Effects of boiling duration in processing of White Paeony Root on its overall quality evaluated by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry based metabolomics analysis and high performance liquid chromatograp

Boiling processing is commonly used in post-harvest handling of White Paeony Root （WPR）, in order to whiten the herbal materials and preserve the bright color, since such WPR is empirically considered to possess a higher quality. The present study was designed to investigate whether and how the boiling processing affects overall quality of WPR. First, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was developed to compare the holistic quality of boiled and un-boiled WPR samples. Second, ten major components in WPR samples boiled for different durations were quantitatively determined using high performance liquid chromatography to further explore the effects of boiling time on the holistic quality of WPR, meanwhile the appearance of the processed herbal materials was observed. The results suggested that the boiling processing conspicuously affected the holistic quality of WPR by simultaneously and inconsistently altering the chemical compositions and that short-time boiling processing between 2 and 10 rain could both make the WPR bright-colored and improve tile contents of major bioactive components, which were not achieved either without boiling or with prolonged boiling. In conclusion, short-term boiling （2-10 min） is recommended for post-harvest handling of WPR.

UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS-based metabolomics survey on the toxicity of triptolide and detoxication of licorice

Triptolide(TP) from Tripterygium wilfordii has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. TP is specially used for the treatment of awkward rheumatoid arthritis, but its clinical application is confined by intense side effects. It is reported that licorice can obviously reduce the toxicity of TP, but the detailed mechanisms involved have not been comprehensively investigated. The current study aimed to explore metabolomics characteristics of the toxic reaction induced by TP and the intervention effect of licorice water extraction(LWE) against such toxicity. Obtained urine samples from control, TP and TP + LWE treated rats were analyzed by UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS. The metabolic profiles of the control and the TP group were well differentiated by the principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The toxicity of TP was demonstrated to be evolving along with the exposure time of TP. Eight potential biomarkers related to TP toxicity were successfully identified in urine samples. Furthermore, LWE treatment could attenuate the change in six of the eight identified biomarkers. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the alterations in these metabolites were associated with tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism. Therefore, it was concluded that LWE demonstrated interventional effects on TP toxicity through regulation of tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism pathways, which provided novel insights into the possible mechanisms of TP toxicity as well as the potential therapeutic effects of LWE against such toxicity.

Chemical profiles and anticancer effects of saponin fractions of different polarity from the leaves of Panax notoginseng

AIM： To evaluate the chemical profiles and cytotoxic effects among the total saponin fraction （TSF）, 25% ethanol fraction （25EF）, 50% ethanol fraction （50EF）, and 85% ethanol fraction （85EF） prepared by macroporous resin from the leaves of Panax notoginseng. METHOD： The simultaneous determination of thirteen main saponins, as well as the chemical profiles of saponin fractions of different polarity, was made by HPLC-DAD and LC-ESI-MSn analysis. The cytotoxic effects were determined against KP4 cells （human pancreatic cancer）, NCI-H727 ceils （human lung cancer）, HepG2 cells （human hepatocellular cancer）, and SGC-7901 cells （human gastric adenocarcinoma）. RESULTS： Chemical analysis indicated that 85EF possessed the most abundant cytotoxic protopanaxadiol saponins, including the marker saponins F2, 20（R）-Rg3, 20（S）-Rg3, and Rh2. The MTT assay showed that 85EF also had the strongest cytotoxic effects among the four fractions. 25EF showed no anti-proliferative effects, while 50EF and TSF exhibited weak anti-proliferative activity. CONCLUSION： From the aspect of comprehensive utilization of resources, 85EF, enriched with low polarity PPD group saponins, is a new alternative source of anticancer saponins, and a promising botanical preparation for further anticancer studies.