Chemical variation in Aconti Kusnezoffii Radix before and after processing based on UPLC-Orbitrap-MS / 中国中药杂志

Some Chinese herbal medicine needs to be processed before it can be used as medicine, especially toxic Chinese medicine. Highly toxic Aconti Kusnezoffii Radix(Caowu in Chinese) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and Mongolian medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, Caowu is usually processed by boiling with water(CW) until no white part inside and being tasted without tongue-numbing. In Mongolian medicine, it is usually soaked in Chebulae Fructus(Hezi in Chinese) decoction for several days(CH). Both methods could reduce toxicity according to reports. The biggest difference between CW and CH is that CW needs to be heated for 4-6 h, while CH needs Hezi as processing adjuvants. To explore the toxicity reduction mechanism of CW and CH, we studied the contents of various compounds in Caowu processed by two methods by UPLC-Orbitrap-MS. The results indicated that CW had 14 new ingredients, such as 14-O-anisoylneoline and dehydro-mesaconitine, while N-demethyl-mesaconitine and aconitine disappeared. At the same time, it could significantly decrease the content of diester diterpenoid alkaloids and increase the contents of monoester diterpenoid alkaloids and amine-diterpenoid alkaloids. CH had 9 new ingredients from Hezi, like gallic acid, chebulic acid and shikimic acid. Neither the kinds nor the contents of compositions from Caowu in CH changed little. This suggested that the processing mechanism of CW reduced highly toxic components(diester diterpenoid alkaloids) and increased the content of lowly toxic components(monoester diterpenoid alkaloids and amine-diterpenoid alkaloids). Attenuated principle of CH may be related to the components of Hezi. In this experiment, the conclusion shows that the chemical constituents of CW and CH are essentially different, and the two methods have different toxicity reduction principles.

Identification and attribution of chemical constituents of Qingfei Paidu Decoction based on UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS technology / 中国中药杂志

UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS was developed for the identification of chemical constituents in Qingfei Paidu Decoction, which will clarify its material basis. ACQUITY UHPLC HSS T3 chromatography column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.8 μm) was used with 0.1% formic acid(B)-acetonitrile(A) as the mobile phase in gradient elution. The decoction was detected by high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry equipped with an ESI ion source in positive and negative mode. Based on the accurate mass measurements, retention time, mass fragmentation patterns combined with comparison of reference and literature reports, a total of 87 major compounds including 43 flavonoids, 9 alkaloids, 4 triterpenoid saponins, 1 sesquiterpene, 2 coumarins, 10 phenolic acids and 18 other compounds were tentatively screened and characterized. UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS was employed to comprehensively elucidate the chemical components in Qingfei Paidu Decoction, which basically covered 20 Chinese medicines except gypsum in Qingfei Paidu Decoction. These collective results provide a scientific basis for further research on the quality control standard of Qingfei Paidu Decoction.

Identification and attribution of chemical compounds of Pudilan Antiphlogistic Oral Liquid / 中国中药杂志

UPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS/MS was used to analyze,identify and attribute the chemical constituents in Pudilan Antiphlogistic Oral Liquid. The analysis was performed on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18(4.6 mm × 150 mm,3.5 μm) with a gradient mobile phase of methanol-0.1% formic solution system at the flow rate of 0.5 m L·min-1. The sample volume was 2 μL. The column temperature was30 ℃. The high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry was used as detector,with electrospray ion source in both positive and negative models,and the MS scanning ranged between m/z 50 and 2 000. Based on the analysis of mass spectrometry and literature reports,79 compounds were confirmed,including 30 alkaloids,28 organic acids,18 flavonoids and 3 coumarins. Finally,39 compounds,such as rutin,esculetin,gallic acid,caffeic acid,cichoric acid,were identified from Taraxacum mongolicum; 11 compounds,such as baicalin,baicalein,apigenin,chrysin,oroxylin A,were identified from Scutellaria baicalensis; 13 compounds,such as arginine,proline,hypoxanthine,epigoitrin,indirubin,were identified from Isatis indigotica; and 18 compounds,such as dehydrocheilanthifoline,oxysanguinarine,corynoline,protopine,spallidamine,were identified from Corydalis bungeana. After the analysis of chemical model and attribution,the contents of some compounds were high in Pudilan Antiphlogistic Oral Liquid,such as baicalin,wogonoside,baicalein,wogonin,apigenin,chrysin,skullcapflavonⅡ,oroxylin A,cichoric acid,chlorogenic acid,caffeic acid,esculetin,dehydrocheilanthifoline,dihydrosanguinarine,protopine,corynoline and indirubin. The established method is simple,accurate,rapid,sensitive and reproducible,and thus suitable for the qualitative identification and quantitative determination of Pudilan Antiphlogistic Oral Liquid,which lays a foundation for the systematic quality control and the establishment of whole-course traceability system of active ingredients.

Pharmacokinetics of active ingredients of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid in rats and effect on liver drug-metabolizing enzymes / 中国中药杂志

This study is aimed to establish a method for the determination of baicalin,baicalin and purpurin in the plasma of rats after oral administration of Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid( PDL) by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry( LC-MS),analyze the pharmacokinetics of three components in rats,and investigate the effects of PDL on drug-metabolizing enzymes in rat liver. C18 column was used for liquid chromatography separation,with acetonitrile-water( containing 0. 2% formic acid) as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The mass spectrometry was detected by electrospray ion source( ESI) under multi-reaction monitoring mode( MRM),as well as positive and negative ion alternating mode. Plasma sample collection was performed by using an automatic blood collection meter for small animals. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by Win Nonlin software. The total protein concentration of rat liver microsomes and the total enzyme content of CYP450 were determined by BCA method and spectrophotometry respectively. The methodological study in terms of linear range,recovery rate,precision and sample stability,was used to confirm that the LC-MS analysis method established in this experiment was simple,exclusive,accurate and reliable,and can meet the requirement of determining the content of baicalin,oroxindin and corynoline in plasma after PDL administration in rats. The drug-time curve showed that baicalin and oroxindin had a bimodal phenomenon,and the pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that baicalin,oroxindin and corynoline in PDL had certain drug-like properties. After 7 consecutive days of PDL administration,the rat liver coefficient,total liver microparticle protein and CYP450 enzyme content were increased,but there was no significant difference,indicating that PDL was less likely to develop drug-drug interaction based on CYP enzyme. The results of this experiment can provide reference for the research on in vivo efficacy and drug interaction of PDL as well as on its clinical application.

Simultaneous Determination of 12 Components in Pudilan Xiaoyan Oral Liquid by Ultra-high Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To establish an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ MS) method for the simultaneous determination of twelve components (wogonoside,baicalin,wogonin,chrysin,uteolin,caffeic acid,acetylcorynoline,corynoline,protopine,salicylic acid,uracil and adenosine) in Pudilan Xiaoyan oral liquid. Method: The analysis was performed on an Agilent Extend C18 column(3.0 mm×150 mm,3.5 μm),with a gradient elution by using the mobile phase of methanol-water(0.1%formic acid). The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min-1. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization source (ESI),DMRM mode, and positive and negative ions alternate mode were adopted. Result: The 12 reference substances had a good specificity. Wogonoside,baicalin,wogonin,chrysin,uteolin,caffeic acid,acetylcorynoline,corynoline,protopine,salicylic acid,uracil and adenosine showed good linear relationships within the range of 0.062 24-16.24,33.95-530.4,0.013 64-3.558,0.001 157-0.302 4,0.001 199-0.313 0,0.014 64-3.821,0.000 739 5-0.038 59,0.060 83-3.174,0.002 443-0.637 4,0.021 80-1.138,0.022 99-6.000,0.006 046-1.578 μg·L-1,with a good precision,stability and repeatability. And the average recoveries were 98.9%,100.2%,106.9%,100.8%,101.7%,99.3%,94.6%,100.0%,100.5%,103.4%,96.8%,98.1%. Conclusion: This method was simple,sensitive and reliable. It laid a foundation to promote the quality control standard of Pudilan Xiaoyan oral liquid.

Pharmacodynamics of Huanglian Jiedu decoction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model rats and effect on improvement of inflammation microenvironment in brain / 中国中药杂志

To study the pharmacokinetics of active ingredients (alkaloids, iridoids and flavonoids) in Huanglian Jiedu decoction (HLJDD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model rats, and investigate its mechanism in treatment of AD. All of rats were divided into normal control group (=6), shame operation group (=6) and model group (=12). Rats in shame operation group received daily subcutaneous injection of D-galactose (D-gal 50 mg·kg⁻¹) for a total of 45 d to induce subacute aging model. Based on the operation of shame operation group, the rats in model group were given with an injection of Aβ₂₅₋₃₅ (4.0 g·L⁻¹)-ibotenic acid (2.0 g·L⁻¹) into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. Then rats in model group were divided into HLJDD one day administration group (=6) and HLJDD one week group (=6). The plasma concentration of alkaloids, iridoid and flavonoids was determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS) at different time points. The levels of seven inflammatory factors (MIP-2, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, TNF-α) in cerebrospinalfluid (CSF) were measured by Bio-Plex multi-factor detection technology. Iridoids in AD model rats, with high bioavailability, were easily absorbed and eliminated. The plasma concentration of alkaloid was lower, and the AUC (area under the curve) was higher in HLJDD one week group than that in HLJDD one day group. The plasma concentration-time curves of flavonoids showed obvious bimodal phenomena. After the gastric administration of HLJDD, the inflammatory factors in CSF of AD rats demonstrated a callback trend, including IL-1β/IL-10 (<0.05) with significant difference. The pharmacokinetic behaviors of iridoids, alkaloids and flavonoids (41 compounds) in AD model rats were fundamentally elucidated, and HLJDD can improve the central inflammatory status of AD rats by regulating the levels of inflammatory factors.