Profiling the constituents of Dachuanxiong decoction by liquid chromatography with high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry using target and nontarget data mining

Analysis of the chemical constituents and their metabolites in Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. via UHPLC-Q exactive orbitrap-HRMS and AFADESI-MSI techniques

BACKGROUND

Known for its strong diuretic properties, the perennial herbaceous plant Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. is believed to preserve the kidney disease. This study compared the boiling water extract with powdered Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. and used a highly sensitive and high resolution UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-HRMS technology to evaluate its chemical composition.

RESULTS

Furthermore, by monitoring the absorption of prototype components in rat plasma following oral treatment, the beneficial ingredients of the Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. decoction was discovered. Approximately 92 substances underwent a preliminary identification utilizing relevant databases, relevant literature, and reference standards. As the compound differences between the powdered Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. and its water decoction were analyzed, it was found that boiling produced additional compounds, 48 of which were new. 45 blood absorption prototype components and 49 OS metabolites were discovered from rat serum, and a kidney tissue homogenate revealed an additional 28 prototype components. Early differences in the distribution of ferulic acid, cis 4 coumaric acid, and rosmarinic acid were shown using spatial metabolomics. It was elucidated that the renal cortex region is where rosmarinic acid largely acts, offering a theoretical foundation for further studies on the application of OS in the prevention and treatment of illness as well as the preservation of kidney function.

SIGNIFICANCE

In this study, UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap-HRMS was employed to discern OS's chemical composition, and a rapid, sensitive, and broad-coverage AFADESI-MSI method was developed to visualize the spatial distribution of compounds in tissues.

Integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics reveals that Da Chuanxiong Formula improves vascular cognitive impairment via ACSL4/GPX4 mediated ferroptosis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Da Chuanxiong Formula (DCX) is a traditional herbal compound composed of Gastrodia elata Bl. and Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort, which could significantly enhance blood circulation and neuroprotection, showing promise in treating Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI).

AIM OF STUDY

This study aims to elucidate the potential of DCX in treating VCI and its underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Firstly, the cognitive behavior level, blood flow changes, and brain pathology changes were evaluated through techniques such as the Morris water maze, step-down, laser speckle, coagulation analysis, and pathological staining to appraise the DCX efficacy. Then, the DCX targeting pathways were decoded by merging metabolomics with transcriptomics. Finally, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Fe2+, and lipid peroxidation related to the targeting signaling pathways of DCX were detected by kit, and the expression levels of mRNAs or proteins related to ferroptosis were determined by qPCR or Western blot assays respectively.

RESULTS

DCX improved cognitive abilities and cerebral perfusion significantly, and mitigated pathological damage in the hippocampal region of VCI model rats. Metabolomics revealed that DCX was able to call back 33 metabolites in plasma and 32 metabolites in brain samples, and the majority of the differential metabolites are phospholipid metabolites. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that DCX regulated a total of 3081 genes, with the ferroptosis pathway exhibiting the greatest impact. DCX inhibited ferroptosis of VCI rates by decreasing the levels of ferrous iron, ROS, and malondialdehyde (MDA) while increasing the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in VCI rats. Moreover, the mRNA and protein levels of ACSL4, LPCAT3, ALOX15, and GPX4, which are related to lipid metabolism in ferroptosis, were also regulated by DCX.

CONCLUSION

Our research findings indicated that DCX could inhibit ferroptosis through the ACSL4/GPX4 signaling pathway, thereby exerting its therapeutic benefits on VCI.

Identification and quality evaluation of Chinese rice wine using UPLC-PDA-QTOF/MS with dual-column separation

BACKGROUND

Chinese rice wine (CRW) is a well-known drink and functional food that is used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, there is still a lack of quality control and evaluation methods for CRWs.

PURPOSE

The study aimed to establish a new method that can serve both as quality control and evaluation method and, as well as an identification method for CRWs.

METHOD

Compound identification in different CRW samples and determination of uracil, xanthine, uridine, adenine, guanosine, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and adenosine contents from 29 CRW samples from 14 brands were performed using UPLC-PDA/TOF-MS. The dual-column chromatographic separation of CRW was performed using CORTECS T3 coupled to HSS T3. The optimal mobile phase consisted of water with 0.1% formic acid, 40 mM ammonium acetate, and methanol: acetonitrile (2:1). Furthermore, to compare the UPLC fingerprints between CRWs of different brands, a similarity analysis was performed to classify the CRW samples. Finally, network pharmacology and in vitro efficacy and toxicity tests were used to investigate the biological function of the seven components and CRWs.

RESULTS

A total of 55 compounds were unambiguously or tentatively identified. Among them, nucleoside, pyrimidines and purines were reported in CRW for the first time. The seven components were successfully determined, and their contents showed large variations among different brands of CRW, which was consistent with the results of the chromatographic fingerprint similarities. The results of in vitro efficacy and toxicity tests indicated that CRWs and seven components had obvious protective effect on H9c2 cell injury induced by the H₂O₂ model. Network pharmacology analysis showed that these seven compounds might be the main active components of CRW that promote blood circulation and ventilation.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that dual-column chromatographic separation is an effective method for quantitative and chromatographic fingerprint analyzes of complex samples, and seven compounds can be used for the quality evaluation and control of CRWs.

A comprehensive investigation on the chemical diversity and efficacy of different parts of Ligusticum chuanxiong

Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (CX) is a medicinal and edible plant with a wide range of constituents of biological interest. Since the biomass of the non-medicinal parts of CX is huge, discarding them will cause a waste of resources. To expand the medicinal uses of CX, we comprehensively investigated the chemical diversity and efficacy of its different parts (rhizomes, fibrous roots, stems and leaves). 75 compounds in the volatile oil and 243 compounds in the methanol extracts (including 95 phthalides) obtained from CX were characterized by GC-MS and UHPLC/Q-Orbitrap MS analysis, respectively. Of 95 phthalides, 14 potential new compounds and 5 phthalide trimers were identified from CX for the first time. Phthalide monomers were more abundant in rhizomes and fibrous roots, and phthalide dimers or even phthalide trimers mainly in stems and leaves. By multivariate and univariate analyses, 22 and 24 different compounds were found in the volatile oils and the methanol extracts, respectively. In the bioactivity evaluation of different parts, stems and leaves showed the best antioxidant activity, fibrous roots showed the strongest vasodilator activity, and rhizomes showed the most significant anticoagulant activity, which was related to the different metabolites in different parts. Ultimately, this work revealed the similarities and differences of phytochemicals and bioactivities in different anatomical parts of CX. It might provide helpful evidence for the rational application of non-medicinal resources.

Caffeoylquinic acids: chemistry, biosynthesis, occurrence, analytical challenges, and bioactivity

Caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) are specialized plant metabolites we encounter in our daily life. Humans consume CQAs in mg-to-gram quantities through dietary consumption of plant products. CQAs are considered beneficial for human health, mainly due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Recently, new biosynthetic pathways via a peroxidase-type p-coumaric acid 3-hydroxylase enzyme were discovered. More recently, a new GDSL lipase-like enzyme able to transform monoCQAs into diCQA was identified in Ipomoea batatas. CQAs were recently linked to memory improvement; they seem to be strong indirect antioxidants via Nrf2 activation. However, there is a prevalent confusion in the designation and nomenclature of different CQA isomers. Such inconsistencies are critical and complicate bioactivity assessment since different isomers differ in bioactivity and potency. A detailed explanation regarding the origin of such confusion is provided, and a recommendation to unify nomenclature is suggested. Furthermore, for studies on CQA bioactivity, plant-based laboratory animal diets contain CQAs, which makes it difficult to include proper control groups for comparison. Therefore, a synthetic diet free of CQAs is advised to avoid interferences since some CQAs may produce bioactivity even at nanomolar levels. Biotransformation of CQAs by gut microbiota, the discovery of new enzymatic biosynthetic and metabolic pathways, dietary assessment, and assessment of biological properties with potential for drug development are areas of active, ongoing research. This review is focused on the chemistry, biosynthesis, occurrence, analytical challenges, and bioactivity recently reported for mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraCQAs.

Rapid identification of chemical constituents of Rhodiola crenulata using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry pseudotargeted analysis

Rhodiola crenulata (R. crenulata), is a famous traditional Chinese medicine, with observable effects such as anti-high-altitude illness and fatigue resistance. Nevertheless, comprehensive and systematic structural identification of its components remains a challenge. In this study, a pseudotargeted analytical method, involving key fragment filtering by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry, was developed for rapid detection and identification of the chemical constituents of R. crenulata. The process consists of three steps: (i) acquiring sufficient mass spectral data, (ii) constructing a key fragments schedule and discovering the substructures rapidly by pseudotargeted key fragment filtering, and (iii) further identification of the compound structures based on accurate masses, fragment ions, related literatures, and authentic standards. As a result, 104 compounds were identified and divided into five categories, among which three potentially new and 59 ones were reported for the first time in R. crenulata. These results indicated that the major types of components are flavanols and gallic acid derivatives, organic acids, alcohols and their glycosides, flavonoids and their glycosides. This study enhances the understanding of R. crenulata and provides a reference for rapid and comprehensive identification of constituents in other herbal medicines.

Multi-marker scans coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry strategy for global profiling combined with structure recognition of unknown trace chlorogenic acids in Lonicera Flos

Deep investigation, profiling of chemical diversity of constituent compounds and discovery of novel structures is a great challenge. A novel comprehensive and effective approach to mine trace unknown compounds combined with structure recognition in complex matrix is developed, in order to profiling potential Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) in Lonicera Flos (LFs): using multiple neutral loss/precursor ion (NL/PI) markers scans combined with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The workflow included (i) Fragmentation rules deduced by Q-orbitrap and selection of multiple NL/PI markers. (ii) Multiple NL/PI marker scans and grouping of peaks that had responses on two or more channels. (iii) Alignment of peaks in Full-MS scan and multiple NL/PI scans. (iv) The precursor ions list was introduced to mine novel CGAs according to simulated molecular formula. (v) Identification and structure recognition with the aid of HRMS. The procedure proved to be valid to screen and identify 51 CGAs from Lonicera Flos (LFs) with 16 categories, especially dihydroxyphenyl and glucoside for the first time. Its application could also be extended for global profiling of other complicated chemical systems, such as Chinese medicinal formulas.

Targeted characterization of acylated compounds from Scrophulariae Radix using liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap mass spectrometry and diagnostic product ion-based data analysis

Acylated compounds are often present in herbal medicines. In this study, a diagnostic product ion-based strategy was established to comprehensively characterize acylated compounds in Scrophulariae Radix. After untargeted data acquisition using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap mass spectrometry, the data were processed by three-stage diagnostic product ions. First, diagnostic product ions corresponding to the acyl groups (cinnamoyl, p-coumaroyl, feruloyl, and caffeoyl) were used to search 90 compounds. Second, these compounds were divided into three categories using diagnostic product ions for phenylethanoid glycosides, iridoid glycosides, and phenylpropanoids, respectively. Last, the linkage position of the acyl group to iridoid glycosides was discriminated via the third-stage diagnostic product ions. As a result, 90 acylated compounds were characterized, and 37 of them were reported from Scrophulariae Radix for the first time.

Pseudotargeted screening and determination of constituents in Qishen granule based on compound biosynthetic correlation using UHPLC coupled with high-resolution MS

Detection and determination of many known/unknown compounds in traditional Chinese medicines have always been challenging. To comprehensively identify compounds in Qishen granule, which is a widely prescribed herbal formula for treating chronic heart failure, a pseudotargeted screening method was proposed based on compound biosynthetic correlation using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Firstly, all possible compounds of Qishen granule were classified into nine types according to their core skeletons, and potential analogue molecular formulas were predicted according to core compound-related biosynthetic correlations, such as methylation, hydroxylation, and glucosidation. Secondly, nine pseudocompound databases consisting of core compounds, deduced biosynthetic correlations, and predicted analogue molecular formulas were established. Then, compounds of interest were directly located by pseudotargeted screening of high resolution mass spectrometry data and further verified by target tandem mass spectrometry. As a result, 213 constituents were identified and 21 of them were determined as potential new compounds. This demonstrated that pseudotargeted screening based on compound biosynthetic correlations significantly facilitated the processing of extremely large information data and improved the efficiency of compound identification. This research provided essential data for exploration of effective substances in Qishen granule and enriched the methodology for comprehensive characterization of constituents in complex traditional Chinese medicines.