Rapid flavonoid-focused sub-chemome characterization of Draconis Sanguis using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS in combination with molecular weight imprinting and mass defect filtering / 中国中药杂志

Draconis Sanguis is a precious Chinese medicinal material for activating blood and resolving stasis, and its effective components are flavonoids. However, the structural diversity of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis brings great challenges to the in-depth chara-cterization of its chemical composition profiles. To clarify the substance basis of Draconis Sanguis, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used in this study to acquire MS data of Draconis Sanguis. The molecular weight imprinting(MWI) and mass defect filtering(MDF) were developed for rapid screening of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis. Full-scan MS and MS~2 were recorded within the mass range m/z 100-1 000 in positive ion mode. Accor-ding to previous literature, MWI was employed to hunt for reported flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis, and the mass tolerance range of [M+H]~+ was set as ±10×10~(-3). A five-point MDF screening frame was further constructed to narrow the screening range of flavonoids from Draconis Sanguis. Combined with diagnostic fragment ions(DFI) and neutral loss(NL) as well as mass fragmentation pathways, 70 compounds were preliminarily identified from the extract of Draconis Sanguis, including 5 flavan oxidized congeners, 12 flavans, 1 dihydrochalcones, 49 flavonoids dimers, 1 flavonoids trimer and 2 flavonoid derivatives. This study clarified the chemical composition of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis. Moreover, it also showed that high-resolution MS combined with data post-processing methods such as MWI and MDF could achieve rapid characterization of the chemical composition in Chinese medicinal materials.

Effective components and mechanism of Qijiao Shengbai Capsules based on fingerprinting and network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

Qijiao Shengbai Capsules(QJ) can invigorate Qi and replenish the blood, which is commonly used clinically for adjuvant treatment of cancer and leukopenia due to chemoradiotherapy. However, the pharmacological mechanism of QJ is still unclear. This work aims to combine the high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints and network pharmacology to clarify the effective components and mechanism of QJ. The HPLC fingerprints of 20 batches of QJ were established. The similarity evaluation among 20 batches of QJ was performed by using Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(version 2012), resulting in a similarity greater than 0.97. Eleven common peaks were identified by reference standard, including ferulic acid, calycosin 7-O-glucoside, ononin, calycosin, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, formononetin, baohuoside I, and Z-ligustilide. The "component-target-pathway" network was constructed by network pharmacy, and 10 key components in QJ were identified, such as ferulic acid, calycosin 7-O-glucoside, ononin, and calycosin. The components were involved in the phosphoinositide 3 kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-Akt), mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK), and other signaling pathways by regulating potential targets, including EGFR, RAF1, PIK3R1, and RELA, to auxiliarily treat tumors, cancers, and leukopenia. The molecular docking conducted on the AutoDock Vina platform confirmed the high binding activity of 10 key effective components with core targets, with the binding energy less than-5 kcal·mol~(-1). In this study, the effective components and mechanism of QJ have been preliminary revealed based on HPLC fingerprint and network pharmacology, which provided a basis for quality control of QJ and a refe-rence for further study on its mechanism.

Rapid chemome profiling of Cistanche salsa using DI-MS/MS~(ALL) / 中国中药杂志

The current study aims to rapidly and comprehensively profile the chemical composition of Cistanche salsa using direct infusion coupled with MS/MS~(ALL)(DI-MS/MS~(ALL)). The C. salsa extract was directly imported into electrospray ionization(ESI) source of quadrupole time-of-flight(Q-TOF) mass spectrometer with an infusion pump at a flow rate of 10 μL·min~(-1). Acquisition program was applied under negative ionization polarity to collect one MS~1 spectrum(m/z 50-1 200), followed by 1 150 MS~2 spectra with precursor isolation window(m/z 1) amongst mass range m/z 50-1 200. After each MS~2 spectrum was matched to its precursor ion, putative identification was conducted through matching mass spectral data with literature and database. A total of 31 components were identified from C. salsa, including 9 phenylethanoid glycosides, 2 iridoids, 4 saccharides, 9 organic acids, and 7 other compounds, similar to those from C. tubulosa and C. deserticola. In conclusion, DI-MS/MS~(ALL), a facile and reliable analytical tool, can be employed for qualitative analysis of chemical constituents in C. salsa. The research offers a promising strategy to achieve rapid chemome profiling of herbal medicine and provides an alternative source of Cistanches Herba.

Chemome profiling and comparison of three Orobanche medicinal plants / 中国中药杂志

Several Orobanche medicinal plants sometimes served as alternative sources of Cistanches Herba, attributing to the benefits such as tonifying kidney, strengthening tendons and bones. Among them, O. coerulescens, O. cernua and O. pycnostachya have been widely utilized in northern China for treatments of pains in the loins and knees, impotence, and spermatorrhea. However, their chemical profiles haven't been elucidated. In the present study, UHPLC-IT-TOF-MS was implemented to conduct in-depth chemome profiling of O. coerulescens, O. cernua and O. pycnostachya, aiming to achieve a comprehensive chemical characterization and to provide pronounced information for the quality control and clinical applications. An ACE Ultra-Core 2.5 Super C_(18)(3.0 mm×150 mm, 2.5 μm) column was deployed for chromatographic separations, and high-resolution MS~n spectra were recorded by IT-TOF-MS. Forty-eight components, in total, were observed, and thirty-eight ones were structurally annotated according to proposing mass fragmentation patterns, matching with relevant databases. Particularly, nine ones were confirmed by reference compounds. Overall, the chemical compositions of O. coerulescens and O. cernua are quite similar, and differences occur between O. pycnostachya and the prior two ones; primary chemical family is phenylethanoid glycosides, and several lignan glycosides as well as iridoid glycosides are also observed; the primary components include acteoside, isoacteoside, crenatoside and 2'-acetylacteoside, etc.

Chemome profiling of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium using UHPLC-IT-TOF-MS / 中国中药杂志

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium(CRP, Chinese name: Chenpi) is one of the most famous edible traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs). CRP was first recorded as top grade TCM in Shennong Bencao Jing attributing to the benefits such as regulating Qi, tonifying spleen, eliminating dampness and eliminating phlegm, and has been widely utilized for the treatments of abdominal fullness and distention, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as phlegm cough. CRP is also widely popular as spice in food industry. Because of the wide cultivation, a number of brands that exhibit extensive price range can be found in the market, resulting in a great challenge for grading. Herein, an attempt was made to in-depth chemome profiling for the sake of providing meaningful information of the universal quality control of CRP. A new core-shell column packed with adamantylethyl substituted silica gel particles was deployed for chromatographic separations and IT-TOF-MS that is advantageous at providing abundant high resolution molecular and fragment ions was employed for qualitative detection. A total of 62 components were observed and 61 ones were structurally annotated according to proposing mass fragmentation patterns, matching with reference compounds and relevant databases, and the chemical families included flavone, limonin, etc. In particular, ten compounds bearing 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarate substitute were detected from CRP for the first time. Above all, the chemical profile of CRP was characterized and the findings are meaningful for the in-depth quality assessment and efficacy material clarification of CRP.

Chemical profiling for bile acid derivatives in yak bile / 中国中药杂志

Bile acids( BAs),the major constituents of bile,are also known to be potential biomarkers of various diseases,especially liver disease. The systematic analysis of BAs is believed to be of great importance towards the clarification of the effective material basis for bile-type medicines,and the diagnosis and therapy of related diseases as well. As a part of systematic study on bile-type medicine ongoing in our group,this study lays emphasis on the isomer discrimination,and the improvement of analytical method of BAs. Further,this method was subsequently applied to elucidate in depth the chemical profile of BAs in yak bile. Regarding isomer discrimination for BAs,we constructed relative response-collision energy curves( RRCECs) by high performance liquid chromatographyion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry( HPLC-IT-TOF-MS) in combination with high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry( HPLC-Qtrap-MS). As a result,both the optimum collision energy( OCE) and CE_(50) exhibited great correlations with structural characteristics,thus enabling the isomer distinguishing,such as unconjugated BAs,glycine-conjugated BAs,and taurine-conjugated BAs. According to information provided by mass spectrometry,the comparison of OCE and CE_(50),retention time matching,combined with reference substances and database retrieval,a total of 30 bile acid derivatives were observed and identified in yak bile. The newly developed method could serve as a feasible tool for the in-depth characterization of BAs in bile and biological samples.

Transformation pathways in methanol of echinacoside, a principal effective ingredient of Cistanches Herba / 中国中药杂志

Echinacoside (ECH) is one of the active ingredients in Cistanche Herba and the principal effective component of Memoregain© as well. Moreover, a new agent namely Naoqing Zhiming tablet, derived from ECH has been licensed for clinical trials. However, the knowledge regarding the stability of is limited, till now, initiating a significant barrier for its further development along with the clinical trials. Herein, we aim to in depth characterize the transformation pattern of ECH in methanol. When ECH was stored in methanol, two primary products (P1 and P2) could be observed in HPLC chromatogram. A home-made automated fraction collector was configured via employing two 2-phase/6-port electronic valves to prepare P1 and P2. Following ¹H-NMR and LC-MS/MS assays, P1 and P2 were unambiguously identified as acteoside and cistanoside A, respectively. Moreover, the existences of cis-ECH, cis-acteoside, and cis-cistanoside A were claimed after careful analysis of the ¹H-NMR spectra of ECH, P1 and P2. Above all, the primary transformation pathways of ECH in methanol included methylation as well as hydrolysis, and mild transformation could also be initiated by cis/trans- configuration transferring for the caffeoyl group. The findings obtained in current study are envisioned to provide useful insight for the further development of ECH and the impurity detection of Naoqing Zhiming tablet. Moreover, the automated fraction collector configured in current study is able to serve as a versatile tool for the collection of signals-of-interest within phytochemical evaluations and impurity isolation.

Chemical characterization for flowers and lignified stems of Cistanche deserticola / 中国中药杂志

As a holoparasitic plant, Cistanche deserticola is one of the two original sources of Cistanches Herba that is one of the most famous tonic medicines, in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The succulent stems are used for medicinal usage, whereas those lignified stems as well as flowers of less pharmacological importance are usually deserted, suggesting extensive resource waste. Herein, chemical characterization of the flowers along with lignified stems was conducted using HPLC-IT-TOF-MS aiming to explore the medicinal valu of those non-medicinal parts. Following ultrasonication-assisted extraction with 50% aqueous methanol, either flower or lignified stem extract was subjected onto LC-IT-TOF-MS equipped with a Capcell core ADME column to acquire both MS¹ and MSº spectra, and gradient elution was carried out with combinatory 0.1% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile. Both positive and negative ionization polarities were deployed, resulting in the observation of 62 components, in total. Thirty-nine signals were structurally annotated, including phenylethanoid glycosides, iridoids, lignans and saccharides according to matching with authentic components and literature information, as well as applying the proposed mass fragmentation rules. A total of 62 ones were putatively identified. Above all, lignified stems and flowers should not the qualified substitutes for the succulent stems attributing to the significant differences between the medicinal portion and those parts with less medicinal values.

Chemome comparison between cultivated and wild Cistanche tubulosa using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy / 中国中药杂志

As a famous tonic medicine, Cistanche tubulosa has been honored as "ginseng of the deserts" for centuries. Aiming to address the resource shortage as well as the wild resource protection towards this herbal medicine, wide cultivation has been achieved in the southern Xinjiang. Herein, in-depth chemome comparison was conducted between cultivated and wild plants using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy that is capable of comprehensively providing qualitative and quantitative information of given complicated matrices. Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to process the dataset as well as to consolidate that the cultivated plants are comparable to those wild ones in term of chemome. ¹H-NMR spectra of both wild and cultivated plants were acquired in parallel after extraction. Following direct overlaying, great similarity occurred between these two groups. A total of 28 compounds were tentatively identified by referring to authentic compounds together with those available databases, such as HMDB and BMRB. Following principal component analysis, none significant difference was observed between wild and cultivated groups. Above all, from the viewpoint of chemical profile, the cultivated plants were almost equal to the wild plants; therefore, the cultivated plants are able to take the load of wild plants in clinical usage. Moreover, ¹H-NMR spectroscopy is a promising tool for chemical profiling traditional Chinese medicines because of the potential towards simultaneously exhibiting both quantitative and qualitative information for complicated matrices.

Simultaneous determination of 14 organic acids in Shenfu injection by hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

Organic acids are widely distributed in plants and related products, and participate in a wide range of metabolic pathways (e.g. tricarboxylic acid cycle), showing diverse pharmacological activities. As a widely used Chinese patent medicine, its adverse reactions are often reported. Therefore, we should further clarify the chemical components of Shenfu injection, and prepare strict quality standards to ensure the safety and effectiveness of its clinical use. Shenfu injection is prepared from red ginseng (steamed roots of Panax ginseng) and black prepared lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaelii (Heishunpian) by using modern extraction process, and organic acids are regarded as one of its main components. In current study, a hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) coupled with mass spectrometric method (HILIC-LC-MS) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 14 organic acids, including cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, 4-hydroxylbenzoic acid, L-(+)-lactic acid, adipic acid, fumaric acid, caffeic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, malonic acid, D-malic acid, (-)-shikimic acid, D-tartaric acid, and quinic acid in Shenfu injection. Satisfactory retention and separation were achieved for all organic acids on HILIC chromatographic column. Except cinnamic acid (231 μg•L⁻¹), lactic acid (113 μg•L⁻¹) and malonic acid (32.5 μg•L⁻¹), the limit of quantitation for the remaining 11 compounds were less than 10 μg•L⁻¹. D-Malic acid, malonic acid, quinic acid, L-(+)-lactic acid, and cinnamic acid were observed to have higher contents in Shenfu injection (>1.89 mg•L⁻¹), whereas caffeic acid and adipic acid were undetectable in all batches. Above all, the developed method is suitable for the simultaneous determination of organic acids in Shenfu and some other traditional Chinese medicine injections.

Establishment of HPLC fingerprint of Rehmanniae Radix and its HPLC-ESI-MS analysis / 中草药

Objective: To establish a quality assessment method for Rehmanniae Radix based on HPLC fingerprint and qualitatively analyze the chemical constituents by HPLC-ESI-MS. Methods: The methanol extract of Rehmanniae Radix by ultrasonication was separated on an Agilent Extend C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid. The detection wavelength was 215 nm. The similarity evaluation of 15 batches of Rehmanniae Radix from different sources was carried out by the "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of TCM" (Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, version 2004A). Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was used to characterize the chemical constituents of the methanol extract of Rehmanniae Radix. Results: The chromatographic fingerprints of 15 batches of Rehmanniae Radix were generated with 10 common peaks. The similarity scores between each material batch and the reference fingerprint ranged from 0.910-0.982. A total of 67 components were putatively identified along with six unknown components via referring to reference components and literatures and analyzing MS/MS data. Conclusion: The established method of fingerprint is specific and can be a reliable method used for quality assessment of Rehmanniae Radix.

Construction and rescue of infectious cDNA clone of pigeon-origin Newcastle disease virus strain JS/07/04/Pi / 病毒学报

Based on the complete genome sequence of pigeon-origin Newcastle disease virus strain JS/07/04/ Pi(genotype VIb), nine overlapped fragments covering its full-length genome were amplified by RT-PCR. The fragments were connected sequentially and then inserted into the transcription vector TVT7/R resulting in the TVT/071204 which contained the full genome of strain JS/07/04/Pi. The TVT/071204 was co-transfected with three helper plasmids pCI-NP, pCI-P and pCI-L into the BSR cells, and the transfected cells and culture supernatant were inoculated into 9-day-old SPF embryonated eggs 60 h post-transfection. The HA and HI tests were conducted following the death of embryonated eggs. The results showed that the allantoic fluids obtained were HA positive and the HA could be inhibited by anti-NDV serum which indicated that the strain JS/07/04/Pi was rescued successfully. The rescued virus rNDV/071204 showed similar growth kinetics to its parental virus in CEF. The successful recovery of this strain would contribute to the understanding of the host-specificity of pigeon-origin NDV and to the development of the novel vaccines against the NDV infection in pigeons.