindrical micelles. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra demonstrated that SL molecules in gels behave similarly to those in SL crystals. The mechanism of organogel formation was elaborated to provide a better understanding of fibrous surfactant gels in organic solvents.     

Crystalline polymorphism and molecular structure of sodium pravastatin

In this work different crystallization processes of sodium pravastatin are explored and a new polymorph is obtained. The analytical results of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermal analysis for this new polymorph indicate that it is different from the polymorphs previously reported. This new crystal form shows different physical-chemical properties than the previous forms, such as crystallographic structure, thermal behavior, and melting point, 181.5 degrees C. Besides, all crystallization processes previously reported use an aprotic solvent as antisolvent. However, we propose a new crystallization process for sodium pravastatin that uses only protic solvents, overcoming industrial scaling and environmental problems. Variable-temperature PXRD experiments show a transformation between different crystal forms in the range of 80-120 degrees C. Solid-state 13C NMR, reported in this work for the first time, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) studies of some polymorphs show some differences in intermolecular interactions, especially with carboxylate and hydroxyl groups. Quantum mechanical calculations of the pravastatin molecule are also presented for the first time, obtaining a molecular structure similar to the experimental structure existing within the crystal lattice of the tert-octylamonium salt of pravastatin.