Rapid structural determination of modified pregnane glycosides from Cynanchum forrestii by liquid chromatography–diode-array detection/electrospray ionization multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Cynanchum forrestii Schltr. (Asclepiadaceae) and its phylogenetic analysis

Cynanchum forrestii is a folk medicinal plant in southwest China. In this study, we sequenced complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of C. forrestii to investigate its phylogenetic relationship. The whole cp genome of C. forrestii was 159,917 bp in length with 43.5% overall GC content, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 91,189 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,972 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 24,378 bp. The cp genome contained 112 genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis based on cp genome sequences showed that Cynanchum was closely related with Asclepias and Calotropis.

Adduct ion-targeted qualitative and quantitative analysis of polyoxypregnanes by ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Polyoxypregnane and its glycosides (POPs) are frequently present in plants of Asclepiadaceae family, and have a variety of biological activities. There is a great need to comprehensively profile these phytochemicals and to quantify them for monitoring their contents in the herbs and the biological samples. However, POPs undergo extensive adduct ion formation in ESI-MS, which has posed a challenge for qualitative and quantitative analysis of POPs. In the present study, we took the advantage of such extensive adduct ion formation to investigate the suitability of adduct ion-targeted analysis of POPs. For the qualitative analysis, we firstly demonstrated that the sodium and ammonium adduct ion-targeted product ion scans (PIS) provided adequate MS/MS fragmentations for structural characterization of POPs. Aided with precursor ion (PI) scans, which showed high selectivity and sensitivity and improved peak assignment confidence in conjunction with full scan (FS), the informative adduct ion-targeted PIS enabled rapid POPs profiling. For the quantification, we used formic acid rather than ammonium acetate as an additive in the mobile phase to avoid simultaneous formation of sodium and ammonium adduct ions, and greatly improved reproducibility of MS response of POPs. By monitoring the solely formed sodium adduct ions [M+Na]⁺, a method for simultaneous quantification of 25 POPs in the dynamic multiple reaction monitoring mode was then developed and validated. Finally, the aforementioned methods were applied to qualitative and quantitative analysis of POPs in the extract of a traditional Chinses medicinal herb, Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn., and in the plasma obtained from the rats treated with this herb. The results demonstrated that adduct ion formation could be optimized for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of POPs, and our developed PI/FS-PIS scanning and sole [M+Na]⁺ ion monitoring significantly improved the analysis of POPs in both herbal and biological samples. This study also provides implications for the analysis of other compounds which undergo extensive adduct ion formation in ESI-MS.

Qualitative analysis and enantiospecific determination of angular-type pyranocoumarins in Peucedani Radix using achiral and chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Angular-type pyranocoumarins (APs), the derivatives of khellactone, are widely documented as the main active constituents in Peucedani Radix (Chinese name: Qian-hu). Owing to the natural occurrence of chiral centers, enantiomers of APs are extensively distributed in the original plant, and enantioselective performances have been definitely demonstrated for these enantiomers. In current study, the chemical characterization of the major and minor APs in Peucedani Radix was performed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and hybrid ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometry. On the other hand, a heart-cut two-dimensional achiral-chiral liquid chromatography combining triple quadropole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry system (2D LC-MS/MS) was developed for simultaneous enantiospecific quantification of eighteen coumarins, including seven pairs of enantiomers. Eleven APs (1-11) were recruited to propose UV absorption characteristics and electrospray ionization fragmentation patterns of APs. A total of 42 components were categorized into APs based on their UV spectral properties and identified according to the proposed mass fragmentation pathways, while two linear-type furanocoumarins (12-13) were unambiguously assigned by further purification. A Capcell core RP-C18 column was employed in the primary LC dimension to achieve efficient racemic separation for the main chemical constituents (1-9 and 12-13) in Peucedani Radix, while a Chiralpak AD-RH column was utilized in the secondary dimension to contribute enantioselective separation for seven enantiomerically enriched components (1, 3 and 5-9). Collectively, the results provided the chemical evidences for revealing the material basis of the therapeutic effects of Peucedani Radix, and the developed 2D LC-MS/MS system in the present study is expected to be an ideal tool for the quality control of Peucedani Radix as well as a reliable technique for complex matrices containing both achiral and chiral components.

O-glycoside sequence of pentacyclic triterpene saponins from Phytolacca bogotensis using HPLC-ESI/multi-stage tandem mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

The lack of pharmacopoeial methodologies for the quality control of plants used for therapeutic purposes is a huge problem that impacts directly upon public health. In the case of saponins, their great structural complexity, weak glycoside bonds and high polarity hinder their identification by conventional techniques.

OBJECTIVE

To apply high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/MS(n)) to identify the O-glycoside sequence of saponins from the roots of Phytolacca bogotensis.

METHODOLOGY

Saponins were isolated by preparative HPLC and characterised by NMR spectroscopic experiments. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of isolated saponins was performed producing typical degradation reactions that can be associated with several glycosidic bonds as empirical criteria. A method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and HPLC/ESI-MS(n) for the characterisation of saponins and identification of novel molecules is described.

RESULTS

Three saponins reported for the first time in P. bogotensis were isolated and characterised by NMR spectroscopy. Characteristic cross ring cleavage reactions have been used as empirical criteria for the characterisation of the glycosidic bonds most frequently reported for Phytolacca saponins. One new saponin was proposed on the basis of empirical criteria, and other five saponins were identified for the first time for P. bogotensis using HPLC-ESI/MS(n).

CONCLUSION

Electrospray ionisation in combination with tandem mass spectrometry has been established as a powerful tool for the profiling of saponins from roots of P. bogotensis. CID proved to be a useful tool for the characterisation and identification of known and novel saponins from the plant family Phytolaccaceae and can be used for quality control purposes of crude plant extracts.

Structural characterization of pregnane glycosides from Cynanchum auriculatum by liquid chromatography on a hybrid ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer

A method coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with hybrid ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) using an electrospray ionization source was firstly used to characterize ten major pregnane glycosides including one novel compound auriculoside IV from the roots of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. In the MS/MS spectra, fragmentation reactions of the [M+Na]+ were recorded to provide abundant structural information on the aglycone and glycosyl moieties. Experiments using TOFMS allowed us to obtain precise elemental compositions of molecular ions and subsequent product ions with errors less than 6 ppm. The pregnane glycosides in C. auriculatum were classified into two major core groups: one is caudatin characterized by the neutral loss of one ikemamic acid molecule (128 Da) from the precursor ion, and the other is kidjoranin characterized by the neutral loss of cinnamic acid (148 Da) from the precursor ion. Meanwhile, a series of sugar-chain fragment ions provided valuable information about the compositions of the sugar residues and the sequences of the sugar chain. Logical fragmentation pathways for pregnane glycosides have been proposed and are useful for the identification of these compounds in natural products especially when there are no reference compounds available.