Exploration and optimization of conditions for quantitative analysis of lignans in Schisandra chinensis by an online supercritical fluid extraction with supercritical fluid chromatography system

An online supercritical fluid extraction with supercritical fluid chromatography system could provide sequential extraction and quantitative analysis of lignans in Schisandra chinensis. Supercritical fluid extraction conditions were optimized at 15 MPa, 50°C, and 4 min with supercritical CO₂ adding 1% methanol; the elution volume and flow rate were set at 6 mL and 2 mL/min to blow extract out of the tank completely. The split‐flow rate was confirmed at 2.5%, which determines injection volume and accuracy of quantitative detection. The factors having negative influences on supercritical fluid chromatography retention in the online system, including sample loading forms and backpressure settings, are discussed in the paper. At last, an extraction‐quantitative method for lignans in Schisandra chinensis was developed, which could be finished within 19.5 min. The total content percentage of four lignans (Schisandrin, Schisandrin A, Schisandrin B and Schisandrol B) in four batches was respectively measured to be 1.42, 1.54, 1.62, and 1.90%.     

Chemical composition and α-amylase inhibitory activity of the essential oil from Sabina chinensis cv. Kaizuca leaves

Sabina chinensis cv. Kaizuca (SCK) is a variant of S. chinensis L. The essential oil from its leaves exhibited α-amylase inhibitory activity in vitro and the IC₅₀ value was 187.08 ± 0.56 μg/mL. Nineteen compounds were identified from this essential oil by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The major compounds identified were bornyl acetate (42.6%), elemol (20.5%), β-myrcene (13.7%) and β-linalool (4.0%). In order to study the reason of the α-amylase inhibitory activity of this essential oil, the identified compounds were docked with α-amylase by molecular docking individually. Among these compounds, γ-eudesmol exhibited the lowest binding energy (?6.73 kcal/mol), followed by α-copaen-11-ol (?6.66 kcal/mol), cubedol (?6.39 kcal/mol) and α-acorenol (?6.12 kcal/mol). The results indicated that these compounds were the active ingredients responsible for the α-amylase inhibitory activity of essential oil from SCK.     

A new ent-kaurane diterpene derivative from the stems of Eurya chinensis R.Br

One new ent-kaurane diterpene derivative (1), along with four known diterpenes, was isolated from the stems of Eurya chinensis R.Br. The structure of the new compound was established by extensive analysis of mass spectrometric and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Compound 1 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activities with IC₅₀ value of 8.12 μM. This is the first example of diterpenoids with 4-hydroxy-4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-hydroxyl-cyclohexanoyl substituent.     

Unusual Nortriterpenoid Saponins from Stauntonia chinensis

Four new saponins, yemuosides YM₁₇–YM₂₀ ( 1 – 4 , resp.), were isolated from the rattan of Stauntonia chinensis DC. (Lardizabalaceae) along with a known saponin, nipponoside D ( 5 ). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and chemical evidence as 20,30‐dihydroxy‐29‐noroleanolic acid 28‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl ester ( 1 ), 20,29‐dihydroxy‐30‐noroleanolic acid 28‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl ester ( 2 ), 29‐hydroxy‐30‐norolean‐20(21)‐enolic acid 28‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl ester ( 3 ), 29‐hydroxyoleanolic acid 28‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl ester ( 4 ), and 23,29‐dihydroxyoleanolic acid 28‐O‐α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl‐(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl ester ( 5 ). Yemuoside YM₁₇–YM₁₉ ( 1 – 3 , resp.) contain novel unusual nortriterpene aglycones.     

Constituents from Leaves of Scolopia chinensis

Two new phenolic glycosides, scolochinenosides A and B ( 1 and 2 ), and a new flavonoid glycoside, scoloside A ( 3 ), were isolated from the leaves of Scolopia chinensis (Lour .) Clos , together with eight known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidences.     

Indole Alkaloids from the Leaves of Anthocephalus chinensis

Anthocephalusine A ( 1 ) and 3β‐isodihydrocadambine 4‐oxide ( 2 ) were isolated from the leaves of Anthocephalus chinensis (Rubiaceae), together with five known compounds. The structures were established by spectroscopic methods including 2D‐NMR analyses.     

The in‐capillary DPPH‐capillary electrophoresis‐the diode array detector combined with reversed‐electrode polarity stacking mode for screening and quantifying major antioxidants in Cuscuta chinensis Lam

An in‐capillary 2, 2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)‐CE‐the DAD (in‐capillary DPPH‐CE‐DAD) combined with reversed‐electrode polarity stacking mode has been developed to screen and quantify the active antioxidant components of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. The operation parameters were optimized with regard to the pH and concentration of buffer solution, SDS, β‐CDs, organic modifier, as well as separation voltage and temperature. Six antioxidants including chlorogenic acid, p‐coumaric acid, rutin, hyperin, isoquercitrin, and astragalin were screened and the total antioxidant activity of the complex matrix was successfully evaluated based on the decreased peak area of DPPH by the established DPPH‐CE‐DAD method. Sensitivity was enhanced under reversed‐electrode polarity stacking mode and 10‐ to 31‐fold of magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity for each analyte was attained. The results demonstrated that the newly established in‐capillary DPPH‐CE‐DAD method combined with reversed‐electrode polarity stacking mode could integrate sample concentration, the oxidizing reaction, separation, and detection into one capillary to fully automate the system. It was considered a suitable technique for the separation, screening, and determination of trace antioxidants in natural products.     

Development of a quality evaluation method for Fructus schisandrae by pressurized capillary electrochromatography

A pressurized CEC (pCEC) method with postcolumn detection cell had been developed for quantifying the lignans from Fructus schisandrae extracts. The effects of different experimental conditions, such as the ACN content of the mobile phase, the concentration and pH of the buffer, the applied voltage, and the supplementary pressure were studied. Five lignans (schisandrin, gomisin A, schisantherin C, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B) were baseline separated using a mobile phase of ACN-phosphate buffer (pH 5.4; 5 mM) (40:60 v/v) under -4 kV applied voltage. The method showed the satisfactory retention time and peak area repeatability. The calibration curves were linear in the range 50.0-1000.0 microg/mL for schisandrin, 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for gomisin A, 10.0-200.0 microg/mL for schisantherin C, 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for deoxyschizandrin, and 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for schisandrin B. The correlation coefficients were between 0.9978 and 0.9989. With this pCEC system, fingerprints of F. schisandrae were preliminarily established to distinguish two members S. chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. and S. sphenanthera Rehd. Et Wils. of F. schisandrae by characteristic peaks, and evaluate the quality of various sources of raw materials by determining the contents of the five lignans.     

Effect of vinegar steaming on the composition and structure of Schisandra chinensis polysaccharide and its anti-colitis activity

In this study, infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) technology were applied to systematically explain the Schisandra chinensis’s polysaccharide transformation in configuration, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and anti-ulcerative colitis (UC) activity after vinegar processing. Scanning electron microscopic results showed that the appearance of S. chinensis polysaccharide changed significantly after steaming with vinegar. The MALDI-TOF-MS results showed that the mass spectra of raw S. chinensis polysaccharides (RSCP) were slightly lower than those of vinegar-processed S. chinensis polysaccharides (VSCP). The RSCP showed higher peaks at m/z 1350.790, 2016.796, and 2665.985, all with left-skewed distribution, and the molecular weights were concentrated in the range of 1300–3100, with no higher peak above m/z 5000. The VSCPs showed a whole band below m/z 3000, with m/z 1021.096 being the highest peak, and the intensity decreased with the increase of m/z. In addition, compared to RSCPs, VSCPs can significantly increase the content of intestinal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This study showed that the apparent morphology and molecular weight of S. chinensis’s polysaccharides significantly changed after steaming with vinegar. These changes directly affect its anti-UC effect significantly, and its mechanism is closely related to improving the structure and diversity of gut microbiota and SCFA metabolism.     

Dianthiamides A–E,Proline-Containing Orbitides from Dianthus chinensis

Orbitides are plant-derived small cyclic peptides with a wide range of biological activities. Phytochemical investigation of the whole plants of Dianthus chinensis was performed with the aim to discover new bioactive orbitides. Five undescribed proline-containing orbitides, dianthiamides A–E (1–5), were isolated from a methanolic extract of Dianthus chinensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and HRESI–TOF–MS as well as ESI–MS/MS fragmentation data. The absolute configuration of the amino acid residues of compounds 1–5 was determined by Marfey’s method. All compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activity, and dianthiamide A (1) exhibited weak activity against A549 cell line with IC₅₀ value of 47.9 μM.