Chiral High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography: Future Strategies for Chiral Selector Development

Unlocking Therapeutic Potential: Comprehensive Extraction, Profiling, and Pharmacological Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. for Dermatological Applications

Herbal medicine has been studied as an alternate approach to modern medicine as it is more cost-effective and accessible via natural sources. Eclipta alba (E. alba, L.) Hassk. is a weed plant abundantly distributed throughout different regions of the world and contains abundant bioactive compounds used for various skin conditions. In this review, we aimed to gather information from the literature about the extraction, separation, and identification of these bioactive compounds and their potential in skin diseases. Relevant studies published before August 2023 were identified and selected from electronic databases, including Scopus, SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Wiley Library, using the following keywords: Eclipta alba, Eclipta prostrata, phytochemicals, extraction, separation, isolation, identification, characterization, pharmacological activity, and skin conditions. Up-to-date extraction, separation, and identification methods of bioactive compounds from E. alba and their skin-related pharmacological activities are discussed in this review. As there are limitations regarding extraction, separation, and identification methods, and in-depth mechanistic and human studies of the skin-related pharmacological activities of bioactive compounds, these gaps are areas for future research to expand our understanding and broaden the potential applications of this medicinal weed plant, including the development of cosmeceutical and skincare products, anti-inflammatory agents, and formulations for dermatological treatments.

Chiral Graphene Hybrid Materials: Structures, Properties, and Chiral Applications

Chirality has become an important research subject. The research areas associated with chirality are under substantial development. Meanwhile, graphene is a rapidly growing star material and has hard-wired into diverse disciplines. Rational combination of graphene and chirality undoubtedly creates unprecedented functional materials and may also lead to great findings. This hypothesis has been clearly justified by the sizable number of studies. Unfortunately, there has not been any previous review paper summarizing the scattered studies and advancements on this topic so far. This overview paper attempts to review the progress made in chiral materials developed from graphene and their derivatives, with the hope of providing a systemic knowledge about the construction of chiral graphenes and chiral applications thereof. Recently emerging directions, existing challenges, and future perspectives are also presented. It is hoped this paper will arouse more interest and promote further faster progress in these significant research areas.

Stereospecific Assay of (R)- and (S)-Goitrin in Commercial Formulation of Radix Isatidis by Reversed Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Radix isatidis (Banlangen) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for treating fever and removing toxic heat. Pharmacological studies have indicated that (R)-goitrin (epigoitrin) is one of the main constituents accounting for its antiviral activity, while (S)-goitrin (goitrin) is known as an antithyroid factor. To better control the quality of radix isatidis and its formulations, it is imperative to enantiomerically determine the contents of R- and S-goitrin. In this study, an enantioselective method based on reversed phase chromatography was developed for the assay of (R, S)-goitrin enantiomers. Optimum separation was obtained on an S-Chiral A column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) using methanol/water (30 : 70, v/v) as the mobile phase. After validation, the method was applied to quantify the enantiomers in Banlangen granules, which is the most prescribed commercial formulation of radix isatidis. Compared to enantioselective resolution approaches based on normal phase chromatography, the new method could be conveniently performed using regular reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) equipment and was found to be more suitable for the enantioselective quality control of water-extracted and soluble medicines.

Ionic Liquid-Liquid Chromatography: A New General Purpose Separation Methodology

Ionic liquids can form biphasic solvent systems with many organic solvents and water, and these solvent systems can be used in liquid-liquid separations and countercurrent chromatography. The wide range of ionic liquids that can by synthesised, with specifically tailored properties, represents a new philosophy for the separation of organic, inorganic and bio-based materials. A customised countercurrent chromatograph has been designed and constructed specifically to allow the more viscous character of ionic liquid-based solvent systems to be used in a wide variety of separations (including transition metal salts, arenes, alkenes, alkanes, bio-oils and sugars).