Identification of unprecedented purine-containing compounds, the zingerines, from ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) using a phase-trafficking approach

Quality assessment of commercial dried ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) based on targeted and non-targeted chemical profiles and anti-inflammatory activity

Dried ginger, a well-known medicine and food homologous production, has been widely circulated in China with high health benefits and economic value. Currently, there is still a lack of quality assessment on whether dried ginger in China exhibits chemically and biologically distinct properties, which creates a barrier to its quality control in commercial circulation. In this study, the chemical characteristics of 34 batches of common dried ginger samples in China were first explored using non-targeted chemometrics based on the UPLC-Q/TOF-MS analysis, leading to the identification of 35 chemicals that contributed to clustering into two categories, with sulfonated conjugates being the key chemically distinct components. By comparing the samples before and after sulfur-containing treatment and the further synthesis of a key differentiating component of [6]-gingesulfonic acid, it was then demonstrated that sulfur-containing treatment was the primary cause of the formation of sulfonated conjugates, as opposed to regional or environmental factors. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory efficacy of dried ginger with high presence of sulfonated conjugates was significantly decreased. Consequently, for the first time, UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS was used to develop a targeted quantification method for 10 characteristic chemicals in dried ginger, allowing researchers to quickly determine whether dried ginger has been processed with sulfur and quantitatively evaluate the quality of dried ginger. These results provided an insight into the quality of commercial dried ginger in China and a suggested method for its quality supervision as well.

Highly Chemoselective Synthesis of Purino[3,2-c]oxazoles via the Asymmetric Dearomative [3+2] Cycloaddition of Purines with Donor-Acceptor Oxiranes

A Ni(II)/bisoxazoline-catalyzed asymmetric dearomative [3+2] cycloaddition of substituted purines with donor-acceptor oxiranes was developed. This reaction, which proceeds via highly chemoselective C-C bond cleavage of the oxiranes, accesses chiral purino[3,2-c]oxazole compounds (≤99% ee after enrichment via crystallization). The electronic effects of the purine ring determine the reactivity of the substrate. The general applicability of this method was illustrated by gram-scale synthesis, the diverse transformations of the product, and the promising biological activities of selected derivatives.

Iodine-catalyzed oxidative functionalization of purines with (thio)ethers or methylarenes for the synthesis of purin-8-one analogues

An efficient oxidative functionalization of purine-like substrates with (thio)ethers or methylarenes under mild conditions is described. Using I2 as the catalyst, and TBHP as the oxidant, this protocol provides a valuable synthetic tool for the assembly of a wide range of 9-alkyl(benzyl)purin-8-one derivatives with high atom- and step-economy and exceptional functional group tolerance.

Research Progress on Chemical Constituents of Zingiber officinale Roscoe

Zingiber officinale Roscoe is commonly used in food and pharmaceutical products but can also be used in cosmetics and daily necessities. In recent years, many scholars have studied the chemical composition of Zingiber officinale Roscoe; therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively summarize the chemical composition of Zingiber officinale Roscoe in one article. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the chemical constituents of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. The results show that Zingiber officinale Roscoe contains 194 types of volatile oils, 85 types of gingerol, and 28 types of diarylheptanoid compounds, which can lay a foundation for further applications of Zingiber officinale Roscoe.

Quantitative Assessment of the Influence of Rhizoma Zingiberis on the Level of Aconitine in Rat Gut Sacs and Qualitative Analysis of the Major Influencing Components of Rhizoma Zingiberis on Aconitine Using UPLC/MS

This study attempted to clarify the material basis for the detoxification of Rhizoma Zingiberis (RZ) on aconitine, an analgesic drug, by quantitatively assessing the influence of RZ on the in vitro intestinal concentration of aconitine using an everted gut sac model and by qualitatively identifying the components in the RZ extract. To quantify aconitine in rat everted gut sacs, both an accurate processing method and a sensitive detection method were required. We developed a three-step sample processing method to protect the components from decomposition and applied ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC/TQMS) to quantify aconitine, glucose and digoxin. In addition, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UPLC/ITMS) was applied to detect the potential antidotal components in the RZ extract. Finally, the RZ extract reduced the level of aconitine in everted gut sacs, and eleven gingerols were successfully identified, which could be considered potential antidotal components for aconitine. This study demonstrated the application of two UPLC/MS methods for analyzing the material basis for the reciprocity between Chinese medicine components in everted gut sacs.

Isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from plant resources: the role of analysis in the ethnopharmacological approach

The phytochemical research based on ethnopharmacology is considered an effective approach in the discovery of novel chemicals entities with potential as drug leads. Plants/plant extracts/decoctions, used by folklore traditions for treating several diseases, represent a source of chemical entities but no information are available on their nature. Starting from this viewpoint, the aim of this review is to address natural-products chemists to the choice of the best methodologies, which include the combination of extraction/sample preparation tools and analytical techniques, for isolating and characterizing bioactive secondary metabolites from plants, as potential lead compounds in the drug discovery process. The work is distributed according to the different steps involved in the ethnopharmacological approach (extraction, sample preparation, biological screening, etc.), discussing the analytical techniques employed for the isolation and identification of compound/s responsible for the biological activity claimed in the traditional use (separation, spectroscopic, hyphenated techniques, etc.). Particular emphasis will be on herbal medicines applications and developments achieved from 2010 up to date.