Hw Rauwald

Two ellagitannins from Punica granatum heartwood

In the course of studies on polyphenol metabolism in Punica granatum heartwood two new ellagitannins, diellagic acid rhamnosyl (1-->4) glucopyranoside and 5-O-galloylpunicacortein D were isolated and characterized together with four known tannin metabolites, punicacortein D, punicalin, punicalagin and 2-O-galloylpunicalin. Structures of the isolated compounds were established by chromatography, chemical degradation, UV and 1D/ 2D 1H/13C NMR spectroscopy.

1H-qNMR for direct quantification of stachydrine in Leonurus japonicus and L. cardiaca

(1)H-qNMR-spectroscopy was successfully applied to quantify the pharmacologically active alkaloid stachydrine ((2S)-1,1-dimethylpyrrolidinium-2-carboxylic-acid) in aerial parts of Leonurus japonicus (Leonuri herba, yimucao; Chin.Ph.2010, DAB2012) which are used in TCM and Kampo for the treatment of various gynaecological and cardiovascular disorders. Pharmacological publications on this betaine describe cardiovascular, hypotensive, and tissue-protective effects. However, its pharmacopeial analytics poses severe difficulties as it does not contain any chromophore suitable for HPLC-UV-detection. Nine samples from three countries were prepared as decoctions and freeze-dried. (1)H-NMR-spectra were recorded in D2O. The direct-quantitative (1)H-qNMR-procedure was carried out using the N-CH3-singlet at δ 3.03 ppm in comparison to the δ 6.18 ppm singlet of the two vinylic protons of maleic-acid, which was identified as a most favourable internal standard. The quantification limit of stachydrine was 0.44 mg/g drug material. Neither reference-compounds for calibration-curves nor sample-pre-purification was necessary. This protocol revealed stachydrine contents in the range from 0.09 up to 1.01% (w/w) for the tested yimucao samples. Furthermore, between 0.18 and 0.21% of stachydrine was found in the L. japonicus fruit-drug (Leonuri fructus, chongweizi; Chin.Ph.2010) which was examined for this constituent for the first time. In four co-investigated samples of the closely related and similarly used European herb Leonurus cardiaca Ph.Eur., even higher contents up to 1.55% were attested. The presented quantitative (1)H-qNMR-method was shown to be precise with respect to concentration, and yielded highly reproducible data in a series of inter-day repetitions. Methodically, (1)H-qNMR may be a powerful tool for quality assurance of stachydrine containing plants and herbal drugs, especially for industrial routine protocols.

A phytosterol enriched refined extract of Brassica campestris L. pollen significantly improves benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a rat model as compared to the classical TCM pollen preparation Qianlie Kang Pule'an Tablets.

In Qinghai Province, the Brassica campestris L. pollen preparation Qianlie Kang Pulean Tablet (QKPT) is traditionally used for BPH therapy. However, in QKPT the content of supposedly active phytosterols is relatively low at 2.59%, necessitating high doses for successful therapy. Therefore, a phytosterol enriched (4.54%) refined extract of B. campestris pollen (PE) was developed and compared with QKPT in a BPH rat model. Six groups of rats (n=8 each), namely sham-operated distilled water control, castrated distilled water control, castrated QKPT 2.0g/kg, castrated PE 0.1g/kg, castrated PE 0.2g/kg, and castrated PE 0.4g/kg, were intragastrically treated with the respective daily doses. Testosterone propionate (0.3mg/day) was administered to all castrated rats, while the sham-operated group received placebo injections. After 30 days, the animals were sacrificed and prostates as well as seminal vesicles excised and weighted in order to calculate prostate volume index (PVI) as well as prostate index (PI) and seminal vesicle index (SVI), defined as organ weight in g per 100g body weight. Compared with sham-operated controls, PI (p<0.01), PVI (p<0.01), and SVI (p<0.01) were all significantly increased in all castrated, testosterone treated rats. After treatment with PE at 0.4 and 0.2g/kg or QKPT at 2.0g/kg per day, both indices were significantly reduced (p<0.01) as compared to the castrated distilled water control. For PE at 0.1g/kg per day only PI was significantly reduced (p<0.05). At the highest PE concentration of 0.4g/kg per day both PI and SVI were also significantly reduced when compared to the QKPT group (p<0.05). Both PE and QKPT demonstrated curative effects against BPH in the applied animal model. In its highest dose at 0.4g/kg per day, PE was clearly superior to QKPT.

GABAA Receptor Binding Assays of Standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus Extracts as Well as Their Isolated Constituents.

A main traditional use of European Leonurus cardiaca and East Asian Leonurus japonicus is in the treatment of neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression, nervousness, and as a sedative for insomnia. However, their mechanism of action is still under discussion. As anxiety and depressive disorders are increasingly being recognized as connected to dysfunctions of the gamma-aminobutyric acid system, the in vitro effects of standardized L. cardiaca and L japonicus extracts as well as five of their isolated constituents, namely, the labdane-type isoleosibirin, the novel iridoid 7R-chloro-6-desoxy-harpagide, the phenylethanoid lavandulifolioside, and the N-containing compounds stachydrine and leonurine, on this type of neuronal receptor were investigated for the first time. Extracts of L. cardiaca and L. japonicus, characterized by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography determination, as well as their above named isolated, possible active constituents of different chemical nature were tested in several receptor binding assays at rat GABAA receptors using [(3)H]-SR95u200a531 and [(3)H]-Ro-15-1788 (flumazenil)/diazepam control. The L. cardiaca and L. japonicus extracts as well as leonurine inhibited the concentration-dependent binding of [(3)H]-SR95u200a531 to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor with a high binding affinity: IC50s 21u2009µg/ml, 46u2009µg/ml, and 15u2009µg/ml, respectively. In contrast, binding to the benzodiazepine site of the rat gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor had a 15 to 30 times lower binding affinity than to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site. The presented experiments provide hints that the neurological mechanism of action of L. cardiaca and L. japonicus may essentially be based on their interaction to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, while the benzodiazepine site most probably does not contribute to this effect. In the case of L. japonicus, these effects can be at least partially explained by its leonurine constituent, whereas the active principle of L. cardiaca, which does not contain leonurine, is subject to further research as none of the other investigated individual constituents displayed significant activity in the applied test system.

HPLC quantification of all five ginkgolic acid derivatives in Ginkgo biloba extracts using 13 : 0 ginkgolic acid as a single marker compound.

An HPLC quantification method for ginkgolic acid derivatives in Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts was developed. Using 13u200a:u200a0 ginkgolic acid as a marker compound, the relative correlation factors of the four other ginkgolic acid derivatives - namely, 15u200a:u200a0 ginkgolic acid, 15u200a:u200a1 ginkgolic acid, 17u200a:u200a1 ginkgolic acid, and 17u200a:u200a2 ginkgolic acid - to 13u200a:u200a0 ginkgolic acid were determined by HPLC and subsequently used for calculating their contents in ten hydro-ethanolic refined extract samples. In other words, the content of 13u200a:u200a0 ginkgolic acid in the extracts was determined using the isolated compound as an external standard. Subsequently the now known concentration of this compound functioned as an internal standard for the quantification of the other four ginkgolic acid derivatives via the described correlation factors. This HPLC method was validated by two independent control measurements, one with an external standard for every individual compound and one based on the present method with the single marker compound alone. The results did not differ significantly in any of the 10 tested extract samples. The protocol presented here thus not only uses the same reference substance for G. biloba extracts as the current Chinese Pharmacopoeia method but also incorporates the advantages of the current European Pharmacopoeia approach. It is simple, reproducible, and can be used to determine the total contents of ginkgolic acid derivatives in G. biloba leaf extracts.