Quality control of sweet medicines based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A ginseng polysaccharide protects intestinal barrier integrity in high-fat diet-fed obese mice

A novel polysaccharide, GPH1, was extracted and isolated from ginseng. Structural analysis of GPH1 revealed a molecular weight of 7.321 × 105 Da and the presence of glucose and galactose components in a 30.2: 1 molar ratio. Results of methylation and NMR analyses indicated the GPH1 backbone consisted of →1)-α-Glc-(3→ and →1)-α-Glc-(6→. The anti-obesity activity of GPH1 was assessed by HFD-induced obesity mouse model. GPH1 was found to significantly reduced body weight, alleviated liver lipid accumulation and inflammatory damage. Meanwhile, GPH1 treatment increased the expression of tight junction proteins, including zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-1, while also regulating the intestinal microbiota of obese mice by promoting proliferation of beneficial bacteria with known anti-obesity effects, including s_Akkermansia muciniphila, s_Lactobacillus intestinalis, s_Lactobacillus reuteri, s_Streptococcus hyointestinalis, and s_Lactococcus garvieae. Our findings demonstrated that GPH1 is a practical natural dietary supplement with potential therapeutic effects on obesity.

Structural Characterization and Abundance of Sialylated Milk Oligosaccharides in Holstein Cows during Early Lactation

Among other bioactive molecules, milk contains high amounts of sialylated milk oligosaccharides (MOs) that influence numerous processes in the offspring. For instance, sialylated MOs inhibit the invasion of pathogens and positively influence the gut microbiome to support the optimal development of the offspring. For these reasons, sialylated MOs are also used in infant formula as well as food supplements and are potential therapeutic substances for humans and animals. Because of the high interest in sialylated bovine MOs (bMOs), we used several analytical approaches, such as gas and liquid chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry, to investigate in detail the profile of sialylated bMOs in the milk of Holstein Friesian cows during early lactation. Most of the 40 MOs identified in this study were sialylated, and a rapid decrease in all detected sialylated bMOs took place during the first day of lactation. Remarkably, we observed a high variance within the sialylation level during the first two days after calving. Therefore, our results suggest that the content of sialylated MOs might be an additional quality marker for the bioactivity of colostrum and transitional milk to ensure its optimized application for the production of milk replacer and food supplements.

Changes in the N-glycosylation of porcine immune globulin G during postnatal development

N-glycosylation influences the effectiveness of immune globulin G (IgG) and thus the immunological downstream responses of immune cells. This impact arises from the presence of N-glycans within the Fc region, which not only alters the conformation of IgG but also influences its steric hindrance. Consequently, these modifications affect the interaction between IgG and its binding partners within the immune system. Moreover, this posttranslational modification vary according to the physiological condition of each individual. In this study, we examined the N-glycosylation of IgG in pigs from birth to five months of age. Our analysis identified a total of 48 distinct N-glycan structures. Remarkably, we observed defined changes in the composition of these N-glycans during postnatal development. The presence of agalactosylated and sialylated structures increases in relation to the number of N-glycans terminated by galactose residues during the first months of life. This shift may indicate a transition from passively transferred antibodies from the colostrum of the sow to the active production of endogenous IgG by the pig's own immune system.

Isolation, purification, and structural characterization of polysaccharides from Codonopsis pilosula and its therapeutic effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in vitro and in vivo

Codonopsis pilosula is a famous edible and medicinal plants, in which polysaccharides are recognized as one of the important active ingredients. A neutral polysaccharide (CPP-1) was purified from C. pilosula. The structure was characterized by HPSEC-MALLS-RID, UV, FT-IR, GC-MS, methylation analysis, and NMR. The results showed that CPP-1 was a homogeneous pure polysaccharide, mainly containing fructose and glucose, and a small amount of arabinose. Methylation analysis showed that CPP-1 composed of →1)-Fruf-(2→, Fruf-(1→ and Glcp-(1→ residues. Combined the NMR results the structure of CPP-1 was confirmed as α-D-Glcp-(1 → [2)-β-D-Fruf-(1 → 2)-β-D-Fruf-(1]26 → 2)-β-D-Fruf with the molecular weight of 4.890 × 103 Da. The model of AML12 hepatocyte fat damage was established in vitro. The results showed that CPP-1 could increase the activity of SOD and CAT antioxidant enzymes and reduce the content of MDA, thus protecting cells from oxidative damage. Subsequently, the liver protective effect of CPP-1 was studied in the mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by the high-fat diet. The results showed that CPP-1 significantly reduced the body weight, liver index, and body fat index of NAFLD mice, and significantly improved liver function. Therefore, CPP-1 should be a potential candidate for the treatment of NAFLD.

Identification and statistical optimization of a novel alginate polymer extracted from newly isolated Synechocystis algini MNE ON864447 with antibacterial activity

Cyanobacteria are a potential source of promising secondary metabolites with different biological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal, and anticancer activities. To combat the emergence of antibiotic resistance, there is an urgent requirement for new drugs, and cyanobacteria metabolites can constitute alternative new antibacterial medication. The chemical complexity of their exopolysaccharides indicates that they have the potential to be bioactive molecules with many biological activities. The present study aimed to produce and optimise a novel alginate polymer from a newly isolated cyanobacterium, S. algini MNE ON864447, in addition to its promising antibacterial activity. We successfully isolated a new cyanobacterium strain, S. algini MNE ON864447 from the Nile River, which produces alginate as an extracellular polymeric substance. The isolated cyanobacterial alginate was identified using a set of tests, including FTIR, TLC, HPLC, GC-MS, and 1H NMR. Plackett-Burman statistical design showed that working volume (X1), the incubation period (X2), and inoculum size (X3) are the most significant variables affecting the production of alginate. The highest alginate production (3.57 g/L) was obtained using 4% inoculum size in 400 mL medium/L conical flask after 20 days of the incubation period. The extracted alginate showed potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and Streptococcus mutants (NCTC10449) are the most sensitive tested pathogen for purified cyanobacterial alginate with inhibition zone diameters of 34 ± 0.1 mm at 10 mg/mL of purified alginate while Vibro cholera (NCTC 8021) the lowest sensitive one and showed inhibition zone diameters of 22.5 ± 0.05 mm at the same cyanobacterial alginate concentration. This antibacterial activity is a critical step in the development of antibacterial drugs and presents a new challenge to fight against multi-resistant bacteria.

Approaches to Formaldehyde Measurement: From Liquid Biological Samples to Cells and Organisms

Formaldehyde (FA) is the simplest aldehyde present both in the environment and in living organisms. FA is an extremely reactive compound capable of protein crosslinking and DNA damage. For a long time, FA was considered a "biochemical waste" and a by-product of normal cellular metabolism, but in recent decades the picture has changed. As a result, the need arose for novel instruments and approaches to monitor and measure not only environmental FA in water, cosmetics, and household products, but also in food, beverages and biological samples including cells and even organisms. Despite numerous protocols being developed for in vitro and in cellulo FA assessment, many of them have remained at the "proof-of-concept" stage. We analyze the suitability of different methods developed for non-biological objects, and present an overview of the recently developed approaches, including chemically-synthesized probes and genetically encoded FA-sensors for in cellulo and in vivo FA monitoring. We also discuss the prospects of classical methods such as chromatography and spectrophotometry, and how they have been adapted in response to the demand for precise, selective and highly sensitive evaluation of FA concentration fluctuations in biological samples. The main objectives of this review is to summarize data on the main approaches for FA content measurement in liquid biological samples, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each method; to report the progress in development of novel molecules suitable for application in living systems; and, finally, to discuss genetically encoded FA-sensors based on existing natural biological FA-responsive elements.

A quantitative method for polysaccharides based on endo-enzymatic released specific oligosaccharides: A case of Lentinus edodes

Polysaccharides exhibit multiple pharmacological activities, which are closely related to their structural characteristics. Therefore, quantitative quality control of polysaccharides based on chemical properties is of importance for their applications. However, polysaccharides are mixed macromolecular compounds that are difficult to separate, and the lack of standards made direct quantification more difficult. In this study, we proposed a new quantitative method based on the released specific oligosaccharides for polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes (shiitake) and other related fungi. Specific oligosaccharides were firstly released from polysaccharides using 1,3-β-glucanase, then derivatized with 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB), which further separated by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and quantitatively determined by UPLC coupled with fluorescence detector (FLR). Laminaritriose was used as the universal standard for quantification of all the oligosaccharides. This method was validated according to linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, precision, accuracy, repeatability and stability. In addition, the four specific oligosaccharides released from polysaccharides in L. edodes were qualitatively analyzed by extracted ion chromatogram (EIC) from UPLC-MS profiles, which were identified to be disaccharide, trisaccharide and tetrasccharide. The proposed strategy not only realized the quantitative analysis of polysaccharides by UPLC-FLR, but also could achieve the qualitative distinction of different polysaccharides.

Acidic hydrolysate fingerprints based on HILIC-ELSD/MS combined with multivariate analysis for investigating the quality of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides

In this preliminary study, the acidic hydrolysate fingerprints of polysaccharides based on hydrophilic-interaction chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection-electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HILIC-ELSD/ESI-TOF/MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis was developed and applied to investigate the quality of Ganoderma lucidum from different regions. Projection-to-latent-structure discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) could distinguish samples of Zhejiang regions from those of other regions. Orthogonal-projection-to-latent-structure discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) provided clear discrimination between G. lucidum samples cultivated in Zhejiang and that from other regions, in which Polysaccharides and D-galactose could be considered as candidate biomarkers. In addition, the intraspecific differentiation of G. lucidum was preliminarily investigated with samples from Shaanxi region. They were classified into four groups by PCA and PLS-DA, in which L-rhamnose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, and mannose were considered as potential chemical markers. These preliminary results contributed to our understanding of the variance of polysaccharides in Ganoderma spp. from different geographic origins and the intraspecific differentiation from the same region, which suggest great potential in the quality control of Ganoderma spp.

Characterization of an easy-to-use method for the routine analysis of the central metabolism using an affordable low-resolution GC-MS system: application to Arthrospira platensis

We developed an easy-to-use method for the routine analysis of the central metabolism using an affordable low-resolution GC-MS system run in SIM mode. The profiling approach was optimized for the derivatization protocol of some 60 targeted metabolites. The performance of two silylation reagents (MSTFA and BSTFA) that allowed the comprehensive derivatization of 42 key intermediary metabolites of the 60 initially targeted (organic acids, phosphate derivatives, monosaccharides and amino acids) was measured. The experimental results unequivocally showed that the MSTFA reagent met mandatory criteria including ease of handling (a very simple one-step protocol was developed), comprehensiveness of derivatization (the 42 compounds covered the extended metabolic pathways of the central carbon metabolism, with a coverage percentage ranging from 17% for the worst to 90% for the best result), optimized response coefficient of the whole derivatives (median value greater than the others by one order of magnitude) and repeatability of the protocol (RSD value below 25% for the whole procedure). When tested in real conditions (cyanobacteria polar extract), the experimental results showed that the profiling methodology was adequately repeatable (RSD = 35%) to ensure quantification results comparable with much more sensitive analytical techniques (capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry system), while needing only about twice the quantity of biomass. Graphical abstract Schematic overview of an easy-to-use profiling method for the routine analysis of the central metabolism using a low-resolution GC-MS system.

Advanced strategies for quality control of Chinese medicines

Quality control is always the critical issue for Chinese medicines (CMs) with their worldwide increasing use. Different from western medicine, CMs are usually considered that multiple constituents are responsible for the therapeutic effects. Therefore, quality control of CMs is a challenge. In 2011, the strategies for quantification, related to the markers, reference compounds and approaches, in quality control of CMs were reviewed (Li, et al., J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., 2011, 55, 802-809). Since then, some new strategies have been proposed in these fields. Therefore, the review on the strategies for quality control of CMs should be updated to improve the safety and efficacy of CMs. Herein, novel strategies related to quality marker discovery, reference compound development and advanced approaches (focused on glyco-analysis) for quality control, during 2011-2016, were summarized and discussed.

Advanced development in phytochemicals analysis of medicine and food dual purposes plants used in China (2011-2014)

In 2011, we wrote a review for summarizing the phytochemical analysis (2006-2010) of medicine and food dual purposes plants used in China (Zhao et al., J. Chromatogr. A 1218 (2011) 7453-7475). Since then, more than 750 articles related to their phytochemical analysis have been published. Therefore, an updated review for the advanced development (2011-2014) in this topic is necessary for well understanding the quality control and health beneficial phytochemicals in these materials, as well as their research trends.