Liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight and ion trap mass spectrometry for qualitative analysis of herbal medicines

With the expansion of herbal medicine （HM） market, the issue on how to apply up-to- date analytical tools on qualitative analysis of HMs to assure their quality, safety and efficacy has been arousing great attention. Due to its inherent characteristics of accurate mass measurements and multiple stages analysis, the integrated strategy of liquid chromatography （LC） coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry （TOF-MS） and ion trap mass spectrometry （IT-MS） is well-suited to be performed as qualitative analysis tool in this field. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the potential of this integrated strategy, including the review of general features of LC-IT-MS and LC-TOF-MS, the advantages of their combination, the common procedures for structure elucidation, the potential of LC-hybrid-IT-TOF/MS and also the summary and discussion of the applications of the integrated strategy for HM qualitative analysis （2006-2011）. The advantages and future developments of LC coupled with IT and TOF-MS are highlighted.

Ultrasonic Nebulization Extraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Volatile Components in Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine

The ultrasonic nebulization extraction（UNE） was developed and applied to the extraction of volatile components from traditional Chinese patent medicine Xiaoyao Pills. Several parameters of ultrasonic nebulization extraction including the sample particle size, solvent volume, extraction time and ultrasonic power were studied and selected. As a result, 2.4 g of sample with particle size of 80 mesh was extracted with 15 mL of n-hexane for 20 min at an ultrasonic power of 35 W. The volatile components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） under the optimal conditions and 57 compounds were identified. The precision, repeatability and stability of the proposed method were also studied. Compared with ultrasonic-assisted extraction（UAE） and hydrodistillation（HD） extraction, the proposed method is more efficient, faster and easier to be operated at room temperature with smaller sample and energy consumption. It is suggested that the ultrasonic nebulization extraction can be used as a novel alternative method for the extraction of volatile components from traditional Chinese patent medicine.

Study on the Flow Injection Micro-Column Pre-Separation System Coupled With High Performance Liquid Chromatography for the Determination of Ecdysterone in Traditional Chinese Medicine

A flow injection (FI) micro-column system coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was proposed for the pre-separation and determination of active organic component (ecdysterone) in traditional Chinese medicine, Loulu. The factors influencing separation performance were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the contents of ecdysterone in Loulu were determined by HPLC system using MeOH-H_2O (40: 60,V/V) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1. 0 mL/min. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0. 5~ 100 mg/L of ecdysterone concentrations. The detection limit of the analyte was 0. 11mol/L(3) with a precision of 0. 38% RSD (n=7 f c= 10. 0 mg/L). The average recovery of the method was 98. 7%. The proposed method has been applied to determine ecdysterone in practical samples, and the determined values by both external standard method and standard addition method were in good agreement. Compared to the traditional solid extraction method, the system proposed has the advantages of simple procedure, good reproducibility, minimum volume requirement, reduction of matrix interference and low contamination risk.

Gel Permeation Chromatography Purification and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Detection of Multi-Pesticide Residues in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The measurement of 23 organochlorine, organophosphorus, and pyrethroid pesticides in typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), flos lonicerae, was made using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) purification and gas chroma- tography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection. The pesticides were extracted with ultrasonic device and 5.0 mL mixture of ethyl acetate and cyclohexane (1:1, v/v). Coextractants from sample matrices which may have interfere to the qualitative and quantitative analysis, such as pigments, were removed using GPC purification. Simultaneous full scan and selective ion monitor (scan/SIM) mode for GC-MS was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis, which pro- vided retention time and characteristic fragments ratio for each pesticide so as to positively identify each analyte. Rela- tive standard deviations (RSDs) were within 7.7% (5.0 - 22.5 μg/kg, n = 3). The recoveries of pesticide standards at the spiked concentration of 5.0 - 22.5 μg/kg were between 87.1% and 110.9%. Limits of detection (LODs) for the analytes were 0.16 - 3.2 μg/kg, which could meet the demand of routine analysis and TCM quality control.

Modernization of Chinese herbal compound and the high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS)

Chinese herbal compound is playing an important role on curing human diseases.And it has been a trend that Chinese herbal compound is being used all over the world in 21 century.However,our Chinese herbal compound is facing serious challenge for the lack of canonical system of quality criterion for Chinese herbal compound so it has been a urgent problem to set up the quality control standards and reveal therapeutic basis of Chinese herbal compound.In order to give full play to the advantages of Chinese herbal compound,modern scientific and technological is used to research of Chinese herbal compound,especially the high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS),because it is high sensitive,rapid,and obtain more information.It is very necessary that HPLC-MS is uesed to elucidate the effective components of basic substances of Chinese Herbal Compound,and endow traditional Chinese medicine with modern scientific connotation.

Screening potential mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines using a mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method

Mitochondria regulate numerous crucial cell processes, including energy production, apoptotic cell death, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Here, we applied an efficient mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry（LC/MS） method,also known as screening method for mitochondria-targeted bioactive constituents（SM-MBC）. This method allowed searching natural mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines（TCMs）, including Puerariae Radix（PR） and Chuanxiong Radix（CR）. A total of 23 active compounds were successfully discovered from the two TCMs extracts. Among these 23 hit compounds, 17 were identified by LC/MS, 12 of which were novel mitochondria-targeting compounds. Among these, 6 active compounds were analyzed in vitro for pharmacological tests and found able to affect mitochondrial functions. We also investigated the effects of the hit compounds on Hep G2 cell proliferation and on loss of cardiomyocyte viability induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. The results obtained are useful for in-depth understanding of mechanisms underlying TCMs therapeutic effects at mitochondria level and for developing novel potential drugs using TCMs as lead compounds. Finally, we showed that SM-MBC was an efficient protocol for the rapid screening of mitochondria-targeting constituents from complex samples such as PR and CR extracts.

ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF CHINESE MEDICINAL HERBS BY FLASH DISTILLATION/CAPILLARY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY

In present work,the volatile constituents of Curcuma longa L.,A.lancea (Thunb.) DC.,Foeniculum vulgare Mill,and Cinnamomun cassia Presl.have been analyzed by flash distillation/capillary gas chro-matography/mass spectrometry.The results are consistent with those obtained by conventional steam distillation extraction method.The optimum condition of flash distillation has been studied.The experimental results showed that this new technique proved to be a simple,rapid and efficient tool for microanalysis of volatile constituents of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Screening and Identifying of Nephrotoxic Compounds in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Using Live-cell Fluorescence Imaging and Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In order to identify the potential nephrotoxic compounds in traditional Chinese medicine Lithospermum erythrorhizon,it was separated into serial fractions according to their polarities.An in vitro method was utilized to determine the nephrotoxicity of these fractions with the help of fluorescence image analysis.As a result,the primary fraction A05 and its secondary fractions C06 ＂C09 and C12 ＂C14 were found to have significant toxicity to LLC-PK1 cell line,as determined by the survive rate less than 20% after they were treated with these fractions.These potential nephrotoxic fractions were further analyzed by multistage and high resolution mass spectrometry.The main compounds in these fractions were tentatively identified to be acetylshikonin,isobutyrylshikonin,β,β＇-dimethyla-cryloylshikonin,and isovalerylshikonin,which may bring nephrotoxicity.

Gain deeper insights into traditional Chinese medicines using multidimensional chromatography combined with chemometric approaches

Traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)possess a rich historical background,unique theoretical framework,remarkable therapeutic efficacy,and abundant resources.However,the modernization and internationalization of TCMs have faced significant obstacles due to their diverse ingredients and unknown mechanisms.To gain deeper insights into the phytochemicals and ensure the quality control of TCMs,there is an urgent need to enhance analytical techniques.Currently,two-dimensional(2D)chromatography,which incorporates two independent separation mechanisms,demonstrates superior separation capabilities compared to the traditional one-dimensional(1D)separation system when analyzing TCMs samples.Over the past decade,new techniques have been continuously developed to gain actionable insights from complex samples.This review presents the recent advancements in the application of multidimensional chromatography for the quality evaluation of TCMs,encompassing 2D-gas chromatography(GC),2D-liquid chromatography(LC),as well as emerging three-dimensional(3D)-GC,3D-LC,and their associated data-processing approaches.These studies highlight the promising potential of multidimensional chromatographic separation for future phytochemical analysis.Nevertheless,the increased separation capability has resulted in higher-order data sets and greater demands for data-processing tools.Considering that multidimensional chromatography is still a relatively nascent research field,further hardware enhancements and the implementation of chemometric methods are necessary to foster its robust development.

Screening of immune cell activators from Astragali Radix using a comprehensive two-dimensional NK-92MI cell membrane chromatography/C18 column/time-of-flight mass spectrometry system

Astragali Radix(AR)is a clinically used herbal medicine with multiple immunomodulatory activities that can strengthen the activity and cytotoxicity of natural killer(NK)cells.However,owing to the complexity of its composition,the specific active ingredients in AR that act on NK cells are not clear yet.Cell membrane chromatography(CMC)is mainly used to screen the active ingredients in a complex system of herbal medicines.In this study,a new comprehensive two-dimensional(2D)NK-92MI CMC/C18 column/time-of-flight mass spectrometry(TOFMS)system was established to screen for potential NK cell activators.To obtain a higher column efficiency,3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-modified silica was synthesized to prepare the NK-92MI CMC column.In total,nine components in AR were screened from this system,which could be washed out from the NK-92MI/CMC column after 10 min,and they showed good affinity for NK-92MI/CMC column.Two representative active compounds of AR,isoastragaloside Ⅰ and astragaloside IV,promoted the killing effect of NK cells on K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner.It can thus suggest that isoastragaloside Ⅰ and astragaloside Ⅳ are the main immunomodulatory components of AR.This comprehensive 2D NK-92MI CMC analytical system is a practical method for screening immune cell activators from other herbal medicines with immunomodulatory effects.

Application of Thin Layer Chromatography in Preparation of Drug Containing Serum of Eucalyptus Oil

[Objectives] To explore whether the thin layer chromatography( TLC) can be used to guide the preparation of drug containing serum of eucalyptus oil. [Methods]Eucalyptus oil samples with different dilution ratio were detected by TLC. Eucalyptus oil was intragastrically administered to mice,serum samples of different eucalyptus oil doses,different intragastric administration methods and different blood sampling times were collected. The above samples were detected by TLC,and the above results were verified by gas chromatography. [Results] TLC can detect concentration difference of eucalyptus oil samples with different dilution ratio. TLC can provide qualitative and semi-quantitative detection of eucalyptus oil in serum. High,medium and low dose of eucalyptus oil in serum had different effects on the growth of MCF-7 cells in the SD rats( P < 0. 05). [Conclusions] TLC can be used to guide the preparation of drug containing serum of eucalyptus oil.

TWO-DIMENSIONAL LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY(2D-LC) IN THE ANALYSIS OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND AUTHENTICATION OF CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

One-dimensional liquid chromatography(1D-LC)is routinely applied to the analysis of all kinds of samples in different fields.With the introduction of UHPLC instruments and sub-2micron particle columns,the separation efficiency was greatly improved.To resolve all components of complex samples,however,1D-LC does not provide enough resolving power,or peak capacity.In addition,to separate compounds co-eluting in 1D-LC,increasing the separation efficiency by increasing

SIMULTANEOUS QUANTITATION OF FIVE PANAX NOTOGINSENG SAPONINS IN EIGHT CHINESE PATENT MEDICINES BY MULTI HEART-CUTTING TWODIMENSIONAL LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Current China Pharmacopoeia(ChP)standards employ diversified and case-dependent assay methods to evaluate the quality of different Chinese patent medicines(CPM)that contain Panax notoginseng as the monarch drug.This study is aimed to develop a two-dimensional liquid chromatography(2D LC)based assay approach to unify and simplify the quality assessment of Notoginseng containing CPMs.Multi heart-cutting 2D LC(MHC-2D LC)was used to separate and quantify five major

Spectrofluorimetry and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in the Detection of Aflatoxins in Chinese Medicinal Materials

Objective: To analyze the effect of spectrofluorimetry and highperformance liquid chromatography in the detection of aflatoxin in Chinese medicinal materials. Methods: The content of aflatoxin in Chinese medicinal materials was determined by spectrofluorimetry and high-performance liquid chromatography respectively, and the effects of the two detection methods were compared. Results: The results of sample detection by spectrofluorimetry showed that except for Angelica and Sophora flavescens with "detection dada error", the other 25 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials were positive for aflatoxin, but the types of aflatoxin derivatives could not be distinguished, and the tested content was generally high. The recovery experiment of mixed reference substance based on the concentration levels showed that the recovery rate of aflatoxin was 93.60%-99.70% in the case of high-performance liquid chromatography,and the RSD was 1.83%-6.70%. The sample detection results by high-performance liquid chromatography showed that among the 18 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials,only Radix Peucedani, almond, barley, raw Jianqu and aflatoxin were positive, and the types of aflatoxin derivatives could be accurately differentiated. Conclusion: Compared with spectrofluorimetry, high-performance liquid chromatography is more accurate in the determination of aflatoxin content in Chinese medicinal materials, which can distinguish the types of aflatoxin derivatives.

Cell membrane chromatography and its application in the analysis of bioactive ingredients of TCMs

Traditional Chinese medicines （TCMs） have a long history of clinical testing and reliable therapeutic efficacy. They have attracted international attention as excellent sources of bioactive compounds for the discovery of new drugs. However, TCMs usually contain hundreds or even thousands of components and only a few of these compounds are responsible for the pharmacological effects. The large number of components in TCMs makes the analysis and screening for bioactive compounds extremely difficult. Therefore, strategies for analysis and screening of bioactive compounds in TCMs have long been a focus of studies on TCMs. Cell membrane chromatography （CMC） has become a useful tool for studying the bioactive compounds of TCMs. This review summarizes the principles, characteristics, and application of CMC, and the possible problems faced when working with TCMs. This method will likely become increasingly important for screening and analysis of hioactive compounds in TCMs.

Multiple Chromatographic and Chemometric Methods for Quality Standardization of Chinese Herbal Medicines

Quality standardization of complementary medicine is fundamental for industry and practice as it underpins the quality,safety and efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines.Current herbal standardizations are often based on the quantitative analysis of a single compound,which may not reflect the total characteristic,bioactive and toxic nature of the herbs or products.Therefore,there is a need to establish an internationally recognized methodology for quality standardization of Chinese herbal medicines.The analytical methods reviewed in this article are pharmacognosy,TLC,HPLC,LCMS,CE and chemo-metrics.This article also covers the developments and applications of these methods in quality standardization.Recent advances show that a combination of these methods creates an overall chemical profile of each herb.This is supported by results reviewed in this article and obtained in our laboratory tests on medicinal herbs including Hypericum perforatum,Morinda officinalis and Centella asiatica.Significant variations in active components have been observed between herbal samples and products.It is proposed that the identification of active components,pharmacological activities and eventual clinical applications are required for a comprehensive quality standardization system.Our findings indicate that the combination of various chromatographic and chemometric methods will advance the methodology of quality standardization and enhance the overall confidence in herbal medicine for the health practitioner and the public.

Qualitative Analysis of Xinyue Capsules(心悦胶囊)by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography:Preliminary Evaluation of Drug Quality in A Sino-Austrian Joint Study

ABSTRACT Objective： To develop a reliable method to assess the stability of Xinyue Capsules （心悦胶囊） containing Panax quinquefolius saponins according to European quality standards. Methods： An efficient high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet （HPLC-UV） method was established to analyse six main ginsenosides （Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re and Rg1） in six different batches （120 capsules/batch） from the same lot of Xinyue Capsules and in one batch measured six times within one day. The six ginsenosides were separated on a Hypersil BDS-C18 column （3 μm, 100 mm × 3 mm） at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Gradient elution was performed using a mobile phase gradient of acetonitrile-water modified with 0.01% formic acid. The HPLC chromatograms were analyzed with ＂LC data comparison＂ using Lab Solutions software. Results： The HPLC peaks were identified by comparing their retention times （Rg1： 23.44 min, Re： 23.77 rain, Rb1： 35.24 min, Rc： 36.18 min, Rb2：38.55 min and Rd： 40.88 min） with those of the standards under the same chromatographic conditions, which showed similar results among the samples of six different batches and among the samples from one batch detected six times within one day. Conclusions： Xinyue Capsules have good drug intra-day consistency at room temperature and exhibit a consistent quality between different batches. This study established a reliable method to assess the stability of Xinyue Capsules, which is suitable for further qualitative analysis and may assist in promoting the safe and effective use of Chinese herbal medicine.

Optimization of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method using central composite design for the analysis of components in Yangwei granule

Central composite design(CCD),together with multiple linear regression,was successfully used to optimize the electrophoretic buffer system of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography(MEKC) for the determination of albiflorin,paeoniflorin,liquiritin,and glycyrrhizic acid in the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescription,Yangwei granule.Concentrations of sodium deoxycholate(SDC) and borate,and proportions of ammonia,acetonitrile,and methanol were optimized.The total resolutions of peaks between the analytes and their adjacent peaks in real samples were integrated into the evaluation index of separation efficiency.The optimum electrophoretic buffer contained 80 mmol/L SDC,20 mmol/L borate,5%(v/v) methanol,0.5%(v/v) ammonia,and 5%(v/v) acetonitrile.The correlation coefficients(R 2 ) between the peak areas and the corresponding concentrations of analytes were greater than 0.9956.The limits of detection(LODs) (S/N=3) of the analytes were 0.97-4.00μg/ml.The results indicate the superiority of CCD in optimizing the separation conditions of complex samples such as TCM prescriptions.

Simultaneous Determination of Six Compounds in Rat Plasma by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application in the Pharmacokinetic Study of Qing Gan-Shu Yu-Fang

A rapid and high selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC)with tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of six compounds including albiflorin,paeoniflorin,picroside I,picroside II,saikosaponin A,and saikosaponin D in rat plasma was developed and validated using butyl p-hydroxybenzoate as an internal standard.One-step direct protein precipitation with acetonitrile was used to extract the compounds from the rat plasma samples.Chromatographic separation was achieved using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7μm)at a flow rate of 0.4 m L/min,using gradient mode containing 0.1%formic acid in water and acetonitrile were used as the Mobile phase A and B.Electrospray ionization in negative ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring were used to identify and quantify active components.Calibration curves showed good linearity(R^2>0.9908)over a wide concentration range for all compounds.The intra-and interday precision(relative standard deviation)ranged 2.4%–7.0%and 2.6%–8.0%,respectively.The accuracy(relative error)was from-13.0%to 13.2%at all quality control levels.The recovery ranged from 81.1%to 92.5%.The validated method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study in rats after oral administration of Qing Gan-Shu Yu-Fang.The results show that one can draw a conclusion that these six active ingredients can be quickly absorbed and play a pharmacodynamic role rapidly in vivo.

Determination of components in traditional Chinese medicines associated with promoting or inhibiting urinary stone formation

Objective:To measure oxalate,calcium,and sodium contents of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)that are commonly used to prevent and dissolve urinary stones to exclude the possibility that long-term use of such medicines promotes stone formation.The second objective was to measure citrate,potassium,and magnesium contents in the same medicines to provide possible clues about the mechanisms of prevention and dissolution of urinary stones by TCMs.Methods:Ten of the most commonly-used TCMs for preventing and dissolving urinary stones were chosen and subjected to ion chromatography(IC)to measure water-soluble and total oxalate and citrate contents.Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICPAES)was used to measure calcium,potassium,magnesium,and sodium contents in a water extract and in digestion liquid.Results:Average contents of water-soluble oxalate,calcium,and sodium in the water extract were 41.92,84.32,and 22.82 mg/100 g,respectively,far below the normal dietary intake of adults in China.The average contents of citrate and magnesium in water extracts were 268.99 and 66.65 mg/100 g,respectively,below the recommended intake for adults.These ion contents are therefore insufficient to inhibit the formation of urinary stones.The average content of potassium in the water extract was 867.71 mg/100 g,which was relatively abundant,so taking the prescription used in this experimental protocol can increase the body’s potassium content to some extent.Conclusions:Long-term use of TCMs would not increase the risk of urinary stone formation.The potassium content in TCMs is high,which is one possible reason for the prevention of urinary stones by TCMs.