An ultra-pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of three physalins in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese lantern) in rats

Natural Products from Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino: A Review on Their Structural Analysis, Quality Control, Pharmacology, and Pharmacokinetics

The calyxes and fruits of Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino (P. alkekengi), a medicinal and edible plant, are frequently used as heat-clearing and detoxifying agents in thousands of Chinese medicine prescriptions. For thousands of years in China, they have been widely used in clinical practice to treat throat disease, hepatitis, and bacillary dysentery. This systematic review summarizes their structural analysis, quality control, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics. Furthermore, the possible development trends and perspectives for future research studies on this medicinal plant are discussed. Relevant information on the calyxes and fruits of P. alkekengi was collected from electronic databases, Chinese herbal classics, and Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Moreover, information was collected from ancient documents in China. The components isolated and identified in P. alkekengi include steroids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, nucleosides, terpenoids, megastigmane, aliphatic derivatives, organic acids, coumarins, and sucrose esters. Steroids, particularly physalins and flavonoids, are the major characteristic and bioactive ingredients in P. alkekengi. According to the literature, physalins are synthesized by the mevalonate and 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate pathways, and flavonoids are synthesized by the phenylpropanoid pathway. Since the chemical components and pharmacological effects of P. alkekengi are complex and varied, there are different standards for the evaluation of its quality and efficacy. In most cases, the analysis was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection. A pharmacological study showed that the crude extracts and isolated compounds from P. alkekengi had extensive in vitro and in vivo biological activities (e.g., anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, immunosuppressive, antibacterial, anti-leishmanial, anti-asthmatic, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidative, anti-malarial, anti-Alzheimer's disease, and vasodilatory). Moreover, the relevant anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor mechanisms were elucidated. The reported activities indicate the great pharmacological potential of P. alkekengi. Similarly, studies on the pharmacokinetics of specific compounds will also contribute to the progress of clinical research in this setting.

Natural withanolides, an update

Covering: March 2010 to December 2020. Previous review: Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 705This review summarizes the latest progress and perspectives on the structural classification, biological activities and mechanisms, metabolism and pharmacokinetic investigations, biosynthesis, chemical synthesis and structural modifications, as well as future research directions of the promising natural withanolides. The literature from March 2010 to December 2020 is reviewed, and 287 references are cited.

Naturally occurring physalins from the genus Physalis: A review

Physalins, including physalins and neophysalins, are a class of highly oxygenated ergostane-type steroids. They are commonly known by the name of 16,24-cyclo-13,14-seco steroids, in which the disconnection of C-13 and C-14 produces an eight or nine-membered ring and the carbocyclization of C-16 and C-24 generates a new six-membered ring. Meanwhile, the oxidation of C-18 methyl to carboxyl group forms a 18,20-lactone, and the oxidation of C-14 and C-17 gets a heterocyclic oxygen acrossing rings C and D. Additionly, physalins frequently form an oxygen bridge to connect C-14 to C-27. Physalins are a kind of characteristic constituents from the species of the genus Physalis (Solanaceae), which are reported with a wide array of pharmacological activities, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, antimicrobial, trypanocidal and leishmanicidal, antinociceptive, antidiabetic and some other activities. Herein,the research progress of physalins from the genus Physalis during the decade from 1970 to 2021 on phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and application in China are systematically presented and discussed for the first time.

In vivo pharmacokinetics of and tissue distribution study of physalin B after intravenous administration in rats by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry quantitative analysis method was established for the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of physalin B in rat. Physalin B and physalin H (internal standard, IS) were separated on an Agilent Eclips XDB C8 column. MS detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with a positive eletrospray ionization source. The assay was validated in the concentration ranges of 22.6-22600 ng/mL for heart and lung and 4.52-4520 ng/mL for other tissues. The intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD) were ≤9.23 and ≤12.51%, respectively, with accuracy (%) in the range of 88.07-113.2%. A pharmacokinetic study showed that physalin B has a long dwell time with a half-life of 321.2 ± 29.5 min and clearance of 175.4 ± 25.7 mL/min/kg after intravenous administration. Additionally, physalin B showed a wide tissue distribution with a special higher penetration in lung. The data presented in this study could provide useful information for the further study of physalin B. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

RECENT ADVANCES IN ULTRA-HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR THE ANALYSIS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases for thousands of years in China. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) is a relatively new technique offering new possibilities. This paper reviews recent developments in UHPLC in the separation and identification, fingerprinting, quantification, and metabolism of traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, the combination of UHPLC with MS has improved the efficiency of the analysis of these materials.

Recent developments in the field of the determination of constituents of TCMs in body fluids of animals and human

Although traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) play important role in drug discovery and human health, the actual value of TCMs has not been fully recognized worldwide due to its complex components and uncontrollable quality. For the modernization and globalization of TCMs, it is important to establish selective, sensitive and feasible analytical methods for determination and quantification of bioactive components of TCMs in body fluids primarily due to the low concentration, the complex nature of the biological matrices, and multi-components and their metabolites present in biological fluids. The present review summarizes the current extraction techniques, chromatographic separation and spectroscopic (especially mass spectrometric) analysis methods and new trends on the analysis of bioactive components and metabolites of TCMs in biological fluids. In addition, the importance of establishment of pharmacokinetics and bioavailability profiles and simultaneous determination of multi-active components in TCMs is discussed to provide proper examples of analytical methods for pharmacological and clinical studies of TCMs.