Determination of sugars and cyclitols isolated from various morphological parts of Medicago sativa L

Identification and quantification of cyclitols and sugars isolated from different morphological parts of Raphanus sativus L

Through this study, we aimed to develop a new analytical method for identification and quantification of sugars and cyclitols isolated from different morphological parts of Raphanus sativus L (R. sativus). Accelerated solvent extraction with water was involved for targets extraction. Solid phase extraction was used for purification and preconcentration, while high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) was used for chromatographic analyses. A short method of only 30 min for a single analysis was developed finally. The obtained results, allowed for quantification of eight targets, i.e., three cyclitols (D-pinitol, allo-inositol and scyllo-inositol) and five sugars (xylose, D-mannose, D-fructose, D-glucose and sucrose) that were determined simultaneously using a single analysis. The developed method can be applied in industry as a routine method for analysis of sugars and cyclitols from different sources.

Novel Chemical and Biological Insights of Inositol Derivatives in Mediterranean Plants

Inositols (Ins) are natural compounds largely widespread in plants and animals. Bio-sinthetically they derive from sugars, possessing a molecular structure very similar to the simple sugars, and this aspect concurs to define them as primary metabolites, even though it is much more correct to place them at the boundary between primary and secondary metabolites. This dichotomy is well represented by the fact that as primary metabolites they are essential cellular components in the form of phospholipid derivatives, while as secondary metabolites they are involved in a plethora of signaling pathways playing an important role in the surviving of living organisms. myo-Inositol is the most important and widespread compound of this family, it derives directly from d-glucose, and all known inositols, including stereoisomers and derivatives, are the results of metabolic processes on this unique molecule. In this review, we report the new insights of these compounds and their derivatives concerning their occurrence in Nature with a particular emphasis on the plant of the Mediterranean area, as well as the new developments about their biological effectiveness.

Separation and Quantification of Selected Sapogenins Extracted from Nettle, White Dead-Nettle, Common Soapwort and Washnut

Saponins are an important group of secondary metabolites naturally occurring in plants with important properties like: antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Moreover, they are widely used in the cosmetic industry and household chemistry. The sapogenins are saponin hydrolyses products, frequently used to facilitate saponin detection. In the present study, an improved methodology for isolation and separation of five sapogenins extracted from nettle (Urtica dioica L.), white dead-nettle (Lamium album L.), common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis L.) and washnut (Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.) was developed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector (UHPLC-ELSD). Based on quantitative analysis, the highest content of hederagenin (999.1 ± 6.3 µg/g) and oleanolic acid (386.5 ± 27.7 µg/g) was found in washnut extracts. Good recoveries (71% ± 6 up to 99% ± 8) were achieved for four investigated targets, while just 22.2% ± 0.5 was obtained for the fifth one. Moreover, hederagenin and oleanolic acid of whose highest amount was detected in washnut (999.1 ± 6.3 µg/g and 386.5 ± 27.7 µg/g, respectively) were subject to another approach. Consequently, liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) was used as an additional technique for fast and simultaneous identification of the mentioned targets.

Microwave Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Carbohydrates from Different Morphological Parts of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Despite the nutritional properties of alfalfa, its production is mainly for animal feed and it is undervalued as a food source. In this study, the valorization of alfalfa as a potential source of bioactive carbohydrates [inositols, α-galactooligosaccharides (α-GOS)] is presented. A Box–Behnken experimental design was used to optimize the extraction of these carbohydrates from leaves, stems, and seeds of alfalfa by solid–liquid extraction (SLE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Optimal extraction temperatures were similar for both treatments (40 °C leaves, 80 °C seeds); however, SLE required longer times (32.5 and 60 min vs. 5 min). In general, under similar extraction conditions, MAE provided higher yields of inositols (up to twice) and α-GOS (up to 7 times); hence, MAE was selected for their extraction from 13 alfalfa samples. Pinitol was the most abundant inositol of leaves and stems (24.2–31.0 mg·g⁻¹ and 15.5–22.5 mg·g⁻¹, respectively) while seed extracts were rich in α-GOS, mainly in stachyose (48.8–84.7 mg·g⁻¹). In addition, inositols and α-GOS concentrations of lyophilized MAE extracts were stable for up to 26 days at 50 °C. These findings demonstrate that alfalfa is a valuable source of bioactive carbohydrates and MAE a promising alternative technique to obtain functional extracts.

Volatile Organic Compounds in Exhaled Breath as Fingerprints of Lung Cancer, Asthma and COPD

Lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are inflammatory diseases that have risen worldwide, posing a major public health issue, encompassing not only physical and psychological morbidity and mortality, but also incurring significant societal costs. The leading cause of death worldwide by cancer is that of the lung, which, in large part, is a result of the disease often not being detected until a late stage. Although COPD and asthma are conditions with considerably lower mortality, they are extremely distressful to people and involve high healthcare overheads. Moreover, for these diseases, diagnostic methods are not only costly but are also invasive, thereby adding to people’s stress. It has been appreciated for many decades that the analysis of trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath could potentially provide cheaper, rapid, and non-invasive screening procedures to diagnose and monitor the above diseases of the lung. However, after decades of research associated with breath biomarker discovery, no breath VOC tests are clinically available. Reasons for this include the little consensus as to which breath volatiles (or pattern of volatiles) can be used to discriminate people with lung diseases, and our limited understanding of the biological origin of the identified VOCs. Lung disease diagnosis using breath VOCs is challenging. Nevertheless, the numerous studies of breath volatiles and lung disease provide guidance as to what volatiles need further investigation for use in differential diagnosis, highlight the urgent need for non-invasive clinical breath tests, illustrate the way forward for future studies, and provide significant guidance to achieve the goal of developing non-invasive diagnostic tests for lung disease. This review provides an overview of these issues from evaluating key studies that have been undertaken in the years 2010–2019, in order to present objective and comprehensive updated information that presents the progress that has been made in this field. The potential of this approach is highlighted, while strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are discussed. This review will be of interest to chemists, biologists, medical doctors and researchers involved in the development of analytical instruments for breath diagnosis.

Hunting for Toxic Industrial Chemicals: Real-Time Detection of Carbon Disulfide Traces by Means of Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Sensitive real-time detection of vapors produced by toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) represents a stringent priority nowadays. Carbon disulfide (CS₂) is such a chemical, being widely used in manufacturing synthetic textile fibers and as a solvent. CS₂ is simultaneously a very reactive, highly flammable, irritant, corrosive, and highly toxic compound, affecting the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, eyes, kidneys, liver, skin, and reproductive system. This study was directed towards quick detection and quantification of CS₂ in air, using time-of-flight ion mobility spectrometry (IMS); photoionization detection (PID) was also used as confirmatory technique. Results obtained indicated that IMS can detect CS₂ at trace levels in air. The ion mobility spectrometric response was in the negative ion mode and presented one product ion, at a reduced ion mobility (K₀) of 2.25 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. Our study demonstrated that by using a portable, commercial IMS system (model Mini IMS, I.U.T. GmbH Berlin Germany) one can easily measure CS₂ at concentrations of 0.1 ppm_v (0.3 mg m⁻³) in the negative ion mode, which is below the lowest threshold value of 1 ppm_v given for industrial hygiene. A limit of detection (LOD) of ca. 30 ppb_v (0.1 mg m⁻³) was also estimated.

Determination of Neonicotinoids in Honey Samples Originated from Poland and Other World Countries

A method development for determination of neonicotinoid residues in honey samples was developed. The proposed methodology consisted in QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe). That was used for sample preparation and UHPLC/UV (ultra-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection) utilized for chromatographic analysis. The developed method proved to be sensitive, with LOD (Limit of detection) value in the range of 60.80 to 80.98 ng/g hence LOQ (Limit of quantification) value was in the range of 184.26 to 245.40 ng/g. The method has tested on Polish honey and applied to honey from various countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Russia, USA and Turkey). Several honey types were tested, while physicochemical properties of all honeys and were investigated. The methodology for general characterization of pollen grains originated from selected plants, to confirm the type of honey was also presented. There was a total lack of the mentioned neonicotinoids in sunflower honey. Except of this, only two samples of rapeseed and two samples of acacia honey (from Poland and Romania) were neonicotinoids free. In 19 samples the targeted pesticides were detected above LOQ. In all other investigated samples, the neonicotinoids were found at least at the LOD or LOQ level.

New Methodology for the Identification of Metabolites of Saccharides and Cyclitols by Off-Line EC-MALDI-TOF-MS

A combination of electrochemistry (EC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (off-line EC-MALDI-TOF-MS) was applied for determination of the studied biologically active compounds (D-glucose, D-fructose, D-galactose, D-pinitol, L-chiro-inositol, and myo-inositol) and their possible electrochemical metabolites. In this work, boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD) was used as a working electrode. MALDI-TOF-MS experiments were carried out (both in positive and negative ion modes and using two matrices) to identify the structures of electrochemical products. This was one of the first applications of the EC system for the generation of electrochemical products produced from saccharides and cyclitols. Moreover, exploratory data analysis approaches (correlation networks, hierarchical cluster analysis, weighted plots) were used in order to present differences/similarities between the obtained spectra, regarding the class of analyzed compounds, ionization modes, and used matrices. This work presents the investigation and comparison of fragmentation patterns of sugars, cyclitols, and their respective products generated through the electrochemistry (EC) process.

Correlation Study of Honey Regarding their Physicochemical Properties and Sugars and Cyclitols Content

Honey is a natural sweetener, with an osmotic effect on microorganisms due to the increased sugar content and low amount of water. Cyclitols are minor constituents of honey. They play a defensive role in plants against unfavorable environmental conditions. Honey’s physicochemical properties can vary, resulting in a wide range of colors, flavors, scents, antioxidant activity, dissimilar values of pH, acidity, electrical conductivity, etc. Some literature regarding correlation between honey types is already available, but a comprehensive study displaying an ample evaluation of multifarious aspects is still needed. This study focuses on the correlation between 18 honey types, originating from 10 countries, collected during four years, summarizing a total of 38 samples. A total of 6 physicochemical properties and 18 target components (sugars and cyclitols) were considered as variables. A correlation analysis is presented between the investigated parameters and between honey types, together with the statistical analysis which allowed for observation of the clusters’ distribution according with the investigated variables.

Supercritical fluid extraction in isolation of cyclitols and sugars from chamomile flowers

The aim of the present study was to develop an optimization procedure for supercritical fluid extraction parameters, in order to obtain the highest possible yield of sugars and cyclitols from plant material. Response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design was applied to evaluate the effect of: temperature (40, 60, 80°C), pressure (100, 200, 300 bar), and co-solvent (methanol) percentage (20, 25, 30%). As a result of the optimization process, we found that the highest amount of sugars (15.02 mg/gof dried material) and cyclitols (0.86 mg/g of dried material) was obtained when the following parameters were applied: 80°C, 228 bar, and 30% of methanol. Moreover, co-solvent concentration and temperature had a higher influence onto the obtained amounts compared with the pressure.

Pressurized liquid extraction of cyclitols and sugars: optimization of extraction parameters and selective separation

Cyclitols and sugars were obtained as a mixture from Medicago sativa L., in a comparative study by using maceration, and pressurized liquid extraction, as a modern and green extraction techniques. The influence of extraction parameters including: extraction temperature, time and number of cycles on the content of sugars and cyclitols was investigated based on response surface methodology. The highest total amount of sugars and cyclitols (62.27 ± 2.30 and 50.35 ± 0.77 mg/g of dry material, respectively) was obtained when extraction was performed at 88°C, for 22 min, in two cycles. The methodology used involved extraction, purification, selective separation (using yeast and anion exchange resin) and derivatization, followed by gas chromatography -mass spectrometry analysis. The use of yeast treatment realized an effective fractionation of cyclitols and sugars, which allowed the removal of most sugars. The involvement of anion exchange resin after yeast allowed the removal of sugar alcohols and lactose, together with other sugar traces remained and to obtain a solution containing six cyclitols. The recrystallization of dry residue after solvent evaporation, from ethanol, allowed us to obtain 14.65 mg of white pure crystals identified with NMR spectroscopy, liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, optical rotation and melting point as analysis D-pinitol.

New approach for fast identification of cyclitols by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the subject of many studies due to its numerous chemical constituents and beneficial properties. Among these constituents are cyclitols, which have attracted attention due to the variety of biological properties they have.

OBJECTIVE

A rapid and sensitive analytical procedure based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation technique with time-of-flight and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis was used for the first time for the identification of three cyclitols from different parts of alfalfa.

METHODOLOGY

Plant extracts were prepared and purified using Soxhlet extraction and solid-phase extraction (SPE). Then, samples were dissolved in α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCCA) matrix, and subjected to MALDI-TOF-MS analysis.

RESULTS

The ion at m/z 524.0 was distributed in all standards and in leaves and stem extracts. In turn, the signal at m/z 335.1 was found in all standards and all alfalfa extracts. The ion at m/z144.1 was found just for d-chiro-inositol and distributed in all extracts. Both signals at m/z 265.9 and 250.0 were found only in l-chiro-inositol standard and the extract of stem. However, the ion at m/z 177.1 was found in d-pinitol standard and the extract of leaves. Based on molecular weights, information on fragment ions obtained by MALDI-TOF-MS, and the chemistry of cyclitols, we successfully identified three cyclitols (d-chiro-inositol, l-chiro-inositol, d-pinitol) in different parts of alfalfa (leaves, stem, flowers).

CONCLUSION

The obtained results in this study proved that MALDI-TOF-MS is a rapid, sensitive and very powerful tool for identification of cyclitols within plants and has the potential to differentiate between enantiomers.

Extraction approaches used for the determination of biologically active compounds (cyclitols, polyphenols and saponins) isolated from plant material

Based on the bioactive properties of certain compounds, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, an interesting subject of research are natural substances present in various parts of plants. The choice of the most appropriate method for separation and quantification of biologically active compounds from plants and natural products is a crucial step of any analytical procedure. The aim of this review article is to present an overview of a comprehensive literature study from the last 10 years (2007-2017), where relevant articles exposed the latest trends and the most appropriate methods applicable for separation and quantification of biologically active compounds from plant material and natural products. Consequently, various extraction methods have been discussed, together with the available procedures for purification and pre-concentration and dedicated methods used for analysis.

Complex investigation of extraction techniques applied for cyclitols and sugars isolation from different species of Solidago genus

Cyclitols are phytochemicals naturally occurring in plant material, which attracted an increasing interest due to multiple medicinal attributes, among which the most important are the antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Due to their valuable properties, sugars are used in the food industry as sweeteners, preservatives, texture modifiers, fermentation substrates, and flavoring and coloring agents. In this study, we report for the first time the quantitative analysis of sugars and cyclitols isolated from Solidago virgaurea L., which was used for the selection of the optimal solvent and extraction technique that can provide the best possible yield. Moreover, the quantities of sugars and cyclitols extracted from two other species, Solidago canadensis and Solidago gigantea, were investigated using the best extraction method and the most appropriate solvent. Comparative analysis of natural plant extracts obtained using five different techniques-maceration, Soxhlet extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction-was performed in order to decide the most suitable, efficient, and economically convenient extraction method. Three different solvents were used. Analysis of samples has been performed by solid-phase extraction for purification and pre-concentration, followed by derivation and GC-MS analysis. Highest efficiency for the total amount of obtained compounds has been reached by PLE, when water was used as a solvent. d-pinitol amount was almost similar for every solvent and for all the extraction techniques involved.