Preparative isolation and purification of ginsenosides Rf,Re, Rd and Rb1 from the roots of Panax ginseng with a salt/containing solvent system and flow step-gradient by high performance counter-current chromatography coupled with an evaporative light scattering detector

Ginseng is a popular herb worldwide and has had varied uses in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. There are several different species of the herb, but all share the same constituents. Ginsenosides, the most extensively studied chemical components of ginseng, are generally considered to be one of the most important active ingredients of the plant. In this study, we have developed fast and efficient methodology for isolation of four known ginsenosides Rf, Rd, Re and Rb1 from Ginseng by high performance counter-current chromatography (HPCCC) coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). The crude sample for HPCCC was purified firstly from a ginseng extraction using macroporous resin. The enriched saponin fraction (480 mg) was separated by using methylene chloride–methanol–5 mM aqueous ammonium acetate–isopropanol (6:2:4:3, v/v,) as the two-phase solvent system and yielded 10.7 mg of Rf, 11.0 mg of Rd, 13.4 mg of Re and 13.9 mg of Rb1. The purity of these ginsenosides was 99.2%, 88.3%, 93.7% and 91.8%, respectively assessed by HPLC-DAD-ELSD, and their structures were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and compared with standards. Ammonium acetate was used to shorten the separation time and eliminate emulsification together with a flow step-gradient. The salt can be removed by re-dissolving the sample using acetone.     

Rapid structural determination of modified pregnane glycosides from Cynanchum forrestii by liquid chromatography-diode-array detection/electrospray ionization multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry

The fragmentation behaviors of the two types of modified pregnane glycosides from Cynanchum forrestii were investigated by positive ion electrospray ionization multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry equipped with an ion trap analyzer. The spectral data further illuminated the predominance of ESI-MSⁿ technique on the identification of pregnane glycosides, especially of two sorts of modified pregnane glycosides with aglycone skeletons of 13,14:14,15-disecopregnane-type and 14,15-secopregnane-type, which differed in the presence of the characteristic [M−46+Na]⁺ ion. For sugar residues, the fragment ions were analyzed and some possible fragmentation pathways were proposed, especially for 3-demethyl-2-deoxythevetose, the glycosidic cleavage reaction was easier to occur than those of other sugar units in its moiety. The natures and differences of the pregnane cores, and the types and linked sequences of sugar residues were illustrated. According to these conclusions, eight new pregnane glycosides in the fraction of Cynanchum forrestii were structurally elucidated by HPLC/HRMS and HPLC-DAD/ESI-MSⁿ techniques. Results of the present studies can benefit the rapid identification and structural determination of analogous constituents in crude plant extracts.     

Validation according to European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC of a confirmatory method for aflatoxin M1 in milk based on immunoaffinity columns and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A high performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorimetric detection for the determination of aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in milk has been optimized and validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC by using the conventional validation approach. The procedure for determining selectivity, recovery, precision, decision limit (CC_α), detection capability (CC_β) and ruggedness of the method has been reported. The results of the validation process demonstrate the agreement of the method with the provisions of Commission Regulation 401/2006/EC. The mean recovery calculated at three levels of fortification (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5-fold the MRL) was 91% and the maximum relative standard deviation value for the within-laboratory reproducibility was 15%. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values were 0.006 μg kg⁻¹ and 0.015 μg kg⁻¹ while the CC_α and CC_β values were 0.058 μg kg⁻¹ and 0.065 μg kg⁻¹, respectively. The relative expanded measurement uncertainty of the method was 7%. The method was not affected by slight variations of some critical factors (ruggedness minor changes) as pre-treatment and clean-up of milk samples, thermal treatment and different storage conditions, as well as by major changes valued in terms of milk produced by different species (buffalo, goat and sheep). The method allowed accurate confirmation analyses of milk samples, resulted positive by the screening method. In fact, the Z-score values attained in a proficiency test round were well below the reference value of 1, proving the excellent laboratory performances.     

Simultaneous analysis of trans- and cis-isomers of 2-glucosyloxycinnamic acids and coumarin derivatives in Dendrobium thyrsiflorum by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-photodiode array detection (DAD)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS)

A novel method has been developed for simultaneous analysis for three pairs of trans- and cis-isomers of 2-glucosyloxycinnamic acids, along with their biogenic metabolites (three coumarin derivatives including scopoletin, scoparone and ayapin) in a Chinese medicinal herb Dendrobium thyrsiflorum by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-photodiode array detection (DAD)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS). The method was carried out by using a Polaris C₁₈ column with a gradient solvent system of 0.5% acetic acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile. Seven target analytes including isodensifloside, isothyrsifloside, densifloside, thyrsifloside, scoparone, ayapin and scopoletin were exclusively identified by comparing their retention behaviors, UV and MS spectra with the authentic standards, and their contents in D. thyrsiflorum were simultaneous determined by employing UV detection at 342 nm. In addition, another pair of isomers of 2-glucosyloxycinnamic acids was putatively elucidated mainly based on the MS fragmentation. The method was validated and found to be satisfactorily linear, selective and robust. Recoveries ranged from 95.56 to 97.94% for all compounds at three different spiking levels. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) ranged, respectively, from 0.02 to 0.13 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.07 to 0.39 μg mL⁻¹ depending on various compounds. The established quality evaluation method was successfully used for evaluating the quality of D. thyrsiflorum samples of different organs and collections.     

Identification and determination of carboxylic acids in food samples using 2-(2-(anthracen-10-yl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-1-yl)ethyl 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (APIETS) as labeling reagent by HPLC with FLD and APCI/MS

A new labeling reagent for carboxylic acids, 2-(2-(anthracen-10-yl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-1-yl)ethyl 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (APIETS) has been designed and synthesized. It was used to label eight fatty acids (lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid) and four hydroxy pentacyclic triterpene acids (oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and maslinic acid), successfully. APIETS could easily and quickly label carboxylic acids in the presence of K₂CO₃ catalyst at 85 °C for 35 min in N,N-dimethylformamide solvent. The carboxylic acids derivatives were separated on a C₈ reversed-phase column with gradient elution and fluorescence detection at λ_ex/λ_em = 315/435 nm. Identification of these derivatives was carried out by online mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in positive ion mode. The detection limits obtained were 13.37-30.26 fmol (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The proposed method has been applied to the quantification of carboxylic acids in sultana raisin (Thompson seedless), hawthorn flake (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.), Lycium barbarum seed oil and Microula sikkimensis seed oil with recoveries over 95.3%. It has been demonstrated that APIETS is a prominent labeling reagent for determining carboxylic acids with high performance liquid chromatography.     

Identification and quantification of carbamate pesticides in dried lime tree flowers by means of excitation-emission molecular fluorescence and parallel factor analysis when quenching effect exists

A non-separative, fast and inexpensive spectrofluorimetric method based on the second order calibration of excitation-emission fluorescence matrices (EEMs) was proposed for the determination of carbaryl, carbendazim and 1-naphthol in dried lime tree flowers. The trilinearity property of three-way data was used to handle the intrinsic fluorescence of lime flowers and the difference in the fluorescence intensity of each analyte. It also made possible to identify unequivocally each analyte. Trilinearity of the data tensor guarantees the uniqueness of the solution obtained through parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), so the factors of the decomposition match up with the analytes. In addition, an experimental procedure was proposed to identify, with three-way data, the quenching effect produced by the fluorophores of the lime flowers. This procedure also enabled the selection of the adequate dilution of the lime flowers extract to minimize the quenching effect so the three analytes can be quantified. Finally, the analytes were determined using the standard addition method for a calibration whose standards were chosen with a D-optimal design.     

Review of the applications of different analytical techniques for coxibs research

An extensive survey of the literature published in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry journals has been conducted and analytical methods which were developed and used for the determination of some of the COX-2 inhibitors, a subclass of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in bulk drugs, formulations, and biological fluids have been reviewed. This review covers the time period from 1999 to present, during which over 140 analytical procedures including chromatographic, spectrometric, electrophoretic and voltammetric techniques were reported. Presented applications concern analysis of coxibs from pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples.