Sensitive determination of three aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in human plasma by matrix solid-phase dispersion with vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and HPLC with diode array detection

Vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-phase microextraction for the analysis of main active compounds from Zi-Cao-Cheng-Qi decoction based on a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent

In this study, a vortex-assisted hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent dispersive liquid-phase microextraction was developed and used for the extraction and preconcentration of six main active compounds in Zi-Cao-Cheng-Qi decoction. The deep eutectic solvent, prepared by mixing tetrabutylammonium chloride and hexanoic acid at a molar ratio of 1:1, was added to the sample solution containing the analytes. In the absence of disperser, the extractant was rapidly dispersed into fine droplets by the aid of vortex and adequately contacted with the analytes. Some key parameters affecting the approach including extraction solvent type and volume, sample phase pH, extraction time, centrifugation time, and salt concentration were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors of the target analytes were in the range of 3-330. The calibration graphs were linear with a correlation coefficient (r) ≥ 0.9929. The detection limits were 0.3-0.9 ng/mL, and the satisfactory precisions (relative standard deviations, 0.5-8.9%) and accuracies (relative recoveries, 91.1-102.2%) were also obtained. The developed method was rapid (only 2 min), eco-friendly, effective, and easy to operate. And it has been successfully applied to simultaneous extraction, enrichment, and determination of the main active compounds in a traditional Chinese medicinal formula coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography.

Comprehensive quality evaluation of the lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (Fuzi): Simultaneous determination of nine alkaloids and chemical fingerprinting coupled with chemometric analysis

Amino alcohol alkaloids are the active components in the lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (Fuzi), and they have a variety of pharmacological activities. However, the chemical fingerprints of the ester alkaloids reported to date were mainly obtained from high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection, and it is difficult to obtain information about amino alcohol alkaloids in Fuzi from such chromatograms. In this paper, a comprehensive fingerprinting method was established using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an evaporative light-scattering detector for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of both the amino alcohol alkaloids and ester alkaloids. A total of 42 samples of Fuzi from four production areas were analyzed by constructing high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints. Then, the quantitative results of the chemical fingerprints combined with chemometrics methods were employed to reveal the factors affecting the geo-authentic Fuzi and to determine characteristic components that can be used to identify these samples. The results indicated distinct differences in the alkaloid contents among samples from the four regions; the geographical origin may be the primary factor affecting the geo-authentic Fuzi, and 15 major components (including songorine, neoline, and hypaconitine, which were quantitatively determined) were found to be characteristic components for the discrimination of Fuzi samples from various regions. Neoline might be a critical component for identifying geo-authentic Fuzi. This approach is convenient, reproducible and provides a promising method for the quality evaluation of Fuzi.