Comprehensive Characterization of Triterpene Saponins in Rhizoma Panacis Japonici by Offline Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Rhizoma Panacis Japonici (RPJ) is an ancient herbal medicine from China that has long been employed for its medicinal benefits in relieving arthritis physical debility and diverse afflictions. The primary bioactive constituents found in RPJ are triterpene saponins, which exhibit numerous pharmacological actions, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulating effects. The present study established a straightforward and effective approach for characterizing triterpene saponins in RPJ. An offline HILIC × RP LC/QTOF-MS method was developed, along with a self-constructed in-house database containing 612 saponins reported in the Panax genus and 228 predicted metabolites. The approach achieved good chromatographic performance in isolating triterpene saponins of RPJ, with the HILIC column as the first dimension (1D) and the BEH C18 column as the second dimension (2D). The developed two-dimensional liquid chromatography system exhibited an orthogonality of 0.61 and a peak capacity of 1249. Detection was performed using a QTOF mass spectrometer in a data-independent manner (MSE) in a negative ion mode. Using the in-house database, the collected MS data were processed by an automatic workflow on UNIFI 1.8.2 software, which included data correction, matching of precursor and product ions, and peak annotation. In this study, 307 saponins were characterized from RPJ and 76 saponins were identified for the first time in Panax japonicus. This research not only enhances our understanding of the chemical characteristics of RPJ but also offers a simple and efficient method for analyzing the complex composition of herbal medicine.

The use of specific immunoglobulin E in nasal secretions for the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: Although local specific immunoglobulin (sIgE) has been employed as a diagnostic criterion for allergic rhinitis (AR), the use of local sIgE has not been fully evaluated in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of nasal secretion sIgE in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. METHODS: A total of 51 patients (27 males and 24 females, mean age = 33.3 years) with rhinitis symptoms were enrolled consecutively from the allergy-rhinology clinic of Beijing TongRen Hospital (Beijing, People's Republic of China). Questionnaires were completed by each participant at recruitment to record demographic data, nasal symptom severity, and physician-diagnosed comorbid asthma. The severity of nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal/eye itching was recorded according to a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 10 cm. Sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, mugwort, Candida albicans, Penicillium notatum, Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus were assessed according to presence of sIgE antibodies to these allergens in serum and nasal secretions. RESULTS: VAS scores of the participants ranged from 11 to 25 (mean = 17), and 14 (27.5%) patients had comorbid asthma. Based on serum sIgE, 31 (60.8%) patients were allergic to mugwort, 14 (27.5%) to Dermatophagoides, and three (5.9%) to fungal allergens. Based on nasal secretion sIgE, 32 (62.7%) patients were allergic to mugwort, 12 (23.5%) to Dermatophagoides, and three (5.9%) to fungal allergens. The local mugwort sIgE level and serum mugwort sIgE level were positively correlated with each other and with VAS scores. CONCLUSION: sIgE level in nasal secretions of subjects with rhinitis is a reliable noninvasive alternative to serum sIgE for diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:E311-E315, 2018.