Ming Yuan

Contribution evaluation of the floral parts to orientin and vitexin concentrations in the flowers of Trollius chinensis.

AIM To provide a comprehensive procedure to evaluate the contribution of the floral parts to the yield of the major components from the flowers of Trollius chinensis, to underlay the selective breeding, cultivation, development, and utilization of the flowers. METHODS Five floral parts from eleven batches of the flowers of T. chinensis were examined by HPLC analysis for the content of orientin and vitexin, and by gravimetric analysis for their respective mass fraction. The contribution of each floral part was calculated using mathematical methods based on the results of the content and mass fraction. Variance analysis was carried out by Kruskal-Wallis H test and PCA method. RESULTS The calculated mean contributions of calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils, stalk, and ovary to the yield of both orientin and vitexin were 76.99% and 71.93%, 9.60% and 8.33%, 9.21% and 8.10%, 2.17% and 6.62%, and 2.03% and 5.02%, respectively. CONCLUSION The floral parts contribute unequally to the yield of orientin and vitexin, and the calyx contributes the highest and makes a significant difference compared with any other part.

Investigation on Flos Trollii:Constituents and bioactivities

Abstract Flos Trollii, the flowers of Trollius chinensis Bunge, has been widely used in Chinese and Mongolian medicine for its efficacy of heat-clearing and detoxification. This drug has both medicinal and edible applications, and has led to various pharmacognosy, natural product chemistry, and pharmacology studies. As a result, its chemical constituents and bioactivities have been well-characterized in recent years. Nevertheless, a couple of critical issues, such as the major effective components, are still unresolved. The present review summarizes research progress on this drug regarding the constituents and bioactivities based on investigations in these laboratories and the results reported in recent publications. In addition, the pending issues are discussed and constructive suggestions for further investigation are proposed.

Distribution of Two Bioactive Compounds in Flowers of Trollius chinensis

A comprehensive procedure was established, which combined a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the simultaneous quantification of 2″-O-β-L-galactopyranosylorientin (OGA) and veratric acid and a gravimetric analysis for the determination of the mass fraction of the floral parts (calyx, corolla, stalk, stamens and pistils and ovary) of Trollius chinensis, to investigate the distribution and identify the enriched floral part(s) of these two compounds in the flowers. The calculated mean distributions of OGA in calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils, stalk and ovary were 83.62, 7.76, 4.35, 2.92 and 1.35%, respectively, whereas those of veratric acid in the corresponding floral parts were 46.41, 9.01, 18.41, 4.11 and 22.06%, respectively, indicating the uneven and noncorresponding distribution of these two compounds. This study extends the application of the HPLC assay and favors the production of OGA and veratric acid from the flowers of T. chinensis in addition to the benefits of breeding, cultivation and utilization of these flowers.

Transformation of trollioside and isoquercetin by human intestinal flora in vitro.

The present study was designed to determine the intestinal bacterial metabolites of trollioside and isoquercetin and their antibacterial activities. A systematic in vitro biotransformation investigation on trollioside and isoquercetin, including metabolite identification, metabolic pathway deduction, and time course, was accomplished using a human intestinal bacterial model. The metabolites were analyzed and identified by HPLC and HPLC-MS. The antibacterial activities of trollioside, isoquercetin, and their metabolites were evaluated using the broth microdilution method with berberine as a positive control, and their potency was measured as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Our results indicated that trollioside and isoquercetin were metabolized by human intestinal flora through O-deglycosylation, yielding aglycones proglobeflowery acid and quercetin, respectively The antibacterial activities of both metabolites were more potent than that of their parent compounds. In conclusion, trollioside and isoquercetin are totally and rapidly transformed by human intestinal bacteria in vitro and the transformation favors the improvement of the antibacterial activities of the parent compounds.

Chromatographic fingerprint analysis of the floral parts of Trollius chinensis.

This study provided a practical procedure, for the first time, to compare the component difference of the floral parts of Trollius chinensis and identify the characteristic peaks of each floral part using the high-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprint technique followed by similarity analysis. The results showed that the constituents of different floral parts exhibited lower similarity than those of the same part. It can be concluded that the procedure established herein is useful for analysis of variability in constituent distribution of herbal drugs, and the components are unevenly distributed in the floral parts of T. chinensis.