Comparison of the Trace Elements and Active Components of Lonicera japonica flos and Lonicera flos Using ICP-MS and HPLC-PDA

Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis: a review of its research progress of active metabolites and pharmacological effects

Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis is the aboveground stem part of the Lonicera Japonica Thunb, which belongs to the medicine food homology species in China. It has the effects of clearing away heat, toxic material, dredging wind and unblocking collaterals. Modern research shows that it contains various active metabolites and a wide range of pharmacological effects, which is of great research and clinical application value. It mainly contains organic acids, volatile oils, flavonoids, triterpenes, triterpene saponins and other active metabolites. Its pharmacological effects mainly include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant, and repairing bone and soft tissue. Based on the literature reports in recent years, the active metabolites, pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis were sorted out and summarized. It lays a foundation for explaining the efficacy material basis and application value of Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis. It aims to provide a reference for the in-depth research, development and utilization of Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis.

A Comprehensive Quality Analysis of Different Colors of Medicinal and Edible Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle (the dried flower bud or opening flower of Lonicera japonica Thunb.), a medicinal and edible substance, has is greatly popular among consumers for its remarkable health effects, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, due to the influences of processing methods, storage conditions, and other factors, honeysuckles show different colors which can directly reflect the quality and the price on the market. In order to comprehensively compare the quality of different colors, 55 batches of honeysuckle samples were collected and analyzed. Their color parameters, chlorophyll content (chl), total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (AA), main active compounds, and metabolites were measured. As a result, the initial green-white (GW) samples, a kind of highest-quality honeysuckle, had the smallest a* value, largest h*, chl, TPC, TFC, and AA values, and highest content of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside. There was a significant difference between GW samples and a series of discolored samples. As the color darkened or lightened, the quality gradually decreased. The yellow-brown (YB) samples were of the worst quality and were no longer available for clinical and health purposes. A series of differential metabolites, such as quercetin-7-O-glucoside and secologanoside, could be used as important references to evaluate the quality of differently colored samples. The metabolic profile of honeysuckle provided new insights into the process of color change and laid a foundation for further honeysuckle quality control. The correlation results showed that the a* and h* values significantly affect the abovementioned quality indicators and the 10 main active compounds. In other words, the color difference could directly reflect the quality and clinical efficacy. Multiple regression analysis was carried out using combined L*, a*, and b* values to predict the quality of honeysuckle. This is the first time the quality of different color honeysuckle samples on the post-harvest link has been systematically compared and a demonstration of medicinal and edible substances with different colors has been provided.

Enzyme activity- and chemometrics-assisted comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the analysis of honeysuckle

A unique and effective comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography system was established and applied for the analysis of bioactive components in honeysuckle. Under the optimal conditions, Eclipse Plus C₁₈ (2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 μm, Agilent) and SB-C₁₈ (4.6 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm, Agilent) columns were chosen for the first dimension (¹D) and the second dimension (²D) separation. The optimal flow rates of ¹D and ²D were 0.12 mL/min and 2.0 mL/min, respectively. Additionally, the proportion of organic solution was optimized to enhance orthogonality and integrated shift, and full gradient elution mode was adopted to improve chromatographic resolution. Furthermore, a total of 57 compounds were identified by molecular weight, retention time and collision cross-section value obtained from ion mobility mass spectrometry. Based on the data obtained from the principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis, the categories of honeysuckle in different regions were significantly different. Moreover, the half maximal inhibitory concentration values of most samples were between 0.37 and 1.55 mg/mL, and most samples were potent α-glucosidase inhibitors, which is better for the evaluation of the quality of drugs from two aspects of substance content and activity.

Evaluation of Lonicera etrusca var. etrusca Santi (Caprifoliaceae) Stem and Leaf in Terms of Anatomical Structures and Some Phenolic Compounds

Objectives

The genus Lonicera includes medicinally important plants. Two varieties of L. etrusca have been recorded in Türkiye. Anatomical structures and phytochemical contents are important in the diagnosis and identification of medicinal plants. This study included stem and leaf anatomy of L. etrusca var. etrusca and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the methanol extracts obtained from these parts.

Materials and Methods

Plant materials were collected from Ankara. Methanol extracts were prepared from the stems and leaves by ultrasonic bath. The amounts of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid that are major compounds in the stem and leaves, were determined by HPLC. For anatomical studies, specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol. Transverse and surface sections were prepared by hand. Detection of tissues was performed using Sartur reagent. Anatomical specimens were examined using a light microscope and microphotographed.

Results

In HPLC analysis, the highest amount of chlorogenic acid was determined in the leaf (1.148%), and the highest amount of caffeic acid (0.156%) was determined in the stem. In the anatomical analysis, it was observed that the stem was disc-shaped and hollow; pericycle is in a ring form, consists of fibre-like cells with thick walls and wide lumina; cork occurs adjoining pericyclic fibers; thin-walled pith cells containing dense druse crystals. The leaf lamina is bifacial in the transverse section; palisade and spongy parenchyma, both contain abundant starch grains; solitary druse crystals are sparse in the leaf mesophyll; the stomata were observed only on the lower surface with 3-5 subsidiary cells. With this study, L. etrusca var. etrusca has been clarified in terms of its anatomical structures and phenolic compounds.

Conclusion

The chemical contents and anatomical structures of the plant may contain important information that can be used in classification. This study may support in taxonomically classification for the L. etrusca var. etrusca.

Trace Metals in Cannabis Seized by Law Enforcement in Ghana and Multivariate Analysis to Distinguish among Different Cannabis Farms

For hundreds of years, cannabis has been one of the most known cultivated plants due to its variety of uses, which include as a psychoactive drug, as well as for medicinal activity. Although prohibiting cannabis products, the countries of the African continent are the largest producers of cannabis in the world; a fact that makes the trafficking of cannabis-based illicit drugs a high priority for local law enforcement authorities. The latter are exceedingly interested in the use of chemical analyses for facilitating quantification, identification, and tracing of the origin of seized cannabis samples. Targeting these goals, and focusing on the country of Ghana, the present study used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of 12 elements (Pb, Cu, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cd, As, Hg, Fe, Na, and K) in cannabis seized by Ghana's law enforcement authorities and soils of cannabis farms. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to distinguish among different cannabis farms and match them with the samples. As a result, 22 seized cannabis samples and 12 other cannabis samples with their respective soils were analyzed to reveal considerable As and Pb concentrations. As and Pb levels in cannabis were found up to 242 ppb for As and 854 ppb for Pb. Multivariate analysis was applied for separating different cannabis farms and seized samples based on elemental analysis, evidently linking the seized samples with two Ghana regions.

Potential Application of Lonicera japonica Extracts in Animal Production: From the Perspective of Intestinal Health

Lonicera japonica (L. japonica) extract is rich in active substances, such as phenolic acids, essential oils, flavones, saponins, and iridoids, which have a broad spectrum of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effect. Previous studies have demonstrated that L. japonica has a good regulatory effect on animal intestinal health, which can be used as a potential antibiotic substitute product. However, previous studies about intestinal health regulation mainly focus on experimental animals or cells, like mice, rats, HMC-1 Cells, and RAW 264.7 cells. In this review, the intestinal health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity, and its potential application in animal production were summarized. Through this review, we can see that the effects and mechanism of L. japonica extract on intestinal health regulation of farm and aquatic animals are still rare and unclear. Further studies could focus on the regulatory mechanism of L. japonica extract on intestinal health especially the protective effects of L. japonica extract on oxidative injury, inflammation, and regulation of intestinal flora in farm animals and aquatic animals, thereby providing references for the rational utilization and application of L. japonica and its extracts in animal production.

Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Metabolites between Lonicera japonica and Lonicera macranthoides Based on GC-MS

Lonicera japonica Thunb. (LJ) and Lonicera macranthoides Hand. -Mazz. (LM) have been widely used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Although the morphological characteristics of LJ and LM are quite similar, there are significant distinctions of medicinal ingredients (mainly the secondary metabolites) and clinical indications between them. However, the in-depth differences of primary metabolites have not thoroughly been studied yet. Therefore, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry- (GC-MS-) based metabolomics method combined with chemometric methods were performed to analyze the distinction in this study. The results showed that LJ and LM were obviously classified into two groups. 10 metabolites were obtained as biomarkers on account of their p values, pcorr values, and differing variable importance in projection (VIP) values. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that the galactose metabolism and starch and sucrose metabolism gathered as potential pathways caused these extraordinary differences of primary metabolites between LJ and LM. Further, we found that the differences of main medicinal ingredients between LJ and LM could be interpreted from these metabolites according to the analysis of mainly related pathways. The metabolites involved in the starch and sucrose metabolism presented upregulated in LJ, while almost all metabolites in the galactose metabolism, the TCA cycle, and the phenolic acid part of phenylpropanoid metabolism were downregulated in LJ. Therefore, the energy stored in the starch and sucrose metabolism may be saved to produce flavonoid, which could be the reason that the level of flavonoid of phenylpropanoid metabolism is higher in LJ compared to LM. Consequently, this study presented an effective tool for quality evaluation of LJ and LM and laid a foundation for further studies of the metabolic mechanisms and high-quality manufacturing of them.

A Biosensor-Based Quantitative Analysis System of Major Active Ingredients in Lonicera japonica Thunb. Using UPLC-QDa and Chemometric Analysis

In the study, a surface plasmon resonance-based (SPR-based) competitive assay was performed to analyze different compounds’ inhibitory activity to TNF-α, an important pro-inflammatory cytokine in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. Moreover, the single mass spectrometry (MS) detection method was coupled with an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system for the routine quality control (QC) of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The above quality control strategy was evaluated with Lonicera japonica Thunb. Analytes were firstly separated on a Waters ACQUITYTM UPLC HSS T3 column (2.1 × 50 mm; particle size = 1.8 μm) using a 0.1% formic acid gradient elution, then detected by negative ESI mass spectrometry. The limits of quantification (LOQ) for analytes reached 0.005–0.56 μg/mL. The LOD of the QDa detector was lower than that of the PDA detector, indicating its wider detection range. The QDa detector was also more suitable for the analysis of the complex matrix of TCM. The method showed excellent linearity, with regression coefficients higher than 0.9991. The average recoveries of the investigated analytes were in the range of 98.78–105.13%, with an RSD below 3.91%. The inter-day precision range (n = 3 days) was 2.51–4.54%. Compared to other detectors, this strategy could be widely applied in the quantitative analysis of TCM. In addition, the chemically latent data could be revealed using chemometric analysis. Importantly, this study provides an efficient screening method for small-molecule inhibitors targeting the TNF-α pathway.

Ligand fishing of anti-neurodegenerative components from Lonicera japonica using magnetic nanoparticles immobilised with monoamine oxidase B

In this work, monoamine oxidase B was immobilised onto magnetic nanoparticles to prepare a new type of affinity solid-phase extraction adsorbent, which was used to extract the possible anti-neurodegenerative components from the Lonicera japonica flower extracts. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, two monoamine oxidase B ligands were fished-out and identified as isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C, which were found to be inhibitors of the enzyme for the first time, with similar half maximal inhibitory concentration values of 29.05 ± 0.49 and 29.77 ± 1.03 μM, respectively. Furthermore, equilibrium-dialysis dissociation assay of enzyme-inhibitor complex showed that both compounds have reversible binding patterns to monoamine oxidase B, and kinetic analysis demonstrated that they were mixed-type inhibitors for monoamine oxidase B, with K_i and K_is values of 9.55 and 37.24 μM for isochlorogenic acid A, 9.53 and 35.50 μM for isochlorogenic acid C, respectively. The results indicated that isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C were the major active components responsible for the anti-degenerative activity of the flowers of L. japonica, while magnetic nanoparticles immobilised monoamine oxidase B could serve as an efficient solid-phase extraction adsorbent to specifically extract monoamine oxidase B inhibitors from complex herbal extracts.