Rapid quantification of fatty acids in plant oils and biological samples by LC-MS.

Analysis of fatty acids (FA) in food and biological samples such as blood is indispensable in modern life sciences. We developed a rapid, sensitive and comprehensive method for the quantification of 41 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids by means of LC-MS. Optimized chromatographic separation of isobaric analytes was carried out on a C8 reversed phase analytical column (100 × 2.1 mm, 2.6 µm core-shell particle) with a total run time of 15 min with back pressure lower than 300 bar. On an old triple quadrupole instrument (3200, AB Sciex), pseudo selected reaction monitoring mode was used for quantification of the poorly fragmenting FA, yielding limits of detection of 5-100 nM. Sample preparation was carried out by removal of phospholipids and triglycerides by solid-phase extraction (non-esterified fatty acids in oils) or saponification in iso-propanol (fatty acyls). This is not only a rapid strategy for quantification of fatty acyls, but allows the direct combination with the LC-MS-based analysis of fatty acid oxidation products (eicosanoids and other oxylipins) from the same sample. The concentrations of fatty acyls determined by means of LC-MS were consistent with those from GC-FID analysis demonstrating the accuracy of the developed method. Moreover, the method shows high precisions with a low intra-day (≤ 10% for almost all fatty acids in plasma and ≤ 15% in oils) and inter-day as well as inter-operator variability (< 20%). The method was successfully applied on human plasma and edible oils. The possibility to quantify non-esterified fatty acids in samples containing an excess of triacylglycerols and phospholipids is a major strength of the described approach allowing to gain new insights in the composition of biological samples.

Rapid and Economic Determination of 13 Steviol Glycosides in Market-Available Food, Dietary Supplements, and Ingredients: Single-Laboratory Validation of an HPLC Method.

Steviol glycosides, obtained from leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (stevia) or produced via bioconversion and biosynthesis, are diterpenes used by the food/dietary supplement industry as zero-calorie sweeteners derived from natural sources. JECFA 2017 is the most updated international standardized method but it runs for 80 min per sample with suboptimal separations on several critical pairs for its high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) determination. We developed and validated a rapid and economic HPLC-UV method using the superficially porous particle column to determine 13 steviol glycosides (stevioside, dulcoside A, rubusoside, steviobioside, and rebaudioside A-F, I, M, and N). Baseline separation with a minimum resolution of 1.5 for 13 steviol glycosides was achieved within only 14 min of separation time. The hydrocarbon stationary phase with additional steric interactions from the isobutyl side chains on the C18 ligand was shown to be an important contributor to chromatographic selectivity of several critical pairs of steviol glycosides. The method was proven to perform suitably on columns from three different manufacturers and two HPLC instruments. The method was further used to perform a single-lab validation on eight food and supplement products with multiple matrices. The results ranged from 0.05% w/w rebaudioside A for a hard-candy finished product to 100.8% w/w purity for a rebaudioside M raw ingredient. The validation test results showed that the method was linear, suitable, specific, accurate, and precise. The method is therefore suitable to be considered as a new industrial standard for quality control analysis for stevia products.

Determination of bioactive nonvolatile ginger constituents in dietary supplements by a rapid and economic HPLC method: Analytical method development and single-laboratory validation.

Most of the validated methods for ginger-containing dietary supplements have long run time and low sensitivity and only analyze gingerols and shogaols. 6-Paradol and zingerone become popular in modern dietary supplement industry as bioactive ginger constituents. Therefore, we developed an efficient HPLC-UV/Vis method to analyze all above major constituents. Compared to 282/280 nm used by the current compendial United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monograph method and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 13685-1997 method, detection wavelength was optimized to 230 nm which showed a higher sensitivity (signal-to-noise ratio) and better peak resolution. For measuring the ginger constituents in AOAC required matrices, the method was demonstrated to be selective, linear (R2 > 0.999), specific, accurate (91.1-103.2% spike recovery rate) and precise (RSDr < 5%, RSDR < 8%). Among 10 commercial ginger-containing samples that we screened using this method, the results were 80-123% of the products' labeling value. The HPLC running time was successfully shortened from 29 min (USP method) and 40 min (ISO method) to 12 min without the need of using an expensive Mass Spectrometer for analyte separation. The method is the first method that meets all AOAC SMPR 2017.12 requirements and therefore has the potential to be adopted as a consensus industrial reference method for meeting FDA's cGMP Compliance for the manufacture and quality control of dietary supplements and ingredients.

Simultaneous determination of seven flavonoids, two phenolic acids and two cholesterines in Tanreqing injection by UHPLC-MS/MS.

A new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was developed to evaluate the quality of Tanreqing injection. Seven flavonoids (Rutin, Baicalin, Scutellarin, Chrysin-7-O-Beta-d-glucoronide, Oroxylin A-7-O-ß-d-glucoronide, Wogonin, Luteolin-7-O-glucoside), two phenolic acids (Chlorogenic acid, Caffeic acid) and two cholesterines (Ursodeoxycholic acid, Chenodeoxycholic acid) in Tanreqing injection could be measured simultaneously. For the determination of the eleven compounds, the conditions were set as follows: The mobile phase was a gradient of 0.1% aqueous formic acid solution (A) and acetonitrile (B); the flow rate was 0.2 mL min-1, the column was Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 µm); and the multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) with a negative electro spray ionization interface (ESI-) was selected. Within the test ranges, all the standard regression curves showed excellent linear regression (r > 0.99). In terms of (relative standard deviation) RSDs, the precision, repeatability and stability of the eleven compounds were all lower than 3%. The recovery rates of Tanreqing injection and the RSD were 97.8-103.7% and 0.4%-2.0%, respectively. The RSD value was in accordance with the requirements of less than 3.0%. This method has been successfully used in the analysis of Tanreqing injection. In summary, a fast, accurate and reliable UPLC-ESI--MS/MS method was successfully developed for the simultaneous detection of the eleven major active ingredients with different chemical structures in Tanreqing injection, and can be used for the quality control of Tanreqing injection as well.

A method using angiotensin converting enzyme immobilized on magnetic beads for inhibitor screening.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), fusing with FLAG tag, was overexpressed in human embryonic kidney 293T cells. This recombinant FLAG-tagged ACE was immobilized on anti-FLAG antibody coated magnetic beads by affinity method in crude cell lysate for the first time. The enzyme-immobilized magnetic beads (ACE-MB), without further cleavage procedure, were used directly to establish a cost-effective and reliable method for screening ACE inhibitors by coupling with fluorescence detection. The enzymatic activity of the ACE-MB was validated based on its Michaelian kinetic behavior towards hippuryl-histidyl-leucine by UHPLC-MS/MS method firstly. Then, several conditions were optimized including amount of magnetic beads, incubation temperature and time in the procedure of ACE immobilization and amount of ACE-MB in the microplate operation. Moreover, this screening assay was validated with Z' factors between 0.71 and 0.81 using four known ACE inhibitors (captopril, lisinopril, fosinopril and fosinoprilat). The developed method was applied for the screening of ACE inhibitors from a small compound library of 45 natural products. As a result, epiberberine and fangchinoline with certain ACE inhibitory activities were screened out in the assay and validated. The results demonstrate the usefulness of this screening method using ACE immobilized on magnetic beads and the advantage of great efficiency with respect to both time and reagents for screening ACE inhibitors.

A Rapid Method for the Determination of Biotin and Folic Acid in Liquid Milk, Milk Powders, Infant Formula, and Milk-Based Nutritional Products by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Biotin and folate are B-group vitamins that play a critical role in numerous metabolic reactions, and they are supplemented to infant and adult nutritional formulas as free biotin and folic acid. OBJECTIVE: We describe a rapid method for the analysis of biotin and folic acid that is applicable to liquid milk, milk powders, infant formula, and milk-based nutritional products. METHODS: Samples are autoclaved, centrifuged, filtered, and analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS, with quantitation accomplished by the internal standard technique. RESULTS: The method was shown to be accurate, with acceptable spike recovery (biotin: 96.5-108.2%; folic acid: 92.6-104.4%), and no bias (α = 0.05) against either a certified reference material (biotin: P = 0.70; folic acid: P = 0.23) or established analytical method (biotin: P = 0.10; folic acid: P = 0.48) was found. Acceptable precision was confirmed with repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr) and Horwitz ratio (HorRat) values (biotin: RSDr = 0.5-5.6%, HorRatr = 0.1-0.6; folic acid: RSDr = 2.0-3.1%, HorRatr = 0.3-0.5). Method detection limit and ruggedness experiments further demonstrated the suitability of this method for routine compliance testing. CONCLUSIONS: This rapid method is intended for use in high-throughput laboratories as part of the routine product compliance release testing of biotin and folic acid in the manufacturing of infant formulas and adult nutritional products.

Analysis of unauthorized Sudan dyes in food by high-performance thin-layer chromatography.

Food authenticity and food safety are of high importance to organizations as well as to the food industry to ensure an accurate labeling of food products. Respective analytical methods should provide a fast screening and a reliable cost-efficient quantitation. HPTLC was pointed out as key analytical technique in this field. A new HPTLC method applying caffeine-impregnated silica gel plates was developed for eight most frequently found fat-soluble azo dyes unauthorizedly added to spices, spice mixtures, pastes, sauces, and palm oils. A simple post-chromatographic UV irradiation provided an effective sample cleanup, which took 4 min for up to 46 samples in parallel. The method was trimmed to enable 23 simultaneous separations within 20 min for quantitation or 46 separations within 5 min for screening. Linear (4-40 ng/band) or polynomial (10-200 ng/band) calibrations of the eight azo dyes revealed high correlation coefficients and low standard deviations. Limits of detection and quantification were determined to be 2-3 and 6-9 ng/zone, respectively. After an easy sample extraction, recoveries of 70-120% were obtained from chili, paprika, and curcuma powder as well as from chili sauce, curry paste, and palm oil spiked at low (mainly 25-50 mg/kg) and high levels (150-300 mg/kg). For unequivocal identification, the compound in a suspect zone was eluted via a column into the mass spectrometer. This resulted in the hyphenation HPTLC-vis-HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. Graphical abstract Simplified clean-up by UV irradiation for Sudan dye analysis in food by HPTLC-vis-HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS.

Research on major antitumor active components in Zi-Cao-Cheng-Qi decoction based on hollow fiber cell fishing with high performance liquid chromatography.

Hollow fiber cell fishing (HFCF) based on hepatoma HepG-2 cells, human renal tubular ACHN cells or human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells, coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), was developed and employed to research the major active components in Zi-Cao-Cheng-Qi decoction both in vitro and in vivo. The research showed that the active components, such as hesperidin, magnolol, honokiol, shikonin, emodin and ß,ß'-dimethylacrylshikonin were screened out by HFCF based on the cancer cells in vitro, furthermore they can be absorbed into blood and reach in the target organ, and some of the active components can be fished by the cells and maintain effective concentrations. Before application of HFCF with HPLC, cell growth state, cell survival rate, positive effect on screening results binding between active centers on the fiber and target components, repeatability of retention times and relative peak areas of the target analytes were analysed and investigated. In short, HFCF with HPLC is a simple, inexpensive, effective, and reliable method that can be used in researching active components from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its formula both in vitro and in vivo, elucidating preliminarily the TCM characteristics of multiple components and multiple targets, laying a foundation for expounding the antitumor efficacy material basis in TCM.

A feasible, economical, and accurate analytical method for simultaneous determination of six alkaloid markers in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata from different manufacturing sources and processing ways.

Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in clinic for its potency in restoring yang and rescuing from collapse. Aconiti alkaloids, mainly including monoester-diterpenoidaconitines (MDAs) and diester-diterpenoidaconitines (DDAs), are considered to act as both bioactive and toxic constituents. In the present study, a feasible, economical, and accurate HPLC method for simultaneous determination of six alkaloid markers using the Single Standard for Determination of Multi-Components (SSDMC) method was developed and fully validated. Benzoylmesaconine was used as the unique reference standard. This method was proven as accurate (recovery varying between 97.5%-101.8%, RSD < 3%), precise (RSD 0.63%-2.05%), and linear (R > 0.999 9) over the concentration ranges, and subsequently applied to quantitative evaluation of 62 batches of samples, among which 45 batches were from good manufacturing practice (GMP) facilities and 17 batches from the drug market. The contents were then analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and homogeneity test. The present study provided valuable information for improving the quality standard of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. The developed method also has the potential in analysis of other Aconitum species, such as Aconitum carmichaelii (prepared parent root) and Aconitum kusnezoffii (prepared root).

Simultaneous quantification of 11 active constituents in Shexiang Baoxin Pill by ultraperformance convergence chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry.

On account of the complexity of chemical constituents of Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP), a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, a novel and effective UPC2-MS/MS method was developed to simultaneously determine the content of 11 active compounds of SBP with outstanding separation ability. Eleven components in SBP, including 2 ginsenosides, 2 bile acids, 3 bufadienolides and 4 volatiles were detected by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in positive and negative ion modes with multiple reaction monitor (MRM). The analysis was performed at 30°C using an Acquity UPC2 Diol (3.0×50mm, 1.7µm) column with linear gradient elution (eluent A, CO2; eluent B, methanol containing 20mM ammonium acetate), back pressure of 2000 psi, flow rate of 1.2mL/min and the injection volume of 1.0µL. The method was extensively validated regarding the linearity (r≥0.9974), precision (≤3.11%), recovery (93.34-104.50%), repeatability (≤2.00%) and stability (≤4.20%). Using this method, 11 active compounds of SBP with different polarity were simultaneously quantified in one chromatography analysis within 8min. Statistical analysis of the effects of 11 compounds on the quality of SBP revealed that the content of cinnamaldehyde varied widely in different batches. This work presents an exemplary study for quality control of complex samples, especially for TCMs.

Hormonal profiling: Development of a simple method to extract and quantify phytohormones in complex matrices by UHPLC-MS/MS.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are very different chemical compounds that play essential roles in plant development and the regulation of physiological processes. They exert their functions by a mechanism called cross-talk (involving either synergistic or antagonistic actions) thus; it is for great interest to study as many PGRs as possible to obtain accurate information about plant status. Much effort has been applied to develop methods capable of analyze large numbers of these compounds but frequently excluding some chemical families or important PGRs within each family. In addition, most of the methods are specially designed for matrices easy to work with. Therefore, we wanted to develop a method which achieved the requirements lacking in the literature and also being fast and reliable. Here we present a simple, fast and robust method for the extraction and quantification of 20 different PGRs using UHPLC-MS/MS optimized in complex matrices.

Ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of tetracycline drugs from egg supplements before flow injection analysis coupled to a liquid waveguide capillary cell.

A simple, rapid, and efficient ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (US-DLLME) method was developed for extraction of tetracycline residues from egg supplement samples, with subsequent determination by flow injection analysis (FIA) coupled to a liquid waveguide capillary cell (LWCC) and a controlled temperature heating bath. Tetracyclines react with diazotized p-sulfanilic acid, in a slightly alkaline medium, to form azo compounds that can be measured at 435 nm. The reaction sensitivity improved substantially (5.12-fold) using an in-line heating temperature of 45 °C. Multivariate methodology was used to optimize the factors affecting the extraction efficiency, considering the volumes of extraction and disperser solvents, sonication time, extraction time, and centrifugation time. Good linearity in the range 30-600 µg L(-1) was obtained for all the tetracyclines, with regression coefficients (r) higher than 0.9974. The limits of detection ranged from 6.4 to 11.1 µg L(-1), and the recoveries were in the range 85.7-96.4 %, with relative standard deviation lower than 9.8 %. Analyte recovery was improved by approximately 6 % when the microextraction was assisted by ultrasound. The results obtained with the proposed US-DLLME-FIA method were confirmed by a reference HPLC method and showed that the egg supplement samples analyzed were suitable for human consumption.

A simple and rapid HPLC-DAD method for simultaneously monitoring the accumulation of alkaloids and precursors in different parts and different developmental stages of Catharanthus roseus plants.

A rapid and simple reversed phase liquid chromatographic system has been developed for simultaneous analysis of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) and their precursors. This method allowed separation of 11 compounds consisting of eight TIAs (ajmalicine, serpentine, catharanthine, vindoline, vindolinine, vincristine, vinblastine, and anhydrovinblastine) and three related precursors i.e., tryptophan, tryptamine and loganin. The system has been applied for screening the TIAs and precursors in Catharanthus roseus plant extracts. In this study, different organs i.e., flowers, leaves, stems, and roots of C. roseus were investigated. The results indicate that TIAs and precursor accumulation varies qualitatively and quantitatively in different organs of C. roseus. The precursors showed much lower levels than TIAs in all organs. Leaves and flowers accumulate higher level of vindoline, catharanthine and anhydrovinblastine while roots have higher level of ajmalicine, vindolinine and serpentine. Moreover, the alkaloid profiles of leaves harvested at different ages and different growth stages were studied. The results show that the levels of monoindole alkaloids decreased while bisindole alkaloids increased with leaf aging and upon plant growth. The HPLC method has been successfully applied to detect TIAs and precursors in different types of C. roseus samples to facilitate further study of the TIA pathway and its regulation in C. roseus plants.

High-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and chemometrics method for the analysis of multiple components in the traditional Chinese medicine Shuanghuanglian oral liquid.

Shuanghuanlian oral liquid, a traditional Chinese medicine preparation, is a mixture of three herbs (Flos Lonicerae, Radix Scutellariae and Fructus Forsythiae). In this study, the quantitative analysis of three main active compounds, chlorogenic acid, forsythin and baicalin in samples from different manufacturers was performed rapidly by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection followed by Contour Projection coupled to stepwise regression treatment of the obtained three-dimensional spectra in which the partial overlap between adjacent target components existed. The method was validated for linearity (R>0.9940), precision (RSD<1.25%), recovery (92.20-102.50%), limit of detection (0.01-0.02 µg/mL) and limit of quantification (0.03-0.07 µg/mL). The results indicated that the combination of the three-dimensional spectra of traditional Chinese medicine and Contour Projection-stepwise regression offered an accurate, simple, low-cost and eco-friendly way for the rapid quantitative analysis of Shuanghuanlian oral liquid samples.

Rapid screening of different types of antitumor compound groups from traditional chinese medicine by hollow fiber cell fishing with high performance liquid chromatography.

A novel hollow fiber cell fishing with high performance liquid chromatography (HFCF-HPLC) was extended and used to screen flavonoid and anthraquinone active compound groups simultaneously from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In this study, three cells (MCF-7, SGC7901, and MADB-106) were seeded on the inner wall of the hollow fiber employed to screen bioactive components from TCM water decoction. The variables influencing HFCFHPLC, such as cell seeding time, screening stirring rate and time, and active compound concentration, were investigated and optimized. The surface property of the hollow fiber seeded with cells, the cell survival rate under different conditions, the nonspecific binding between active centers in the fiber and the target compounds, and the repeatability and recovery of HFCF-HPLC were analyzed and validated. Certain structures of the compounds fished by HFCF-HPLC were identified after comparing the retention times of the reference substances. To verify preliminarily the binding site between the bioactive components and cells, we separated the cell membrane and cell organelle from live MCF-7 cells. We then employed the cell membrane, cell organelle, and the whole cells to screen simultaneously the active compounds. The cell fishing factor of the active compound was calculated and discussed as the index of cell-drug binding ability in HFCFHPLC. Tamoxifen as a positive control and indomethacin as a negative control were screened by HFCF-HPLC to verify the method. The results indicate that HFCF-HPLC is an effective and reliable method for the screening and analysis of bioactive components. Moreover, this method can be applied to predict bioactive candidates in TCMs.

Application of UPLC-QTOF-MS in MS(E) mode for the rapid and precise identification of alkaloids in goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

Here, we describe a new application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry operating in MS(E) mode (UPLC-QTOF-MS(E)) for the sensitive, fast, and effective characterization of alkaloids in goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). This approach allowed identification of alkaloids using a cyclic low and high collision energy spectral acquisition mode providing simultaneous accurate precursor and fragment ion mass information. A total of 45 compounds were separated and 40 of them characterized including one new compound and 7 identified for the first time in goldenseal. The spectral data obtained using this method is comparable to those obtained by conventional LC-MS(n). However, the UPLC-QTOF-MS(E) method offers high chromatographic resolution with structural characterization facilitated by accurate mass measurement in both MS and MS/MS modes in a single analytical run; this makes it suitable for the rapid analysis and screening of alkaloids in plant extracts.

An integrated exact mass spectrometric strategy for comprehensive and rapid characterization of phenolic compounds in licorice.

RATIONALE: Licorice (Gancao) is derived from the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza species (Leguminosae) and appears as a component herb in about 60% of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that flavonoids are one class of the major components responsible for the bioactivities of licorice. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOF MS) has proven to be a powerful tool for rapid profiling and identification of natural products in complex herbal medicines. METHODS: A UPLC/QTOF MS method was established for the first time for profiling and structural characterization of the phenolic compounds (most of them flavonoids) in licorice. The combined use of data-independent acquisition (MS(E) ) and data-dependent acquisition (DDA) was illustrated. RESULTS: Fifteen flavonoid reference compounds were used to explore the fragmentation pathways. Compound identification was based upon the exact mass, general fragmentation behaviors, retention times, UV absorption, and the related botanical biogenesis. As a result, a total of 51 compounds were characterized, three of which were reported for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: The LC/MS analysis for each injection took less than 9 min. The developed method is fast, accurate and reliable due to its high resolution and high efficiency characteristics as a result of combining both UPLC separation and QTOF exact mass measurement.

Densitometric HPTLC analysis of 8-gingerol in Zingiber officinale extract and ginger-containing dietary supplements, teas and commercial creams.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a simple, accurate HPTLC method for the analysis of 8-gingerol and to determine the quantity of 8-gingerol in Zingiber officinale extract and ginger-containing dietary supplements, teas and commercial creams. METHODS: The analysis was performed on 10×20 cm aluminium-backed plates coated with 0.2 mm layers of silica gel 60 F254 (E-Merck, Germany) with n-hexane: ethyl acetate 60: 40 (v/v) as mobile phase. Camag TLC Scanner III was used for the UV densitometric scanning at 569. RESULTS: This system was found to give a compact spot of 8-gingerol at retention factor (Rf) value of (0.39±0.04) and linearity was found in the ranges 50-500 ng/spot (r (2)=0.9987). Limit of detection (12.76 ng/spot), limit of quantification (26.32 ng/spot), accuracy (less than 2 %) and recovery (ranging from 98.22-99.20) were found satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The HPTLC method developed for quantification of 8-gingerol was found to be simple, accurate, reproducible, sensitive and is applicable to the analysis of 8-gingerol in Zingiber officinale extract and ginger-containing dietary supplements, teas and commercial creams.

Tissue distribution profiles of three antiparkinsonian alkaloids from Piper longum L. in rats determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The alkaloids of Piper longum L. (PLA) improved motor dysfunction and dopamine depletion in a rat model of Parkinson's disease induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. A rapid, accurate, simple, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed and fully validated to simultaneously detect three P. longum L. antiparkinsonian alkaloids (piperine (PPR), piperlonguminine (PPL), and Δα,ß-dihydropiperlonguminine (DPPL)) in rat plasma, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain tissues. Rat plasma and tissue homogenates were pretreated with methanol/acetonitrile (1:1, v/v) using a simple protein precipitation method. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Phenomenex Gemini C18 column (50mm×2.00mm, 5µm) with a gradient mobile phase containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water or acetonitrile. The elution was pumped at a flow rate of 0.4ml/min, and the injection volume was 10µl with a total running time of 4min. The analysis was performed by selected reaction monitoring of the transitions m/z 285.9→201.1, m/z 274.3→209.9, and m/z 276.2→134.9 for PPR, PPL, and DPPL, respectively. All three analytes showed good linearity (R>0.995) in plasma and tissue homogenates, and the lower limit of quantification was 0.20ng/ml. The distribution of PPR, PPL and DPPL in all 7 tissues was examined. The highest concentrations for PPR and PPL were observed in the liver, while the highest DPPL concentration was observed in the kidney. Following oral administration, the highest levels of PPR, PPL and DPPL in different tissues were found at approximately 2h. PPR, PPL and DPPL could cross the blood-brain barrier. The present study provides evidences for that PPR, PPL and DPPL may play roles in improving motor dysfunction and dopamine depletion.

Method validation and simultaneous determination of retinol, retinyl palmitate, ß-carotene, α-tocopherol and vitamin C in rat serum treated with 7,12 dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and Plantago major L. by high- performance liquid chromatography using diode-array detection.

A new and simple high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of retinol, retinyl palmitate, ß-carotene, α-tocopherol and vitamin C in rat serum treated with Plantago Major L. and 7,12 dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis was performed utilizing an Inertsil ODS3 reversed phase column with methanol-tetrahydrofuran-water as mobile phase under gradient conditions, at 1.5 mL min(-1) flow rate and 25 °C. Diode-array detection was at 325, 450, 290 and 270 nm (retinol and retinyl palmitate), ß-carotene, α-tocopherol and vitamin C, respectively and runnig time 18 min. The high-performance liquid chromatography assay and extraction procedure proposed are simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate. The method was then applied for the determination of retinol, retinyl palmitate, ß-carotene, α-tocopherol and vitamin C in rat serum. Results of this study demonstrated that; at 60th day DMBA-treated group, there was a significant decrease in vitamin levels compared to the levels of control group. A significant increase was observed in vitamin levels of 7,12 dimethylbenz[α]anthracene+Plantago Major L.-treated group compared to the DMBA-treated group. Additionally, the results obtained in the study are found to be in agreement with data reported in the literature.