Application of non-ionic surfactant in the microwave-assisted extraction of alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis

The feasibility of employing non-ionic surfactant oligoethylene glycol monoalkyl ether (Genapol X-080) as an alternative and effective solvent for the microwave-assisted extraction of alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis was demonstrated. When compared with commonly used solvents, 5% Genapol X-080 enhanced the extraction efficiency. Under optimal conditions, i.e. 5% acidified Genapol X-080 (v/v), microwave-assisted extraction for 10 min at 100 °C, the extraction recovery of alkaloids reached 92.8% in a one-step extraction. The efficiency of cloud-point preconcentration of three alkaloids was in the range 93.6-94.7% with relative standard deviation lower than 3.3% by the proposed procedure. Furthermore, the combination of microwave-assisted extraction and cloud-point extraction was shown to be a green, rapid and effective approach for alkaloids preconcentration of Rhizoma Coptidis samples.     

Simultaneous determination of 19 constituents in Cimicifugae Rhizoma by HPLC–DAD and screening for antioxidants through DPPH free radical scavenging assay

Cimicifugae Rhizoma (sheng ma) is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicine, which has been demonstrated to possess anti‐inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities. In the present study, a simple and efficient HPLC–DAD (high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 19 chemical components (including 16 phenolic acids, one coumarin and two alkaloids) in Cimicifugae Rhizoma. The result indicated that this method could effectively evaluate the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma and provide a valuable reference for further study. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of Cimicifugae Rhizoma was evaluated by DPPH (1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. The results showed that the content of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity exhibited significant correlation coefficients.     

Intestinal metabolism of Polygonum cuspidatum in vitro and in vivo

Rhizoma et Radix Polygoni Cuspidati (RRPC) is commonly prescribed for the treatment of amenorrhea, arthralgia, jaundice and abscess in traditional Chinese medicine. Previous pharmacological studies have indicated that polyphenols are the main pharmacological active ingredients in RRPC. Meanwhile, the poor bioavailability of polyphenols in RRPC implies that those components are probably metabolized by intestinal bacteria before absorption. However, there is rather limited information about RRPC''s metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria and the intestinal absorbed constituents. In the present study, the metabolites were characterized after the aqueous extract of RRPC was incubated with the crude enzyme of human intestinal bacteria in vitro. The metabolic characteristics of glycosides in RRPC were figured out by comparing the metabolic profiles of emodin‐8‐O‐β‐d ‐glucopyranoside and polydatin between aqueous extract of RRPC and equivalent amounts of these two glycosides. The transitional constituents absorbed into blood were investigated in rats via intraduodental administration and portal vein intubation. A total of 38 prototype components and 43 metabolites were detected and characterized in vivo. The overall results demonstrated that the intestinal bacteria played an important role in the metabolism of RRPC, and the main metabolic pathways were hydrolysis in vitro, glucuronidation and sulfation in vivo.     

Urinary biomarker and treatment mechanism of Rhizoma Alismatis on hyperlipidemia

Rhizoma Alismatis (RA), a diuretic in Asia and Europe, was found to possess anti‐hyperlipidemic activity. Since the biomarkers and mechanisms of RA in the treatment of hyperlipidemia are inadequate, ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight synapt high‐definition mass spectrometry and multivariate data analysis were employed to investigate the urinary metabolomics of RA on hyperlipidemic rats induced by high‐fat diet. The metabolic profile of RA‐treated hyperlipidemic group located between control and diet‐induced hyperlipidemic groups. Nineteen metabolites with significant fluctuations were identified as potential biomarkers related to the hyperlipidemia and anti‐hyperlipidemia of RA using partial least‐squares‐discriminate analysis, heatmap analysis and correlation coefficient analysis. The fluctuations of these biomarkers represented disturbances in amino acid metabolism, purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism and energy metabolism. After RA treatment, these perturbed metabolites were restored to normal or nearly normal levels. RA can alleviate high‐fat diet‐induced dysfunctions in these metabolic pathways.     

Deciphering chemical interactions between Glycyrrhizae Radix and Coptidis Rhizoma by liquid chromatography with transformed multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry

In this study, we propose an integrated strategy for the efficient identification and quantification of herbal constituents using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. First, liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was employed for the chemical profiling of herbs, where a targeted following nontargeted approach was developed to detect trace constituents by using structural correlations and extracted ion chromatograms. Next, ion pairs and parameters of MS² of quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry were selected to design multiple reaction monitoring transitions for the identified compounds on liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The relative concentration of each constituent was then calculated using a semiquantitative calibration curve. The proposed strategy was applied in a study of chemical interactions between Glycyrrhizae Radix and Coptidis Rhizoma. A total of 140 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from the herbs, 132 of which were relatively quantified. The visualized quantitative results clearly showed codecoction produced significant constituent concentration variations especially for those with a low polarity. The case study also indicated that the present methodology could provide a reliable, accurate, and labor‐saving solution for chemical studies of herbal medicines.     

Orthogonal separation protocol for the simultaneous preparation of four medically active compounds from Anemarrhenae Rhizoma by sequential polyamide and macroporous resin adsorbent chromatography

The green and efficient preparation of natural products from biomass is considered an important area of interest in pharmaceutical applications. In this study, we aimed to provide a practical example with a popular traditional Chinese medicine, Anemarrhenae Rhizome, and showcase the orthogonal use of column chromatography with polyamide and macroporous adsorption resins to selectively concentrate and efficiently purify four bioactive compounds: neomangiferin (NMF), mangiferin (MF), timosaponin B‐II (TS B‐II), and timosaponin A‐III (TS A‐III). First, polyamide T60–100 was employed to fractionalize the crude extracts of Anemarrhenae Rhizome. Macroporous resin HPD400 was subsequently used to purify the xanthones and steroidal saponins. Under the optimized conditions, 2.31 g of NMF, 4.10 g of MF, 12.87 g of TS B‐II, and 2.78 g of TS A‐III were prepared from 1 kg of crude materials, and their purities were 90.0, 92.15, 90.8, and 92.61%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the combined column chromatography with polyamide and macroporous adsorption resins can be referenced as a green and efficient alternative for large‐scale purification of bioactive ingredients from herbal raw materials.     

Artificial neural network model- and response surface methodology-based optimization of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma polysaccharide extraction,kinetic modelling and structural characterization

Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (AMR) is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, which is widely used in the development of health products. AMR contains a large number of polysaccharides, but at present there are fewer applications for these polysaccharides. In this study, the effects of different extraction methods on the Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma polysaccharide (AMRP) yield were investigated, and the conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) and three neural network models (BP neural network, GA-BP neural network and ACO-GA-BP neural network). The best conditions were a liquid-to-solid ratio of 17 mL/g, ultrasonic power of 400 W, extraction temperature of 72 °C, and extraction time of 40 min, which yielded 31.31% AMRP. The kinetic equation of AMRP was determined and compared with the results predicted by three neural network models. It was finally determined that the extraction conditions, kinetic processes and kinetic equation predicted by the GA-ACO-BP neural network were optimal. In addition, AMRP was characterized using SEM, FTIR, HPLC, UV, XRD, and NMR, and the structural study revealed that AMRP has a rough exterior and a porous interior; moreover, it contains high levels of glucose (5.07%), arabinose (0.80%), and galactose (0.74%). AMRP has three crystal structures, consisting of two β-type monosaccharides and one α-type monosaccharide. Additionally, the effectiveness of AMRP as an antioxidant was demonstrated in an in vitro experiment.     

基于气相色谱-质谱联用的代谢组学用于黄连治疗II型糖尿病的机理探索

将代谢组学的方法用于研究黄连治疗II型糖尿病的机理。II型糖尿病造模采用对大鼠灌胃脂肪乳并腹腔注射40 mg/kg链脲佐菌素的方法,大鼠分为正常组、模型组、黄连给药治疗组(10 g/kg)、二甲双胍给药治疗组(0.08 g/kg)。大鼠给药30天后,采集血样用于生化指标的检测,采集24 h尿样用于代谢组学的分析。与模型组相比,糖尿病大鼠给药黄连30天后,空腹血糖值(FBG)显著降低了59.26%,总胆固醇(TC)降低了58.66%,甘油三酯(TG)降低了42.18%。采用气相色谱-质谱联用技术(GC-MS)对大鼠尿样中的内源性物质进行了相对含量测定,主成分分析结果表明,正常组与模型组显著分离,黄连组处于正常组与模型组之间,更接近于正常组。发现12个代谢物与糖尿病有关,包括4-甲基苯酚、苯甲酸、氨基丙二酸等。给药黄连后,其中的7个代谢物发生显著性回调,与氧化应激状态相关的氨基丙二酸和L-抗坏血酸出现向正常组显著性调节的趋势。这些结果表明,黄连不仅具有降糖和降血脂的作用,而且具有抗氧化作用,在一定程度上可能会抑制糖尿病合并症的发生和发展。     

One- and two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography–diode-array detector fingerprints of complex substances: A comparison of classification performance of similar,complex Rhizoma Curcumae samples with the aid of chemometrics

Many complex natural or synthetic products are analysed either by the GC–MS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) or HPLC–DAD (high performance liquid chromatography–diode-array detector) technique, each of which produces a one-dimensional fingerprint for a given sample. This may be used for classification of different batches of a product. GC–MS and HPLC–DAD analyses of complex, similar substances represented by the three common types of the TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), Rhizoma Curcumae were analysed in the form of one- and two-dimensional matrices firstly with the use of PCA (Principal component analysis), which showed a reasonable separation of the samples for each technique. However, the separation patterns were rather different for each analytical method, and PCA of the combined data matrix showed improved discrimination of the three types of object; close associations between the GC–MS and HPLC–DAD variables were observed. LDA (linear discriminant analysis), BP-ANN (back propagation-artificial neural networks) and LS-SVM (least squares-support vector machine) chemometrics methods were then applied to classify the training and prediction sets. For one-dimensional matrices, all training models indicated that several samples would be misclassified; the same was observed for each prediction set. However, by comparison, in the analysis of the combined matrix, all models gave 100% classification with the training set, and the LS-SVM calibration also produced a 100% result for prediction, with the BP-ANN calibration closely behind. This has important implications for comparing complex substances such as the TCMs because clearly the one-dimensional data matrices alone produce inferior results for training and prediction as compared to the combined data matrix models. Thus, product samples may be misclassified with the use of the one-dimensional data because of insufficient information.     

苦黄注射液中大黄蒽醌含量测定方法改进

按苦黄注射液原质量标准（草案）中测定方法,大黄蒽醌用氯仿提取,阴性试验结果为苦黄注射液大黄蒽酯标示量的１６．５０％（ｎ＝５）,结果偏高;改用石油醚提取,降为６．１５％,重复性试验的ＲＳＤ为１．４４％（ｎ＝５）,加标回收率为１０１．８％（ｎ＝５）,显色在１－４ｈ内稳定,表明该法是可行的。