Authentication of Senecio scandens and S. vulgaris based on the comprehensive secondary metabolic patterns gained by UPLC-DAD/ESI-MS

A secondary metabolic pattern using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-DAD/ESI-MS was constructed to gain chemical information for authentication of Senecio scandens (SS) and Senecio vulgaris (SV), the two representative species containing hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (HPAs). The metabolic pattern showed three groups of bioactive constituents: phenolic/aromatic acids, flavonoid glycosides and the HPAs. 47 peaks were identified including 19 phenolic/aromatic acids, 10 flavonoid glycosides and 18 PAs by direct comparison with the available reference compounds or deduced from the UV absorption and their ESI-MS fragmentation patterns.The two species could be authenticated diagnostically by their metabolic profiling of the three chromatographic fingerprints. Although both SS and SV contain PAs as the characteristic constituents, only 2 PAs, adonifoline and adonifoline N-oxide were detected in SS, while other 16 PAs were detected in SV, including the highly toxic senecionine, retrorsine, seneciphylline and their corresponding N-oxides. The concentration of PAs in SV is also higher than that in SS. The number and concentration of the phenolic compounds in SS were higher than in SV. Jacaranone derivatives were only detected in SS and jacaranone ethyl ester was detected as the predominant constituent.In the fingerprint of the n-butanol extracts, 10 quercetin and kaempferol glycosides derivatives were detected. 9 were found in SS and only 2 in SV. PAs, jacaranone derivatives and flavonoid glycosides can serve as the metabolic markers to distinguish the Senecio plants from each other, and provide evidence for their clinical application in the consideration of safety and efficacy.     

Characterization of flavonoids in the extract of Sophora flavescens Ait. by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A method coupling high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode-array detector (DAD) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI) was established for the separation and characterization of flavonoids in Sophora flavescens Ait. Based on the chromatographic separation of most flavonoids present in S. flavescens Ait., a total of 24 flavonoids were identified. Fourteen compounds were unambiguously identified comparing experimental data for retention time (t(R)), UV and MS spectra with those of the authentic compounds: 3',7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-isoflavone (13), trifolirhizin (14), kurarinol (18), formononetin (19), 7,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-8-(gamma,gamma-dimethylallyl)-flavanone (22), maackiain (21), isoxanthohumol (23), kuraridine (26), kuraridinol (27), sophoraflavanone G (30), xanthohumol (31), isokurarinone (33), kurarinone (35) and kushenol D (38), and additional 10 compounds were tentatively identified as kushenol O (10), trifolirhizin-6'-malonate (15), sophoraisoflavanone A (20), norkurarinol/kosamol Q (24), kushenol I/N (25), kushenol C (28), 2'-methoxykurarinone (29), kosamol R (32), kushecarpin A (34) and kushenol A (37) by comparing experimental data for UV and MS spectra with those of literature. Furthermore, fragmentation pathways in positive ions mode of 24 flavonoid compounds of types of flavanone, flavanonol, flavonol, chalcone, isoflavone, isoflavanone and ptercocarpane were summarized. Some common features, such as CH(3)., H(2)O, CO, CO(2), C(3)O(2) and C(2)H(2)O losses, together with Retro-Diels-Alder fragmentations were observed in the prenylated flavonoids in S. flavescens Ait. The loss of the lanandulyl chain was their characteristic fragmentation, which might help deducing the structure of unknown flavonoid compounds. The present study provided an approach to rapidly characterize bioactive constituents in S. flavescens Ait.     

Identification of prenyl flavonoid glycosides and phenolic acids in Epimedium koreanum Nakai by Q-TOF-MS combined with selective enrichment on “click oligo (ethylene glycol)” column

Prenyl flavonoid glycosides and phenolic acids are constituents of the medicinal plant Epimedium koreanum Nakai (EK). An efficient method was developed to enrich these compounds and identify them, using ultra performance liquid chromatography combined with Q-TOF-MS, and a “click oligo (ethylene glycol)” (Click OEG) column. Using this method, 51 prenyl flavonoid glycosides and 18 phenolic acids were identified or tentatively identified. Of these, 11 prenyl flavonoid glycosides and 4 phenolic acids were new compounds, and 7 phenolic acids were newly identified in EK. Therefore, MS combined with selective enrichment provided a powerful means for analyzing prenyl flavonoid glycosides and phenolic acids.     

Polymethoxylated flavones metabolites in rat plasma after the consumption of Fructus aurantii extract: analysis by liquid chromatography/electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry

A LC with full scan MS(n) method was developed in order to investigate the in vivo absorption and biotransformation of polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) by analysis of plasma samples from rats after ingestion of Fructus aurantii extract. Four parent compounds and six metabolites with intact flavonoid structures were tentatively identified. The metabolites were either glucuronides of parent compounds or glucuronides of demethylated products of parent compounds.     

Characterization of phenolic compounds in the Chinese herbal drug Artemisia annua by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid method has been established for the screening of the main phenolic compounds in Artemisia annua by LC-DAD-ESI-MS(n). A total of 40 phenolic compounds were identified or tentatively characterized in the methanol extract of A. annua, including 8 C-glycosyl flavonoids, 5 O-glycosyl flavonoids, 3 flavonoid aglycones, 21 quinic acid derivatives, 2 benzoicacid glucosides and 1 coumarin. The C-glycosyl flavonoids were reported from A. annua for the first time and they were found to be a new type of main constituents, and might be responsible for its antioxidant and antiviral activity. Quinic acid derivatives were also found to be the major constituents of A. annua.     

Determination of aconitine-type alkaloids as markers in fuzi (Aconitum carmichaeli) by LC/(+)ESI/MS(3)

LC/(+)ESI/MS(3) was used to determine aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine as target markers in crude methanol extracts of (i) the raw lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaeli, (ii) roots treated by three different refining processes, and (iii) eight generally available traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations containing fuzi (treated lateral roots of A. carmichaeli). The optimal ionization behavior resulted when using electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive-ion mode with 0.005% TFA as an additive in the mobile phase. The consecutive reaction monitoring (CRM) mode provided additional improvements in selectivity, which was exploited to minimize the noise and interference problems. Employing this approach, aconitine and mesaconitine were found to decompose readily during the refining processes, but hypaconitine remains present at the same content, presumably because of its characteristic chemical structure. Thus, treated and untreated fuzi samples can be distinguished by monitoring the ratio of aconitine and mesaconitine to hypaconitine. The limits of detection (LODs) for these three markers were 0.05, 0.08, and 0.03 ng/ml. The linearity range for the three marker compounds was 0.1-1,000 ng/ml. The analysis time was 12 min per sample.     

月季花化学成分及药理作用的研究进展

月季花化学成分丰富多样,主要包括黄酮类、黄酮苷类、酚酸类化合物、芳香油、鞣质和色素等成分,其提取物或某些化学成分在抗肿瘤、抗真菌、抗病毒、抗氧化等方面显示了较好的生物活性。本文综述了月季花植物中化学成分及药理作用的研究进展,并对今后月季花的应用前景做了展望。     

Characterization of seventy polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in the leaves of Murraya paniculata by on-line high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detection and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS method was established to screen and identify the polymethoxylated flavonoids (PMFs) in the leaves of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack. 16 PMF standards were first to be analyzed in positive mode by the CID-MS/MS. For polymethoxylated flavones, the fragments of [M+H−n × 15]⁺ produced by loss of one or more methyl radicals from the protonated molecule, as well as [M+H−16]⁺, [M+H−28]⁺, [M+H−29]⁺, [M+H−31]⁺, [M+H−33]⁺, [M+H−43]⁺, [M+H−44]⁺, [M+H−46]⁺ and [M+H−61]⁺ fragment ions were detected, which could be taken as their diagnostic characters. For polymethoxylated flavanones and chalcones, their [M+H]⁺ ions usually underwent RDA cleavage fragmentation of the C-ring prior to the similar loss of diagnostic fragment ions as polymethoxylated flavones, which could be adopted as a shortcut to distinguish them from ordinary flavones rapidly. For the PMF glycosides, the neutral loss of the similar fragments with polymethoxylated flavones from their [aglycone+H]⁺ could be adopted as a simple method to screen them out from complex mixture. Based on these characterizations of PMFs and the results of EIC-MS/MS experiment, 70 PMFs including 45 flavones, 17 flavanones or chalcones and 8 PMFs glycosides were screened out from the complex extract of the leaves of M. paniculata. Among them, 16 compounds were unambiguously identified by comparison with reference substances. The results indicated that the developed analysis method could be employed as a rapid, effective technique for structural characterization of PMFs.     

Chemical Characterization and in Vitro Cytotoxicity on Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells of Carica Papaya Leaf Extracts

In traditional medicine, Carica papaya leaf has been used for a wide range of therapeutic applications including skin diseases and cancer. In this study, we investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Carica papaya leaves on the human oral squamous cell carcinoma SCC25 cell line in parallel with non-cancerous human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Two out of four extracts showed a significantly selective effect towards the cancer cells and were found to contain high levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The chromatographic and mass spectrometric profiles of the extracts obtained with Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry were used to tentatively identify the bioactive compounds using comparative analysis. The principal compounds identified were flavonoids or flavonoid glycosides, particularly compounds from the kaempferol and quercetin families, of which several have previously been reported to possess anticancer activities. These results confirm that papaya leaf is a potential source of anticancer compounds and warrant further scientific investigation to validate the traditional use of papaya leaf to treat cancer.     

Metabolic profiling and biological capacity of Pieris brassicae fed with kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala)

Phenolic and organic acid profiles of aqueous extracts from Pieris brassicae material and the host kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) leaves were determined by HPLC/UV–DAD/MSⁿ-ESI and HPLC–UV, respectively. The identified phenolics included acylated and nonacylated flavonoid glycosides, hydroxycinnamic acyl gentiobiosides, and sulphate phenolics. Kale exhibited the highest content (11 g/kg lyophilized extract), while no phenolics were identified in the butterflies or exuviae. Nine different organic acids were characterized in the materials, with kale showing the highest amount (112 g/kg lyophilized extract). With the exception of the exuviae extract, the rest were screened for bioactivity. Using spectrophotometric microassays, all exhibited antiradical capacity against DPPH and NO in a concentration-dependent way, whereas only kale and excrement extracts were active against superoxide. All displayed activity on intestinal smooth muscle, albeit with distinct relaxation–contraction profiles. Larvae and butterfly extracts were more efficacious for intestinal relaxation than was kale extract, whereas excrement extract evoked only contractions, thus evidencing their different compositions. Collectively, these results show that P. brassicae sequesters and metabolizes kale’s phenolic compounds. Moreover, the extract’s bioactivities suggest that they may constitute an interesting source of bioactive compounds whose complex chemical structures preclude either synthesis or isolation.     

Determination of steroidal glycosides in Yucca gloriosa flowers by LC/MS/MS

An high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method, was developed for the quantitative analysis of the steroidal glycosides occurring in Yucca gloriosa flowers. The HPLC experiments were performed by means of an octadecyl-modified reversed-phase C-18 column and a binary mobile phase system under gradient elution conditions. The fragmentation patterns of steroidal saponins were analyzed by ESI–MSⁿ in positive ion mode and a specific multiple reaction monitoring MS/MS detection was developed for their quantitative determination. The described method provides high sensitivity and specificity for quantitative determination of the steroidal glycosides in Y. gloriosa flowers. Quantification was performed against an external calibration line obtained using each pure steroidal glycoside. Short- and long-term repeatabilities of the methods were better than 3 and 6%, respectively. The method was validated according to EMEA guidelines and applied to real samples.     

Identification and quantification of steroidal saponins inpolygonatum species by HPLC/ESI/MS

An HPLC/ESI/MS method has been developed to identify and quantify the spirostanol glycosides in the rhizomes of five Polygonatum species. The relative distribution of two steroidal saponins in each extract was established using the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode via an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. It was found that there were significant differences in the amount of spirostanol glycosides among the Polygonatum species. The results showed that this method could be used to identify the steroidal saponins in the extracts and differentiate Polygonatum species with high sensitivity and reproducibility in a short time. Fragmentation patterns of the two reference compounds were also discussed with the electrospray ionization multi-stage tandem mass spectroscopy (ESI-MSn).     

Characterization and determination of the major constituents in Belamcandae Rhizoma by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n)

Belamcandae Rhizoma, derived from the rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC., has been used as traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of coughing and pharyngitis. However, there have been few studies dealing with the systematic analysis of the bioactive constituents in Belamcandae Rhizoma. In this work, high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization multiple-stage mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSⁿ) combined with liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC-TOF/MS) was established for profiling and characterization of multi-constituent in Belamcandae Rhizoma. The ESI-MSⁿ fragmentation behaviors of the authentic references were proposed for aiding the structural identification of components in the extract. Thirty-five flavonoids, including 30 isoflavones and five xanthones, were identified or tentatively identified by comparing their retention times, UV and MS spectra with those of authentic compounds or literature data. Twelve of the identified compounds (neomangiferin, mangiferin, tectoridin, iristectorin B, iristectorin A, iridin, tectorigenin, iristectorigenin A, irigenin, irisflorentin, irilone and dichtomitin) were determined by HPLC-DAD using a C₁₈ column. The results indicated that the developed analysis method could be employed as a rapid, effective technique for structural characterization of chemical constituents in herbal medicine. This work is expected to provide comprehensive information for the quality evaluation of Belamcandae Rhizoma, which would be a valuable reference for the further study and development of this herb and related medicinal products.     

Identification and characterization of flavonoids from semen zizyphi spinosae by high-performance liquid chromatography/linear ion trap FTICR hybrid mass spectrometry

Semen zizyphi spinosae (SZS) has been used to treat insomnia and anxiety for thousands of years. In this paper, a novel high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with the photodiode array detector/linear ion trap-MS ⁿ (HPLC-PDA/LTQ-MS ⁿ ) method was established to separate and identify flavonoids from the extract of SZS. Separation was performed on an HYPERSIL C₁₈ column by gradient elution using CH₃CN/H₂O–CH₃COOH as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. UV spectral data, accurate molecular weights, and multi-stage MS/MS fragmentation information were obtained. Electrospray ionization/MS/MS fragmentation patterns were proposed. Nineteen flavonoid glycosides were identified or tentatively characterized based on their retention time, UV spectral data, accurate molecular weights, and mass fragmentation behavior. The method was useful for separation and identification of the flavonoid components from SZS and could be applied to other complex samples, especially for minor constituents.     

Rapid profiling and identification of triterpenoid saponins in crude extracts from Albizia julibrissin Durazz. by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was applied to separate and identify triterpenoid saponins in crude extract from the stem bark of Albizia julibrissin Durazz. The molecular weights were determined by comparing quasi-molecular ions [M+NH(4)](+) in positive mode and [M-H](-) and [M-2H](2-) ions in negative mode. The MS/MS spectra of the [M-H](-) ions for saponins provided a wealth of structural information related to aglycone skeletons, sugar types and linked sequence. On the basis of the fragmentation behavior of known saponins isolated before, saponins from this plant were identified, even though references were not available. As a result, a total of twenty-eight saponins in the crude extract were identified, which all had a common basic skeleton of the triterpene oleanolic acid and eight of them were new compounds.     

Analysis of multiple constituents in a Chinese herbal preparation Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn

A high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method for the quality control of Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid, an antimicrobial and antipyretic herbal preparation, has been developed. Pure compounds are subjected to tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)) analysis to clarify their fragmentation rules. Then, the sample of Shuang-Huang-Lian was analyzed by on-line LC-MS(n). A total of 27 compounds, including seven phenylethanoid glycosides, three lignans, seven quinic acids, six saponins and four flavonoids, in the extract of Shuang-Huang-Lian oral liquid have been identified or tentatively characterized. It is expected to develop a comprehensive quality control method of this commonly used herbal preparation.     

采用UPLC-Q-TOF/MS~E鉴别芪苈强心胶囊有效部位中的化学成分

为了全面快速地阐明复方中药芪苈强心胶囊的化学组成,本文利用UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE对芪苈强心胶囊进行了快速分析和成分鉴定,从芪苈强心胶囊中鉴定了40个化合物,并归属了各化合物的单味药来源。结果显示,芪苈强心胶囊的主要成分包括三萜皂苷类、黄酮苷类、C21甾类和酚酸类等。该研究比较全面地阐明了芪苈强心胶囊的化学组成,为此中药复方制剂的质量控制和物质基础研究奠定了基础。     

Chromatographic fingerprint analysis and characterization of furocoumarins in the roots of Angelica dahurica by HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn technique

A high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn) method was used for the chromatographic fingerprint analysis and characterization of furocoumarins in the roots of Angelica dahurica for the first time. Nine "common peaks" were identified by comparing with the retention time, UV and MS spectra of reference furocoumarins. The software "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM" was used to evaluate the similarities of 13 batches of Baizhi samples collected from Henan, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Anhui provinces of China. The results indicated that the samples from different batches had similar HPLC fingerprints, and the method could be applied for the quality control of the roots of Angelica dahurica. In addition, a total of 20 furocoumarins were identified or tentatively characterized by HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn technique, and their fragmentation patterns in an electrospray ion trap mass spectrometer were also summarized.     

Chemical profiling of Scutellaria barbata by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry

An ultrahigh performanceliquid chromatographycoupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-quadrupole-orbitrap MS) method was developed to systematically analyze chemical constituents of Scutellaria barbata D. Don. The 70% methanol extract was separated on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C₁₈ column (1.8 μm, 150 mm×2.1 mm), and eluted with a gradient of methanol–acetonitrile–water containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Constituents were identified by HRMS in the negative ion mode using both full scan and two-stage threshold-triggered mass modes. A total of 56 compounds, including 20 free flavonoids, 20 flavonoid O-glycosides, 2 flavonoid C-glycosides, 4 phenylethanoid glycosides, and 10 phenolic compoundswere identified by analyzing their high resolution mass spectral data.Among them, 8 flavonoids and 2 phenylethanoid glycosides were unambiguously identified by comparing with reference standards. This study demonstrates that hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry is a powerful tool in structural identification of unknown compounds in complicated herbal extracts.     

Chemical profiling of Radix Paeoniae evaluated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/photo-diode-array/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography/photo-diode-array/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-QTOFMS) based chemical profiling method was established for rapid global quality evaluation of Radix Paeoniae. By virtue of the high resolution, high speed of UPLC and the accurate mass measurement of TOFMS, a total of 40 components including 29 monoterpene glycosides, 8 galloyl glucoses and 3 phenolic compounds were simultaneously separated within 12 min, and identified through the matching of empirical molecular formulae with those of published components in the in-house library, and were further elucidated by adjusted lower energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra. Among forty components, five monoterpene glycoside sulfonates were identified as novel components. The established method was successfully applied to rapidly and globally compare the quality of Radix Paeoniae Alba and Radix Paeoniae Rubra, two post-harvesting handled products of Radix Paeoniae. Together with paeoniflorin sulfonate, five newly assigned monoterpene glycoside sulfonates were characteristic markers to detect non-official sulfur dioxide gas fumigated Radix Paeoniae Alba samples. It could be concluded that UPLC-PDA-QTOFMS based chemical profiling is a powerful approach for the global quality evaluation of Radix Paeoniae as well as other herbal medicines.