Hongbin Xiao

Identification of the absorbed components and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of Rhizoma Chuanxiong decoction by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

An HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was established to identify the absorbed components and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of Rhizoma Chuanxiong decoction (RCD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. By comparing the extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) obtained from dosed rat plasma, blank rat plasma and RCD, a total of 25 compounds were detected in dosed rat plasma. Among them, 13 compounds were absorbed into rat plasma in prototype and identified as ferulic acid, senkyunolide J, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide D or 4,7-dihydroxy-3-butylphthalide, senkyunolide F, senkyunolide M, senkyunolide Q, senkyunolide A, E-butylidenephthalide, E-ligustilide, neocnidilide, Z-ligustilide, levistolide A, according to the retention times, UV, MS, MS/MS spectra. In addition, 12 conjugated metabolites including 6 senkyunolide I-related metabolites, 4 senkyunolide J-related metabolites and 2 butylidenephthalide-related metabolites were also detected and identified by comparing their MS, MS/MS spectra with that of corresponding original components. Conjugated with glutathione, cysteine, glucuronic acid and sulphuric acid were the main metabolic reactions of phthalides. Finally the in vivo metabolic pathways of chemical constituents of Chuanxiong in rat plasma were proposed in this study.

Identification of major xanthones and steroidal saponins in rat urine by liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry technology following oral administration of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae decoction

Rhizoma Anemarrhenae (Zhimu in Chinese), the dried rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. (Fam. Liliaceae), is a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal herb and has been used clinically in China for centuries to cure various diseases. However, like other traditional Chinese medicines, the effective constituents of this medicine, especially the assimilation and metabolites in vivo, which are very important to show their effects, have not been systematically studied. In this paper, solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry technologies were used to study the constituents absorbed into rat urine and their metabolites after oral administration of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae decoction. A total of 11 compounds, including two xanthones, three of their metabolites and six steroidal saponins, were identified in rat urine sample. They were neomangiferin (1), glucuronide and monomethyl conjugate of mangiferin (2), mangiferin (3), monomethyl conjugate of mangiferin (4), dimethyl conjugate of mangiferin (5), timosaponin N or timosaponin E1 (6), timosaponin BII (7), timosaponin BIII (8), anemarrhenasaponin I or anemarrhenasaponin II (9), timosaponin AII (10) and timosaponin AIII (11). The results would efficaciously narrow the potentially active compounds range in Rhizoma Anemarrhenae decoction, and pave a helpful way for follow-up mechanism of action research.

Cardioprotection by Guanxin II in rats with acute myocardial infarction is related to its three compounds

AIM We tested the hypothesis that cardioprotection afforded by traditional Chinese Guanxin II (GXII) formula is related to absorbed bioactive compounds (ABCs). METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were induced by coronary occlusion. ABCs including ferulic acid (F), hydroxyl safflor yellow A (A), tanshinol (T), protocatechualdehyde (P) and paeoniflorin (E) were measured in blood after oral GXII. The effects of GXII and FATPE, alone and in combination, and of some components of FATPE on infarct size, myocardial apoptosis and caspase-3 activity were determined. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) in AMI rat was detected 2h after oral GXII and FAT. RESULTS FATPE was found in rat blood. FAT was similar to FATPE and GXII in decreasing infarct size, myocardial apoptosis and caspase-3 activity of AMI. Both FAT and GXII were similar in increasing of MBF. CONCLUSION GXII and FAT protect the heart from ischemic injury by increasing MBF, and decrease infarct size by inhibiting myocardial apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. These findings provide a potential cardioprotective cocktail.

A new amide from Asarum forbesii Maxim.

A highly unsaturated new amide, (2E,4Z,8Z,10Z)-N-isobutyl-2,4,8,10-dodecatetraenamide (1), was isolated in very small quantities from the whole plant of Asarum forbesii Maxim. together with four known compounds, (2E,4E,8Z,10E)-N-isobutyl-2,4,8,10-dodecatetraenamide (2), (−)-sesamin (3), (−)-asarinin (4) andE)-asarone5). The Z/E isomers, 1 and 2, were separated successfully by developed silver-ion medium-pressure liquid chromatography (SIMPLC). Compound 2 and the two diastereoisomers, 3 and 4, were isolated from this plant for the first time. The characterization of these compounds was achieved by various spectroscopic methods.

Rapid quantification of iridoid glycosides analogues in the formulated Chinese medicine Longdan Xiegan Decoction using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectromentry

Longdan Xiegan Decoction (LXD) is a formulated preparation composed of 10 ingredient herbs, with iridoids as the main bioactive components. In this study, a rapid, simple and reliable method of simultaneous determination of four iridoid glycosides in LXD using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) was first developed and validated. The four iridoid glycosides references were isolated from LXD extract and purified using a preparative HPLC chromatography. The sample preparation for quantification comprised of a simple ultrasonic extraction and the satisfactory chromatographic separation of the four structurally similar iridoid glycosides was effected in less than three minutes on a CAPCELL PAK C(18) MGII column (3 microm, 100 mm x 2.0 mm), using an elution system of 10% methanol and their concentrations in different batches of LXD and ingredient herbs were simultaneously determined by HPLC-MS/MS using a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method was validated with respect to the overall intra- and inter-day variation (RSD less than 8%) and the limits of quantification for the four iridoid glycosides were 35, 20, 37 and 33 ng/mL, respectively.

Determination of spinosin in rat plasma by reversed-phase high-performance chromatography after oral administration of Suanzaoren decoction

A sensitive, simple, and accurate method for determination of spinosin in rat plasma with sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) as internal standard was developed using RP-HPLC with UV detection. Sample preparations were carried out by protein precipitation with acetonitrile, followed by the evaporation of the acetonitrile to dryness. The resultant residue was then reconstituted in mobile phase and injected onto a Hypersil C(18) (200 x 4.6 mm I.D., 5 microm) analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water (15:85, v/v) with 1% glacial acetic acid. The assay was shown to be linear over the range of 18.07-903.5 ng/ml (R(2)=0.995). Mean recovery was determined as 93.6%. Within- and between-day precisions were </=8.9% RSD. The limit of quantitation was 18.07 ng/ml. The HPLC method developed has been applied to determine the pharmacokinetics of spinosin in rat plasma after having taken Suanzaoren decoction.

Metabolomic study of raw and processed Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz by LC-MS.

Bai-Zhu, the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (AMK), is widely used as a tonic herbal in eastern Asia. It is commonly used as prepared slices in clinic by stir-frying with wheat bran (processed AMK). In the theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Bai-Zhu possesses significantly different therapeutic effects before and after processing. However, the molecular mechanics of this processing is still unknown. In this paper, the strategy of metabolomics was employed to investigate the changes of chemical constituents in Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz after processing. Meanwhile, the cell activity test variation of processed and unprocessed medicine was used to interpret the processing mechanism of AMK. Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) with the method of multivariate statistic analyses including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), atractylenolide I, atractylenolide II, atractylenolide III, atractylenolide VI, 7-hydroxycoumarin, 8-β-methoxy atractylenolide I and Selina-4 (14), 7 (11)-dien-8-one were rapidly explored as the potential chemical markers of raw and processed AMK, respectively. Furthermore, it could be speculated that the processing mechanism of AMK was to increase the content of atractylenolide III which could strengthen the effect on gastrointestinal function.

Discrimination of type 2 diabetes mellitus corresponding to different traditional Chinese medicine syndromes based on plasma fatty acid profiles and chemometric methods

AIMS OF THE STUDY Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history and particular advantages in the diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Syndrome differentiation is the foundation and essence of TCM theories. The aims of the study are to discriminate T2DM corresponding to different syndromes (Qi-deficiency, Qi and Yin-deficiency and Damp heat) and discover syndrome-related biomarkers using metabolomics technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasma fatty acid profiles of 85 clinical samples were established by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, some of the lipid parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), were obtained through clinical testing methods. Orthogonal signal correction-partial least squares (OSC-PLS) and uncorrelated linear discriminant analysis (ULDA) were employed to establish two-class models for three different syndromes. RESULTS Compared with the plasma fatty acid profiles of healthy controls, the characteristic fatty acids of three TCM syndromes were discovered (p<0.01). Totally, the plasma fatty acids of T2DM were up-regulated, while significant differences existed in different syndromes. Results of ULDA indicate that the three TCM syndromes could be effectively separated by the plasma fatty acid profiles and the syndrome-related biomarkers were also screened. CONCLUSIONS The fact that three TCM syndromes can be separated indicates certain metabolic differences in different TCM syndromes of T2DM really exist and such differences can be manifested by fatty acids and lipid parameters. The results benefit modern biological interpretation of the three TCM syndromes and in a sense the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

Two new phenolic glycosides from the rhizome of Gastrodia elata

Two new phenolic glycosides, named parishins F–G (1–2), together with known parishin E, were isolated from the rhizome of Gastrodia elata. The new structures were established as 1,3-di-[4-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl) benzyl]-2-{4-O-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl] benzyl} citrate (1) and 2-[4-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)benzyl] citrate (2), by means of MS, 1D, and 2D NMR spectral analyses, as well as chemical methods.

Bioassay‐guided separation of citreorosein and other oestrogenic compounds From Polygonum cuspidatum

Citreorosein was isolated from P. cuspidatum as a new oestrogenic compound, together with emodin and its glucoside, by silica gel column chromatography and preparative high‐performance liquid chromatography sequentially. Oestrogenic activity was determined by a recombinant yeast assay. Copyright