Non clinical pharmacodynamic evaluation system of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury / 药学学报

The air at high altitude is thin and belongs to the environment of low temperature, low oxygen and low pressure. The human brain is the most sensitive to hypoxia. Hypoxia will cause dysfunction of the central nervous system, resulting in high-altitude hypoxic brain injury, including mild high altitude headache and more destructive high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Recently, with more and more people work and live in high altitude areas, the development of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury drugs would produce great economic value and social significance. Non clinical pharmacodynamic evaluation is the basic of drug development, which plays a key role in improving the success rate of clinical transformation and reducing the risk of clinical research. This review summarizes the cell models and animal models, and the evaluation indicators usually used to explore the candidates of high-altitude hypoxic brain injury. We aim at establishing a standardized non clinical efficacy evaluation system for high altitude hypoxic encephalopathy, and provide a standardized reference for drug development in hypoxic encephalopathy at high altitude at nonclinical stage.

Influence of airway mucus plugs on patients with bronchial asthma and its management / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To explore the influence of airway mucus plugs on patients with bronchial asthma and its management.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, from January 2020 to June 2022, 100 patients who were diagnosed with asthma and underwent chest CT examination in the Outpatient Department of Peking University Third Hospital were included. The chest CT results and medical history, pulmonary function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), blood routine, total allergen IgE, Aspergillus fumigatus M3 allergen-specific IgE antibody test results were collected. According to the results of chest CT, the asthma patients were divided into group with mucus plugs and those without mucus plugs. Distribution of airway mucus plugs and the mucus plug scores based on lung segments were calculated. The relationships of mucus plugs with medical history, pulmonary function [These included before and after the bronchodilation test, forced vital capacity percent of predicted value (FVC%pred), forced expiratory volume in one second percent of predicted value (FEV 1%pred), FEV 1/FVC, peak expiratory flow percent of predicted value (PEF%pred), maximal mid-expiratory flow percent of predicted value (MMEF%pred), maximal expiratory flow at 25%, 50%, 75% of vital capacity remaining percent of predicted value (MEF 25%pred, MEF 50%pred, MEF 75%pred)], FeNO, and peripheral blood eosinophil (Eos) counts were analyzed. The logistic regression model was used to analyze whether airway mucus plug was a risk factor for asthma exacerbation, and the corresponding intervention strategies were explored. Results:Among the 100 patients with asthma, 24 cases were in the mucus plug group and 76 cases were in the non-mucus plug group. The distribution of mucus plug was more common in the lower lungs (30.53% and 9.16% in the lower and upper lobe of left lung, respectively; 29.01%, 14.50% and 16.80% in the lower, middle and upper lobe of right lung, respectively). The average score of mucus plug was (4.42±3.12) points. The body mass index (BMI), the number of visits to a doctor due to asthma exacerbations, FeNO, peripheral blood Eos counts in the mucus plug group were higher than those in the non-mucus plug group [(24.95±4.34) vs (23.22±2.91) kg/m 2, 0(0, 1) vs 0(0, 0), 97(37, 169) vs 31(18, 59) ppb (1 ppb=1×10 -9), 0.41(0.15, 0.70) vs 0.18(0.09, 0.37)×10 9/L](all P<0.05), and FVC%pred, FEV 1%pred, FEV 1/FVC, PEF%pred, MEF 50%pred, MEF 25%pred, MMEF%pred, MEF 75%pred were lower than those in the non-mucus plug group [(87.49±19.32)% vs (97.34±14.24)%, (76.49±19.58)% vs (91.07±18.33)%, (72.44±10.91)% vs (79.48±8.13)%, (82.36±24.46)% vs (93.83±18.27)%, (53.03±24.81)% vs (75.75±27.15)%, (46.47±22.92)% vs (64.09±25.90)%, (50.28±23.73)% vs (74.53±26.80)%, (71.30±27.55)% vs (89.92±26.82)%] (all P<0.05). In the group with mucus plug, the airway mucus plug score was positively correlated with the patient′s body weight and the number of peripheral blood Eos counts at enrollment ( r=0.413, 0.478; all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with FVC%pred and FEV 1%pred ( r=-0.576, -0.465; all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that airway mucus plug score was a risk factor for acute asthma attack ( OR=1.269, 95% CI: 1.031-1.562; P=0.024). Conclusions:Asthma patients have a high incidence of airway mucus plug, which is related to the level of Eos inflammation and body size. Airway mucus plugs can promote airflow obstruction and acute exacerbation of asthma. In clinical practice, appropriate asthma management policies can be formulated for airway mucus plugs to delay the progression of asthma and reduce the number of acute attacks.

Electroacupuncture enhances the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in treating spastic foot drop / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of combining four-channel electrical stimulation with electroacupuncture of the antagonistic muscles in treating post-stroke spastic foot drop.Methods:Ninety stroke survivors with spastic foot drop were randomly divided into a control group, an electrical stimulation group and an observation group, each of 30. In addition to routine rehabilitation training, the electrical stimulation group was given four-channel electrical stimulation for 4 weeks, the electrical stimulation was delivered with a pulse duration of 200μs and an intensity of motor threshold at 30Hz, while the observation group also received electroacupuncture of the antagonistic muscle. Before and after the treatment, the three groups were evaluated using the clinical spasticity index (CSI). Stride frequency, stride length, and the supporting and swing phases on the affected side were also measured. Electromyography (EMG) was also conducted.Results:After the treatment, the average CSI scores of all groups had decreased significantly, with that of the observation group significantly lower than the electrical stimulation group and control group′s averages. The average gait descriptors of the three groups had also improved significantly, with significantly greater improvement in the observation group than in the other two. The average H reflex latency was significantly longer and Hmax/Mmax was significantly smaller in all three groups, but the observation group′s average values were again significantly better than those of the electrical stimulation group.Conclusion:Electroacupuncture of the antagonistic muscle enhances the effectiveness of four-channel electrical stimulation in relieving foot drop symptoms and improving gait after a stroke.

The expression and clinical significance of serum soluble programmed cell death ligand-1 in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia / 中华内科杂志

To investigate the clinical significance of serum soluble programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). A total of 44 CAP patients, 54 severe CAP patients and 30 healthy volunteers were recruited in this study. Serum soluble PD-L1 were detected. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the influence of multiple clinical variables on prognosis. Serum soluble PD-L1 level in severe CAP group was 98.20(57.94, 128.90) ng/L, which was significantly higher than that in the CAP group [59.32(33.55, 92.58) ng/L] and healthy controls [20.44(12.15, 36.20) ng/L] (all P<0.001). PD-L1 level was positively correlated with CRUB-65( r=0.481, P<0.001) and the pneumonia severity index (PSI) score ( r=0.442, P<0.001). Univariate regression analysis showed that CURB-65 ( HR=2.544, 95% CI 1.324-4.889, P=0.005), PSI score ( HR=1.036, 95% CI 1.012-1.061, P=0.004), soluble PD-L1( HR=1.013, 95% CI 1.001-1.026, P=0.041) were risk factors of mortality during hospitalization. Multivariate regression analysis suggested that PSI score ( HR=1.042, 95% CI 1.012-1.073, P=0.005), soluble PD-L1 ( HR=1.011, 95% CI 1.002-1.071, P=0.020) were independent predictors for mortality risk in CAP patients. CAP patients with soluble PD-L1≥98.20 ng/L had a significantly lower survival rate than those with soluble PD-L1<98.20 ng/L ( P=0.033). In conclusion, this study indicates that serum soluble PD-L1 level in CAP patients is correlated with the survival prognosis.

Progress of drugs targeting E3 ubiquitin ligase / 中国药理学通报

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is one of the most important pathways of cell protein degradation in eukaryotes, and plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, DNA repair and other physiological activities. E3 ubiquitin ligase is the major component of ubiquitinproteasome system, which is responsible for substrate recognition. The abnormal regulation of E3 ubiquitin ligase may cause many diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Here, we summarizes the progress of drugs targeting E3 ubiquitin ligase in cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetic complications, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. At present, only a few of small molecule antagonists or agonists targeting E3 ubiquitin ligase are under development. The study of natural products in China is leading the way in the world, and numerous natural products have been identified for pharmacological effects on E3 ubiquitin ligase, which may open up a new avenue for multiple complex diseases.

Identification of chemical constituents in ethyl acetate soluble extract of Sinopodophylli Fructus based on HPLC-MS~n / 中国中药杂志

A high performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector combined with electrospray ionization ion trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry(HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MS~n, HPLC-MS~n) method was established for qualitative analysis of the chemical components of ethyl acetate extract from Sinopodophylli Fructus. The analysis was performed on a Kromasil 100-5 C_(18)(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) column, with a mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid(A) and acetonitrile(B) for gradient at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min~(-1). Electrospray ionization ion trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry was applied for qualitative analysis under positive and negative ion modes. With use of reference substance, characteristic fragmentation and their HR-MS data, 102 components were identified, including 67 flavonoids and 35 lignans. Among them, 45 compounds were reported in Sinopodophylli Fructus for the first time and 19 compounds were identified as new compounds. PharmMapper was used to predict the bioactivity of compounds that were first reported in Sinopodophylli Fructus, and 20 compounds of them were identified to have potential anticancer activity. The results showed that there were many isomers in the ethyl acetate extract of Folium Nelumbinis, and a total of 19 groups of isomers were found. Among them, C_(21)H_(20)O_8 had the highest number of isomers(18 compounds), all of which were α-peltatin or its isomers; C_(21)H_(20)O_7 ranked second, with 10 compounds, all of which were 8-prenylquercetin-3-methyl ether or its isomers. In conclusion, an HPLC-MS~n method was established for qualitative analysis of the ethyl acetate extract(with anti-breast cancer activity) from Sinopodophylli Fructus in this study, which will provide the evidence for clarifying pharmacological active ingredients of the ethyl acetate extract from Sinopodophylli Fructus against breast cancer.

Identification based on HPLC and anti-inflammatory targets as well as related constituents analysis of Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum and A. sieboldii / 中国中药杂志

The present work is to establish an HPLC characteristic chromatograms of Asarum heterotropoides var. mandshuricum(AH) and A. sieboldii(AS), combined with cluster analysis for the identification of the two species, and predict their potential anti-inflammatory related targets by network pharmacological method. Eighty-nine samples(12 batches of AS and 77 batches of AH) were analyzed, and 11 characteristic peaks were identified by reference substances, UV spectrum and LC-MS. Cluster analysis showed that AS and AH were divided into two groups, and the ratio of characteristic peak areas can be used to distinguish them. When the ratio of characteristic peak sarisan to kakuol was greater than 5, it was AS, and when the ratio was less than 2, it was AH. The network pharmacological analysis of 119 constituents of Asari Radix et Rhizoma suggested that the anti-inflammatory effect of Asari Radix et Rhizoma might be related to COX-2, COX-1, iNOS, MAPK14, NR3 C1, PPARG and TNF. Among them, COX-2 is a relatively key target, which interacted with the characteristic constituents, asarinin, sesamin, safrole, methyleugenol and sarisan. The characteristic constituents asarinin and sesamin also interacted with the iNOS and MAPK14. Safrole and sarisan can also interact with iNOS, COX-1 and LAT4 H. Methyleugenol also showed interaction with COX-1 and LAT4 H. Since asarinin and sesamin interacted with three targets, COX-2, iNOS and MAPK14, it implied that they were the main active constituents for the anti-inflammatory activity of Asari Radix et Rhizoma. The COX-2 inhibitory activities of asarinin and sesamin were further studied by molecular docking and bioassay. The HPLC method established was simple, feasible and reliable, with predicted anti-inflammatory targets and anti-inflammatory constituents, which could provide a reference for improving the quality evaluation system of Asari Radix et Rhizoma.

Analysis of polarity components of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and its metabolites in rats by HPLC-MS~n / 中国中药杂志

This experiment aims to explore the metabolites of n-butanol and water soluble fraction of an ethanol extracts from Angelicae Sinensis Radix in rats. The chemical constituents of n-butanol and water extracts from Angelicae Sinensis Radix were identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MS~n,and the in vivo metabolites of n-butanol and water extracts were analyzed. By analyzing n-butanol and water extracts from Angelicae Sinensis Radix,25 compounds were detected and identified,in which 11 phthalide glycosides were firstly reported. And 19 compounds were detected and identified in rat urine,including 2 prototype constituents and 17 metabolites,and the17 metabolites were new compounds. The method can identify the main constituents and metabolites of extracts from traditional Chinese medicine accurately and rapidly,and provide evidence for interpreting effective forms and pharmacodynamics substance( prototype,metabolites,or both) of Angelicae Sinensis Radix.

Identification of chemical constituents in Sinopodophylli Fructus by HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn / 中国中药杂志

This experiment was performed to analyze and identify the chemical constituents of Sinopodophylli Fructus by HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn. The analysis was performed on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C₁₈ (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) column.The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid was used for gradient at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min⁻¹. Electrospray ionization ion trap time-of-flight multistage mass spectrometry was applied for qualitative analysis under positive and negative ion modes. The results indicated that 54 compounds consisted of 18 lignans and 36 flavonoids from Xiaoyelian had been detected by their HRMS data, the information of literature and reference substance. Among them, 27 compounds were reported in Sinopodophylli Fructus for the first time. In conclusion, an HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn method was established to qualitative analysis of Xiaoyelian in this study, which will provide the evidence for evaluating the quality of Xiaoyelian herbs, clarifying the mechanism, and guiding the development of pharmacological active ingredients.

Screening potential mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines using a mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method / 药物分析学报

Mitochondria regulate numerous crucial cell processes, including energy production, apoptotic cell death, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Here, we applied an efficient mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method,also known as screening method for mitochondria-targeted bioactive constituents (SM-MBC). This method allowed searching natural mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs), including Puerariae Radix (PR) and Chuanxiong Radix (CR). A total of 23 active compounds were successfully discovered from the two TCMs extracts. Among these 23 hit compounds, 17 were identified by LC/MS, 12 of which were novel mitochondria-targeting compounds. Among these, 6 active compounds were analyzed in vitro for pharmacological tests and found able to affect mitochondrial functions. We also investigated the effects of the hit compounds on HepG2 cell proliferation and on loss of cardiomyocyte viability induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. The results obtained are useful for in-depth understanding of mechanisms underlying TCMs therapeutic effects at mitochondria level and for developing novel potential drugs using TCMs as lead compounds. Finally, we showed that SM-MBC was an efficient protocol for the rapid screening of mitochondria-targeting constituents from complex samples such as PR and CR extracts.

Flavonoids isolated from Sinopodophylli Fructus and their bioactivities against human breast cancer cells / 中国天然药物

Four prenylated flavonoids compounds 1-4, named sinopodophyllines A-D, and a flavonoid glycoside (compound 13), sinopodophylliside A, together with 19 known compounds (compounds 5-12 and 14-24) were isolated from the fruits of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR. Compounds 1-6, 9-11, and 14-17 were tested for their cytotoxicity against human breast-cancer T47D, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro, and compounds 2, 5, 6, 10 and 11 showed significant cytotoxicity (IC values < 10 μmol·L) against T47D cells.

Lignans and diterpenes isolated from Tirpitzia ovoidea and their biological activities / 中国天然药物

A new lignan, tirpitzin A (17) together with 20 known compounds (1-16, and 18-21) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Tirpitzia ovoidea. The structure of new compound was elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis. Of the known compounds, 7-21 were isolated from Linaceae family for the first time. The pharmacological activity of the crude extracts was tested using a mouse inflammation model induced by dimethyl benzene. The results demonstrated that the ethyl acetate soluble fraction had anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, the cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities of some compounds were studied. The new compound 17 showed moderate cytotoxic effect against BxPC-3 cell line (IC = 19.51μmol·L) and Compound 10 showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2, HL-60, U87 and BxPC-3 cell lines with IC values in the range 4.2-8.3μmol·L. Additionally, Compounds 2, 10, 11, and 13 exhibited potent inhibitory effects on LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages at the concentration of 50μmol·L.

Comparision and analysis on the blood concentration of common Chinese medicine and Western medicine / 药学学报

To a certain extent, the drug effect is determined by its blood concentration. It is generally accepted that the blood concentrations of constituents of Chinese medicines are very low. There is no sufficient experimental bases and references on its degree and the possibility of taking effect. In this study, 69 papers were collected and analyzed by searching the database of Scifinder, Pubmed, CNKI. The minimum effective blood concentrations of 73 common Western medicines and the maximum blood concentrations of 211 in vivo constituents of 40 Chinese medicines (single herb or compound Chinese medicine) were summarized. It was found that the maximum blood concentrations of the most in vivo constituents of Chinese medicines were much less than the minimum effective blood concentrations of the Western medicines. Specifically, the minimum effective blood concentrations of 17 Western medicines (23% of total) and the maximum blood concentrations of the 143 in vivo constituents of Chinese medicines (68% of total) were less than 100 ng ·mL-1; the minimum effective blood concentrations of 31 Western medicines (42% of total) and the maximum blood concentrations of the 20 in vivo constituents of Chinese medicines (9% of total) were more than 1 000 ng·mL-1. In this paper, a systematic summary and comparison of the blood concentrations in traditional Chinese medicines and Western medicines were conducted, which could provide a new ideas and references for the study of the pharmacodynamical material basis and its mechanism in traditional Chinese medicine.

Audiological and Otological Status of 45 Infants with Cleft Palate / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the audiological and otological status of cleft palate infants with the application of distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), auditory brainstem response (ABR), tympanometry with 1000 Hz and 226 Hz probe tones.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 45 cleft palate infants aged 8-24 months were included in the study. Most of them were examined for DPOAE, ABR and two frequency tympanometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Most infants failed the three tests,among whom 6.7% ears passed DPOAE and 33.3% of ears had normal ABR hearing threshold. In addition, 8.9% of ears turned out normal in the 1000 Hz probe-tone tympanometry, and 13.3% were type A in the 226 Hz probe-tone tympanometry. Finally, 1000 Hz tympanometry had more agreement with DPOAE and latency of ABR wave I than 226 Hz tympanometry.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Most cleft palate infants have audiological and otological problems, which should be evaluated in a more comprehensive manner.</p>

A Pilot Study of Quantitative Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification-guided Target Therapies for Hospital-acquired Pneumonia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>It is important to achieve the definitive pathogen identification in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), but the traditional culture results always delay the target antibiotic therapy. We assessed the method called quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification (qLAMP) as a new implement for steering of the antibiotic decision-making in HAP.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally, 76 respiratory tract aspiration samples were prospectively collected from 60 HAP patients. DNA was isolated from these samples. Specific DNA fragments for identifying 11 pneumonia-related bacteria were amplified by qLAMP assay. Culture results of these patients were compared with the qLAMP results. Clinical data and treatment strategies were analyzed to evaluate the effects of qLAMP results on clinical data. McNemar test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Acinetobacter baumannii by qLAMP was consistent with sputum culture (P > 0.05). The qLAMP results of 4 samples for Haemophilus influenzae, Legionella pneumophila, or Mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) were inconsistent with culture results; however, clinical data revealed that the qLAMP results were all reliable except 1 MP positive sample due to the lack of specific species identified in the final diagnosis. The improvement of clinical condition was more significant (P < 0.001) in patients with pathogen target-driven therapy based on qLAMP results than those with empirical therapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>qLAMP is a more promising method for detection of pathogens in an early, rapid, sensitive, and specific manner than culture.</p>

Identification of chemical constituents in Scrophulariae Radix by HPLC-IT-TOF-MS / 中国中药杂志

This experiment was performed to establish a qualitative analysis on chemical constituents of Scrophulariae Radix by HPLC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS．The analysis was conducted on a C₁₈ column (Kromasil 100-5, 4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile as the mobile phase for gradient elution; ESI ion source was used for mass spectra, and data were collected innegative and positive modes. The results showed that 64 compounds from Scrophulariae Radix had been identified by analyzing negative ion mass data including element composition and by comparing with data from literature. Two new compounds (4-hydroxy-6-O-methylcatalpol and acetylangoroside C) and seventeen known compounds were detected from Scrophulariae Radix for the first time. Seventeen known compounds included twelve iridoid glycosides, three phenylpropanoid glycosides and two other kind compounds. This study will provide chemical basis for elucidation of the effective substance in the Scrophulariae Radix.

Quantitative determination of seven major absorbed volatile constituents in mice brain, liver and blood after intragastric administration of Asari Radix et Rhizoma suspension by headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

A headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method（HS-SPME-GC-MS） was adopted for the quantitative study of 4-allylanisole, methyl eugenol, 2,3,5-trimethoxytoluene, 3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene, sarisan, 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and safrole in mice brain, liver tissues and blood after intragastric administration of Asari Radix et Rhizoma. A VF-WAXms (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness) capillary column and SPME fiber coated with 65 μm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) were used. The calibration curves of seven volatile constituents were established to validate the method's stability (RSD<15%), repeatability (RSD<9.5%), accuracy (RSD<22%), relative recovery (87.0%-108%) and extraction recovery (74.9%-102%). The validated HS-SPME-GC-MS assay was applied to determine the concentrations of seven constituents in liver, brain and blood. The detected contents were 0.22,0.14 μg•g⁻¹,0.25 mg•L⁻¹ (4-allylanisole), 1.1, 0.39 μg•g⁻¹, 0.69 mg•L⁻¹ (methyl eugenol), 0.45, 0.13 μg•g⁻¹, 0.54 mg•L⁻¹ (2,3,5-trimethoxytoluene), 0.51, 0.15 μg•g⁻¹, 0.45 mg•L⁻¹ (3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene), 0.48, 0.039 μg•g⁻¹, 0.69 mg•L ⁻¹ (sarisan), 2.2, 1.2 μg•g⁻¹, 1.5 mg•L⁻¹ (3,5-dimethoxytoluene) and 1.3, 0.67 μg•g⁻¹, 1.1 mg•L⁻¹ (safrole) respectively. This HS-SPME-GC-MS method is rapid and convenient, with a small sample size, and applicable for the analysis and determination of volatile constituents in traditional Chinese medicines, which provides scientific data for further studies on effective substances and toxic substances in Asari Radix et Rhizoma.

Analysis of aristolochic acids, aristololactams and their analogues using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry / 中国天然药物

More than 80 aristolochic acids (AAs) and aristololactams (ALs) have been found in plants of the Aristolochiaceae family, but relatively few have been fully studied. The present study aimed at developing and validating a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS(n)) for the analysis of these compounds. We characterized the fragmentation behaviors of 31 AAs, ALs, and their analogues via high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. We summarized their fragmentation rules and used these rules to identify the constituents contained in Aristolochia contorta, Ar. debilis, Ar. manshurensis, Ar. fangchi, Ar. cinnabarina, and Ar. mollissima. The AAs and ALs showed very different MS behaviors. In MS(1) of AAs, the characteristic pseudomolecular ions were [M + NH4](+), [M + H](+), and [M + H - H2O](+). However, only [M + H](+) was found in the MS(1) of ALs, which was simpler than that of AAs. Distinct MS(n)fragmentation patterns were found for AAs and ALs, showing the same skeleton among the different substituent groups. The distribution of the 31 constituents in the 6 species of Aristolochia genus was reported for the first time. 25 Analogues of AAs and ALs were detected in this genus. A hierarchical schemes and a calculating formula of the molecular formula of these nitrophenanthrene carboxylic acids and their lactams were proposed. In conclusion, this method could be applied to identification of similar unknown constituents in other plants.

Research on inorganic elements of Asari Radix et Rhizoma from different localities and species / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the character of inorganic elements in Asari Radix et Rhizoma (Xixin).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The contents of 53 inorganic elements in Xixin samples from different localities and species were determined by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. The statistical data were made using SAS.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The result demonstrated that Xixin has the high contents of Fe, Cr, Li. It has been observed that the content of Cu and Pb of the samples are much higher than the standard level. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two groups which correspond with the species of the samples. No correlations between the contents of the inorganic elements and the localities of the samples were found. Some characteristic elements were displayed in some specific areas. The difference of the contents of the 53 inorganic elements between root and rhizome of Xixin was reported for the first time. The primary form of inorganic elements in Xixin has been studied for the first time. The result demonstrated that the extraction rate between different elements varied, with the average extraction rate of (22.25 +/- 24.96)%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The inorganic elements analysis of Xixin can provide evidence of its identification, cultivation and application.</p>

Simultaneous determination of seven bioactive constituents in Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma by high-performance liquid chromatography / 中国中药杂志

This study is to develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoisoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. Samples of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma were separated on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL · min(-1). The detected wavelength was set at 230 nm and the column temperature was maintained at 35 °C. The contents of (-)-epicatechin, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, neoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin and engeletin in 84 Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma samples were in the range of trace-1.381, trace-9.913, trace-3.673, 0.6706-27.08, trace-1.181, trace-4.833 and trace-2.754 mg · g(-1), respectively. The established method was used for analysis of common adulterants. The results demonstrated that the contents of (-)-epicatechin in Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma were 0.01163-0.06007 mg · g(-1) and 0.01583-0.08585 mg · g(-1), respectively, while the other six constituents were not detected. The method is simple and accurate, and can be used for the quality control of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma. The constituents of Heterosmilacis Yunnanensis Rhizoma and Heterosmilacis Chinensis Rhizoma are significantly different from Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, and they are not suitable for using as Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma.