Simultaneous quantification of flavonoids and phenolic acids in Herba Scutellariae barbatae and its confused plants by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Air-Assisted Alkanol-Based Nanostructured Supramolecular Liquid-Liquid Microextraction for Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Morin in Fruit and Beverage Samples

A new air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction method based on alkanol nanostructured supramolecular solvents coupled to spectrometric analysis was developed for extraction, preconcentration, and spectrophotometric determination of morin. Al(III)-morin complex was performed at pH 4.5. Four different alkanol-based SUPRAS (supramolecular solvents) were prepared for the separation and preconcentration of Al-morin complex from aqueous solution by using vortex and centrifugation. Effect of analytical variables and tolerance limit of matrix ions were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, detection limit, quantification limit, relative standard deviation, preconcentration factor, and enhancement factor were found as 3.5 µg L⁻¹, 10 µg L⁻¹, 3.1%, 120, and 95, respectively. The accuracy of the method was performed with standard addition. The obtained results demonstrated the applicability of the method for the separation, preconcentration, and determination of morin in fruit and beverage samples. The method also complies with green chemistry principles as it uses green solvents, reduces reagent volumes, and produces low amounts of waste.

Systematic Investigation of Scutellariae Barbatae Herba for Treating Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Network Pharmacology

As the fifth most common type of malignant cancers globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. As a long-time medicinal herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Scutellariae Barbatae Herba (SBH) has also been used for treating various cancers including HCC, but its underlying mechanisms have not been completely clarified. Presently, an innovative network-pharmacology platform was introduced to systematically elucidate the pharmacological mechanisms of SBH against HCC, adopting active ingredients prescreening, target fishing, and network analysis. The results revealed that SBH appeared to work on HCC probably through regulating 4 molecular functions, 20 biological processes, and hitting on 21 candidate targets involved in 40 pathways. By in-depth analysis of the first-ranked signaling pathway and hit genes, only TTR was highly and specially expressed in the liver tissue. TTR might play a crucial role in neutrophil degranulation pathway during SBH against HCC. Hence, TTR might become a therapeutic target of HCC. The study investigated the anti-hepatoma mechanisms of SBH from a holistic perspective, which provided a theoretical foundation for further experimental research and rational clinical application of SBH.

Seasonal variations of iminosugars in mulberry leaves detected by hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive, and validated method was developed for the simultaneous determination of four iminosugars, 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), d-fagomine (FAG), 2-O-a-d-galactopyranosyl-DNJ (Gal-DNJ), and 4-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-fagomine (Glu-FAG), in mulberry leaves. The method used hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Based on this method, the seasonal variations of iminosugars in the leaves of different mulberry species (Morus alba, Morus multicaulis Perr, Morus atropurpurea Roxb. and Morus wittiorum Hand-Mazz.) collected in Guangzhou, China, during 10 consecutive months in 2013 were investigated. The results indicated that the maximum content of DNJ in the leaves of all four species occurred in summer (June or July). The highest FAG level was found in spring (April or May). The highest levels of Gal-DNJ and Glu-FAG were recorded in autumn (September or October).

Functional components in Scutellaria barbata D. Don with anti-inflammatory activity on RAW 264.7 cells

The objectives of this study were to determine the variety and amount of various functional components in Scutellaria barbata D. Don as well as study their anti-inflammatory activity on RAW 264.7 cells. Both ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were shown to contain the functional components including phenolics, flavonoids, chlorophylls, and carotenoids, with the former mainly composed of phenolics and flavonoids, and the latter of carotenoids and chlorophylls. Both extracts could significantly inhibit (p < 0.05) the production of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide, prostaglandin E₂, interlukin-6, and interlukin-1β, as well as the expressions of phosphor extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphor-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), but failed to retard tumor necrosis factor-α expression. Both ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts had a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity on RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory efficiency can be varied for both ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts, which can be attributed to the presence of different varieties and amounts of functional components, as mentioned above. This finding suggested that S. Barbata extract may be used as an anti-inflammatory agent for possible future biomedical application.

Transcriptome and Biochemical Analysis of a Flower Color Polymorphism in Silene littorea (Caryophyllaceae)

Flower color polymorphisms are widely used as model traits from genetics to ecology, yet determining the biochemical and molecular basis can be challenging. Anthocyanin-based flower color variations can be caused by at least 12 structural and three regulatory genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP). We use mRNA-Seq to simultaneously sequence and estimate expression of these candidate genes in nine samples of Silene littorea representing three color morphs (dark pink, light pink and white) across three developmental stages in hopes of identifying the cause of flower color variation. We identified 29 putative paralogs for the 15 candidate genes in the ABP. We assembled complete coding sequences for 16 structural loci and nine of ten regulatory loci. Among these 29 putative paralogs, we identified 622 SNPs, yet only nine synonymous SNPs in Ans had allele frequencies that differentiated pigmented petals (dark pink and light pink) from white petals. These Ans allele frequency differences were further investigated with an expanded sequencing survey of 38 individuals, yet no SNPs consistently differentiated the color morphs. We also found one locus, F3h1, with strong differential expression between pigmented and white samples (>42x). This may be caused by decreased expression of Myb1a in white petal buds. Myb1a in S. littorea is a regulatory locus closely related to Subgroup 7 Mybs known to regulate F3h and other loci in the first half of the ABP in model species. We then compare the mRNA-Seq results with petal biochemistry which revealed cyanidin as the primary anthocyanin and five flavonoid intermediates. Concentrations of three of the flavonoid intermediates were significantly lower in white petals than in pigmented petals (rutin, quercetin and isovitexin). The biochemistry results for rutin, quercetin, luteolin and apigenin are consistent with the transcriptome results suggesting a blockage at F3h, possibly caused by downregulation of Myb1a.

Simultaneous Detection of Flavonoids, Phenolic Acids and Alkaloids in Abri Herba and Abri Mollis Herba using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

Abri Herba has remarkable properties, such as cleanup heat detoxification, dampness and activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis; as a result, it has been applied to treat acute or chronic hepatitis and mastitis. Abri mollis Herba is often used as Abri Herba. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied to compare the similarities and differences of the chemical compositions in the two types of medicinal materials.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous analysis of 15 flavonoids, two phenolic acids and three alkaloids in Abri Herba and Abri mollis Herba.

METHODOLOGY

The chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol (A), acetonitrile (B) and 0.5‰ acetic acid in water (C) using gradient elution. The detection of the target compounds was performed in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using a hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with positive/negative ion-switching electrospray ionisation (ESI) source.

RESULTS

The developed method is reliable, sensitive and specific. In addition, the method has been successfully applied to differentiate 15 batches of Abri Herba and 27 batches of Abri mollis Herba stems. Furthermore, a comparison of the contents among stems, roots and leaves from the same strain in seven batches of Abri mollis Herba and four batches of Abri Herba has also been performed.

CONCLUSION

HPLC-MS/MS method is sensitive and selective and can be suitable for the reliable quality control of Abri mollis Herba and Abri Herba.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of 15 main active constituents in Fructus Sophorae pill by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Background:

Fructus Sophorae pill, one of the traditional Chinese medicine, was widely used for hemorrhoids, hypertension and odontalgia. This paper describes a sensitive and specific assay for the determination of the 15 active constituents (sophoricoside, genistin, genistein, rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, baicalein, baicalin, naringin, naringenin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, wogonin and cimifugin, prim-O-glucosylcimifugin) in Fructus Sophorae pill.

Materials and Methods:

Chromatographic separation was performed on a C₁₈ column with acidified aqueous methanol gradients at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The identification and quantification of the analytes were achieved by use of a hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was applied to quantification with switching electrospray ion source polarity between positive and negative modes.

Results:

The proposed method was used to analyze 40 batches of samples with good linearity (r, 0.9990-0.9999), intraday precisions (RSD, 0.14-2.55%), interday precisions (RSD, 0.51-2.81%), stability (RSD, 0.31-2.65%), and recovery (RSD, 1.29-2.95%) of the 15 compounds. In addition, the hierarchical cluster analysis, including a method called furthest neighbor and nearest neighbor, was employed to classify samples according to characteristics of the 15 constituents.

Conclusion:

The results indicated that the analytical method was rapid, reliable, simple and suitable for the quality evaluation of Fructus Sophorae pill.

Simultaneous determination of 15 phenolic constituents of Chinese black rice wine by HPLC-MS/MS with SPE

This study established a new method for quantitative and qualitative determination of certain components in black rice wine, a traditional Chinese brewed wine. Specifically, we combined solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to determine 8 phenolic acids, 3 flavonols, and 4 anthocyanins in black rice wine. First, we clean samples with OASIS HLB cartridges and optimized extraction parameters. Next, we performed separation on a SHIM-PACK XR-ODS column (I.D. 3.0 mm × 75 mm, 2.2 μm particle size) with a gradient elution of 50% aqueous acetonitrile (V/V) and water, both containing 0.2% formic acid. We used multiple-reaction monitoring scanning for quantification, with switching electrospray ion source polarity between positive and negative modes in a single chromatographic run. We detected 15 phenolic compounds properly within 38 min under optimized conditions. Limits of detection ranged from 0.008 to 0.030 mg/L, and average recoveries ranged from 60.8 to 103.1% with relative standard deviation ≤8.6%. We validated the method and found it to be sensitive and reliable for quantifying phenolic compounds in rice wine matrices.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This study developed a new, reliable HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of 15 bioactive components in black rice wine. This method was validated and found to be sensitive and reliable for quantifying phenolic compounds in rice wine.

Simultaneous quantification of six constituents in Qing-huo-zhi-mai tablet by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A novel sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was established for the simultaneous determination of six constituents including geniposide, andrographolide, dehydroandrographolide, ophiopogonin D, methylophiopogonanone A and methylophiopogonanone B in Qing-huo-zhi-mai (QHZM) tablet, a well-known Chinese herbal preparation. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 column, and the mobile phase was composed of 0.04% acetic acid and acetonitrile with gradient elution. The detection of analytes was carried out by multiple reaction monitoring scanning with switching electrospray ion source polarity between positive and negative modes in a single run. The total run time was 15 min. The calibration curves were linear with all correlation coefficients >0.9979 in the tested ranges. The intra- and interday variations were no >7.0%, and the average recoveries were in the range of 93.2-108.5% with the relative standard deviations no >5.4%. The developed method was successfully employed to analyze five batches of QHZM tablet samples. This is the first time for the determination of ophiopogonin D, methylophiopogonanone A and methylophiopogonanone B in QHZM tablets.

Simultaneous Quantification of Six Major Flavonoids From Fructus sophorae by LC-ESI-MS/MS and Statistical Analysis

A new, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed for the determination of six major flavonoids including sophoricoside, genistin, genistein, rutin, quercetin, kaempferol in Fructus sophorae. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were used to classify and differentiate these samples. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C₁₈ column with linear gradient elution of methanol and 0.05% acetic acid (v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. The detection was accomplished in the negative mode using multiple-reaction monitoring. The total run time was 8.0 min. Full validation of the assay was carried out including linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, limit of detection and limit of quantification. The validated method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of these active components in Fructus sophorae. The results demonstrated that the quantitative difference in content of six active compounds was useful for chemotaxonomy of many samples from different sources and the standardization and differentiation of many similar samples. Simultaneous quantification of bioactive components by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method coupled with chemometric techniques would be a well-acceptable strategy to comprehensively control the quality of Fructus sophorae.

Simultaneous determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in rice using solid-phase extraction and RP-HPLC with photodiode array detection

An analytical method based on an optimized solid-phase extraction procedure and followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation with diode array detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of phenolic acids (gallic, protocatechuic, 4-hydroxy-benzoic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, and cinnamic acids), flavanols (catechin and epicatechin), flavonols (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, hyperoside, and rutin), flavones (luteolin and apigenin) and flavanones (naringenin and hesperidin) in rice flour (Oryza sativa L.). Chromatographic separation was carried out on a PerfectSil Target ODS-3 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 μm) column at temperature 25°C using a mobile phase, consisting of 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid in water, methanol, and acetonitrile at a flow rate 1 mL min(-1) , under gradient elution conditions. Application of optimum extraction conditions, elaborated on both Lichrolut C(18) and Oasis HLB cartridges, have led to extraction of phenolic acids and flavonoids from rice flour with mean recoveries 84.3-113.0%. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, stability, and sensitivity. Repeatability (n = 5) and inter-day precision (n = 4) revealed relative standard deviation (RSD) <13%. The optimized method was successfully applied to the analysis of phenolic acids and flavonoids in pigmented (red and black rice) and non-pigmented rice (brown rice) samples.