A Green and Efficient Method for the Preconcentration and Determination of Gallic Acid, Bergenin, Quercitrin, and Embelin from Ardisia japonica Using Nononic Surfactant Genapol X-080 as the Extraction Solvent

Systematic characterization of the effective constituents and molecular mechanisms of Ardisiae Japonicae Herba using UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion MS and network pharmacology

Objective

Ardisiae Japonicae Herba (AJH), the dried whole herb of Ardisia japonica (Thunb.) Blume [Primulaceae], has been used in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. However, the material basis and molecular mechanisms of AJH against COPD remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we attempt to establish a systematic approach to elucidate the material basis and molecular mechanisms through compound identification, network analysis, molecular docking, and experimental validation.

Methods

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap Fusion mass spectrometry (UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion MS) was used to characterize the chemical compounds of AJH. The SwissTargetPrediction, String and Metascape databases were selected for network pharmacology analysis, including target prediction, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct a component-target-pathway network to screen out the main active compounds. Autodock Vina software was used to verify the affinity between the key compounds and targets. TNF-α-stimulated A549 cell inflammation model was built to further verify the anti-inflammatory effects of active compounds.

Results

Altogether, 236 compounds were identified in AJH, including 33 flavonoids, 21 Phenylpropanoids, 46 terpenes, 7 quinones, 27 steroids, 71 carboxylic acids and 31 other compounds. Among them, 41 compounds were selected as the key active constituents, which might exhibit therapeutic effects against COPD by modulating 65 corresponding targets primarily involved in inflammation/metabolism/immune-related pathways. The results of molecular docking showed that the key compounds could spontaneously bind to the receptor proteins with a strong binding ability. Finally, the anti-inflammatory effects of the three active compounds were validated with the decreased levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in TNF-α-induced A549 cells model.

Conclusion

This study clarified that AJH may exert therapeutic actions for COPD via regulating inflammation/immune/metabolism-related pathways using UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion MS technology combined with network pharmacology for the first time. This study had a deeper exploration of the chemical components and pharmacological activities in AJH, which provided a reference for the further study and clinical application of AJH in the treatment of COPD.

Comparative Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Active Compounds Identified in Ardisia elliptica Extracts from Different Plant Parts

Ardisia elliptica Thunb. (AE) has been used as food and in traditional medicine to prevent and treat fever, diarrhea, chest pain, liver poisoning, and parturition complications in Southeast Asian countries. This study focused on phytochemical constituents of AE extracts and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro by evaluating nitric oxide production, and DPPH and FRAP radical scavenging activity. The bioactive compounds from different plant parts, including old leaves, young leaves, flowers, roots, and fruits, were identified. The results showed the highest phenolic and flavonoid content in the root extract among all extracts, which resulted in the most potent free radical scavenging activity revealed by the DPPH and FRAP assay. The roots and flowers showed the highest bergenin (3.36±0.22 mg/g dry weight) and quercetin (2.99±0.10 mg/g dry weight) content, respectively. In contrast, embelin was found only in the fruits. Interestingly, AE extracts significantly suppressed the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, leading to inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Conclusively, the results suggest the natural products of AE extracts as effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents that can be utilized for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Facile Cloud Point Extraction for the Separation and Determination of Phenolic Acids from Dandelion

It is significantly crucial to develop a robust pretreatment for the quantitative analysis of herbs. However, the traditional strategies are time-consuming, tedious, and not eco-friendly. In this work, cloud point extraction (CPE) is engineered for the simultaneous separation and enrichment of ferulic acid (FA), chlorogenic acid (CLA), and caffeic acid (CA) from dandelion prior to its determination by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A famous nonionic surfactant of Triton X-114 was selected as an extractant of CPE, and parameters affecting the extraction, such as surfactant concentration, salt content, pH value, temperature, and incubation time, were investigated carefully. Furthermore, the well-designed CPE with ultrasonic assistance combined with HPLC was developed for the detection of the target analytes in dandelion. The established method having a good linearity in the range of 0.15-26.2 mg L-1 with R 2 more than 0.9979 and the spiked recoveries ranging from 81 to 96% was applied to test real samples of dandelion. The contents of CA in samples were consistent with those assayed by the method (Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015). The proposed method afforded good analytical performances, shorter pretreatment time (65 min), and less organic solvent consumption (less than 1.0 mL). It was proved that the developed method presented a facile, inexpensive, efficient, and environment-friendly pretreatment and can be used for the quantitative analysis of CLA, CA, and FA in dandelion. As expected, the proposed method would be a promising potential for the quality analysis of herbal medicines.