Capillary-HPLC with tandem mass spectrometry in analysis of alkaloid dyestuffs - a new approach

Effect of Oregon grape root extracts on P-glycoprotein mediated transport in in vitro cell lines

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the potential of Oregon grape root extracts to modulate the activity of P-glycoprotein. Methods: We performed 3H-CsA or 3H-digoxin transport experiments in the absence or presence of two sources of Oregon grape root extracts (E1 and E2), berberine or berbamine in Caco-2 and MDCKII-MDR1 cells. In addition, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed in Caco-2 and LS-180 cells to investigate the mechanism of modulating P-glycoprotein. Results: Our results showed that in Caco-2 cells, Oregon grape root extracts (E1 and E2) (0.1-1 mg/mL) inhibited the efflux of CsA and digoxin in a dose-dependent manner. However, 0.05 mg/mL E1 significantly increased the absorption of digoxin. Ten µM berberine and 30 µM berbamine significantly reduced the efflux of CsA, while no measurable effect of berberine was observed with digoxin. In the MDCKII-MDR1 cells, 10 µM berberine and 30 µM berbamine inhibited the efflux of CsA and digoxin. Lastly, in real time RT-PCR study, Oregon grape root extract (0.1 mg/mL) up-regulated mRNA levels of human MDR1 in Caco-2 and LS-180 cells at 24 h. Conclusion: Our study showed that Oregon grape root extracts modulated P-glycoprotein, thereby may affect the bioavailability of drugs that are substrates of P-glycoprotein.

Chemical profiling and quantification of Yihuang decoction by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and a diode array detector

Yihuang decoction (YHD) is one of the most famous formulas in tradition Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been clinically used for treatment of vaginitis, pelvic inflammation and other gynecological diseases for hundreds of years. However, its chemical composition remains unclear. In this study, high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed for its chemical profiling investigation. As a result, 90 components were chemically defined, including 23 alkaloids, 14 organic acids, 3 phenylethanoid glycosides, 4 iridoid glycosides, 5 terpenoid lactones, 10 flavonoids, 8 nucleobases and nucleosides, 12 amino acids, and 11 other compounds. In addition, 8 representative compounds (acteoside, allantoin, berberine, 4-O-feruloylquinic acid, 5-O-feruloylquinic acid, gallic acid, geniposidic acid, and phellodendrine) were simultaneously determined in 10 batches of YHD samples by HPLC with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). For all the analytes, their calibration curves showed good linearity (R² >0.9990) within the test ranges. RSDs of precision, repeatability and stability test were all below 3.50%. The overall recoveries ranged from 93.63% to 105.02%, with RSDs less than 3.50%. This study is supposed to exhibit a comprehensive chemical profiling of YHD and to provide some strong basis for quality control and even for action mechanism of this ancient classical prescription.

Mass Spectrometry for Investigation of Natural Dyes in Historical Textiles: Unveiling the Mystery behind Safflower-Dyed Fibers

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) petals, depending on the nature of a dyeing bath, dye fibers yellow or red. This is due to the presence of two kinds of components, water-soluble yellow colorants and alkali-soluble red compounds. In this study, safflower-yellow- and safflower-red-dyed silk, cotton, and wool fibers were investigated using high- or ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with spectrophotometry and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-vis-ESI-MS/MS) and high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC-HESI-HRMS) in order to identify the natural dye in historical textiles. This way, several quinochalcone C-glycosides were separated and characterized. Their low- and high-resolution MS/MS spectra expanded the database of natural colorants in cultural heritage objects. Moreover, the colorless ct-markers (with a hitherto unknown structure) present in all safflower-dyed fabrics, regardless of the color or preservation conditions, were revealed to be E/Z stereoisomers of N¹,N⁵,N¹⁰-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine. Since most of the standards was not available, discussion on possible molecular structures was provided. As a consequence, the analytical investigation of the reference fibers dyed with safflower demonstrated that the dye composition varies, depending on the dyeing conditions and type of fiber. Moreover, it was proven that carthamin, although alkali soluble, can be successfully released with a mild extraction method, without its hydrolysis under these conditions. The results helped us to characterize threads sampled from 16th to 18thcentury textiles of European and Near Eastern origin. It has completed the picture of natural dyes used in the most valuable textiles availed in liturgical vestments from the collections of Krakow churches.

Determination of Cytotoxic Activity of Selected Isoquinoline Alkaloids and Plant Extracts Obtained from Various Parts of Mahonia aquifolium Collected in Various Vegetation Seasons

Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that begins in cells known as melanocytes. While it is less common than the other forms of skin cancer, melanoma is more dangerous because of its ability to spread to other organs more rapidly if it is not treated at an early stage. The number of people diagnosed with melanoma has increased over the last few decades. The most widely used treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The search for new drugs to treat various cancers is one of the most important challenges of modern scientific research. Some isoquinoline alkaloids found in different plant species have strong cytotoxic effects on various cancer cells. We tested the effect of isoquinoline alkaloids and extracts obtained from various parts of Mahonia aquifolium collected in various vegetation seasons on human melanoma cancer cells and our data indicated that investigated extract induced significant reduction in cell viability of Human malignant melanoma cells (A375), human Caucasian malignant melanoma cell line (G361), and human malignant melanoma cell line (SKMEL3 cancer cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Differences in cytotoxic activity were observed for extracts obtained from various parts of Mahonia aquifolium. Significant differences were also obtained in the alkaloids content and cytotoxic activity of the extracts depending on the season of collection of plant material. Our investigations exhibit that these plant extracts can be recommended for further in vivo experiments in order to confirm the possibility of their use in the treatment of human melanomas.

Toxicokinetics of 11 Gelsemium Alkaloids in Rats by UPLC-MS/MS

Gelsemium elegans (Gardn. & Champ.) Benth. is a plant belonging to the genus Gelsemium (family Gelsemiaceae), and its main components are alkaloids. It is a Chinese traditional medicinal plant and notoriously known as a highly toxic medicine. However, a method has not yet been found for the simultaneous detection of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids in rat plasma, and the toxicokinetics of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids after intravenous administration has not been reported. In this work, we have developed a sensitive and rapid method of ultraperformance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for the detection of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids in rat plasma. The toxicokinetic behavior was also investigated, so as to provide a reference of the scientific properties of Gelsemium elegans and improve the efficacy and safety of drugs. Sixty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 11 groups, six rats in each group. Each group was intravenously given one alkaloid (0.1 mg/kg), respectively. A Waters UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) was used for chromatographic separation. Methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) were used for the mobile phase with gradient elution. Multiple reactions were monitored, and positive electrospray ionization was used for quantitative analysis. The precision was less than 16%, and the accuracy was between 86.9% and 113.2%. The extraction efficiency was better than 75.8%, and the matrix effects ranged from 88.5% to 107.8%. The calibration curves were in the range of 0.1–200 ng/mL, with a correlation coefficient (R²) greater than 0.995. The UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to the toxicokinetics of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids in rats after intravenous administration (0.1 mg/kg for each alkaloid). The results of the toxicokinetics provide a basis for the pharmacology and toxicology of Gelsemium alkaloids and scientific evidence for the clinical use of Gelsemium alkaloids.

A Mass Spectrometry-Based Approach for Characterization of Red, Blue, and Purple Natural Dyes

Effective analytical approaches for the identification of natural dyes in historical textiles are mainly based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with spectrophotometric detection and tandem mass spectrometric detection with electrospray ionization (HPLC-UV-Vis-ESI MS/MS). Due to the wide variety of dyes, the developed method should include an adequate number of reference color compounds, but not all of them are commercially available. Thus, the present study was focused on extending of the universal analytical HPLC-UV-Vis-ESI MS/MS approach to commercially unavailable markers of red, purple, and blue dyes. In the present study, HPLC-UV-Vis-ESI MS/MS was used to characterize the colorants in ten natural dyes (American cochineal, brazilwood, indigo, kermes, lac dye, logwood, madder, orchil, Polish cochineal, and sandalwood) and, hence, to extend the analytical method for the identification of natural dyes used in historical objects to new compounds. Dye markers were identified mostly on the basis of triple quadrupole MS/MS spectra. In consequence, the HPLC-UV-Vis-ESI MS/MS method with dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM) was extended to the next 49 commercially unavailable colorants (anthraquinones and flavonoids) in negative ion mode and to 11 (indigoids and orceins) in positive ion mode. These include protosappanin B, protosappanin E, erythrolaccin, deoxyerythrolaccin, nordamnacanthal, lucidin, santalin A, santalin B, santarubin A, and many others. Moreover, high-resolution QToF MS data led to the establishment of the complex fragmentation pathways of α-, β-, and γ- aminoorceins, hydroxyorceins, and aminoorceinimines extracted from wool dyed with Roccella tinctoria DC. The developed approach has been tested in the identification of natural dyes used in 223 red, purple, and blue fibers from 15th- to 17th-century silk textiles. These European and Near Eastern textiles have been used in vestments from the collections of twenty Krakow churches.