Rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method for the quantitative determination of potentially harmful substance 5,5′-oxydimethylenebis (2-furfural) in traditional Chinese medicine injections

With the rapid development and wide application of traditional Chinese medicine injection(TCMI), a number of adverse events of some TCMIs have incessantly been reported and have drawn broad attention in recent years. Establishing effective and practical analytical methods for safety evaluation and quality control of TCMI can help to improve the safety of TCMIs in clinical applications. In this study, a sensitive and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC–MS/MS)method has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of potentially harmful substance5,5′-oxydimethylenebis(2-furfural, OMBF) in TCMI samples. Chromatographic separation was performed on a C18 reversed-phase column(150 mm × 2.1 mm, 5 μm) by gradient elution, using methanol–water containing 0.1% formic acid as mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.3 m L/min. MS/MS detection was performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with positive electrospray ionization in the multiple reaction-monitoring mode. The method was sensitive with a limit of quantification of 0.3 ng/m L and linear over the range of 0.3–30 ng/m L(r = 0.9998). Intra-and inter-day precision for analyte was o9.52% RSD withrecoveries in the range 88.0–109.67% at three concentration levels. The validated method was successfully applied to quantitatively determine the compound OMBF in TCMIs and glucose injections. Our study indicates that this method is simple, sensitive, practicable and reliable, and could be applied for safety evaluation and quality control of TCMIs and glucose injections.

Rapid determination of tannin in Danshen and Guanxinning injections using UV spectrophotometry for quality control

A technique for the determination of tannin content in traditional Chinese medicine injections(TCMI)was developed based on ultraviolet(UV)spectroscopy.Chemometrics were used to construct a mathematical model of absorption spectrum and tannin reference content of Danshen and Guanxinning injections,and the model was veried and applied.The results showed that the established UV-based spectral partial least squares regression(PLS)tannin content model performed well with a correlation coefficient(r)of 0.952,root mean square error of calibration(RMSEC)of 0.476
g/ml,root mean square error of validation(RMSEV)of 1.171
g/ml,and root mean square error of prediction(RMSEP)of 0.465
g/ml.Pattern recognition models using linear discriminant analysis(LDA)and k nearest neighbor(k-NN)classiers based on UV spectrum could successfully classify different types of injections and different manufacturers.The established method to measure tannin content based on UV spectroscopy is simple,rapid and reliable and provides technical support for quality control of tannin in Chinese medicine injections.

Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine injection in treatment of primary liver cancer:a review

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine Injections(TCMIs) for treatment of primary liver cancer(PLC).METHODS:A literature review was conducted using PubMed/Medline,Cochrane Library Controlled Clinical Trials Database,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Scientific Journal Database(CSJD) and China Biology Medicine(CBM).Online websites including journal websites and databases of ongoing trials,as well as some Traditional Chinese Medicine journals that are not indexed in the electronic databases were also searched.RESULTS:The literature review showed that TCMIs as adjunctive medication for the treatment of PLC could regulate patient immunity,reduce bone marrow suppression,relieve clinical symptoms,and improve quality of life,as well as control disease progression and prolong survival time.CONCLUSION:Within the limitations of this review,we conclude that application of TCMIs as adjunctive medication may provide benefits for patients with PLC.Further large,high-quality trials are warranted.

Shuanghuanglian injection downregulates nuclear factor-kappa B expression in mice with viral encephalitis

A mouse model of viral encephalitis was induced by intracranial injection of a Coxsackie virus B3 suspension. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and western blot assay were applied to detect mRNA and protein expression of intelectin-2 and nuclear factor-kappa B in the viral encephalitis and control groups. Nuclear factor-kappa B and intelectin-2 mRNA and protein expression were significantly increased in mice with viral encephalitis. After intraperitoneal injection of Shuanghuanglian at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg for 5 successive days, intelectin-2 and nuclear factor-kappa B protein and mRNA expression were significantly decreased. To elucidate the relationship between intelectin-2 and nuclear factor-kappa B, mice with viral encephalitis were administered an intracerebral injection of 107 pfu recombinant lentivirus expressing intelectin shRNA. Both protein and mRNA levels of intelectin and nuclear factor-kappa B in brain tissue of mice were significantly decreased. Experimental findings suggest that Shuanghuanglian injection may downregulate nuclear factor-kappa B production via suppression of intelectin production, thus inhibiting inflammation associated with viral encephalitis.