UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS-Based Metabolite Profiling, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Different Organ Extracts of Abeliophyllum distichum.

Plant extracts have gained more attention as natural therapeutic agents against inflammation characterized by an overproduction of several inflammatory mediators such as reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Although Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai is generally known for its ornamental value, recent pharmacological research has demonstrated its potential therapeutic properties. Thus, to further evaluate the applicability of A. distichum in the food, cosmetic, and medical industries, we identified the phytochemicals in three organ extracts (fruits: AF, branches: AB, leaves: AL) of A. distichum and determined their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS, a total of 19 compounds, including dendromoniliside D, forsythoside B, isoacteoside, isomucronulatol 7-O-Glucoside, plantamajoside, and wighteone were identified in the A. distichum organ extracts. AB exhibited a strong reducing power, an oxygen radical antioxidant capacity, and radical scavenging values compared with other samples, whereas AL exhibited the best anti-inflammatory properties. Gene expression, western blot, and molecular docking analyses suggested that the anti-inflammatory effect of AL was mediated by its ability to suppress lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of reactive oxygen species and/or inhibit LPS-stimulated activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2) in RAW264.7 cells. Collectively, these results indicate that AL is a potential source of phytochemicals that could be used to treat inflammation-associated diseases.

A UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF method for rapid and reliable identification and quantification of major indole alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus.

We developed a novel ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight (UPLC-Q-TOF) mass spectrometry method that allows sensitive, rapid, and reliable detection and identification of six representative indole alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine, ajmalicine, catharanthine, serpentine, and vindoline) that exhibit physiological activity in Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus). The alkaloids were eluted on a C18 column with acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid and 10 mM ammonium acetate, and separated with good resolution within 13 min. Electrospray ionization-Q-TOF (ESI-Q-TOF) analysis was performed to characterize the molecules and their fragment ions, and the characteristic ions and fragmentation patterns were used as to identify the alkaloids. The proposed analytical method was verified in reference to the ICH guidelines and the results showed excellent linearity (R2 > 0.9988), limit of detection (1 ng/mL to 10 ng/mL), limit of quantification (3 ng/mL to 30 ng/mL), intra-day and inter-day precisions, and extraction recovery rates (92.8% to 104.1%) for all components. The validated UPLC-Q-TOF method was applied to the analysis of extracts from the root, stem, and leaves of C. roseus, allowing the identification of six alkaloids by comparison of retention times, molecular ions, and fragmentation patterns with those of reference compounds. Sixteen additional indole alkaloids were tentatively identified by comparison of chromatograms to chemical databases and literature reports. The contents of bis-indole alkaloids (vincristine and vinblastine) were high in the aerial parts, while the contents of mono-indole alkaloids (ajmalicine, catharanthine, serpentine, and vindoline) were high in the roots. The present results demonstrate that the proposed UPLC-Q-TOF method can be useful for the investigation of phytochemical constituents of medicinal plants.