Determination of the six major flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix by micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis

Measurement methods of single cell drug response

In the last decades, a wide multitude of research activity has been focused on the development of new drugs, and devoted to overcome the challenges of high cost and low efficiency in drug evaluation. The measurement of drug response at the single cell level is a quicker, more direct and more accurate way to reflect drug efficacy, which can shorten the drug development period and reduce research costs. Therefore, the single cell drug response (SCDR) measurement technology has aroused extensive attention from researchers, and has become a hot topic in the fields of drug research and cell biology. Recent years have seen the emergence of various SCDR measurement technologies that feature different working principles and different levels of measurement performance. To better examine, compare and summarize the characteristics and functions of these technologies, we select signal-to-noise ratio, throughput, content, invasion, and device complexity as the criteria to evaluate them from the drug efficacy perspective. This review aims to highlight sixteen kinds of SCDR measurement technologies, including patch-clamp technique, live-cell interferometry, capillary electrophoresis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and more, and report widespread representative examples of SCDR measurement the recent approaches for over the past forty years. Based on their reaction principles, these technologies are classified into four categories: electrical, optical, electrochemical, and mass spectrometry, and a detailed comparison is made between them. After in-depth understanding of these technologies, it is expected to improve or integrate these technologies to propose better SCDR measurement strategies, and explore methods in new drug development and screening, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment.

Sensitive determination of baicalein based on functionalized graphene loaded RuO2 nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode

The nanocomposite of ruthenium oxide (RuO₂) loaded on Poly-(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (PDDA) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RuO₂-PDDA-rGO) was synthesized based on a one-step method. Based on the RuO₂-PDDA-rGO modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), a new electrochemical sensor (RuO₂-PDDA-rGO/GCE) was fabricated and used in detection of baicalein for the first time. Compared with other reported electrochemical sensors for the detection of baicalein, the prepared RuO₂-PDDA-rGO/GCE had a wider linear range (2-400 nM) and lower detection limit (0.6 nM, S/N = 3). The other advantages were the excellent repeatability of proposed method and good stability of prepared sensor.

Simultaneous determination of two flavonoids based on disulfide linked β-cyclodextrin dimer and Pd cluster functionalized graphene-modified electrode

Illustration of the SS-β-CD–Pd@RGO nanohybrids simultaneously sensing baicalin and luteolin by an electrochemical strategy.

Rapid determination of baicalin and total baicalein content in Scutellariae radix by ATR-IR and NIR spectroscopy

In this study methods for the quantification of baicalin and total baicalein in Scutellariae radix with near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and attenuated-total-reflectance mid-infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy in hyphenation with multivariate analysis were developed and compared. The reference analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Different pretreatments like standard normal variate (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), first and second derivative Savitzky-Golay were applied on the spectra to optimize the calibrations. A principal component analysis was performed with both spectroscopic methods to distinguish wild and cultivated samples. Quality parameters obtained for test-set calibration models of ATR-IR spectroscopy (baicalin: standard error of prediction (SEP)=1.31, ratio performance to deviation (RPD)=2.91 and R(2)=0.88; total baicalein: SEP=1.02, RPD=3.24 and R(2)=0.89) and NIR spectroscopy (baicalin: SEP=1.50, RPD=2.54 and R(2)=0.88; total baicalein: SEP=1.19, RPD=2.76 and R(2)=0.84) demonstrate that both spectroscopic techniques in combination with multivariate analysis are successful tools for the quantification of baicalin and total baicalein in Scutellariae radix, but it was found that ATR-IR spectroscopy provides higher accuracy in the given application. Furthermore it was proved that wild and cultivated samples can be distinguished by ATR-IR.

Simultaneous determination of 11 active components in two well-known traditional Chinese medicines by HPLC coupled with diode array detection for quality control

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method was investigated for simultaneous determination of 11 components (chlorogenic acid, coptisine, epiberberine, jatrorrhizine, berberine, palmatine, baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin and chrysin) in Qinhuanghouzheng (QHHZ) capsule and Xiaoerqingre (XEQR) tablet, for quality control of these two well-known traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The method was established using an Eclipse Plus C(18) (150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm) column. The mobile phase comprising methanol (A) 3% phosphoric acid (B) (pH 2.0, adjusted by triethylamine) was used to elute the targets in gradient elution mode. Flow rate and detection wavelength were set at 0.8 mL/min and 270 nm, respectively. All calibration curves showed good linearity with R(2) > 0.9995. Inter- and intra-day precisions for all investigated components expressed as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) ranged from 0.26% to 1.77%. Recoveries measured at three concentrations were in the range of 95.0-103.0% with R.S.D. < or = 3%. The validated method is simple, reliable, and successfully applied to determine the contents of the selected compounds in QHHZ capsule and XEQR tablet for quality evaluation and control. The 11 main active marker compounds measured occur only in 2 or 3 plant species out of 7-10 species comprising the two TCMs. Additional procedures need to be developed for the quality control of plant materials other than Coptis chinensis Franch, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Phellodendron amurense Rupr.

Separation and determination of chalcones from Carthamus tinctorius L. and its medicinal preparation by capillary zone electrophoresis

A new capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was developed for simultaneous assay of four chalcones, hydroxysafflor yellow A, safflor yellow A, safflamin C, and safflamin A, in the Chinese herbal extract from Carthamus tinctorius L. The optimum buffer system was 30 mM borate buffer (Na2B407/HCl, pH 9.00) with 10% (v/v) methanol. The voltage was 15 kV and detection was at 270 nm. Regression equations revealed linear relationships (correlation coefficients: 0.9973, 0.9992, 0.9989, and 0.9996) between the peak area of each compound and its concentration. The within-day relative standard deviations of migration times and peak areas were < 1.53 and 4.14%, respectively. The effects of several CE parameters on the resolution were studied systematically. The contents of four chalcones in Carthamus tinctorius L. were successfully determined with satisfactory repeatability and recovery. The possibilities of using this method for the determination of chalcones in Chinese medicinal preparation was also tested.

Retention behavior of silica-bonded and novel polymeric reversed-phase sorbents in studies on flavones as chemotaxonomic markers of Scutellaria L. genus

In this study, the effectiveness of both classical and novel polymeric sorbents used in solid-phase extraction (SPE) for isolation of pharmacologically active flavones (baicalin, luteolin, apigenin, wogonin and chrysin) from aerial parts of 13 species of Scutellaria L. (Skullcap) genus was assessed. The highest recoveries of hydrophilic (baicalin, luteolin) flavones for Oasis HLB were obtained, whereas for medium hydrophobic (apigenin) and hydrophobic (wogonin, chrysin) flavones better quantitative results for BakerBond phenyl cartridges were stated. Eluates were analysed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (RP-HPLC-DAD). For the five target compounds the determined concentrations ranged from approximately 4 to approximately 15,500 microg/g dry wt. Very good linearities (r(2)>0.9995) of calibration curves were achieved for each flavone. The accuracy was below 5% for most compounds examined. This is the first method reported that enabled simultaneous qualification and quantitation of five flavones (being chemotaxonomic markers) in 13 species of Scutellaria L. genus.

Non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis for simultaneous separation and determination of three major active components in traditional medicinal preparations

A simple and sensitive non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for simultaneous assay of three bioactive components (puerarin, daidzein and wogonin) in three traditional medicinal preparations for the first time. Optimum separation of the analytes was obtained on a 47 cm x 75 microm i.d. capillary using a non-aqueous buffer system of 20% acetonitrile, 25 mm ammonium acetate and apparent pH 9.00, with applied voltage and capillary temperature of 20 kV and 16 degrees C, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the migration times and the peak areas of the three analytes were in the ranges 2.5--4.0% and 3.2--3.9%, respectively. Detection limits of puerarin, daidzein and wogonin were 0.090, 0.145 and 0.090 microg mL(-1), respectively. In the tested concentration range, good linear relationships (correlation coef fi cients: 0.9998 for puerarin, 0.9998 for daidzein and 0.9978 for wogonin) between peak areas and concentrations of the analytes were observed. This method has been successfully applied to simultaneous determination of the three bioactive components with recoveries from 91.0 to 114.0%.

Determination of hesperetin, cinnamic acid and nicotinic acid in propolis with micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) has been used to determine hesperetin, cinnamic acid and nicotinic acid in propolis. After systematically study the effect of buffer concentration and pH, micellar concentration, organic modifier, applied voltage and injection time, the analytical conditions were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the three analytes could be well separated in 20 min. A good linearity between the peak current and the concentration was found in the range of 0.02-0.60 mg/ml, 0.05-1.20 mg/ml and 0.10-1.40 mg/ml with correlation coefficients of 0.9989, 0.9995 and 0.9990 for hesperetin, cinnamic acid and nicotinic acid, respectively. The detection limits were 0.006 mg/ml (hesperetin), 0.017 mg/ml (cinnamic acid) and 0.036 mg/ml (nicotinic acid). The validity of the method was verified by analyzing the three analytes in propolis oral liquids.

Phytochemical and biological analysis of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora L.): a medicinal plant with anxiolytic properties

The phytochemistry and biological activity of Scutellaria lateriflora L. (American skullcap) which has been traditionally used as a sedative and to treat various nervous disorders such as anxiety was studied. In vivo animal behaviour trials were performed to test anxiolytic effects in rats orally administered S. laterifolia extracts. Significant increases in the number of entries into the center of an "open-field arena"; number of unprotected head dips, number of entries and the length of time spent on the open arms of the Elevated Plus-Maze were found. The identification and quantification of the flavonoid, baicalin in a 50% EtOH extract (40 mg/g) and its aglycone baicalein in a 95% EtOH extract (33 mg/g), as well as the amino acids GABA in H2O and EtOH extracts (approximately 1.6 mg/g) and glutamine in a H2O extract (31 mg/g), was performed using HPLC. These compounds may play a role in anxiolytic activity since baicalin and baicalein are known to bind to the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor and since GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Identi?cation and determination of ecdysone and phenylpropanoid glucoside and ?avonoids inLamium maculatum by capillary zone electrophoresis

The simultaneous determination of 20-hydroxy ecdysone (1), 3,7-dimethoxy-quercetin (2), acteoside (3) and rutin (4) in the mixture of leaf and stem, and the flower of Lamium maculatum has been investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis for the first time. With an electrolyte containing 30 mmol/L borate, at pH 9.47 and 20 kV applied voltage, the four active compounds were completely separated within 5 min with satisfactory results. The effects of concentration of borate and electrolyte pH on electrophoretic behavior and separation were studied. Regression equations revealed linear relationships (correlation coefficients 0.9998-0.9999) between the peak area of each analyte and the concentration. The levels of analytes in the different parts of Lamium maculatum were easily determined with recoveries ranging from 98.3 to 105.0%.

Evaluation of variation of acteoside and three major flavonoids in wild and cultivated Scutellaria baicalensis roots by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) conditions were developed to analyze the constituents of Scutellariae Radix (SR) and Scutellaria baicalensis roots. Using the MEKC method, the major flavonoid constituents of baicalin, baicalein and wogonin of wild and cultivated S. baicalensis roots were compared. In a preliminary comparison of electropherogram, one special peak was found in a wild sample but not in a 2-year-cultivated one. The compound corresponding to the peak was isolated and identified as a phenylethanoid glycoside, acteoside, by comparing the 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data with that of the authentic compound. This is the first time acteoside has been isolated from the Scutellaria genus. It could only be found in SR derived from wild S. baicalensis roots and 4-year-cultivated plants, but not in plant materials cultivated for 3 years. Applying the MEKC method established in this study, rapid and simultaneous determinations of acteoside together with 3 flavonoids in samples were achieved. The method can thus be used for the quality control of SR in a shorter analysis period than HPLC.

Coupling continuous separation techniques to capillary electrophoresis

One of the weak points of capillary electrophoresis is the need to implement rigorously sample pretreatment because its great impact on the quality of the qualitative and quantitative results provided. One of the approaches to solve this problem is through the symbiosis of automatic continuous flow systems (CFSs) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). In this review a systematic approach to CFS-CE coupling is presented and discussed. The design of the corresponding interface depends on three factors, namely: (a) the characteristics of the CFS involved which can be non-chromatographic and chromatographic; (b) the type of CE equipment: laboratory-made or commercially available; and (c) the type of connection which can be in-line (on-capillary), on-line or mixed off/on-line. These are the basic criteria to qualify the hyphenation of CFS (solid-phase extraction, dialysis, gas diffusion, evaporation, direct leaching) with CE described so far and applied to determine a variety of analytes in many different types of samples. A critical discussion allows one to demonstrate that this symbiosis is an important topic in research and development, besides separation and detection, to consolidate CE as a routine analytical tool.

An enantiomeric assay for the flavonoids medicarpin and vestitone using capillary electrophoresis

An enantiomeric assay for the flavonoids vestitone and medicarpin from transgenic plant extracts was developed using capillary electrophoresis. It was found that no single cyclodextrin proved capable of resolving the enantiomers of both medicarpin and vestitone. Instead, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin provided the best selectivity for the vestitones while hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin was best for the medicarpins. The addition of organic modifiers improved the resolution of both enantiomers. Acetonitrile proved best for the vestitones and only methanol improved the resolution of the medicarpins. An optimization study of mixed hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin containing electrolytes revealed that the separation of the medicarpin enantiomers was intolerant to the presence of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Our optimized running electrolyte was composed of 2 mM hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, 20 mM hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin, and 25 mM borate at pH 10.0 with 10% v/v methanol. This system provided a resolution of 1.47 and 1.80 for the medicarpin and vestitone enantiomers, respectively. This analysis was completed in 12 min. This separation provided a rapid screen to determine the enantiomeric purity of key flavonoids biosynthesized by transgenic legumes.

Optimization of the separation of phenolic compounds by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A group of phenolic compounds including phenolic aldehydes, acids and flavonoids are separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC). The influence of buffer (concentration and pH), concentration of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and applied voltage were studied. To increase the selectivity of the separation and the resolution of the solutes organic solvents are added to the separation buffer, the best results were obtained when methanol was used at lower percentages. An optimized buffer (150 mM boric acid (pH 8.5)-50 mM SDS-5% methanol) provides the optimum separation with regard to resolution and migration time. This method was applied to the determination of these compounds in wine samples with good results.

Strategies for capillary electrophoresis: method development and validation for pharmaceutical and biological applications

This review is in support of the development of selective, reproducible and validated capillary electrophoretis (CE) methods. Focusing on pharmaceutical and biological applications, the successful use of CE is demonstrated by more than 800 references, mainly from 1994 until 1998. Approximately 80 recent reviews have been catalogued. These articles sum up the existing strategies for method development in CE, especially in the search for generally accepted concepts, but also looking for new, promising reagents and ideas. General strategies for method development were derived not only with regard to selectivity and efficiency, but also with regard to precision, short analysis time, limit of detection, sample pretreatment requirements and validation. Standard buffer recipes, surfactants used in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC), chiral selectors, useful buffer additives, polymeric separation media, electroosmotic flow (EOF) modifiers, dynamic and permanent coatings, actions to deal with complex matrices and aspects of validation are collected in 20 tables. Detailed schemes for the development of MEKC methods and chiral separations, for optimizing separation efficiency, means of troubleshooting, and other important information for key decisions during method development are given in 19 diagrams. Method development for peptide and protein separations, possibilities to influence the EOF and how to stabilize it, as well as indirect detection are considered in special sections.

Capillary electrophoresis of natural products

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography were used for the separation of widely different compounds from natural materials including antibiotics, humic substances, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, illicit drugs, coumarins, alkaloids, steroids, Chinese herbal preparations, nicotine, caffeine, amphetamines, toxins such as aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, mycotoxins, heptapeptide toxins and others, ephedrine compounds, mineral elements, and natural compounds in biological samples. A discussion of sample extraction and clean-up and the advantages of using CE is also presented.

Pharmaceutical applications of micelles in chromatography and electrophoresis

This review surveys the use of micelles as separation media in chromatography and electrophoresis. Applications to pharmaceuticals whose molecular masses are relatively small are focused on in this review. In high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), chromatography using micelles and reversed-phase stationary phases such as octadecylsilylized silica gel (ODS) columns is known as micellar liquid chromatography (MLC). The main application of MLC to pharmaceutical analysis is the same as in ion-pair chromatography using alkylsulfonate or tetraalkylammonium. In most cases, selectivity is much improved compared with other short alkyl chain ion-pairing agents such as pentanesulfonate or octanesulfonate. Direct plasma/serum injection can be successful in MLC. Separation of small ions is also successful by using gel filtration columns and micellar solutions. In electrophoresis, especially capillary electrophoresis (CE), micelles are used as pseudo-stationary phases in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). This mode is called micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Most of the drug analysis can be performed by using the MEKC mode because of its wide applicability. Enantiomer separation, separation of amino acids and closely related peptides, separation of very complex mixtures, determination of drugs in biological samples etc. as well as separation of electrically neutral drugs can be successfully achieved by MEKC. Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC), in which surfactants are also used in forming the microemulsion, is successful for the separation of electrically neutral drugs as in MEKC. This review mainly describes the typical applications of MLC and MEKC for the analysis of pharmaceuticals.

Micelles as pseudo-stationary phases in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

This review article describes some general comments on micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) from the viewpoint of pseudo-stationary phases and presents a compiled list of surfactants used for MEKC, prepared from published papers. We tried to give comments on some typical surfactants from the practical point of view.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography perspectives in drug analysis

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has become a popular mode among several capillary electromigration techniques. Most drug analyses can be performed by using MEKC because of its wide applicability. Enantiomer separation, separation of closely related peptides and isotopic compounds, separation of very complex mixtures, determination of drugs in the biological samples, etc., can be successfully achieved by MEKC. This review surveys typical applications of MEKC analysis. Recent advances in MEKC, especially with pseudo-stationary phases, are described. Modes of electrokinetic chromatography including MEKC, a separation theory of MEKC and selectivity manipulation in MEKC are also briefly mentioned.