UHPLC-MS/MS method for pharmacokinetic and bioavailability determination of five bioactive components in raw and various processed products of Polygala tenuifolia in rat plasma.

CONTEXT: Sibiricose A5 (A5), sibiricose A6 (A6), 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose (DSS), tenuifoliside A (TFSA) and 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid (TMCA) are the main active components of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. (Polygalaceae) (PT) that are active against Alzheimer's disease. OBJECTIVE: To compare the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of five active components in the roots of raw PT (RPT), liquorice-boiled PT (LPT) and honey-stir-baked PT (HPT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The median lethal dose (LD50) was evaluated through acute toxicity test. The pharmacokinetics of five components after oral administration of extracts of RPT, LPT, HPT (all equivalent to 1.9 g/kg of RPT extract for one dose) and 0.5% CMC-Na solution (control group) were investigated, respectively, in Sprague-Dawley rats (four groups, n = 6) using UHPLC-MS/MS. In addition, the absolute bioavailability of A5, A6, DSS, TFSA and TMCA after oral administration (7.40, 11.60, 16.00, 50.00 and 3.11 mg/kg, respectively) and intravenous injection (1/10 of the corresponding oral dose) in rats (n = 6) was studied. RESULTS: The LD50 of RPT, LPT and HPT was 7.79, 14.55 and 15.99 g/kg, respectively. AUC 0- t of RPT, LPT and HPT were as follows: A5 (433.18 ± 65.48, 680.40 ± 89.21, 552.02 ± 31.10 ng h/mL), A6 (314.55 ± 62.73, 545.76 ± 123.16, 570.06 ± 178.93 ng h/mL) and DSS (100.30 ± 62.44, 232.00 ± 66.08, 197.58 ± 57.37 ng h/mL). The absolute bioavailability of A5, A6, DSS, TFSA and TMCA was 3.25, 2.95, 2.36, 1.17 and 42.91%, respectively. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetic and bioavailability parameters of each compound can facilitate future clinical studies.

Targeted and nontargeted screening and identification of 50 antihypertensive adulterants in dietary supplements and herbal medicines using quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry with compound database.

In the present work, a novel database of drug compounds and a rapid screening method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry were developed and applied in the screening and identification of targeted and nontargeted antihypertensive adulterants in dietary supplements and herbal medicines. The established screening database includes retention time, exact mass, fragments, isotopic pattern, and MS2 spectra library of the target compounds and thus provides automated search and identification of the targets with a single injection. The nontargeted compounds in the samples are identified through the full MS scan and MS2 data by using the Chemspider database and the data analysis in XCalibur, MassFrontier and TraceFinder software. In addition, this method possesses excellent quantitative capacity. The novel approach was applied to 65 batches of samples that are claimed as "all-natural" products having the antihypertensive function, among which nine batches were found to be positive. Multiple targeted and nontargeted antihypertensive adulterants were detected at levels ranging from 2.8 to 27.9 mg/g. The novel database and screening method demonstrated herein will be promising and powerful tools for rapid screening of antihypertensive adulterants in dietary supplements and herbal medicines.

[Application of Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry for the screening and identification of 15 adulterated weight loss compounds in dietary supplements].

A liquid chromatography-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method and a TraceFinder database were developed for the screening and identification of 15 adulterated weight loss compounds in dietary supplements. The samples were extracted with methanol and filtered through a 0.22 µm microfiltration membrane prior to LC-HRMS analysis. The Full MS/dd-MS2 mode was utilized in both positive and negative ion modes and the collected data were imported into the TraceFinder screening software. The established compound database and screening method were used for rapid, automatic, and high-precision screening to determine if the weight loss compounds were adulterated. The method validation results indicated that all of the analytes showed excellent linear relationships with regression coefficients (r) above 0.998. The recoveries were in the range of 79.7%-95.4% while the precisions ranged from 3.3% to 8.7%. The method and database were used to screen weight loss adulterants in 29 batches of dietary supplements; six batches of samples tested positive for adulterants with the identification of four compounds including sibutramine. This method enables the automatic high-precision screening and identification of adulterants, providing a novel and powerful tool for combating the increasingly rampant occurrence of adulteration in dietary supplements.

Application of quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry in rapid screening and identification of synthetic dyes in herbal medicines.

In this work, a method combining ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) was developed and validated for use in the simultaneous screening, identification, and quantification of 21 synthetic dyes in herbal medicines. To optimize the chromatographic conditions, we used a combined Full mass scan and data-dependent MS/MS (Full MS/dd-MS2) approach in positive and negative ion mode. Under this mode, selected ions with given fragmentation energy were subjected to a dd-MS2 scan following a Full MS scan. The selectivity of this method was effectively improved using 70,000 full width at half maximum mass resolution and narrow mass window (typically 5 ppm), and a single injection was sufficient for simultaneous identification and quantification of 21 synthetic dyes within 10 min. The combined method was fully validated and complies with all criteria for selectivity, sensitivity, calibration curve linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect, and stability. All analytes showed excellent linear relationships as all the coefficients of determination (r2) are greater than 0.9978 over wide ranges of concentrations (e.g. 1.0-500 ng/mL for sunset yellow). The validated method was employed to detect synthetic dyes in herbal medicines and was demonstrated to provide a reliable technical basis for drug regulation and public health protection.

Application of an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry for the rapid screening, identification and quantification of illegal adulterated glucocorticoids in herbal medicines.

In this work, the ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was applied to the rapid screening, identification and quantification of the illegal adulterated glucocorticoids in herbal medicines. The mass spectrometer was operated in positive ion mode and Full MS/dd-MS2 (data-dependent MS2) mode, where selected ions were subjected to a dd-MS2 scan with given fragmentation energy following a Full MS scan. The application of 70 000 FWHM mass resolution and narrow mass windows (5ppm) effectively improve the selectivity of the method, and a single injection was sufficient to perform the simultaneous screening and identification/quantification of 14 glucocorticoids in 15min. The method validation including selectivity, sensitivity, calibration curve, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability were evaluated. The results of all analytes showed excellent linear relationship while all coefficient of determination (r2) were>0.9990 over wide concentration ranges (e.g., 5-1000ng/mL for hydrocortisone butyrate, r2=1.0000). The recoveries were in the range of 86.1-102.7%, while the matrix effects ranged from 95.8%-105.8%. Accuracies and precisions were performed. The intra- and inter-day accuracies ranged from 90.6% to 108.9%, while the intra- and inter-day precisions were in the range of 0.5% to 8.5%. Finally, the established method was employed to detect illegal adulterated glucocorticoids in herbal medicines. It will provide more reliable technical basis for the drug quality supervision department and ensure public health.

Development of an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry method for the rapid detection and confirmation of illegal adulterated sedative-hypnotics in dietary supplements.

A novel method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap) was developed and validated for the simultaneous screening, identification and quantification of sedative-hypnotics in dietary supplements. Chromatographic conditions were optimised and a full data-dependent MS(2) scan (MS/dd-MS(2)) in positive and negative ion mode was used. A single injection was sufficient to perform the simultaneous screening and identification/quantification of samples. The response showed a good linear relationship with analyte concentrations over wide ranges (e.g., 1.0-1000 ng g(-1) for diazepam) with all the determination coefficients (r(2)) > 0.9985. The method was validated, obtaining accuracy (intra- and inter-day) in the range of 94.5-105.3% and precision (intra- and inter-day) in the range of 0.4-8.9%, respectively. The detection limits (LODs) were in the range of 0.3-1.0 ng g(-1) for different analytes. Recoveries were performed and ranged from 74.1% to 90.2%, while all matrix effects were over the range of 85.4-93.6%. Finally, this method was used to detect sedative-hypnotics in commercial dietary supplements. Of a total of 45 batches of dietary supplements, only three batches were found to be positive samples with concentrations of diazepam, clonazepam and alprazolam at high levels (≥ 8.22 mg g(-1)).

Simultaneous identification, confirmation and quantitation of illegal adulterated antidiabetics in herbal medicines and dietary supplements using high-resolution benchtop quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

This paper presents an application of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HR MS) for the screening, confirmation and quantification of 11 antidiabetics in herbal medicines and dietary supplements. The mass spectrometer was operated in Full MS/dd-MS(2) (data-dependent MS(2)) mode. The full MS scan acquired data for identification and quantification, and dd-MS(2) scan obtained product ion spectra for confirmation. UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS quantification was achieved using matrix-matched standard calibration curves with phenacetin as internal standard. The method validation that included selectivity, sensitivity, calibration curve, accuracy and precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability was evaluated. The response showed good linear relationship with the concentrations of analytes over wide ranges (e.g., 0.0004-1 µg/g for metformin) with all the coefficients of correlation (r(2)) >0.9991. The detection limits (LODs) were in the range of 0.05-0.5 ng/g for different analytes. The recoveries yielded results higher than 74.3% for all compounds. The accuracy was in the range of -6.75 to 3.85%, while the intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 0.048 to 11.5%. Among 63 batches of herbal medicines and 34 batches of dietary supplements samples, 7 batches of dietary supplements were positive, while all the herbal medicines were negative. Overall, the novel UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap has demonstrated great performance for identification, confirmation and quantification of antidiabetics in herbal medicines and dietary supplements, ensuring food safety and public health.

Application of a high resolution benchtop quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry for the rapid screening, confirmation and quantification of illegal adulterated phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in herbal medicines and dietary supplements.

In this study, the applicability of high resolution quadrupole-Orbitrap (Q-Orbitrap) mass spectrometry for the simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of illegal adulterated phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-5 inhibitors) in herbal medicines and dietary supplements was investigated. The mass spectrometer was operated in full MS scan/dd-MS(2) (data-dependent MS(2)) mode. The use of 70,000 FWHM mass resolution and narrow mass windows (5 ppm) could effectively improve the selectivity of the method, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio for the analytes. The response showed good linear relationship with the analytes' concentrations over wide ranges (e.g., 0.05-10 µg/g for sildenafil) with all the coefficient of determinations (r(2)) >0.9996. The detection limits (LODs) were in the range of 1.0-5.0 ng/g for different analytes. The recoveries ranged from 85.4% to 96.7%. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were in the range of -6.6 to 10.1%, while the intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 0.0039% to 13.2%. Among 68 batches of herbal medicines and 20 batches of dietary supplements (including 83 capsules, 3 pellets and 2 liquid) samples, sildenafil was detected in 8 dietary supplements, while noracetildenafil was detected in only one dietary supplement. The novel Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry has been proved to be a very promising and powerful tool for routine screening of illegal adulterate in herbal medicines and dietary supplements, ensuring food safety and public health.

Application of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion studies of Dactylicapnos scandens in rats.

The herbal ingredients of isocorydine and protopine were isolated from Dactylicapnos scandens. This study was aimed at developing a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method to quantify isocorydine and protopine in rat plasma and tissues for pharmacokinetic, tissue distribution and excretion studies. Biological samples were processed with ethyl acetate extraction, and corydaline was chosen as the internal standard (IS). The analytes were separated by a C(18) column and detected with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer using positive ion ESI in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were m/z 342.0→278.9 for isocorydine, 354.1→188.0 for protopine and 370.0→192.0 for IS, respectively. Excellent linearity was observed over the concentration range between 10 and 3000 ng/mL for isocorydine and 10-300 ng/mL for protopine. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 10 ng/mL for both isocorydine and protopine. This novel method was rapid, accurate, high sensitive and high selective. It was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic, tissue distribution and excretion studies of D. scandens. These preclinical data of D. scandens would be useful for the clinical reference.