11B NMR of the Morphological Evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Borax.

This article applies nuclear magnetic resonance technology to the study of boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine, in order to explore the morphological evolution of boron elements in traditional Chinese medicine. Borax is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-corrosion, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticonvulsant effects. It is made by boiling, removing stones, and drying borax minerals like borate salts. This article introduces an 11B nuclear magnetic resonance method for identifying and characterizing boron-containing compounds in TCM. We applied this technology to borax aqueous solutions in different chemical environments and found that with boron mixed in the form of SP2 hybridization in equilateral triangles and SP3 hybridization in equilateral tetrahedra, the pH changes in alkaline environments significantly affected the ratio of the two. At the same time, it was found that in addition to the raw material peak, boron signals of other boron-containing compounds were also detected in 20 commercially available boron-containing TCM preparations. These new boron-containing compounds may be true pharmaceutical active ingredients, and adding them directly to the formula can improve quality and safety. This article describes the detection of 11B NMR in boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine preparations. It is simple, non-destructive, and can provide chemical fingerprint studies for boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine.

Health Benefits of the Flavonoids from Onion: Constituents and Their Pronounced Antioxidant and Anti-neuroinflammatory Capacities.

Onion is the most widely cultivated vegetable around the world. In this study, the isolation, concentration, quantification, and bioactivity evaluation of the phenolics in onion peels were investigated. Thirty-four phenolics, including 17 flavonoids and 17 nonflavonoid phenolics, were purified and identified. Among them, there were 2 new unusual epoxyflavanones and a new phenolic constituent, as well as 13 unreported constituents from the genus Allium. The total flavonoids were concentrated, and finally obtained 90.25% of flavonoid content extract. Fifteen main flavonoids were quantified using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (UPLC-PDA), and quercetin (36.94%) and quercetin 4'-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (15.81%) were the richest contents of flavonoids. The antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory capacities were evaluated, and the bioactive results indicated that the flavonoids in onion exhibited pronounced activities. The study suggested that the flavonoids in onion peels could be used in functional food.