SIRT1 activator isolated from artificial gastric juice incubate of total saponins in stems and leaves of Panax ginseng.

Panax ginseng as a traditional Chinese medicine has been extensively used for the treatment of many diseases, especially in prolonging life and anti-tumor. Dammarane-type triterpenoids from P. ginseng have diverse beneficial effects and their chemical structures can be modified in the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration. In this paper, the dammarane-type triterpenoids were isolated from artificial gastric juice incubate of total saponins in the stems and leaves of P. ginseng through column chromatographic methods and their chemical structures were determined based on spectral data. Two new dammarane-type triterpenoids named ginsenotransmetins B (1) and C (2), along with twenty-nine known compounds (3-31), were obtained. All 31 compounds isolated were investigated for their activities of SIRT1 using SIRT1 fluorometric drug discovery assay kit. Among them, compounds 11, 17, 18, 20, 23, 24, 28, and 29, which were found to be potential as SIRT1 activators, exhibited significant stimulation of SIRT1 activity. The results showed that these compounds may be considered to be a useful medicinal resource for prolonging life and anti-tumor. In addition, the results were helpful to explain the longevity effect of ginseng from the new field of view.

Determination of the transformation of ginsenosides in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma during decoction with water using ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

This study was conducted to determine the variations of ginsenosides in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma when using different preparation solvents and explore the major factors for changes. With an established ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method which could quantify 52 ginsenosides, the extraction differences were characterized and compared using different solvents (water, 70% aqueous ethanol, and ethanol). Subsequently, a series of aqueous solutions with different pH were prepared to test the influence of pH to the changes of ginsenosides. Meanwhile, acetic acid and aspartic acid were used to verify whether the reaction had a relationship with the kind of acids. After refluxing with water, not only highly polar ginsenosides were extracted, some less polar ginsenosides such as ginsenoside Rg3 , Rg5 , Rk1 , and Rh2 occurred or increased rapidly. Further experiments indicated that less polar ginsenosides were easier to generate at low pH values, and the reaction was only related to pH other than what kind of acids were used. It is the first time to elaborate the contents variation of 52 ginsenosides when using different extraction methods. The results indicated that decoction with water could enhance the transformation of highly polar ginsenosides to less polar ginsenosides and the process was pH dependent.

Elucidation of Compatibility Interactions of Traditional Chinese Medicines: In Vitro Absorptions Across Caco-2 Monolayer of Coptidis Rhizoma and Euodiae Fructus in Zuojin and Fanzuojin Formulas as A Case.

Traditional Chinese medicines are often combined as formulae and interact with each other. As for Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and Euodiae Fructus (EF), the most classical compatibilities were Zuojin (ZJF) and Fanzuojin formulas (FZJF) with reverse mixture ratios and opposite effects. To compare in vitro absorption interactions between CR and EF, bidirectional transports across Caco-2 cell monolayer of extracts of two formulas and equivalent single herbs were studied. Eighteen alkaloids from CR and EF were determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Parameter apparent permeability coefficient (Papp ) and efflux rate (ER) values showed that most alkaloids were well or moderately absorbed and six quaternary protoberberine alkaloids from CR had obvious efflux. ZJF compatibilities reduced both Papp BL→AP and ER values of three indole alkaloids, and increased ER values of two quinolone alkaloids from EF. FZJF compatibilities obviously affected the bidirectional Papp values of CR alkaloids, weakened ERs of five protoberberines from CR and enlarged ERs of two quinolones from EF. Conclusions were drawn that different compatibility ratios of CR and EF led to different interactions on the in vitro absorption of alkaloids. The results may provide a good reference for interaction studies on the compatibilities of traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Metabolism of 20(S)-Ginsenoside Rg2 by Rat Liver Microsomes: Bioactivation to SIRT1-Activating Metabolites.

20(S)-Ginsenoside Rg2 (1) has recently become a hot research topic due to its potent bioactivities and abundance in natural sources such as the roots, rhizomes and stems-leaves of Panax ginseng. However, due to the lack of studies on systematic metabolic profiles, the prospects for new drug development of 1 are still difficult to predict, which has become a huge obstacle for its safe clinical use. To solve this problem, investigation of the metabolic profiles of 1 in rat liver microsomes was first carried out. To identify metabolites, a strategy of combined analyses based on prepared metabolites by column chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was performed. As a result, four metabolites M1-M4, including a rare new compound named ginsenotransmetin A (M1), were isolated and the structures were confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. A series of metabolites of 1, MA-MG, were also tentatively identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS in rat liver microsomal incubate of 1. Partial metabolic pathways were proposed. Among them, 1 and its metabolites M1, M3 and M4 were discovered for the first time to be activators of SIRT1. The SIRT1 activating effects of the metabolite M1 was comparable to those of 1, while the most interesting SIRT1 activatory effects of M3 and M4 were higher than that of 1 and comparable with that of resveratrol, a positive SIRT1 activator. These results indicate that microsome-dependent metabolism may represent a bioactivation pathway for 1. This study is the first to report the metabolic profiles of 1 in vitro, and the results provide an experimental foundation to better understand the in vivo metabolic fate of 1.

[Chemical constituents of Chinese red ginseng].

The chemical constituents of the Chinese red ginseng were systematically investigated by using various column chromatographic methods including D-101 macroporous adsorptive resins and open silica gel column chromatographies as well as high-performance liquid chromatography.Their chemical structures were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral analyses.Fifty-two compounds were isolated from Chinese red ginseng decoction and identified as 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh1 (1), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh1 (2), ginsenoside Rg6 (3), 20(22) E-ginsenoside F4 (4), ginsenoside Rk3 (5), 20(22) E-ginsenoside Rh4 (6), ginsenoside Rg1 (7), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rf-1a(8), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rf(9), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rf(10),20(S)-notoginsenoside R2 (11),20(R)-notoginsenoside R2 (12), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2 (13), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg2 (14), ginsenoside Rs2 (15),ginsenoside Rs1 (16),ginsenoside Rd(17),notoginsenoside R1 (18),ginsenoside Re2 (19), ginsenoside Re(20), 20-gluco-ginsenoside Rf(21),quinquenoside-R1 (22),ginsenoside Ro methyl ester(23),ginsenoside Ro(24),ginsenoside Rb1 (25),ginsenoside Rc(26),ginsenoside Rb2 (27),ginsenoside Ra2 (28),ginsenoside Ra3 (29),ginsenoside Rb3 (30),20(22)Z-ginsenoside Rh4 (31),chikusetsusaponin IVa butyl ester(32), 20(22)Z-ginsenoside Rs4 (33),ginsenoside Rs5 (34),20(22)E-ginsenoside Rs4 (35),zingibroside R1-6'-butyl ester(36), chikusetsusaponin IVa methyl ester(37),20(S)-ginsenoside Rs3 (38),20(R)-ginsenoside Rs3 (39),zingibroside R1-6'-methyl ester(40),ginsenoside Rz1 (41),ginsenoside Rk1 (42),ginsenoside Rg5 (43),23-O-methylginsenoside-Rg1 1 (44),12ß,25-dihydroxydammar-20(22)E-ene-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(45), 20(22)Z-ginsenoside F4 (46),3ß,12ß-dihydroxydammar-20(22)E,24-diene-6-O-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(47), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (48),20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (49),20(22)E-ginsenoside Rg9 (50),ginsenoside-Ro-6'-butyl ester(51), and polyacetyleneginsenoside Ro(52). Compounds 8, 12, 31-33, 36, 37, 44, 45, 47 and 51 were isolated from the P. ginseng, and compounds 19, 23 and 46 were isolated from Chinese red ginseng for the first time.

Four new ginsenosides from red ginseng with inhibitory activity on melanogenesis in melanoma cells.

During a search for novel melanogenesis inhibitors originating from nature sources, four new ginsenosides, including three dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rf-1a (1), 20Z-ginsenoside-Rs4 (2), 23-O-methylginsenoside-Rg11 (3), and one oleanane-type saponin, ginsenoside-Ro-6'-O-butyl ester (4) were isolated from red ginseng (the steamed ginseng) to evaluate their protective effects against melanogenesis. Compounds 2 and 3 exhibited potent inhibitory effects against both melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner in the α-MSH-stimulated B16 melanoma cells, and were more potent than the positive control arbutin, a well-known tyrosinase inhibitor. The results indicated that just the two carbon-20(22) double-bond-type ginsenosides showed strong inhibiting activity on melanogenesis through reducing tyrosinase activity. Thus, ginsenosides with such similar chemical structure in red ginseng may be potential natural products as tyrosinase inhibitors against malignant melanoma.

New SIRT1 activator from alkaline hydrolysate of total saponins in the stems-leaves of Panax ginseng.

Two new dammarane-type triterpenes, namely ginsenoslaloside-I [3ß,12ß,24S-trihydroxy-dammara-20(22)E,25-diene-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside, 1] and 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rh1-6'-acetate (2), together with twelve known compounds (3-14) were isolated from the alkaline hydrolysate of total saponins of the stems-leaves of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with the reported data. All 14 compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activities against two human cancer cell lines (HL-60 and Hep-G2) and promotion activities of SIRT1. Compound 6 exhibited significant inhibitory activity in a concentration-dependent manner against HL-60 and Hep-G2 with the IC50 values of 10.32 and 24.33µM, respectively, and had comparable IC50 values with those of vinorelbine, a positive control agent. Meanwhile, compounds 1 and 6 were found to be a potential activator of SIRT1. The preliminary structure-activity relationship was also discussed based on the experimental data obtained.

Simultaneous Determination of Eight Ginsenosides in Rat Plasma by Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application to Their Pharmacokinetics.

A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was successfully developed and validated for the identification and determination of eight ginsenosides: ginsenoside Rg1 (1); 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh1 (2); 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2 (3); 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh1 (4); 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg2 (5); ginsenoside Rd (6); 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (7); and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (8) in rat plasma. The established rapid method had high linearity, selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. The method has been used successfully to study the pharmacokinetics of abovementioned eight ginsenosides for the first time. After an oral administration of total saponins in the stems-leaves of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (GTSSL) at a dose of 400 mg/kg, the ginsenosides 6, 7, and 8, belonging to protopanaxadiol-type saponins, exhibited relatively long tmax values, suggesting that they were slowly absorbed, while the ginsenosides 1-5, belonging to protopanaxatriol-type saponins, had different tmax values, which should be due to their differences in the substituted groups. Compounds 2 and 4, 3 and 5, 7 and 8 were three pairs of R/S epimerics at C-20, which was interesting that the t1/2 of 20(S)-epimers were always longer than those of 20(R)-epimers. This pharmacokinetic identification of multiple ginsenosides of GTSSL in rat plasma provides a significant basis for better understanding the clinical application of GTSSL.

Identification of metabolites in WZS-miniature pig urine after oral administration of Danshen decoction by HPLC coupled with diode array detection with electrospray ionization tandem ion trap and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Danshen (DS) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. A simple, rapid and sensitive method was developed for identification of the in vivo metabolites in urine of WZS-miniature pigs after oral administration of DS decoction by HPLC coupled with diode array detection with electrospray ionization tandem ion trap and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This method has been successfully applied to simultaneous identification of 50 compounds (including 11 new ones) in pig urine. In addition, one new compound, (3-hydroxyphenyl) crylic acid glycine methyl ester (C1), along with eight known ones were first isolated by column chromatography and identified by spectroscopic means, including 1D/2DNMR and mass spectrometry, as reference substances. Ten phenolic compounds (protocatechuic aldehyde, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, danshensu, ferulic acid, isoferulic acid, rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid A/B/D) were found to be the main absorbed original constituents of DS decoction, which underwent the metabolic reactions of glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, hydrogenation and glycine conjugation in vivo. In conclusion, the developed method is applicable to the analysis and identification of constituents in biological matrices after administration of DS decoction.

Identification of the absorptive constituents and their metabolites in vivo of Puerariae Lobatae Radix decoction orally administered in WZS-miniature pigs by HPLC-ESI-Q-TOFMS.

In this study, the technique of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOFMS) was used to analyze and identify the absorptive constituents and their metabolites in drug-containing urine of Wuzhishan (WZS)-miniature pigs administered with Puerariae Lobatae Radix (PLR) decoction. With the accurate mass measurements (<5 ppm) and effective MS(2) fragment ions, 96 compounds, including eight original constituents and 88 metabolites, were identified from the drug-containing urine. Among these, 64 metabolites were new ones and their structures can be categorized into five types: isoflavones, puerols, O-desmethylangolensins, equols and isoflavanones. In particular, puerol-type constituents in PLR were first proved to be absorptive in vivo. Meanwhile, the metabolic pathways of PLR in vivo were investigated. On the basis of relative content of the identified compounds, 13 major metabolites accounting for approximately 50% of the contents, as well as their corresponding 12 prototype compounds, were determined as the major original absorptive constituents and metabolites of PLR in vivo. The HPLC-ESI-Q-TOFMS technique proved to be powerful for characterizing the chemical constituents from the complicated traditional Chinese medicine matrices in this research.

Protein-enriched fiber vegan meal promote satiety and suppress food intake in rats.

Dietary preferences were closely associated with the pathogenesis of numbers of metabolic disorders, in particularly, obesity. Dietary fiber was shown to be capable of preventing weight gain and excessive food intake mainly through stimulating chewing and saliva secretion, and promote satiety signals. In this study, we characterized the "Vitamin World® Vegan Meal" Formula of Feihe, a novel protein-enriched fiber dietary supplement contained potato protease inhibitor II (PI2) that developed. And we demonstrated that this particular fiber formula was effective in preventing weight gain, increasing satiety signals, and reducing food intake in rats in a dosage-dependent manner. Our study provides lines of evidence and would further bolster the use of this nutritious vegan meal in regulating satiety and food intake in clinics.

Development and validation of a UFLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of sixty-six saponins and their six aglycones: Application to comparative analysis of red ginseng and white ginseng.

A new and sensitive ultra fast liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method was developed to evaluate the quality of Red ginseng (RG) and to find out its chemical markers by comparing with multi-batches of RG and white ginseng (WG). This innovative method could quantify sixty-six saponins and their six aglycones including 10 pairs of 20(S) and 20(R) epimers within 35 min simultaneously. All compounds could be determined in individual multiple-reaction monitoring channel without interference, and the optimized method was rapid, accurate, precise, reproducible and efficient. Using the orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis, ginsenosides Rg5, Rh4, Rk1, Rs4, F4, and 20(S)-Rg3 were found to be the characteristic components of RG, the six compounds should be suggested as quality control markers to distinguish RG from WG. These findings will be significant for standardizing the processing procedures of RG and ensuring the consistent quality, as well as consequently the efficacy of RG in clinical applications. Results will be helpful in providing crucial chemical profiles of RG.

Simultaneous quantification of twenty-one ginsenosides and their three aglycones in rat plasma by a developed UFLC-MS/MS assay: Application to a pharmacokinetic study of red ginseng.

To track the pharmacokinetic features of red ginseng (RG), a rapid and sensitive ultra fast liquid chromatographic coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantification of twenty-one ginsenosides and their three aglycones, including 18 prototype compounds (ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rg1, Rg5, Rh4, Rk1, Rk3, 20(S)-Rf, 20(S)-Rg2, 20(R)-Rg2, 20(S)-Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, 20(S)-Rh1, 20(R)-Rh1, 20(S)-NG-R2), and 6 metabolites (ginsenosides 20(S)-Rh2 and Rh3, 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT), 20(R)-PPT, ginseng saponin compound K) of RG in rat plasma after oral administration of RG water extract at a single dose of 4g/kg body weight to rats. All analytes with internal standard (digoxin) were detected by multiple reaction monitoring in negative ionization mode and separated on an ACQUITY UPLC® BEH RP-C18 column (1.7µm, 100×2.1mm). This established method was well validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, intra- and inter-day precisions, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect, stability, and had a lower limit of quantification at the concentration range of 0.12-8.12ng/mL for all of analytes. This UFLC-MS/MS approach was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study for RG water extract in rats. We firstly proposed that Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Rg1, Rg5, 20(S)-Rg3, 20(S)-Rh2, and 20(S)-PPD measured in rat plasma were suitable pharmacokinetic markers of RG extract in rats due to their high systemic exposure levels. Thus, this specific and reliable method will be useful for future applications to pharmacokinetic studies for various sources of ginsenoside samples and Panax herbs in vivo.

Metabolism of Chuanxiong Rhizoma decoction: Identification of the metabolites in WZS-miniature pig urine.

Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine originated from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., was effective for treating various vascular diseases. To identify the metabolites of CR in vivo, the drug-containing urine samples of WZS-miniature pigs after orally administrated CR decoction were collected, after sequential column chromatography 17 metabolites (M1-M17) were isolated from the methanol extract of the urine samples. Their structures, including nine phthalides (M1-M9) and eight phenolic acids (M10-M17), were identified by spectroscopic means. Among them, 8 were new ones (M1-M6, M11-M12). On the basis of the structures of identified metabolites, seven original constituents, including 2 phthalides (senkyunolideI/H) and 5 phenolic acids (ferulic acid, isoferulic acid, caffeic acid, 3-hydroxycinnamoyl acid and 4-hydroxybenzonic acid) were deduced to be the major absorbed original constituents of CR in vivo. This is the first study on the metabolites of CR decoction in non-rodent animal (WZS-miniature pig), the results will give an insight into the metabolism profiles of phthalides and phenolic acids in CR decoction in vivo.