Pharmacokinetic effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on aconitine,benzoylaconine and aconine by UHPLC–MS/MS

Ginseng and aconite are well-known couplet medicinals. Ginsenoside Rg1 is the main active ingredient in ginseng, and aconitine (AC), benzoylaconine (BAC) and aconine (ACN) are three representative alkaloids in aconite, which belong to the diester alkaloids, monoester alkaloids and alkanolamine alkaloids respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on the three types of alkaloids and to provide evidences for their compatibility mechanism. In this study, the ginsenoside Rg1 was simultaneously intragastrically administered to rats with AC, BAC and ACN, respectively, and the rat plasma was collected at different time points. The plasma drug concentrations of the three types of alkaloids were determined by UHPLC–MS/MS, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The results indicated that the peak concentration and area under the concentration–time curve of BAC were significantly increased (P < 0.05), those for AC were decreased (P < 0.05), and the values for ACN did not change after pretreatment with ginsenoside Rg1. It was inferred that ginsenoside Rg1 may affect the absorption and metabolism of AC and BAC and then change their pharmacokinetic parameters. Subsequently, their absorption and metabolism were further investigated using the Caco-2 cell monolayer and rat liver microsomes in vitro. The Caco-2 cell monolayer absorption assay indicated that ginsenoside Rg1 could promote the absorption of AC and BAC, and the rat liver microsomes metabolism assay indicated that ginsenoside Rg1 accelerated the metabolism of AC and did not affect the other two alkaloids. All of the results indicated that ginsenoside Rg1 may reduce the toxicity of aconite and improve its efficacy by promoting the absorption of BAC and accelerating the metabolism of AC. These results could provide evidence for the compatibility mechanism of the traditional Chinese herbal formula Shenfu Decoction.     

Albumin-directed stereoselective reduction of 1,3-diketones and β-hydroxyketones to anti diols

The reduction of 1,3-diketones and β-hydroxyketones with NaBH(4) in aqueous acetonitrile is highly stereoselective in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of bovine or human albumin, giving anti 1,3-diols with d.e. up to 96%. The same reaction, without albumin, gives syn and anti 1,3-diols in approximately 1:1 ratio. The presence of an aromatic carbonyl group is essential for diastereoselectivity in the NaBH(4)/albumin reduction of both 1,3-diketones and β-hydroxyketones. Thus, 3-hydroxy-1-(p-tolyl)-1-butanone is stereoselectively reduced in the presence of albumin, while reduction of its isomer 4-(p-tolyl)-4-hydroxy-2-butanone is not stereoselective. The albumin-controlled reduction is not stereospecific as both enantiomers of 1-aryl-3-hydroxy-1-butanones are reduced to diols with identical stereoselectivities. Circular dichroism of the bound substrates confirms that aromatic ketones are recognized by the protein's IIA binding site. Binding studies also suggest that 1,3-diketones are recognized in their enol form. From the effect of pH on binding of a diketone it is concluded that, in the complex with the substrate, ionizable residues His242 and Lys199 are in the neutral and protonated forms, respectively. A homology model of BSA was obtained and docking of model substrates confirms the preference of the protein for aromatic ketones. Modelling of the complexes with the substrates also allows us to propose a mechanism for the reduction of 1,3-diketones in which the chemoselective reduction of the first (aliphatic) carbonyl is followed by the diastereoselective reduction of the second (aromatic) carbonyl. The role of albumin is thus a combination of chemo- and stereocontrol.     

Hydrolysis of Ammonia-pretreated Sugar Cane Bagasse with Cellulase, β-Glucosidase, and Hemicellulase Preparations

Sugar cane bagasse consists of hemicellulose (24%) and cellulose (38%), and bioconversion of both fractions to ethanol should be considered for a viable process. We have evaluated the hydrolysis of pretreated bagasse with combinations of cellulase, β-glucosidase, and hemicellulase. Ground bagasse was pretreated either by the AFEX process (2NH₃: 1 biomass, 100 °C, 30 min) or with NH₄OH (0.5 g NH₄OH of a 28% [v/v] per gram dry biomass; 160 °C, 60 min), and composition analysis showed that the glucan and xylan fractions remained largely intact. The enzyme activities of four commercial xylanase preparations and supernatants of four laboratory-grown fungi were determined and evaluated for their ability to boost xylan hydrolysis when added to cellulase and β-glucosidase (10 filter paper units [FPU]: 20 cellobiase units [CBU]/g glucan). At 1% glucan loading, the commercial enzyme preparations (added at 10% or 50% levels of total protein in the enzyme preparations) boosted xylan and glucan hydrolysis in both pretreated bagasse samples. Xylanase addition at 10% protein level also improved hydrolysis of xylan and glucan fractions up to 10% glucan loading (28% solids loading). Significant xylanase activity in enzyme cocktails appears to be required for improving hydrolysis of both glucan and xylan fractions of ammonia pretreated sugar cane bagasse.     

Theoretical Study of Rg·NO (Rg=He,Ne, Ar and Kr) Complexes

Rg·NO (Rg=He, Ne, Ar and Kr) complexes were studied using ab initio calculations. The neutral Rg·NO complex geometry and vibrational frequencies were calculated with the cc-pVDZ basis set at the CCSD(T) level of theory. The calculations show that the geometry of the Rg·NO complexes is a skewed T-shape with the Rg atom on the oxygen side of the NO molecule, and that the RgNO bond angle increases with mass. The dissociation energies (DE) and ionization energies (IE) of the neutral Rg·NO complexes, and the dissociation energies of Rg·NO+ ionic complexes were calculated using Gaussian-2 (G2) methods and a high accuracy energy model. The ionization energies of the neutral Rg·NO complexes range from 9.265 eV for He·NO to 9.132 eV for Kr·NO and the dissociation energies of Rg·NO+ range from 0.017 eV for He·NO+ to 0.156 eV for Kr·NO+, in line with the expectation based on the increasing polarizability of the Rg atom.     

Synthesis and 125Te NMR Spectroscopy of α-Tellurocarbonyl Compounds and Derivatives

The reaction of lithium alkyl-, alkenyl-, alkynyl-, and aryl tellurolates with α-bromocarobonlyl compounds in anhydrous tetrahydrofuan gives the title compounds in yields ranging from 55–92%. The ¹²⁵Te NMR chemical shift range for these compounds is 405–1024 ppm.     

GC–MS analysis and anti–microbial activity of Prunella vulgaris L. extracts

In this study, the chemical composition of the methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Prunella vulgaris L. were investigated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method. 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde (15.70%), linolenic acid (45.50%) and icosane (16.24%) were found to be the most abundant in methanol, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts, respectively. Following the determination of chemical components of the Prunella vulgaris L. extracts, their anti–microbial activities against certain human pathogenic bacteria were tested and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined. While some extracts of Prunella vulgaris L. show anti–microbial activity well above the standards (penicillin and tetracycline), it was determined that in general all the extracts showed good anti–microbial activity against these pathogenic bacteria.     

Kinetic Method for the Determination of α‐Methyldopa in Pharmaceutical Preparations: Analytical Procedure and Reaction Mechanism Considerations

Abstract

A reliable and very simple kinetic method is proposed for the determination of α‐methyldopa in pharmaceutical preparations. It is based of the oxidation of α‐methyldopa, a catechol derivative, to quinone, by the ferric ion in the presence of salicylic acid and HCl. The deep blue complex formed between iron(III) and salicylate (λ_max 525 nm) allows the reaction to be watched as absorbance decreases with the reduction of the ferric ions to ferrous with the consequent dissociation of the complex. Four pharmaceutical preparations were analyzed and the results were compared with those obtained with the spectrophotometric United States Pharmacopeia method. The statistical t‐Student and the F‐tests were applied to compare the results obtained with the two independent methods. In all cases complete agreement, in terms of accuracy and precision, was observed with a confidence level of 95% (α=0.05). Considering the four samples analyzed, using the proposed method, and five determinations for each sample, the observed mean relative standard deviation (RSD) is about 0.8%. The concentration range studied was from about 2×10^?4 mol L^?1 to 18×10^?4 mol L^?1 (about 40 µg/mL to 360 µg/mL) in the final solution and it is quite adequate for the analytical procedure at 25.0±0.1°C. A typical coefficient of determination, r², of the calibration curve, is 0.9994. For the kinetic pseudo first order curves a typical observed r² is 0.99998. The Arrhenius activation energy was found to be 84.2±3.4 kJ mol^?1. A schematic mechanism of the reaction is proposed.     

Spectroscopy and dissociation of I<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Rg (Rg = Kr and Xe) van der Waals complexes

The spectroscopy and dissociation of I₂–Rg (Rg = Kr and Xe) van der Waals complexes have been studied in detail using MP2 and CCSD(T) methods in conjunction with the correlation-consistent triple-ζ and quadruple-ζ quality basis sets. The large-core Stuttgart–Dresden–Bonn (SDB) relativistic pseudopotential is used for all heavy elements. The dissociation energy and depth of the potential well have been calculated using potential method and supermolecular approach in order to remove the discrepancy among the existing theoretical and experimental values. Most of the spectroscopic properties are first reported, and the rest agree very well with the theoretical and experimental values wherever available.     

Determination of Phytomarkers in Pharmaceutical Preparations of Hemidesmus indicus Roots by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography was applied to the determination of the major phytomarkers, namely 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid, and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, of Hemidesmus indicus root, an Indian medicinal plant. H. indicus bioactive preparations were analyzed by reverse flow micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using sodium taurodeoxycholate as the surfactant. A pH 2.5 phosphate buffer (50 mM) was supplemented with 65 mM of sodium taurodeoxycholate to produce the MEKC pseudostationary phase; because of the suppression of the electroosmotic flow, the migration of the partitioned analytes was toward the capillary anodic end. The use of a short fused-silica capillary (8.5 cm effective length; 50 μm i.d.) allowed the separation of phytomarkers, including vanillin and salicylaldehyde (reported as additional metabolites of H. indicus roots), in less than 8 min. The method showed good validation parameters and was applied to the analysis of methanol extracts and a root decoction of H. indicus, a promising botanical drug. The obtained results were compared to those from an independent high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method. The 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid, and 3-hydroxy 4-methoxybenzaldehyde were found in all samples confirming their roles as phytomarkers. The absence of vanillin and salicylaldehyde suggested that these latter compounds should not be regarded as characteristic components of the bioactive preparations from the plant roots.     

Preparation and Characterization of Biodegradable Polylactide（PLA） Microspheres Encapsulating Ginsenoside Rg3

In this study, the process of a biodegradable polylactide（PLA） microsphere encapsulating ginsenoside Rg3 was first studied by the emulsion solvent evaporation method, for enhancing solubility and stability of ginsenoside Rg3. Alabum was also first used as a modifier in this method. The mean diameter of the prepared PLA microspheres containing Rg3 was 40 μm. Ginsenoside Rg3 released from the microspheres was studied by HPLC and detected by UV. It was found that the drug release curve fitted the Model Heller-Baker best.     

UV–Second Derivative Spectrophotometric and Colorimetric Methods for the Determination,Validation and Thermogravimetric Analysis of New Oral Antidiabetic Pioglitazone in Pure and Pharmaceutical Preparations

Abstract

Three rapid, sensitive, and simple spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of pioglitazone in pure and pharmaceutical preparations.

For the first method, UV-spectrophotometry, standard solutions were measured at 270.2 nm. The first method was linear from 5.0–20.0 µgmL^?1. The linearity was found to be 5.0–20.0 µgmL^?1. For the second method, the distances between two extremum values (peak-to-peak amplitudes), 272.0 and 287.4 nm were measured in the second order derivative-spectra of standard solutions. Calibration curves were constructed by plotting d² A/dλ² values against concentrations, 2.0–12.0 µgmL^?1 of pioglitazone standards in acetonitrile. The detection limits of pioglitazone were 0.10 and 0.16 µgmL^?1 for UV and derivative spectrophotometric methods, respectively. The third method was based on the formation of an ion association complex with bromocresol green (BCG), bromocresol purple (BCP), bromophenol blue (BPB), and bromothymol blue (BTB). The assay was linear over the concentration range of 20.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BCG, 10.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BCP, 20.0–120.0 µgmL^?1 for BPB, and 10.0–100.0 µgmL^?1 for BTB. The detection limits of pioglitazone was found to be 0.14 µg mL^?1 for BCG, 0.32 for BCP, 1.24 µgmL^?1 for BPB, and 0.22 µgmL^?1 for BTB. The thermal analysis of the pioglitazone was studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis-Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA-DSC) techniques. Enthalpy change of pioglitazone was found to be 85.16 J/g. The proposed methods were validated according to the ICH guidelines (1996) with respect to specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The results demonstrated that the procedure is accurate, precise, specific, and reproducible (percent relative standard deviation <2%), while being simple and less time consuming. The three proposed methods have been successfully applied to the assay of pioglitazone in pure and in pharmaceutical preparations. The results compared with those obtained by an ultraviolet spectrophotometric method using t and F tests.     

Simultaneous Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Paracetamol and Caffeine in Pharmaceutical Preparations in Solid‐Phase Using Partial Least Squares Multivariate Calibration

Abstract

Partial least‐squares algorithm (PLS)‐1 was used for the solid‐phase spectrofluorimetric determination of paracetamol (PA) and caffeine (CF) in pharmaceutical formulations. In despite of the closely overlapping spectral bands, the method allows the simultaneous quantification and sample preparation prior to analysis is not required. The calibration set consisted of 96 samples with 100–400 mg/g^?1 PA plus 10–65 mg/g^?1 CF; another set of 25 samples was used for external validation. Agreement between predicted and experimental concentrations was fair (r=0.993 and 0.964 for PA and CF models). Prediction performance was evaluated in terms of the coefficient of variability (CV), relative predictive determination (RPD), and ratio error range (RER). The PLS‐1 model was used for the determination of PA and CF in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Determination of ginsenoside Rh3 in rat plasma by LC–MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Ginsenoside Rh3 (GRh3) is a bacterial metabolite of ginsenoside Rg5, which is the main component of hot-processed ginseng. A simple, efficient and sensitive method was developed and validated for the determination of GRh3 in rat plasma by LC–tandem mass spectrometry. After protein precipitation with methanol/acetonitrile (1:1, vol/vol) using propranolol as the internal standard, the target analytes were separated on an XDB C₁₈ column, with methanol containing 0.1% formic acid and water containing 0.1% formic acid used as mobile phases for gradient elution. Mass spectrometry was performed in electrospray ion source–positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 622.5 → 425.5 and m/z 260.1 → 116.1 for GRh3 and internal standard, respectively. The concentration range of GRh3 was 20–20,000 ng/mL and the correlation coefficient (r²) was greater than 0.99. The accuracy error and relative standard deviation were below 15%. The extraction recovery and matrix effect were 74.2% to 78.7% and 96.9% to 108.4%, respectively. Under different conditions, GRh3 was stable in the range of 1.8%–8.7%. This method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of GRh3 with an oral dose of 10.0 mg/kg and an intravenous dose of 2.0 mg/kg in rats, respectively. The absolute bioavailability of GRh3 was 37.6%.     

Theoretical study of spectroscopy,interaction, and dissociation of linear and T-shaped isomers of RgClF (Rg = He,Ne, and Ar) van der Waals complexes

Spectroscopy, interaction energy, and dissociation of linear and T-shaped isomers of HeClF, NeClF, and ArClF van der Waals complexes in their ground state have been studied in detail using MP2 and CCSD(T) methods in conjunction with correlation consistent valence triple and quadruple zeta basis sets. A method, called potential method, has been developed to remove the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental values for the depth of the potential well and dissociation energies for these complexes. This is also supported by the supermolecular approach. Most of the structural and spectroscopic properties of these complexes are first reported and the rest agree very well with the experimental and theoretical values wherever available. Two local minima corresponding to linear and asymmetric T-shaped are found for RgClF complexes. For NeClF complex, the predicted values for the equilibrium bond length and well depth are R _NeCl = 3.096 Å and \( D_{\text{e}}^{\text{p}} \) = 161.50 cm^?1 for the linear isomer and R _NeCl = 3.503 Å and \( D_{\text{e}}^{\text{p}} \) = 126.10 cm^?1 for the T-shaped isomer. Various dissociation channels are also investigated in detail.     

Thermodynamics of protonation of AMP,ADP, and ATP from 50 to 125°C

The interaction of adenosine 5-monophosphate (AMP), adenosine 5-diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) ions with protons in aqueous solution has been studied calorimetrically from 50 to 125°C and 1.52 MPa. At each temperature, the reaction of acidic AMP with tetramethylammonium hydroxide was combined with the heat of ionization for water to obtain the enthalpy of protonation of AMP, while the reactions of HCl with deprotonated tetramethylammonium salts of ADP and ATP were used to obtain the enthalpies of protonation of ADP and ATP. Equilibrium constant K, enthalpy change H^o, entropy change S^o, and heat capacity change C _p ^o values were calculated for the stepwise protonation reactions as a function of temperature. The reactions involving the first protonation of AMP, ADP, and ATP and the third protonation of ADP and ATP were endothermic over the temperature range studied, while that involving the second protonation is exothermic for AMP and ADP, but is exothermic below 100°C and endothermic at 125°C in the case of ATP. Consequently, log K values for the first and third protonation reactions (phosphate groups) increase while those for the second protonation reaction (N₁-adenine) decrease in the cases of AMP and ADP and go through a minimum in the case of ATP as temperature increases. The H^o values for all protonation reactions increase with temperature. The magnitude and the trend for the H^o, S^o, and C _p ^o values with temperature are discussed in terms of solvent-solute interactions. The magnitude of the C _p ^o values for the second protonation is consistent with little interaction between the phosphate ion and the protonated N₁ site of the adenine moiety in AMP, but indicates moderate interaction between these groups in ADP, and strong interaction in ATP.     

Simultaneous Determination of Mepyramine Maleate,Lidocaine Hydrochloride,and Dexpanthenol in Pharmaceutical Preparations by Partial Least‐Squares Multivariate Calibration

Abstract

A partial least‐squares calibration (PLS) method has been developed for simultaneous quantitative determination of mepyramine maleate (MAM), lidocaine hydrochloride (LIH), and dexpanthenol (DPA) in pharmaceutical preparations. The resolution of these mixtures has been accomplished by using partial least‐squares (PLS‐2) regression analysis of electronic absorption spectral data without prior separation or derivatization. The experimental calibration matrix was constructed with 27 samples. The concentration ranges considered were 2, 3, 4 µg mL^?1 for MAM, 2, 3, 4 µg mL^?1 for LIH, and 8, 10, 12 µg mL^?1 for DPA. The absorbances were recorded between 190 and 340 nm every 5 nm. The results show that PLS‐2 is a simple, rapid, and accurate method applied to the determination of these compounds in pharmaceuticals.