Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator-Based Prediction of the Binding Constant of p-Sulfonatocalix[6]/[8]arenes with Alkaloids.

p-Sulfonatocalix[n]arenes (SCnA) have demonstrated great potential for drug encapsulation through host-guest complexation to improve solubility, stability, and bioavailability. In this study, the solubilization effect of SCnA (n = 4, 6, 8) on 95 active compounds derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was investigated. Based on the significant solubilization effect on alkaloids, SC6A/SC8A and 76 alkaloids were selected as the host and guest, respectively, to determine the binding constant by competitive fluorescence titration. LASSO regression was adopted to investigate the mechanism of the complex of SCnA with alkaloids. The binding constant of alkaloids-SC6A and alkaloids-SC8A was related to the alkaloid alkalinity. Also, the electronegativity, polarization, first ionization potential, hydrogen bond potential, the molecular size, and shape of alkaloids are critical properties to determine alkaloids-SC6A binding constant as well as electronegativity, polarization, hydrophobicity, and the molecular size and shape of alkaloids play an important role for the alkaloids-SC8A binding constant.

A Comprehensive Quality Evaluation of Cimicifugae Rhizoma Using UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS Coupled with Multivariate Chemometric Methods.

BACKGROUND: Cimicifugae Rhizoma, known in Chinese as Shengma, is a common medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly used for treating wind-heat headaches, sore throat, uterine prolapse, and other diseases. OBJECTIVES: An approach using a combination of ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), MS, and multivariate chemometric methods was designed to assess the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. METHODS: All materials were crushed into powder and the powdered sample was dissolved in 70% aqueous methanol for sonication. Chemometric methods, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), were adopted to classify and perform a comprehensive visualization study of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. The unsupervised recognition models of HCA and PCA obtained a preliminary classification and provided a basis for classification. In addition, we constructed a supervised OPLS-DA model and established a prediction set to further validate the explanatory power of the model for the variables and unknown samples. RESULTS: Exploratory research found that the samples were divided into two groups, and the differences were related to appearance traits. The correct classification of the prediction set also demonstrated a strong predictive ability of the models for new samples. Subsequently, six chemical makers were characterized by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS, and the content of four components was determined. The results of the content determination revealed the distribution of representative chemical markers caffeic acid, ferulic acid, isoferulic acid, and cimifugin in two classes of samples. CONCLUSIONS: This strategy can provide a reference for assessing the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma, which is significant for the clinical practice and QC of Cimicifugae Rhizoma. HIGHLIGHTS: The HCA, PCA and OPLS-DA models visually classify Cimicifugae Rhizoma by appearance traits and obtain the chemical markers that influence the classification. The training and prediction sets were built to demonstrate the accuracy of the classification. Advanced UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS technology provides powerful elucidation of critical chemical markers.

An innovative extraction strategy for herbal medicine by adopting p-sulphonatocalix[6]/[8]arenes.

INTRODUCTION: Alkaloids exist in various herbal medicine widely and exhibit diverse biological and pharmacological activities. p-Sulphonatocalix[6]arenes (SC6A) and p-sulphonatocalix[8]arenes (SC8A) are water-soluble supramolecular macrocycles and are applied to the extraction of alkaloids from herbal products. OBJECTIVE: In this study, an innovative method of SC6A/SC8A assisted extraction of the alkaloids from herbs was established. METHODS: SC6A and SC8A were designed to extract 27 alkaloids from seven herbal medicines. Based on the significant solubilisation and extraction effect, Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix (Fangji, FJ) was selected to obtain the optimal extraction process by adopting single factor test and orthogonal experiment. Then, the alkaloids and SC6A/SC8A were separated by one-step alkalisation and SCnA were reused. The host-guest complexes between alkaloids and SCnA were determined by competitive fluorescence titration, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) analysis. RESULTS: The optimum condition for SC6A assisted extraction was 5:1:80 (g/g/mL) for herbs/SC6A/solution ratio, 355-250 µm particle size and ultrasonicate 0.5 h, whilst 10:1:40 (g/g/mL) for herbs/SC8A/solution ratio, 355-250 µm particle size and ultrasonicate 0.5 h for SC8A assisted extraction. The total yield of alkaloids (fangchinoline and tetrandrine) from FJ was increased by 4.87 times and 5.97 times with SC6A and SC8A. Moreover, a good reusability of SC6A/SC8A was achieved by alkalisation dissociation. Host-guest complexes were determined by competitive fluorescence titration at a molar ratio of 1:1 between most alkaloids (25/27, except evodiamine and rutaecarpine) and SC6A/SC8A. The complex structure was proved by DSC, FTIR and 1 H-NMR analysis. CONCLUSION: The study provided an effective eco-friendly and energy-saving extraction method of alkaloids from herbal medicine.

An eco-friendly extraction and purification method of nuciferine from Folium nelumbinis with p-sulfonatocalix[6]arenes.

INTRODUCTION: Folium nelumbinis is used as vegetable, functional food and herbal medicine in Asia. p-Sulfonatocalix[6]arene (SC6A) is a water-soluble supramolecular macrocycle and has never been applied to the extraction of herbal products. OBJECTIVE: In this study, SC6A-assisted extraction of nuciferine from Folium nelumbinis has been carried out to develop an eco-friendly extraction process with high extraction efficacy and easy operation. METHODS: Single-factor experiments were adopted to obtain the optimal conditions for the SC6A-assisted extraction of nuciferine from Folium nelumbinis, and then nuciferine and SC6A were separated easily by one-step alkalization. The host-guest complexes between nuciferine and SC6A were analyzed by competitive fluorescence titration, DSC, FT-IR and 1 H-NMR. RESULTS: The optimal SC6A/Folium nelumbinis/solution ratio for extraction was 0.4:1:20 (g/g/mL), with a granulometric fraction below 180 µm and an extraction time of 1 h with soaking. The purity and recovery of nuciferine extracted with SC6A were increased 29.24 and 35.73 times compared with extraction with aqueous solution, respectively. Moreover, a good reusability of SC6A in the extraction of nuciferine was demonstrated. Competitive fluorescence titration, DSC, FT-IR and 1 H-NMR characterization indicated that SC6A could form host-guest complexes with nuciferine at a ratio of 1:1. CONCLUSION: The study provided an eco-friendly, safe and effective nuciferine extraction method, which can be used for the development of nutrition supplements containing nuciferine.

The influence of polysaccharides from Ophiopogon japonicus on 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-ß-d-glucoside about biopharmaceutical properties in vitro and pharmacokinetics in vivo.

2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-ß-d-glucoside (THSG) is a bioactive polyhydroxystilbene compound obtained from Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Although it has broad therapeutic potential, the application of THSG is limited due to its poor stability in vitro, poor absorption in the intestine, and short-term storage in tissues. Polysaccharides from herbal medicines have been proven to be functional foods and potential natural plant derived drugs. However, the effects of polysaccharides when co-administered with other active ingredients are currently unknown. The present study investigated the influences of Ophiopogon japonicus polysaccharides (OJPs) on THSG. Results showed that OJPs notably enhanced aqueous solubility, and stability of THSG, but slightly decreased the permeability of THSG. In addition, Tmax, Cmax, and AUC(0-tn) of THSG were 3.5 fold, 1.45 fold and 2.32 fold higher for THSG-OJP. Thus, OJPs could potentially be used to improve the biopharmaceutical properties and prolong the pharmacological effects of THSG. This finding could provide a reference point for further applications of polysaccharides from herbal medicines.

[Biopharmaceuticals classification system(BCS) of nuciferin in Nelumbinis Folium].

Nuciferin is the main active ingredients in Nelumbinis Folium， which was proved to have good hypolipidemic， antioxidative and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. Currently， in vivo pharmacokinetic studies of nuciferin showed different results based on different animal models. In vitro evaluation experiments were low-cost， stable and controllable. Biopharmaceutical classification system(BCS) was an effective and reliable in vitro simulation method to evaluate the bioavailability of oral drugs. It was a scientific framework for classifying drugs or active pharmaceutical ingredients(API) according to their solubility and impermeability in vitro. In the study， BCS was applied in an active ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)， which was consisted of numerous chemical components. To study the equilibrium solubility of nuciferine， ideal solution model， Ape blat model and polynomial model were adopted. The permeability was measured based on partition coefficient(logP) and distribution coefficient(logD). Besides， in vitro apparent permeabilities of Caco-2 cells and murine intestine tissues were evaluated. Nuciferine was classified as BCSⅠ， since it had a good solubility and permeability in all methods under acidic conditions. However， in neutral and alkaline environments， nuciferine was classified as BCSⅣ by using everted intestinal sac. It indicated that the species of experimental animals has a significant influence on the absorption of nuciferine. This experiment can provide data support to the prediction in a complex environment(medicinal materials and absorbed parts). The application of BCS on TCM ingredients provided a new in vitro method to evaluate and screen out the druggability of TCM ingredients.

Comprehensive analysis of Polygoni Multiflori Radix of different geographical origins using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints and multivariate chemometric methods.

Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) is increasingly being used not just as a traditional herbal medicine but also as a popular functional food. In this study, multivariate chemometric methods and mass spectrometry were combined to analyze the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) fingerprints of PMR from six different geographical origins. A chemometric strategy based on multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) and three classification methods is proposed to analyze the UPLC fingerprints obtained. Common chromatographic problems, including the background contribution, baseline contribution, and peak overlap, were handled by the established MCR-ALS model. A total of 22 components were resolved. Moreover, relative species concentrations were obtained from the MCR-ALS model, which was used for multivariate classification analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Ward's method have been applied to classify 72 PMR samples from six different geographical regions. The PCA score plot showed that the PMR samples fell into four clusters, which related to the geographical location and climate of the source areas. The results were then corroborated by Ward's method. In addition, according to the variance-weighted distance between cluster centers obtained from Ward's method, five components were identified as the most significant variables (chemical markers) for cluster discrimination. A counter-propagation artificial neural network has been applied to confirm and predict the effects of chemical markers on different samples. Finally, the five chemical markers were identified by UPLC-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Components 3, 12, 16, 18, and 19 were identified as 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-ß-d-glucoside, emodin-8-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside, emodin-8-O-(6'-O-acetyl)-ß-d-glucopyranoside, emodin, and physcion, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed method can be applied for the comprehensive analysis of natural samples.

One-pot ß-cyclodextrin-assisted extraction of active ingredients from Xue-Zhi-Ning basing its encapsulated ability.

Xue-Zhi-Ning (XZN) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula, containing active ingredients with poor solubility in water, which has been demonstrated to be helpful for patients with hyperlipidemia. One-pot ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD)-assisted extraction of active ingredients from XZN has been carried out to develop an efficient and eco-friendly extraction process. Five active compounds--rubrofusarin gentiobioside, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-ß-D-glucoside, emodin, nuciferine and quercetin--were identified by UPLC/DAD/MS and used as indexes to evaluate the process optimized by an orthogonal test. The results showed that addition of ß-CD significantly enhanced the extraction ratios of all five components. The enhancement of extraction ratios was positively correlated with the apparent formation constants between ß-CD and the compounds. The study also showed that the stabilities and dissolution rates of the active ingredients were improved in the presence of ß-CD. This one-pot ß-cyclodextrin-assisted extraction has the potential to be applied in pharmaceutical preparations directly.

Comparative Cytogenetics Analysis of Chlamys farreri, Patinopecten yessoensis, and Argopecten irradians with Ct-1 DNA by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization.

The chromosomes of Chlamys farreri, Patinopecten yessoensis, and Argopecten irradians were studied by FISH using C. farreri C(0)t-1 DNA probes. The results showed that C(0)t-1 DNA signals spread on all chromosomes in the three scallops, whereas signal density and intensity were different strikingly. Clustering brighter signals presented in the centromeric and telomeric regions of most C. farreri chromosomes, and in the centromeric or pericentromeric regions of several P. yessoensis chromosomes. Comparative analysis of the mapping indicated a relatively higher homology in the repetitive DNA sequences of the genome between C. farreri and P. yessoensis than that between C. farreri and A. irradians. In addition, FISH showed that the distribution of C(0)t-1 DNA clustering signals in C. farreri displayed completely similar signal bands between homologous chromosomes. Based on the C(0)t-1 DNA fluorescent bands, a more exact karyotype of C. farreri has been obtained. In this study, the comparative analysis based on C(0)t-1 DNA provides a new insight into the chromosomal reconstructions during the evolution process, and it is helpful for understanding an important source of genomic diversity, species relationships, and genome evolution.

Paraquat detoxification with p-sulfonatocalix-[4]arene by a pharmacokinetic study.

The p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes are supposed to show potential application in the clinical treatment of viologen poisoning. In the present study, p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (C4AS), the most common derivative of p-sulfonatocalix[n]arenes, is used to study the antidotic mechanism for paraquat (PQ) by pharmacokinetics in vivo. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established to determine the concentration of PQ in rat plasma. The results showed that the peak plasma concentration (C(max)) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC(0-t)) were significantly lower after C4AS intervention than in the PQ intoxication group. It was considered that C4AS has great effective detoxication to PQ poisoning, and the results of in vitro intestinal absorption studies showed that C4AS can inhibit the absorption of PQ via oral administration by forming a stable inclusion constant.

Kinetics and mechanism of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-d-glycoside (THSG) degradation in aqueous solutions.

The hydrolytic kinetics and degradation mechanism of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-ß-d-glycoside (THSG) extracted from Radix Polygoni Multiflori (a commonly used official Chinese herbal Heshouwu), were investigated using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The influences of pH (1.5-9.9), temperature (25-60°C) and irradiation on the hydrolysis of THSG were studied in aqueous solutions. The results showed that the degradation of THSG was pH-, temperature- and irradiation-dependent and all followed first-order kinetics. The effect of temperature on the rate of THSG degradation was characterized using the Arrhenius equation. Maximum stability of THSG was found at pH 1.5 (t(0.5)=47.57 d). THSG was unstable in alkaline and irradiation conditions. The active energy (E(a)) of THSG degradation in aqueous solution at pH 6.8 (most frequently adopted extract solvent) under lucifugal and irradiation conditions was 47.7kJmol(-1) and 25.3kJmol(-1), respectively. Three hydrolytic products of THSG were identified by LC-MS. Cis-trans isomerism took place under irradiation, and hydrolysis took place in acid-base conditions. Moreover, further oxidation on aglycon occurred after hydrolytic cleavage of phenolic glycoside in acidic conditions. The possible hydrolytic pathways of THSG are proposed.

The assessment of absorption of periplocin in situ via intestinal perfusion of rats by HPLC.

Periplocin is an important compound of Cortex Periplocae, which shows poor absorption when administered orally. The effective intestinal permeability of periplocin was investigated using single-pass intestinal perfusion technique in male Wistar rats. SPIP was performed in rat jejunum. The samples of perfusate were collected at the designated time points after rat intestinal perfusion and analyzed by HPLC. The specificity of this method was demonstrated by the absence of interference of the drug peak with the intestinal sac artifacts and the components of the KRB solution. Recovery studies, as well as the intra-day and inter-day variations, were within statistical limits. This technique was applied to the study of the intestinal absorption of periplocin. The determined fraction absorbed (F(a)) of periplocin was 0.151 +/- 0.072 (n = 6) at a concentration of 6 microg/mL; the absorption rate constant (K(a)) was 0.0102 +/- 0.0039/min and the effective permeability coefficient (P(eff)) was 0.0021 +/- 0.0012 cm/min. These data suggest that periplocin has high permeability and might be absorbed in rat intestine.