Processing tactics for low-cost production of pure nuciferine from lotus leaf.

Nuciferine is an important drug candidate for the treatment of many diseases. However, there is no general method for its low - cost production. In this work, a feasible method for the production of nuciferine from lotus leaf, using ultrasonic-assisted extraction-solid phase extraction (UAE-SPE) as extraction and cleanup procedure, was developed. Petroleum ether and silica gel have been successfully used as extraction solvent and adsorbent to integrate UAE with SPE, respectively. Except for filtration, no treatment (e.g. concentration and redissolution, etc) was needed on UAE extract before SPE and the effluents obtained in the loading process of SPE could be used as UAE extraction solvent without purification. No obvious decline in the extraction efficiency of UAE and adsorption capacity of SPE was observed at least for 5 runs, which provides a feasible way for the continuous production of nuciferine in industry, i.e. Cyclic UAE-SPE. Moreover, SPE column could be conveniently regenerated and reused without significant decline in its adsorption capacity at least for 5 cycles, which can be used to reduce the cost of the whole system further. In comparison with other cleanup procedures, Cyclic UAE-SPE showed apparent advantages in energy conservation and emission reduction. LLE and crystallization were applied to separate nuciferine from other impurities further. Under optimum conditions, the total recovery rate of nuciferine with a purity over 90.0% from lotus leaf reached 50.1%. All in all, the developed method has advantages in convenient operation, low cost, and high efficiency, thus, is fitting for the production of high purity nuciferine.

Cutting agents in cocaine: A temporal study of the period 2015-2017 in the Northern Region of Colombia.

Cocaine is a naturally occurring psychostimulant drug available worldwide. Drug trafficking networks adulterate pure cocaine with cutting agents to increase their earnings. This study presents a descriptive statistical analysis of the cutting agents found in 2118 cocaine samples that were seized in the Northern Region of Colombia (in the period 2015-2017). The data used in this study was drawn from the GC-MS analytical reports of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences -Colombia, Northern Region. Results showed diverse cutting agents in seized cocaine samples, from which the most commonly used are caffeine, phenacetin, lidocaine, imidazole and levamisole. In addition, cocaine samples showed different mixtures of the above cutting agents, predominantly caffeine/phenacetin and caffeine/lidocaine/phenacetin mixtures.

Discovery of chemical markers for improving the quality and safety control of Sinomenium acutum stem by the simultaneous determination of multiple alkaloids using UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS.

Sinomenium acutum stem is a popular traditional Chinese medicine used to treat bone and joint diseases. Sinomenine is considered the only chemical marker for the quality control of S. acutum stem in mainstream pharmacopeias. However, higenamine in S. acutum stem is a novel stimulant that was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2017. Therefore, enhancing the quality and safety control of S. acutum stem to avoid potential safety risks is of utmost importance. In this study, a fast, sensitive, precise, and accurate method for the simultaneous determination of 11 alkaloids in S. acutum stem by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) was established. This method successfully analyzed thirty-five batches of S. acutum stem samples. The average contents of sinomenine, magnoflorine, coclaurine, acutumine, higenamine, sinoacutine, palmatine, magnocurarine, columbamine, 8-oxypalmatine, and jatrorrhizine were 24.9 mg/g, 6.35 mg/g, 435 µg/g, 435 µg/g, 288 µg/g, 44.4 µg/g, 22.5 µg/g, 21.1 µg/g, 15.8 µg/g, 9.30 µg/g, and 8.75 µg/g, respectively. Multivariate analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least square method-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), were performed to characterize the importance and differences among these alkaloids in S. acutum stem samples. As a result, sinomenine, magnoflorine, coclaurine, acutumine, and higenamine are proposed as chemical markers for quality control. Higenamine and coclaurine are also recommended as chemical markers for safety control. This report provides five alkaloids that can be used as chemical markers for improving the quality and safety control of S. acutum stem. It also alerts athletes to avoid the risks associated with consuming S. acutum stem.

Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of 6-O-demethylmenisporphine, a bioactive oxoisoaporphine alkaloid from Menispermi Rhizoma, as determined by a HPLC-MS/MS method.

6-O-demethylmenisporphine, a major active oxoisoaporphine alkaloid isolated from Menispermi Rhizoma, has been confirmed to possess significant bioactivities, including anti-cancer and anti-hypoxia effects. However, few researches on quantifying 6-O-demethylmenisporphine in biosamples have been performed. In this research, a sensitive HPLC-MS/MS approach for determining 6-O-demethylmenisporphine in various biological matrices (plasma, tissue, urine, bile and feces) of rat has been constructed. Carbamazepine was chosen as the internal standard (IS). All biosamples were prepared using a simple one-step acetonitrile precipitation. A Capcell Pak C18 column coupled with an isocratic mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile (0.1% formic acid)-water (90:10, v/v), was employed to separate 6-O-demethylmenisporphine from endogenous interferences. Peak responses were detected by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions with m/z 308.0 â†’ 264.9 for 6-O-demethylmenisporphine and m/z 237.0 â†’ 194.1 for IS in positive-ion mode. The approach exhibited perfect linearity over a range of 5-2000 ng/mL for plasma and 2-1000 ng/mL for various tissue, urine, bile and feces. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for analyte among different biological samples ranged from 2 ng/mL to 5 ng/mL. The newly established method was simple, efficient and sensitive, which was successfully applied to investigate the absorption, distribution, and excretion of 6-O-demethylmenisporphine after oral dosing to rats. The results indicated that 6-O-demethylmenisporphine could be well absorbed into blood circulation and widely distributed in various tissues after oral dosing, the oral bioavailability was up to 51.52%. Meanwhile, it was widely metabolized in vivo and eliminated as the metabolites, the unconverted form was excreted mainly by feces route. The bioavailability, tissue distribution and excretion characteristics of 6-O-demethylmenisporphine were firstly revealed, which will provide references for further development of 6-O-demethylmenisporphine as an anti-tumor drug candidate.

A rapid method for simultaneous quantification of berberine, berbamine, magnoflorine and berberrubine in mouse serum using UPLC-MS/MS.

Berberidis cortex, the dry bark of Berberis L., is used to treat diabetes and contains at least three bioactive components: berberine (BBR), berbamine (BBM) and magnoflorine (MGF). BBR in turn is metabolized into berberrubine (BRB). Although it is possible to quantify each of these components individually in serum, there are currently no methods for simultaneously quantifying all four. Here, we developed a specific and rapid method for simultaneously quantifying BBR, BBM, MGF and BRB in mouse serum using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Samples were pretreated by protein precipitation, separated using an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column and detected by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization. The compound [9,10-(OC2H3)2]-BBR (d6-BBR) was used as internal standard for BBR and BRB, boldine (BOL) for MGF and tetrandrine (TET) for BBM. The m/z transitions for precursor/product ion pairs were 336.1/320.2 for BBR, 305.2/566.3 for BBM, 342.0/297.1 for MGF, 322.1/307.2 for BRB, 342.2/294.3 for d6-BBR, 312.2/580.3 for TET and 328.1/265.2 for BOL. We validated our method in terms of selectivity, linearity and lower limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, matrix effect and recovery, dilution integrity and stability. This method showed good linearity from 0.1 to 40 ng/mL for BBR, 8 to 3200 ng/mL for BBM, 5 to 2000 ng/mL for MGF and 0.2 to 80 ng/mL for BRB. The chromatographic run time was 3.9 min, and sample preparation took approximately 15 min per batch. Finally, we used our method to measure BBR, BBM, MGF and BRB in serum from diabetic mice after gavage administration of BBR hydrochloride, BBM hydrochloride, and MGF. This method is precise, accurate and suitable for high-throughput sample analysis.

The analysis of commercially available natural products recommended for use in electronic cigarettes.

RATIONALE: Natural plant products have been used to promote health, prevent sickness, and treat various ailments. These products often consist of leaves, flowers, bark, roots, seeds, and/or other parts of the plant. Many of the pharmacologically active constituents of these products are known, but the pharmacology of these constituents may not be fully elucidated. Natural plant-based products are also available in various forms other than the raw plant material. A wide array of commercial products such as capsules, powders, extracts, and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) electronic liquids (e-liquids) are readily available and can be purchased from various outlets, both store-based retailers and online. Newer e-cigarettes are often advertised as "heat not burn" and are used for "vaping" various forms of extracts including "waxes" and "dabs" and raw plant material. METHODS: A single manufacturer was found online selling "24 different herbs" in powders, extracts, or e-liquids. These were advertised as "legal in the USA" and each product listed multiple effects. Eight e-liquids, six extracts (resins), and four powders from eight different "herbs," namely African dream, areca nut, blue lotus, damiana, kra thum na, kra thum kok, klip dagga, and wild lettuce, were purchased. An advertisement for these products stated, "Most people use the leaves, powder or resin in vaporizers." Direct analysis in real time AccuTOF™ mass spectrometry (DART-MS) was used to identify the psychoactive components in the natural products. RESULTS: The psychoactive compounds that were identified in only two of the eight e-liquids, three of the five resins, and three of the four powders were arecaidine, arecoline, coumarin, entadamide, mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and nuciferine. CONCLUSIONS: Psychoactive and potentially harmful substances were present in the powders and resins of the natural products. The newer types of e-cigarettes made for consuming natural products may increase their abuse potential.

HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination and pharmacokinetic study of six compounds against rheumatoid arthritis in rat plasma after oral administration of the extract of Caulophyllum robustum Maxim.

Caulophyllum robustum Maxim (CRM) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mainly present in the northeast, northwest and southwest regions of China, which is belong to the family Berberidaceae. The roots and rhizomes of CRM have been used as a famous TCM for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The selective, sensitive and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method for the determination and pharmacokinetic study cauloside H, leonticin D, cauloside G, cauloside D, cauloside C and magnoflorine in rat plasma was developed and validated in this paper. Chromatographic separation was achieved by using a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) with gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1 % formic acid in water at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The detection was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive and negative modes. The linearity, precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, matrix effects and stability were assessed to validate the current high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) assay. Good linearity was achieved for each analyte with a correlation coefficient (r2) > 0.99). All the precision (RSD) data were less than 12.20 %, the accuracies ranged from -12.39 % to 10.55 %, the recovery rates from the rat plasma ranged from 85.48%-98.69 %, and the matrix effects ranged from 80.96 % to 91.35 %. The validated approach was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic characteristics of saponins and alkaloids in plasma after administering CRME to rats, and this assay provides a platform for studying the active components of multicomponent traditional Chinese medicines and provides useful information for further clinical studies.

Evaluation of the volatile composition, toxicological and antioxidant potentials of the essential oils and teas of commercial Chilean boldo samples.

Chilean boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) is the boldo species most consumed around the world. Digestive and hepatobiliary disorders represent the main targets of its action. This work aims to characterize the volatile chemical composition, toxicological, and antioxidant potentials of the essential oils and teas of commercial samples of Chilean boldo packed on sachets [Group 1 (G1): five samples] or in plastic bags [Group 2 (G2): five samples]. Fifty-three compounds have been identified in the essential oils of commercial samples of Chilean boldo from Brazil, while only twelve compounds have been found in the volatile fraction of their infusions. Terpineol, 1,8-cineole, and p-cymene are the major compounds of essential oils. Terpineol is also the major compound of the volatile fraction of teas, followed by limonene dioxide. The presence in all samples of the chemical markers p-cymene, 1,8-cineole, ascaridole, and boldine suggests that they are genuine. The teas offer a better antioxidant capacity than essential oils, thereby indicating that antioxidant activity is concentrated in the non-volatile fraction of these herbs. All LD50 values estimated for the essential oils are below 200 ppm, thus indicating that the oils are highly cytotoxic. G1 and G2 appear to be very similar with respect to all the parameters analyzed. This similarity may indicate a single source for these products.

Rapid profiling of alkaloid analogues in Sinomenii Caulis by an integrated characterization strategy and quantitative analysis.

Alkaloids, the principal constituents in the caulis of Sinomenium acutum, have gained an increasing interest over the past decades since they are widely employed as a clinical treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study, an integrated characterization strategy by combining mass defect filtering-based structure classification (MDFSC) and diagnostic fragment-ion-based extension (DFIBE) was firstly proposed for rapid profiling of alkaloids in Sinomenii Caulis (SC) via ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The rectangular MDFSC window could more accurately screen the target alkaloids of different types, and the DFIBE could facilitate the acquisition of characteristic fragment ions for structural elucidation of alkaloids. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints with principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was established for identifying the chemical markers and simultaneous determination of sinomenine, magnoflorine, menisperine, stepharanine and ehydrodiscretine. A total of 91 alkaloids, including 82 targeted ones (26 morphinans, 22 aporphines, 20 protoberberines and 14 benzylisoquinolines) were unambiguously identified or tentatively characterized in SC, and 14 of them were reported for the first time. Sinomenine and magnoflorine could be selected as chemical markers to evaluate the quality of SC from different localities. In conclusion, the proposed method provided a potential approach for chemical profiling and holistic quality control of herbal medicines.

Spatio-Temporal Variation of Alkaloids in Annona purpurea and the Associated Influence on Their Antifungal Activity.

Annona purpurea grows in the areas of low elevation in deciduous forests of Mexico, those areas have marked rainy and dry seasons. This species produces more than 30 bioactive alkaloids that could have potential in the control of phytopathogens. This research provides data on the variation of the content and number of alkaloids during an annual cycle and the associated inhibitory potential of the compounds against three phytopathogenic fungi. For one year, alkaloidal extracts of stems and leaves were obtained every two months. The extract profiles were determined by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry and their antifungal activity was examined in vitro. The alkaloids, annomontine and oxopurpureine, obtained from the roots and leaves, respectively, were also evaluated individually. The yields, profiles and activities of the extracts, as well as the abundance of annomontine and oxopurpureine in the extracts, were contrasted with the seasonality and phenological phases of the plant. The data indicate that the alkaloid content was higher at the height of the dry season. High yields also occurred during flowering. The strongest inhibitory effect was obtained from the root extracts during the last month of dry season. This finding seems to be explained by the higher chemodiversity of alkaloids in extracts from this season. Annomontine and oxopurpureine inhibited all three phytopathogens; however, they were not solely responsible for the activity of A. purpurea.

Simultaneous determination of alkaloids dicentrine and sinomenine in Stephania epigeae by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Stephania epigaea Lo is an important herbal medicine used as antiphlogistic and analgesic drugs. Its major components are dicentrine (1) and sinomenine (2). In the present study, a rapid, accurate, and precise method for simultaneous quantitation of dicentrine (1) and sinomenine (2) in S. epigeae using 1H NMR spectra was developed. The deuterated solvent of DMSO-d6 enabled satisfactory separation of the signals to be integrated in 1H NMR spectrum and dimethyl terephthalate was selected as an internal standard. The feature signals of δ 7.57 and 5.70 were selected for quantifying the dicentrine (1) and sinomenine (2), respectively. Validation of the quantitative method was performed in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision, and stability. This work implied that quantitative 1H NMR represents a feasible alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography-based methods for quantitation of dicentrine (1) and sinomenine (2) in S. epigeae and is suitable for the quality control of S. epigeae.

Nuciferine and paeoniflorin can be quality markers of Tangzhiqing tablet, a Chinese traditional patent medicine, based on the qualitative, quantitative and dose-exposure-response analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Tangzhiqing tablet (TZQ), a Chinese traditional patent medicine, has been in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. However, the current quality evaluation of TZQ still remains rather obscure. PURPOSE: The promising quality markers (Q-markers) of TZQ will be sought for its quality assessment and process control based on the qualitative, quantitative and dose-exposure-response analysis. METHODS: The fingerprint analysis of TZQ was carried out through ultra high performance liquid chromatography- quadrupole time-of-flight/ mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) assay. Multicomponent quantitative analysis was implemented to the main ingredients of nuciferine, paeoniflorin, salvianolic acid B, hyperoside and rutin in TZQ by means of LC analysis. The dose-exposure-response relationship of TZQ was revealed by a placebo-controlled, 5-way crossover study in healthy Chinese subjects. The potential Q-markers in plasma were determined by a liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The therapeutic effect of TZQ was expressed as the glucose-lowering profile. The exposure-response relevance was developed between the concentration of Q-markers and the glucose-lowering effect of TZQ. RESULTS: 46 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from TZQ. The contents of paeoniflorin, nuciferine, salvianolic acid B, hyperoside and rutin in TZQ were 6.40, 1.75, 1.70, 0.004, and 0.006 mg, respectively. However, salvianolic acid B, hyperoside and rutin could hardly be detected in human plasma under the current LC-MS/MS condition. The exposures of nuciferine and paeoniflorin (AUC0-3, Cmax) were dose-proportionality in human at the studied dosage ranges. The glucose-lowering effect appeared to increase proportionally with increasing TZQ dose in healthy volunteers. A clockwise hysteresis was displayed between the exposure of nuciferine and paeoniflorin and the glucose-lowering effect of TZQ. CONCLUSION: Nuciferine and paeoniflorin were identified as the promising Q-markers of TZQ based on the fingerprint qualitative analysis, multicomponent quantitative analysis and dose-exposure-response analysis. The two Q-markers are meaningful to ensure the quality assessment and process control of TZQ.

Antioxidant, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory investigation of extract and dicentrinone from Duguetia furfuracea (A. St.-Hil.) Benth. & Hook. f.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The preparations of teas and syrups using Duguetia furfuracea have been used in folk medicine to treat rheumatism and back pain. Several rheumatic diseases are anti-inflammatory and are treated with several anti-inflammatories. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this work were to evaluate the chemical investigation of methanolic extract obtained from leaves of D. furfuracea (MEDF) and test the MEDF, such as chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and hydromethanol (HMF) fractions and the alkaloid dicentrinone (DF-1) in vitro antioxidant effects and in vivo models of inflammation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MEDF and CF were analyzed by LC-PDA and the results revealed the presence of alkaloid aporphine and oxoaporphine. The concentrations of total phenols, flavonoids and flavonols were determined. Additionally, MEDF, fractions and dicentrinone were evaluated free radical scavenging activity 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and peroxidation ß-carotene/linoleic acid and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays. The anti-inflammatory effects of MEDF, fractions and dicentrinone were studied in carrageenan-induced paw edema. The anti-rheumatic potential was studied in air pouch model and zymosan-induced arthritis. RESULTS: CF fractionation resulted in the isolation of the oxaporphine alkaloid dicentrinone (DF-1). The highest phenols (624.37mg GAE/g extract), flavonoids (580.51mg QE/g extract) and flavonols (254.44mg QE/g extract), concentration was found in extract. In antioxidant tests, MEDF exhibited the highest scavenging activity and lipoperoxidation. The extract (30-300mg/kg) and all tested fractions inhibited the edema induced by carrageenan. The oral administration of DF-1 inhibited both edema associated with carrageenan-induced inflammation in mice. In air pouch model of inflammation, MEDF (30-300mg/kg) and DF-1 (100mg/kg) inhibited leukocyte migration and plasmatic leakage induced by carrageenan in mice. Finally, MEDF (100mg/kg) did not alter zymozan-induced arthritis in mice. CONCLUSION: The results showed that D. furfuracea exhibits antioxidant, anti-rheumatic potential and anti-inflammatory activity. The presence of the alkaloid dicentrinone in extract and CF fraction could be responsible, at least in part, for the observed effects.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical constituents of Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth.

Ptychopetalum olacoides is a folk medicinal plant for health care in market, especially in Brazil. Fourteen known compounds were isolated from P. olacoides and their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data, including 1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, IR and HR-ESI-MS. The 14 known compounds were identified as N-trans-feruloyl-3,5-dihydroxyindolin-2-one (1), magnoflorine (2), menisperine (3), 4-coumaroylserotonin (4), moschamine (5), luteolin (6), 4'-methoxyluteolin (7), 3-methoxyluteolin (8), 3, 7-dimethoxyluteolin (9), caffeic acid (10), ferulic acid (11), vanillic acid (12), syringic acid (13) and ginsenoside Re (14). To our knowledge, compounds (1-6, 13-14) were isolated from the plant for the first time. Additionally, quantitative analysis results indicated that calibration equations of compounds (1-3, 6, 9, 11-13) exhibited good linear regressions within the test ranges (R2 ≥ 0.9990) and magnoflorine and menisperine were the major constituents in the barks of P. olacoides. The contents of magnoflorine and menisperine accounted for 75.96% of all analytes. However, the content of phenolic components was smaller and the highest content was no more than 1.04 mg/g. Collectively, these results suggested that alkaloids are the dominant substances in P. olacoides, which can make a difference for the quality control and further use of P. olacoides.

Novel spectrofluorimetric method for boldine alkaloid determination in herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals.

A new green on-line method for Boldine determination (BOL) in herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals, using its native fluorescence in acid media (λex=282nm; λem=373nm) has been developed. The presented methodology involves for the first time, a flow injection (FI) strategy using a mini-column of multiwalled carbon nanotubes as retention agent coupled with molecular fluorescence. Different parameters influence as sample pH and flow rate, eluent flow rate and composition; on BOL sensitivity and elution time was investigated by multifactorial techniques. Adequate dynamic calibration range (r2=0.9993) was obtained over a concentration interval of 0.029-27.0µgmL-1 BOL. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.008 and 0.029µgmL-1, respectively. The average recoveries in explored samples ranged from 95% to 103%. Under optimized conditions, the throughput sample as high as 30h-1 was achieved with high repeatability performance (99%). The proposed development represents a useful and valuable tool emulating the analytical efficiency of the official methodologies for quality control of herbal and phytopharmaceutical drugs containing BOL. Moreover, this approach shows advantages respect to low cost, simplicity and environmental and analyst friendly.

The Blue Lotus Flower (Nymphea caerulea) Resin Used in a New Type of Electronic Cigarette, the Re-Buildable Dripping Atomizer.

The blue lotus flower (Nymphea caerulea) is an Egyptian water lily containing apomorphine and nuciferine. Apomorphine has been described as a psychoactive alkaloid and is a non-selective dopamine agonist primarily used to treat Parkinson's disease as it stimulates dopamine receptors and improves motor function. Nuciferine is an alkaloid associated with dopamine receptor blockade. Today, blue lotus flower is used as a sleep aid and anxiety reliever. The rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA) is an electronic cigarette that allows direct application of an e-liquid onto the coil in the atomizer for aerosolization, compared to a typical electronic cigarette where the e-liquid is wicked from a storage vessel to the coil. Our laboratory received a dark-brown resin material from a concerned parent. The resin had been confiscated from an adolescent who had a reported history of marijuana use. The resin was later identified as blue lotus flower (N. caerulea). This resin, together with four commercially available blue lotus products, was analyzed for content. Apomorphine was detected in two samples, and nuciferine was detected in all five samples. The confiscated resin was determined to contain no apomorphine and 4300 ng/g of nuciferine. The nuciferine resin was shown to aerosolize using aRDA electric cigarette.

Evaluation of Glaucine Content in Bulgarian Black Sea Coast Localities of Glauciumflavum Cranz. (Papaveraceae).

The content of the alkaloid glaucine was evaluated in Glaucium flavum plants from seven localities along the Bulgarian Black sea coast during two consecutive years, in order to select those with highest glaucine content. Some fluctuations of glaucine content were observed during the two years, and in most of the localities the alkaloid was lower in 2015. Pomorie and Ahtopol maintained high percentages of glaucine in the dry plant material in the two investigated years, being 2.3% for Pomorie in 2014 and for Ahtopol in 2015. The lowest percentages of glaucine were recorded in the plant material from Shkorpilovtsi (0.9% and 0.6%, respectively in 2014 and 2015). Fluctuations in glaucine content were probably due to some abiotic factors as light, temperature, precipitation, soil substrate, salinity, etc.

Aporphine alkaloid contents increase with moderate nitrogen supply in Annona diversifolia Saff. (Annonaceae) seedlings during diurnal periods.

Aporphine alkaloids are secondary metabolites that are obtained in low levels from species of the Annonaceae family. Nitrogen addition may increase the alkaloid content in plants. However, previous studies published did not consider that nitrogen could change the alkaloid content throughout the day. We conducted this short-term study to determine the effects of nitrogen applied throughout the diurnal period on the aporphine alkaloids via measurements conducted on the roots, stems and leaves of Annona diversifolia seedlings. The 60-day-old seedlings were cultured with the addition of three levels of nitrogen (0, 30 and 60 mM), and alkaloid extracts were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The highest total alkaloid content was measured in the treatment with moderate nitrogen supply. Further, the levels of aporphine alkaloids changed significantly in the first few hours of the diurnal period. We conclude that aporphine alkaloid content increased with moderate nitrogen supply and exhibited diurnal variation.

Mining chemodiversity from biodiversity: pharmacophylogeny of medicinal plants of Ranunculaceae.

This paper reports a pharmacophylogenetic study of a medicinal plant family, Ranunculaceae, investigating the correlations between their phylogeny, chemical constituents, and pharmaceutical properties. Phytochemical, ethnopharmacological, and pharmacological data were integrated in the context of the systematics and molecular phylogeny of the Ranunculaceae. The chemical components of this family included several representative metabolic groups: benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, ranunculin, triterpenoid saponin, and diterpene alkaloids, among others. Ranunculin and magnoflorine were found to coexist in some genera. The pharmacophylogenetic analysis, integrated with therapeutic information, agreed with the taxonomy proposed previously, in which the family Ranunculaceae was divided into five sub-families: Ranunculoideae, Thalictroideae, Coptidoideae, Hydrastidoideae, and Glaucidioideae. It was plausible to organize the sub-family Ranunculoideae into ten tribes. The chemical constituents and therapeutic efficacy of each taxonomic group were reviewed, revealing the underlying connections between phylogeny, chemical diversity, and clinical use, which should facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of the pharmaceutical resources derived from the Ranunculaceae.