Screening of antioxidant phenolic compounds in Chinese Rhubarb combining fast counter‐current chromatography fractionation and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis

In this paper, an effective method combing fast elution‐extrusion counter‐current chromatography (CCC) and LC/MS for rapid screening of antioxidative phenolic compounds in Chinese Rhubarb is presented. An integrated three‐coil CCC column (40 mL each coil) was used to accomplish the optimization of biphasic liquid system. In a single run (approximately 40 min), the solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:1:1:1, v/v) was selected as optimum CCC liquid system for fast fractionation of the crude ethanol extract. With a 140 mL‐capacity CCC instrument, 100 mg Chinese Rhubarb extract was separated under the optimized conditions, producing six fractions in only 100 min. The quantities of each fraction were ～15 mg. In addition, each fraction was subjected to antioxidant activity assay and characterized by LC/MS analysis. Fifty compounds, including phenolic acids, phenolic glucosides and hydroxyanthraquinones, were detected by LC/MS/MS analysis. As a result, gallic acid together with Fr I showed excellent antioxidant activity, which was well consistent with previous studies and exhibited great potential for natural drug discovery program of the present method.     

Phenolics,Antioxidant Potentials,and Antimicrobial Activities of Six Wild Boletaceae Mushrooms

Since mushrooms are important sources of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, their identification and quantification were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography resulting in total concentrations between 2.9161?±?0.0829?mg/kg (Boletus fechtneri) and 51.4480?±?1.0333?mg/kg (Boletus appendiculatus). The antioxidant properties of methanol extracts and corresponding hydrolysates were estimated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), total reducing power, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic content assays. The Xerocomus badius methanol extract showed the highest antioxidant potential, while among hydrolysates, the highest antioxidant potential was observed for Xerocomellus chrysenteron. The antimicrobial activities of methanol extracts of studied mushrooms against pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains were measured and the highest values were obtained for B. fechtneri and B. appendiculatus extracts against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Principal component analyses and agglomerative hierarchical clustering were used to display the correlation between the parameters and their relationships with the mushroom species.     

Separation of phenolic acids from sugarcane rind by online solid‐phase extraction with high‐speed counter‐current chromatography

Sugarcane rind contains some functional phenolic acids. The separation of these compounds from sugarcane rind is able to realize the integrated utilization of the crop and reduce environment pollution. In this paper, a novel protocol based on interfacing online solid‐phase extraction with high‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC) was established, aiming at improving and simplifying the process of phenolic acids separation from sugarcane rind. The conditions of online solid‐phase extraction with HSCCC involving solvent system, flow rate of mobile phase as well as saturated extent of absorption of solid‐phase extraction were optimized to improve extraction efficiency and reduce separation time. The separation of phenolic acids was performed with a two‐phase solvent system composed of butanol/acetic acid/water at a volume ratio of 4:1:5, and the developed online solid‐phase extraction with HSCCC method was validated and successfully applied for sugarcane rind, and three phenolic acids including 6.73 mg of gallic acid, 10.85 mg of p‐coumaric acid, and 2.78 mg of ferulic acid with purities of 60.2, 95.4, and 84%, respectively, were obtained from 150 mg sugarcane rind crude extracts. In addition, the three different elution methods of phenolic acids purification including HSCCC, elution–extrusion counter‐current chromatography and back‐extrusion counter‐current chromatography were compared.     

Antioxidant activity guided separation of major polyphenols of marjoram (Origanum majorana L.) using flash chromatography and their identification by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry†

Marjoram extracts have been separated into polar and nonpolar parts using liquid–liquid extraction. Both polar and nonpolar parts of the extracts were further fractionated by flash chromatography. The obtained fractions (90 polar and 45 nonpolar fractions) were investigated for their antioxidant activities by 2,2‐diphenylpicrylhydrazyl and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power assays. A direct, positive, and linear relationship between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the fractions was observed. Based on antioxidant and total phenolic content data, the three fractions with the high antioxidant activities from polar and nonpolar part of the extract were analyzed for their constituent polyphenols by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Compounds were identified by matching the mass spectral data and retention time with those of authentic standards. Identification of the compounds for which there were no “in‐house” standards available was carried out by accurate mass measurement of the precursor ions and product ions generated from collision‐induced dissociation. Rosmarinic acid was found to be the strongest antioxidant polyphenol conferring the highest antioxidant activity to fractions 47 and 17 of polar and nonpolar part of the extract, respectively. The identification of the rosmarinic acid was further confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy.     

Evaluation of antioxidative capability of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) skin constituents by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

In the current study, phenolic compounds of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) skin extract were separated and their composition was determined by capillary electrophoresis and tandem high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS). Both the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were determined. The antioxidative capability of the extract was measured using a stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The monitoring of the radical scavenging capability of specific phenolic compounds was carried out both by capillary electrophoresis and HPLC-MS/MS.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents in Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection and quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry

Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicinal preparation, which has been used to treat the common cold in China. In this study, a systematic method was established for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents in Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet. First, a method of high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection and quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was developed for identification of the multi‐constituents. Thirty‐one compounds including ten phenolic acids, 18 flavonoids, and three iridoid glycosides were clearly identified by comparison with the reference standards, and 11 compounds were deduced by comparison with the literature data. Second, a new quantitative analysis method of Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet was established by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection. Twelve compounds, either with high contents or strong bioactivities, were chosen as marker components. This analytical method was validated through intra‐ and interday precision, repeatability, and stability, with respective relative standard deviations less than 1.74, 2.54, 2.44, and 2.48%. The limits of detection and quantification were less than 0.327 and 0.881 μg/mL, respectively. The overall recoveries ranged from 97.04–102.76% (relative standard deviation ≤ 2.91%). Then this validated method was applied to determine ten batches of Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet. The results indicated that these new approaches can be applicable for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Jin‐Mu‐Gan‐Mao tablet.     

Using sheath‐liquid reagents for capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry: Application to the analysis of phenolic plant extracts

The combination of CE and MS is now a widely used tool that can provide a combination of high resolution separations with detailed structural information. Recently, we highlighted the benefits of an approach to add further functionality to this well‐established hyphenated technique, namely the possibility to perform chemical reactions within the sheath‐liquid of the CE‐MS interface 1 . Apart from using hydrogen/deuterium exchange for online determination of numbers of exchangeable protons, the addition of DPPH? (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) to the sheath‐liquid can be used as a fast screening tool for studying antioxidant characteristics of individual components. Such a CE‐MS methodology allows rapid and information‐rich analysis with minimal reagent and sample consumption to be performed. In the present work, we demonstrate the applicability of this approach for the characterization of phenolic plant extracts from the Labiatae family, namely Rosmarinus officinalis and Melissa officinalis. Using the described approach, a wide range of compounds (15 and 13 phenolic compounds, respectively) could be confidently identified using a combination of high resolution CE‐MS separations with implementation of online deuterium exchange and DPPH? reactions. These compounds included polyphenols, phenolic acids, and triterpene acids. In conjunction with online MS/MS experiments, extensive structural information for aglyconic and glycosylated antioxidants present in the extracts could be obtained using simple experimental changes, which can be carried out prior to the purchasing of expensive chemical standards or the time‐consuming preparative isolation of individual compounds.     

Development of a method to screen and isolate bioactive constituents from Stellera chamaejasme by ultrafiltration and liquid chromatography combined with semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐speed counter current chromatography

A simple and efficient method based on ultrafiltration with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was used for the rapid screening and identification of ligands in the extracts of Stellera chamaejasme. The bound ligands, i.e. daphnoretin, isopimpinellin, chamaechromone, neochamaejasmin A, and chamaejasmine (purity of 96.8, 90.75, 91.41, 93.98, and 98.91%, respectively), were separated by semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with high‐speed counter‐current chromatography. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the detection of potent lipoxidase and lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors in Stellera chamaejasme extracts. The results demonstrate that our method of ultrafiltration with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry combined with mixed chromatography can be used to screen and confirm the bioactivity of all isolated compounds. This method also eliminates the need for separation of inactive compounds, thereby improving efficiency when studying bioactive substances. For some complex mixtures, neither semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography nor high‐speed counter‐current chromatography can purify all the target active compounds with high purity in a one‐step separation. The combination of the two methods allow for efficient purification of target bioactive compounds with different polarities and physicochemical properties based on their complementary properties.     

Determination of Phenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Ximenia parviflora Benth. var. parviflora (Olacaceae) Fruit by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection

The total phenolic and flavonoid content, phenolic composition, and in vitro antioxidant capacity of ethanolic extracts of Ximenia parviflora Benth. var. parviflora fruits collected at Zinaparo, Michoacan (in central Mexico) were determined. Fruit extracts present a high scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis[3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid] radicals (71.49?±?0.11% and 85.00?±?1.29% inhibition, respectively). The four phenolic compounds identified in fruit extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection were gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and quercetin. X. parviflora fruits may be used as a starting material for the extraction of high value antioxidant phenolic compounds with potential applications in the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries.     

Isolation and purification of two antioxidant isomers of resveratrol dimer from the wine grape by counter‐current chromatography

Resveratrol dimers belong to a group of compounds called stilbenes, which along with proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, catechins, and flavonols are natural phenolic compounds found in grapes and red wine. Stilbenes have a variety of structural isomers, all of which exhibit various biological properties. Counter‐current chromatography with a two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (2:5:4:5, v/v/v/v) was applied to isolate and purify stilbene from the stems of wine grape. Two isomers of resveratrol dimers trans‐ε‐viniferin and trans‐δ‐viniferin were obtained from the crude sample in a one‐step separation, with purities of 93.2 and 97.5%, respectively, as determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The structures of these two compounds were identified by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. In addition, their antioxidant activities were assessed by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The antioxidant activities of trans‐δ‐viniferin were higher than that of trans‐ε‐viniferin in this model. This work demonstrated that counter‐current chromatography is a powerful and effective method for the isolation and purification of polyphenols from wine grape. Additionally, the DPPH radical assay showed that the isolated component trans‐δ‐viniferin exhibited stronger antioxidant activities than trans‐ε‐viniferin and a little bit weaker than vitamin E at the same concentration.     

Screening and isolation of cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors from Trifolium pratense L. via ultrafiltration,enzyme‐immobilized magnetic beads,semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐speed counter‐current chromatography

Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs reportedly reduce the risk of developing cancer. One mechanism by which they reduce carcinogenesis involves the inhibition of the activity of cyclooxygenase‐2, an enzyme that is overexpressed in various cancer tissues. Its overexpression increases cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis. However, selected cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors can also act through cyclooxygenase‐independent mechanisms. In this study, using ultrafiltration, enzyme‐immobilized magnetic beads, high‐performance liquid chromatography, and electrospray‐ionization mass spectrometry, several isoflavonoids in Trifolium pratense L. extracts were screened and identified. Semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐speed counter‐current chromatography were then applied to separate the active constituents. Using these methods, seven major compounds were identified in Trifolium pratense L. As cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors: rothindin, ononin, daidzein, trifoside, pseudobaptigenin, formononetin, and biochanin A, which were then isolated with >92% purity. This is the first report of the presence of potent cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors in Trifolium pratense L. extracts. The results of this study demonstrate that the systematic isolation of bioactive components from Trifolium pratense L., by using ultrafiltration, enzyme‐immobilized magnetic beads, semi‐preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography, and high‐speed counter‐current chromatography, represents a feasible and efficient technique that could be extended for the identification and isolation of other enzyme inhibitors.     

Analysis of phenolic choline esters from seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus by capillary liquid chromatography/electrospray‐ tandem mass spectrometry

Total phenolic choline ester fractions prepared from seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus were analyzed by capillary LC/ESI‐QTOF‐MS and direct infusion ESI‐FTICR‐MS. In addition to the dominating sinapoylcholine, 30 phenolic choline esters could be identified based on accurate mass measurements, interpretation of collision‐induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra, and synthesis of selected representatives. The compounds identified so far include substituted hydroxycinnamoyl‐ and hydroxybenzoylcholines, respective monohexosides as well as oxidative coupling products of phenolic choline esters and monolignols. Phenolic choline esters are well separable by reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and sensitively detectable using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in positive ion mode. CID mass spectra obtained from molecular ions facilitate the characterization of both the type and substitution pattern of such compounds. Therefore, LC/ESI‐MS/MS represents a valuable tool for comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of this compound class. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid screening,identification, and purification of neuraminidase inhibitors from Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb.et Zucc. by ultrafiltration with HPLC–ESI‐TOF‐MS combined with semipreparative HPLC

We put forward an efficient strategy based on bioassay guidance for the rapid screening, identification, and purification of the neuraminidase inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines, and apply to the discovery of anti‐influenza components from Lithospermiun erythrorhizon Sieb.et Zucc. Ultrafiltration with high‐performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was employed for the rapid screening and preliminarily identification of anti‐influenza components from Zicao. Semipreparative high‐performance liquid chromatography was used for the rapid separation and purification of the target compounds. NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy were used for further structural identification, and the activity of the compounds was verified by in vitro assay. Five compounds were found to have neuraminidase inhibitory activity by this method. Subsequently, the five compounds were separated by semipreparative high‐performance liquid chromatography with the purity over 98% for all of them by high‐performance liquid chromatography test. Combined with the NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy data, they were identified as alkannin, acetylalkannin, isobutyrylalkannin, β,β‐dimethylacryloylalkannin and isovalerylalkannin. The in vitro assay showed that all five compounds had good neuraminidase inhibitory activities. These results suggested that the method is highly efficient, and it can provide platform and methodology supports for the rapid discovery of anti‐influenza active ingredients from complex Chinese herbal medicines.     

Simultaneous determination of caffeine,paracetamol, and ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection and by capillary electrophoresis with conductivity detection

Paracetamol, caffeine and ibuprofen are found in over‐the‐counter pharmaceutical formulations. In this work, we propose two new methods for simultaneous determination of paracetamol, caffeine and ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations. One method is based on high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection and the other on capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. The separation by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection was achieved on a C₁₈ column (250×4.6 mm², 5 μm) with a gradient mobile phase comprising 20–100% acetonitrile in 40 mmol L^?1 phosphate buffer pH 7.0. The separation by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was achieved on a fused‐silica capillary (40 cm length, 50 μm i.d.) using 10 mmol L^?1 3,4‐dimethoxycinnamate and 10 mmol L^?1 β‐alanine with pH adjustment to 10.4 with lithium hydroxide as background electrolyte. The determination of all three pharmaceuticals was carried out in 9.6 min by liquid chromatography and in 2.2 min by capillary electrophoresis. Detection limits for caffeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen were 4.4, 0.7, and 3.4 μmol L^?1 by liquid chromatography and 39, 32, and 49 μmol L^?1 by capillary electrophoresis, respectively. Recovery values for spiked samples were between 92–107% for both proposed methods.     

Characterization of the chemical constituents in Da‐Huang‐Gan‐Cao‐Tang by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry

In this work, the chemical constituents in Da‐Huang‐Gan‐Cao‐Tang, a traditional Chinese formula, were studied by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry for the first time. Among the 146 compounds detected in Da‐Huang‐Gan‐Cao‐Tang, 104 compounds were identified unambiguously or tentatively based on their accurate molecular weight and multistage MS data, including one potential novel compound and two reported in Glycyrrhiza genus for the first time. The possible fragmentation pathways were proposed and fragmentation rules of the major types of compounds were concluded. This study provided an example to facilitate the tedious identification of chemical composition in traditional Chinese medicine, and maybe a promising reference approach to research the analogous formulae.     

Single‐step isolation of embelin using high‐performance countercurrent chromatography and determination of the fatty acid composition of seeds of Embelia schimperi

Embelin (2,5‐dihydroxy‐3‐undecyl‐p ‐benzoquinone) is known for its potent anthelmintic activity, but also for wound‐healing, antidiabetic, anticonvulsant, antitumour, anti‐inflammatory, analgesic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antibacterial and antispermatogenic activities. A high‐performance countercurrent chromatography method was developed for the purification of embelin from an extract of the seeds of Embelia schimperi fruit. The optimized solvent system (n ‐hexane–ethylacetate–ethanol–water, 7:3:7:3) resulted in the isolation of 13.9 mg of embelin, directly from 100 mg of crude extract, in a single step within a short time (40 min). Although the compound appeared to be completely pure when analysed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with photo diode array detection, the purity was established as ~90% by UPLC–mass spectrometry. Furthermore, we report the fatty acid composition of the seeds of E. schimperi fruit. Nine fatty acids were quantified from the fruit seed extract by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, with linoleic (46.4%), palmitic (21.5%) and oleic (19.6%) acids making up the largest proportions.     

Characterization of antioxidant phenolics in Syringa vulgaris L. flowers and fruits by HPLC‐DAD‐ESI‐MS

In this study the polyphenolic composition of lilac flowers and fruits was determined for the first time. For the identification of compounds, accurate molecular masses and formulas, acquired by LC and ESI‐TOF‐MS and fragmentation pattern given by LC‐ESI/MS/MS analyses, were used. Our chromatographic system in conjunction with tandem MS was found to be valuable in the rapid separation and determination of the multiple constituents in methanolic extracts of lilac flowers and fruits. Altogether 34 phenolics, comprising 18 secoiridoids, seven phenylpropanoids, four flavonoids and five low‐molecular‐weight phenols, were identified. As marker compounds two secoiridoids (oleuropein and nuzhenide), two phenylpropanoids (acteoside and echinacoside) and rutin were quantified by validated methods. As a result of quantitative analysis, it was confirmed that flowers contain significant amounts of phenylpropanoids (acteoside, 2.48%; echinacoside, 0.75%) and oleuropein (0.95%), while in fruits secoiridoid oleuropein (1.09%) and nuzhenide (0.42%) are the major secondary metabolites. The radical scavenging activities of the extracts and the constituents were investigated by DPPH (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS [2,2′‐azino‐bis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid)] assays. Both extracts show remarkable antioxidant activities. Our results clearly show that lilac flowers and fruits are inexpensive, readily available natural sources of phenolic compounds with pharmacological and cosmetic applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Screening anti‐tumor compounds from Ligusticum wallichii using cell membrane chromatography combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

Tyrosine 367 Cysteine‐fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 cell membrane chromatography combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was developed. Tyrosine 367 Cysteine‐HEK293 cells were used as the cell membrane stationary phase. The specificity and reproducibility of the cell membrane chromatography was evaluated using 1‐tert‐butyl‐3‐{2‐[4‐(diethylamino)butylamino]‐6‐(3,5‐dimethoxyphenyl)pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidin‐7‐yl}urea, nimodipine and dexamethasone acetate. Then, anti‐tumor components acting on Tyrosine 367 Cysteine‐fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 were screened and identified from extracts of Ligusticum wallichii. Components from the extract were retained on the cell membrane chromatographic column. The retained fraction was directly eluted into high‐performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry system for separation and identification. Finally, Levistolide A was identified as an active component from Ligusticum wallichii extracts. The 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide‐formazan colorimetric assay revealed that Levistolide A inhibits proliferation of overexpressing the mutated receptor cells with dose‐dependent manner. Phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 was also decrease under Levistolide A treatment. Flex dock simulation verified that Levistolide A could bind with the tyrosine kinase domain of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4. Therefore, Levistolide A screened by the cell membrane chromatography combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry can arrest cell growth. In conclusion, the two‐dimensional high‐performance liquid chromatography method can screen and identify potential anti‐tumor ingredients that specifically act on the tyrosine kinase domain of the mutated fibroblast growth factor receptor 4.     

Screening and identifying antioxidants from Oplopanax elatus using 2,2ʹ‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl with off‐line two‐dimensional HPLC coupled with diode array detection and tandem time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The root of Oplopanax elatus (Nakai) Nakai has a well‐known history of use for the treatment of diseases such as neurasthenia, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer by the native people in northeast China. It is important to screen and identify the bioactive molecules from its root rapidly. Hereby, an off‐line two‐dimensional high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and tandem time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry together with 2,2?‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl was established to screen antioxidants from the root of O. elatus. A Waters cyanogen column (150 × 3.9 mm, id, 4 μm) was used for the first dimensional liquid chromatography, while a Hypersil BDS‐C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, id, 5 μm) was installed for the second dimension liquid chromatographic analysis. Twenty‐eight compounds had been tentatively identified from the methanol extract of the air‐dried root of O. elatus including six polyynes and eight phenolic derivatives were screened with antioxidant activity. The developed method could be expedient for screening and identifying antioxidants from O. elatus.     

Analysis of allergens in tubeimu saponin extracts by using rat basophilic leukemia 2H3 cell‐based affinity chromatography coupled to liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

An affinity two‐dimensional chromatography method was developed for the recognition, separation, and identification of allergic components from tubeimu saponin extracts, a preparation often injected to treat various conditions as indicated by traditional Chinese medicine. Rat basophilic leukemia‐2H3 cell membranes were used as the stationary phase of a membrane affinity chromatography column to capture components with affinity for mast cells that could be involved in a degranulation reaction. The retained components were enriched and analyzed by membrane affinity chromatography with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry via a port switch valve. Suitability and reliability of the method was investigated using appropriate standards, and then, the method was applied to identify components retained from tubeimu saponin extracts. Tubeimoside A was identified in this way as a potential allergen, and degranulation assays confirmed that tubeimoside A induces RBL‐2H3 cell degranulation in a dose‐dependent manner. An increase in Ca²⁺ influx indicated that degranulation induced by tubeimoside A is likely Ca²⁺ dependent. Coupled with the degranulation assay, RBL‐2H3 cell‐based affinity chromatography coupled with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry is an effective method for screening and identifying allergic components from tubeimu saponin extracts.