Separation and structural elucidation of C25 epimers of furostanol saponin from aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis / 中国中药杂志

Paris polyphylla var. chinensis(PPC) is used as one of the origin plants of Paridis Rhizoma described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). Its resources shortage makes the planting scale gradually expand, and plenty of aerial parts are abandoned because of not being effectively used. On the basis of previous research, this study separated steroidal saponins to further clarify the chemical composition of the aerial parts of PPC. As a result, three pairs of 25R or 25S epimers of furostanol saponins were obtained by various column chromatography techniques. Their structures were identified as neosolanigroside Y6(1), solanigroside Y6(2), neoprotogracillin(3), protogracillin(4), neoprotodioscin(5) and protodioscin(6) by spectral data combining with chemical transformation. Compound 1 is a new compound, and compounds 2, 3 and 5 are isolated from Paris plants for the first time. Compounds 4 and 6 are isolated from this plant for the first time. Previously, only several spirostanol glycosides with 25S configuration were isolated from Paris plants. Guided by mass spectrometry, the present study isolated the furostanol saponins with 25S configuration from this genus for the first time, which further enriches the chemical information of Paris genus and provides a reference for the isolation of similar compounds.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of Paris polyphylla var. chinensis by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and HPLC / 中国中药杂志

Paridis Rhizoma(PR) is prepared from the dried rhizome of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis(PPY) or P. polyphylla var. chinensis(PPC) in Liliaceae family. The rapid development of PPY or PPC planting industry resulted from resource shortage has caused the waste of a large number of non-medicinal resources. To clarify the chemical compositions in rhizomes, fibrous roots, stems, leaves, seeds and pericarps of PPC, and explore the comprehensive application value and development prospect of these parts, the qualitative and quantitative analyses on the different parts of PPC were carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). A total of 136 compounds were identified, including 112 steroidal saponins, 6 flavonoids, 11 nitrogen-containing compounds and 7 phytosterols. Rhizomes, fibrous roots, and seeds mainly contained protopennogenyl glycosides and pennogenyl glycosides; leaves and stems mainly contained protodiosgenyl glycosides and diosgenyl glycosides; pericarps mainly contained pennogenyl glycosides, followed by diosgenyl glycosides. The total level of four saponins was the highest in fibrous roots and rhizomes, followed by those in the pericarps and arillate seeds, and the lowest in the stems and exarillate seeds. This study can provide data support for the comprehensive development and rational application of non-medicinal parts of PPC.

Protodioscin levels in Brachiaria spp. in a sheep production system and a brief review of the literature of Brachiaria spp. poisoning in ruminants

ABSTRACT: Plants of the genus Brachiaria, used in several countries as forage, are poisonous to some livestock species. Their toxic principle is protodioscin, and the main form of clinical presentation of the toxicosis is hepatogenous photosensitization. Here we compare protodioscin levels in B. decumbens and B. brizantha and review the literature on the concentrations and methodologies of collection and analysis of the toxic principle in Brachiaria spp. and the risk of contamination of pastures by more toxic species that may facilitate poisoning by plants of this genus in sheep. The experiment was conducted in pastures originally formed by B. brizantha, with many B. decumbens invasion points. The occurrence of cases of poisoning by Brachiaria spp. was the criterion for confirming pasture toxicity. The forage samples were collected at ten random points every 28 days through manual grazing simulation. The samples were analyzed for protodioscin by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with light scattering by evaporation (ELSD) after being dried and crushed. In the flock of 69 sheep, five poisoning cases occurred, three sheep died, and two recovered. The protodioscin levels found in the evaluated pastures ranged from 0.70 to 0.45%; higher levels appeared in B. decumbens (7.09%) compared to 1.04% in B. brizantha. We suggest that Brachiaria spp. should be avoided in pastures where sheep are grazing.

RESUMO: Plantas do gênero Brachiaria, utilizadas em vários países como forragem, são tóxicas para várias espécies pecuárias. Seu princípio tóxico é a protodioscina, e a principal forma de apresentação clínica da toxicose é a fotossensibilização hepatógena. Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar os níveis de protodioscina em B. decumbens e B. brizantha e revisar a literatura sobre as concentrações e metodologias de coleta e análise do princípio tóxico em Brachiaria spp. e o risco de contaminação das pastagens por espécies mais tóxicas que podem facilitar a intoxicação por plantas desse gênero em ovinos. O experimento foi conduzido em pastagens originalmente formadas por B. brizantha, com diversos pontos de invasão por B. decumbens. Ocorrência de casos de intoxicação por Brachiaria spp. foi o critério para confirmação da toxicidade da pastagem. As amostras de forragem foram coletadas a cada 28 dias em dez pontos aleatórios por meio de simulação de pastejo manual. As amostras foram analisadas para protodioscina por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC) com dispersão de luz por evaporação (ELSD) após serem secadas e trituradas. No rebanho de 69 ovelhas, cinco desenvolveram a intoxicação, três morreram e duas se recuperaram. Os níveis de protodioscina encontrados nas pastagens avaliadas variaram de 0,70 a 0,45%; níveis mais elevados apareceram em B. decumbens (7,09%) em comparação com 1,04% em B. brizantha. Sugerimos que Brachiaria spp. deve ser evitada no pasto de ovelhas em pastejo.

Protodioscin levels in Brachiaria spp. in a sheep production system and a brief review of the literature of Brachiaria spp. poisoning in ruminants / Níveis de protodioscina em Brachiaria spp. em um sistema de produção de ovinos e uma breve revisão da literatura da intoxicação por Brachiaria spp. em ruminantes

Plants of the genus Brachiaria, used in several countries as forage, are poisonous to some livestock species. Their toxic principle is protodioscin, and the main form of clinical presentation of the toxicosis is hepatogenous photosensitization. Here we compare protodioscin levels in B. decumbens and B. brizantha and review the literature on the concentrations and methodologies of collection and analysis of the toxic principle in Brachiaria spp. and the risk of contamination of pastures by more toxic species that may facilitate poisoning by plants of this genus in sheep. The experiment was conducted in pastures originally formed by B. brizantha, with many B. decumbens invasion points. The occurrence of cases of poisoning by Brachiaria spp. was the criterion for confirming pasture toxicity. The forage samples were collected at ten random points every 28 days through manual grazing simulation. The samples were analyzed for protodioscin by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with light scattering by evaporation (ELSD) after being dried and crushed. In the flock of 69 sheep, five poisoning cases occurred, three sheep died, and two recovered. The protodioscin levels found in the evaluated pastures ranged from 0.70 to 0.45%; higher levels appeared in B. decumbens (7.09%) compared to 1.04% in B. brizantha. We suggest that Brachiaria spp. should be avoided in pastures where sheep are grazing.(AU)

Plantas do gênero Brachiaria, utilizadas em vários países como forragem, são tóxicas para várias espécies pecuárias. Seu princípio tóxico é a protodioscina, e a principal forma de apresentação clínica da toxicose é a fotossensibilização hepatógena. Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar os níveis de protodioscina em B. decumbens e B. brizantha e revisar a literatura sobre as concentrações e metodologias de coleta e análise do princípio tóxico em Brachiaria spp. e o risco de contaminação das pastagens por espécies mais tóxicas que podem facilitar a intoxicação por plantas desse gênero em ovinos. O experimento foi conduzido em pastagens originalmente formadas por B. brizantha, com diversos pontos de invasão por B. decumbens. Ocorrência de casos de intoxicação por Brachiaria spp. foi o critério para confirmação da toxicidade da pastagem. As amostras de forragem foram coletadas a cada 28 dias em dez pontos aleatórios por meio de simulação de pastejo manual. As amostras foram analisadas para protodioscina por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC) com dispersão de luz por evaporação (ELSD) após serem secadas e trituradas. No rebanho de 69 ovelhas, cinco desenvolveram a intoxicação, três morreram e duas se recuperaram. Os níveis de protodioscina encontrados nas pastagens avaliadas variaram de 0,70 a 0,45%; níveis mais elevados apareceram em B. decumbens (7,09%) em comparação com 1,04% em B. brizantha. Sugerimos que Brachiaria spp. deve ser evitada no pasto de ovelhas em pastejo.(AU)

Traditional use of Paris polyphylla and its active components / 中国中药杂志

This paper reviewed the traditional use of Paris polyphylla and its active components, aiming to provide reference for the development and utilization of this plant. It was found that P. polyphylla has been used as a medicinal plant by eight ethnic minorities. A total of 62 experiential effective recipes, including 29 simple recipes and 33 compound recipes, were analyzed for their indications, traditional processing methods, medicinal compatibilities, and administration doses. The top three in the eight ethnic minorities sorted by the quantity of folk recipes were the Yi nationality(18), Naxi nationality(13) and Bai nationality(12). P. polyphylla has been widely employed for the treatment of nine categories of diseases, especially the dermatologic diseases, trauma, and toxicosis currently. The collating of material basis for its traditional functions revealed 26 active components, among which 19 were steroidal saponins capable of resisting cancer, furuncles, carbuncles, abscesses, bacteria, inflammation and stopping bleeding. This study preliminarily proved the efficacy of P. polyphylla in treating cancer and respiratory system, digestive system, and genitourinary system diseases, which has provided clues for related basic research of P. polyphylla and development of new preparations.

Chemical constituents of steroidal saponins in rhizome of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis cultured in vitro / 中国中药杂志

In this study, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) were employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the steroidal saponins in rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis from three different habitats cultured in vitro, in an attempt to explore whether the rhizomes of the medicinal herb cultured in vitro can synthesize the steroidal saponins, including polyphyllinsⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅶ, the quality markers specified in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). A total of 20 steroidal saponins were identified in the rhizomes from Changxin, Yunlong(S1), Fengyi, Dali(S2), and Niujie, Eryuan(S3): parisyunnanoside A and parisyunnanoside D or E, proto-polyphyllin Ⅱ, polyphyllins G and H, polyphyllinsⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅴ, Ⅵ, and Ⅶ, dioscin, gracillin, prosapogenin A, Tg, isomer of Th, saponin Th, reclinatoside, proto-pairs D, pseudoproto-dioscin, and 23-O-glc-(23S,25R)-spirost-5-en-3β,23α,27-triol-3-O-rha-(1→2)-[ara(1→4)]-glc or 27-O-glc-(23S,25R)-spirost-5-en-3β,27α-diol-3-O-rha-(1→2)-[ara(1→4)]-glc. Among them, polyphyllinsⅠ, Ⅱ, and Ⅶ were detected in the rhizomes from S1, with the mass fraction of 0.109 1%, 0.165 2%, and 0.051 03%, respectively(total 0.325 3%). Polyphyllins Ⅱ and Ⅶ were identified in the rhizomes from S2 with the respective mass fraction of 0.192 2% and 0.074 23% and total content of 0.266 5%. Moreover, polyphyllins Ⅱ and Ⅶ were also found in the rhizomes from S3, which had the mass fraction of 0.207 7% and 0.186 9%, separately, with the total content of 0.394 6%. Thus, steroidal saponins, including the quality makers polyphyllins Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅶ recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) can be synthesized in rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis cultured in vitro, but their total content fails to meet the standard(0.60% in Chinese Pharmacopoeia). Therefore, in vitro culture of the Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis is feasible, but the culture conditions need to be further improved.

Studies on the chemical constituents in the aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. Yunnanensis / 中国药科大学学报

@#Six steroidal saponins were isolated from the n-butanol extract of 90% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis by silica gel for column chromatography, MCI column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). According to the physicochemical properties and spectral data, they were identified as 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-kryptogenin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnopyranosy-(1→4)-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), dioseptemloside G (2), polyphylloside III (3), chonglouoside SL-19 (4), protodioscin (5), chonglouoside SL-5 (6). Among these, compound 1 was a new compound, and compound 2 was obtained from Paris plants for the first time. The platelet aggregation activities and cytotoxicities of the above compounds were evaluated. The results showed that none of the isolated compounds showed significant platelet aggregation activity; compound 2 and 4 exhibited strong cytotoxicity against human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT29.

Identification of key enzyme genes involved in biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and analysis of biosynthesis pathway in Polygonatum cyrtonema / 中国中药杂志

Steroidal saponins, which are the characteristic and main active constituents of Polygonatum, exhibit a broad range of pharmacological functions, such as regulating blood sugar, preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and anti-tumor. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing(RNA-Seq) analysis for the flowers, leaves, roots, and rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema using the BGISEQ-500 platform to understand the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins and study their key enzyme genes. The assembly of transcripts for four tissues generated 129 989 unigenes, of which 88 958 were mapped to several public databases for functional annotation, 22 813 unigenes were assigned to 53 subcategories and 64 877 unigenes were annotated to 136 pathways in KEGG database. Furthermore, 502 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins were identified, of which 97 unigenes encoding 12 key enzymes. Cycloartenol synthase, the first key enzyme in the pathway of phytosterol biosynthesis, showed conserved catalytic domain and substrate binding domain based on sequence analysis and homology modeling. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were identified in rhizomes as compared to other tissues(flowers, leaves or roots).The 2 437 unigenes annotated by KEGG showed rhizome-specific expression, of which 35 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins. Our results greatly extend the public transcriptome dataset of Polygonatum and provide valuable information for the identification of candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and other important secondary metabolites.

Biosynthesis of Steroidal Saponins in Herbs / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Steroidal saponins are efficacious substances wildly existed in the herbs，and consist of glycosyl and steroid sapogenin. The biosynthesis pathways of steroidal saponins mainly include the cytosolic mevalonate （MVA） pathway and the plastidial methylerythritol 4-phosphate （MEP） pathway，with the MVA pathway as the main pathway. The key enzymes are involved in the biosynthetic pathway, including 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase（HMGR），1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase（DXS），1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphatereduetoisomerase（DXR），farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase（FPS），squalene synthase（SS），squalene epoxidase（SE），cycloartenol synthase（CAS），cytochrome P450（CYP450），and steroidalglycosyltransferase（SGTase）. In the paper，the biosynthesis roadmap of steroidal saponins was optimized based on previous studies. According to a comprehensive analysis on studies of key enzymes for the past five years, genes, like HMGR，SS，CYP450 and UGT，were studied more，while other genes，like FPS，SE，CAS，were known less. In conclusion， current studies still focus on the primary stage，but lack direct evidence for the roles of key enzymes. This paper would provide a reference and theoretical support for subsequent studies.

Phytochemical screening and anti-implantation activity of Asparagus africanus root extract in female Sprague-Dawley rats

Abstract Asparagus africanus Lam., Asparagaceae, is used traditionally as medicinal plant for treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders and for birth related applications. This study aimed to evaluate anti-implantation potential, screening for bioactive phytochemicals and to determine its toxicity. Thirty healthy rats were distributed into five groups (n = 6). Pregnant rats were orally administered vehicle and aqueous extract A. africanus at three different doses thrice daily for seven days. Misoprostol 300 µg/kg bw was used as positive control. All rats were laparotomized 24 h after the last dose and number of live fetuses, implantations and resorption sites were enumerated, and ovaries were harvested for histopathology. The phytochemical analysis was carried out using LC/MS. Acute toxicity was investigated, the animals were randomly grouped into five groups (n = 3); control, four different doses of aqueous extract A. africanus at a single dose treatment and rats were observed for 14 days. Prenatal study demonstrated that 300 mg/kg bw of extract and misoprostol were significantly increased the percentage of anti-implantation as compared to untreated rats. Histopathology of ovaries showed a dose dependent toxicity. LC/MS revealed the presence of steroidal saponins; asparasaponin II, sarsasapogenin, spirostans, and stigmasterol. The mean weight gain of rats treated with 2000 mg/kg bw of aqueous extract was significantly reduced (p = 0.032) compared to control group. In conclusion, the aqueous extract A. africanus has anti-implantation effect in female rats and is safe up to 2000 mg/kg bw. In addition, it contains some potential steroidal saponins, which could be used to explain its anti-implantation activity, however this finding needs further pharmacological studies to confirm the antifertility activities.

Research progress in chemical constituents in plants of Polygonatum and their pharmacological effects / 中国中药杂志

Polygonatum plants are perennial plants of Liliaceae. There are about 60 species reported at home and abroad,32 species in China,mainly distributed in the north temperate zone. Their main chemical components are steroidal saponins,polysaccharides,flavonoids,alkaloids,etc. They have anti-aging,anti-tumor,immunomodulation,antibacterial,antiviral,hypoglycemic and blood lipid effects. With the development of health industry,Polygonati Rhizome used as medicine and food has attracted great attention in recent years,and has become a research hotspot. However,the material basis of its efficacy is unclear and the product quality is uneven,which seriously limited the rapid upgrading of the industry. This review summarizes Polygonatum plants system classification,the chemical composition and pharmacological activity to provide theoretical basis for the development and utilization of Polygonatum plants.

Chemistry of steroidal saponins as natural resource compounds / 中国药科大学学报

@#This article briefly summarizes our group′s systematic studies on the resource chemistry of steroidal sapogenins. Steroidal sapogenins are an important class of natural compounds, which could be utilized to synthesize various steroidal drugs. In order to achieve their efficient, clean and atom-economical utilization, our research group systematically investigated the oxidative degradation reaction of steroidal sapogenins. By employing 30% H2O2 as the oxidant, pseudo-sapogenins and sapogenins could be oxidized to the corresponding pregnenolone, pregnane-3β, 16, 20-triol, steroidal 22-lactone, as well as a series of bifunctional reagents with chiral methyl group. These oxidative degradation products have been applied to the synthesis of steroidal drugs, biologically active natural steroidal molecules and non-steroid functional chiral molecules. Furthermore, we explored the bromination-ring opening, amination-ring opening and bromolactonization reactions of the spiroketal moiety, which provides new strategies and methods in the utilization of their intact skeleton to the efficient syntheses of active components of traditional Chinese medicines with the cholesterol skeleton, as well as biologically active steroidal natural products.

Advances in the antitumor activities and mechanisms of action of steroidal saponins / 中国天然药物

The steroidal saponins are one of the saponin types that exist in an unbound state and have various pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and nerves-calming properties. Cancer is a growing health problem worldwide. Significant progress has been made to understand the antitumor effects of steroidal saponins in recent years. According to reported findings, steroidal saponins exert various antitumor activities, such as inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, and regulating the tumor microenvironment, through multiple related signaling pathways. This article focuses on the advances in domestic and foreign studies on the antitumor activity and mechanism of actions of steroidal saponins in the last five years to provide a scientific basis and research ideas for further development and clinical application of steroidal saponins.

Advances in the antitumor activities and mechanisms of action of steroidal saponins / 中国天然药物

The steroidal saponins are one of the saponin types that exist in an unbound state and have various pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and nerves-calming properties. Cancer is a growing health problem worldwide. Significant progress has been made to understand the antitumor effects of steroidal saponins in recent years. According to reported findings, steroidal saponins exert various antitumor activities, such as inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, and regulating the tumor microenvironment, through multiple related signaling pathways. This article focuses on the advances in domestic and foreign studies on the antitumor activity and mechanism of actions of steroidal saponins in the last five years to provide a scientific basis and research ideas for further development and clinical application of steroidal saponins.

Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Ophiopogon japonicas / 中草药

Ophiopogon japonicus is widely distributed in China and rich in resources, and is a kind of medicinal plants with great utilization value. It could nourish yin, promote body fluid production, moisten the lung, ease the mind, and clear away heart fire. Modern research showed that there are several secondary metabolites, such as steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids and polysaccharides. Its pharmacological research mainly focused on the hypoglycemic effect, cardiovascular protection, enhanced immunity, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effect. In this paper, the chemical compositions and pharmacological activities of O. japonicas were summarized, in order to provide reference for further study and application of O. japonicas.

Metabolism of saponins from traditional Chinese medicines: a review / 药学学报

Saponins are important components in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with significant biological activities, which could be divided into triterpenoid saponins and steroidal saponins according to structures of the aglycone skeletons. This article reviews the in vivo metabolic pathways of some typical natural saponins such as ginsenosides, licorice saponins, saikosaponins, timosaponins and diosgenin glycosides. Saponins often show poor absorbance after oral administration. The in vivo metabolism of saponins generally contain two steps. These compounds usually undergo hydrolysis in stomach and gut. Then they are absorbed into blood and metabolized in liver. The secondary glycosides and the aglycones produced in gastrointestinal tract often show higher bioavailability and better bioactivity, while downstream metabolites in liver are mainly produced by phase I metabolism. Clarification of the in vivo metabolism of bioactive saponins is helpful for the understanding of the effective ingredients in TCM, as well as the discovery of new drugs from natural products.

Advances in studies on steroidal saponins and their pharmacological activities in genus Lilium / 中国中药杂志

Genus Lilium plants contain a variety of steroidal saponins, so far at least 82 steroidal saponins have been found in the bulbs of Lilium species, including 13 spirostanol saponins (1-13), 39 isospirostanol saponins (14-52), 7 pseudospirostanol saponins (53-59), and 23 furostanol saponins (60-82). Studies have showed that these steroidal saponins exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, sedative-hypnotic effect, and inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase and Na⁺-K⁺ ATP, et al. This paper has classified and summarized the 82 steroidal saponins isolated and identified from the bulbs of Lilium species and their correlative biological activities. Also, their structural characteristics and structure-activities relationship have been discussed, which could provide references for further research and application development of Lilium plants.

Special metabolites isolated from Urochloa humidicola (Poaceae)

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify special metabolites in polar extracts from Urochloa humidicola (synonym Brachiaria humidicola) that have allelopathic effects and induce secondary photosensitization in ruminants. The compounds were isolated and identified via chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The compounds 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzoic acid, trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, and p-hydroxy-benzoic acid; the flavonols isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and methyl quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucuronate; and kaempferitrin, quercetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, and tricin were identified in the extract from the leaves of Urochloa humidicola. Two furostanic saponins, namely, dioscin and 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-4)-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-2)]-β-d-glucopyranosyl-penogenin, as well as catechin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside were identified in the methanolic extract obtained from the roots of this plant. This species features a range of metabolites that may be toxic for animals if used in food and may interfere with the growth medium, thereby inhibiting the development of other species.

Comparative study on specific chromatograms and main active components of wild and cultivated rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis / 中国中药杂志

The present study is to compare specific chromatograms and main acitive components between wild and cultivated rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis by HPLC. HPLC analysis was performed on a Waters XSelect HSS T3 C₁₈ clumn (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (A)-water (B) at a flow rate of 1 mL•min⁻¹ (0-50 min,30%-50%A;50-80 min,50% A,80-85 min,50%-30%A;85-100 min,30% A). The detection wavelength was 203 nm and the column temperature was controlled at 30 ℃, and the injection volume was 10 μL. HPLC specific chromatograms of wild and cultivated rhizomes of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were established and nine steroidal saponins were simultaneously determined by the above method. The mean contents of paris saponin Ⅶ, paris saponin H and total average contents of four pennogenyl saponins in Rhizomes of wild samples were significantly higher than those of cultivated ones. However, this result is opposite from the average content of paris saponin Ⅰ and total average contents of five dioscins in the wild and cultivated samples. Because the significant differences occurred for the specific chromatograms and main active components between the wild and cultivated P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, much more pharmacological and clinical researches are therefore necessary.

Determination of eight steroidal saponins in 15 kinds of genus Paris / 中国中药杂志

The study was established an HPLC method for simultaneous determination of 8 steroidal saponins (polyphyllins Ⅶ, H, Ⅵ, Ⅱ, Ⅰ, and Ⅴ, dioscin, and gracillin) in Paridis Rhizoma, and made an evaluation by determining steroidal saponins in 15 kinds of genus Paris. The analysis was performed on a Waters Acquity H-ClassTM UPLC ultrafine liquid chromatography system coupled with a PDA detector. The chromatographic separation was achieved through a CAPCELL PAK ADME (4.6 mm× 250 mm, 5 μm) column and the optimal mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water. The column was maintained at 21 ℃, and the flow rate was 0.8 mL•min ⁻¹. The UV detection wavelength was 203 nm. The results showed that ① the detected components can be well separated and all with good correlation coefficients. The standard calibration curves were linearly good (R2>0.999 9). The linearity was obtained over 0.041 70-3.812 00 μg. The average recoveries ranged from 95.91% to 103.8%. ② there are significant differences in the content of steroidal saponins from different species. The steroidal saponins are low content or almost none in P. mairei, P. polyphylla var. stenophylla, and P. delavayi have low content or almost did not contain, so these species are not suitable for medicinal use. The contents of steroidal saponins in P. polyphylla var. chinensis are varied from different places. There were high content of steroidal saponins in P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, P. forrestii, P. daliensis, and P. axialis, even up to 5.0%, which indicated that they had the potential pharmic value of development.