Activation of PKC affects the ventricular restitution properties and arrhythmogenesis through L-type Ca+ current.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in action potential duration (APD) restitution and ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VAs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Rabbits hearts were isolated and prepared for Langendorff perfusion technique. The stimuli-extra-stimulus (S1-S2) method and dynamic S1 pacing protocol were performed to construct APD restitution and to induce APD alternans or VA, respectively, at 10 sites throughout the ventricular chamber. Administration of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) (100 nM) (n = 15) greatly steepened the restitution curves (Smax > 1) (p < .01) at each site compared to the control group (n = 15). Furthermore, treatment with PMA also induced larger spatial dispersions of Smax (p < .05) and decreased the thresholds of the VA and APD alternans (p < .01). However, perfused with the PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide (BIM) (500 nM) (n = 10), reversibly flattened the APD restitution curves at each site (Smax < 1), decreased the spatial dispersions of Smax, and increased the thresholds of APD alternans and VA. According to the results of patch-clamp, peak amplitude of L-type Ca2+ current was significantly increased by addition of PMA compared with control (CTL) group (p < .05). Antagonize this current with verapamil (n = 10) can fully inhibited the PMA induced increasing of Smax and inducibility of VA and alternans. CONCLUSION: PKC activation increased the dispersion of APD restitution and thus led to occurrence of VA, which possibly related to the increased Ca2+ influx.

Pressure-Stabilized High-Entropy (FeCoNiCuRu)S2 Sulfide Anode toward Simultaneously Fast and Durable Lithium/Sodium Ion Storage.

Pressure-stabilized high-entropy sulfide (FeCoNiCuRu)S2 (HES) is proposed as an anode material for fast and long-term stable lithium/sodium storage performance (over 85% retention after 15 000 cycles @10 A g-1 ). Its superior electrochemical performance is strongly related to the increased electrical conductivity and slow diffusion characteristics of entropy-stabilized HES. The reversible conversion reaction mechanism, investigated by ex-situ XRD, XPS, TEM, and NMR, further confirms the stability of the host matrix of HES after the completion of the whole conversion process. A practical demonstration of assembled lithium/sodium capacitors also confirms the high energy/power density and long-term stability (retention of 92% over 15 000 cycles @5 A g-1 ) of this material. The findings point to a feasible high-pressure route to realize new high-entropy materials for optimized energy storage performance.

Rapid identification of chemical components in vitro and in vivo of Menispermi Rhizoma by integrating UPLC-Q-TOF-MS with data post-processing strategy.

INTRODUCTION: Menispermi Rhizoma (MR), the dried rhizome of Menispermum dauricum DC. (Menispermaceae), has been used to treat sore throat, enteritis, dysentery, and rheumatic arthralgia. Despite extensive research on its pharmacological effects, the chemical components in vitro and in vivo have not been thoroughly studied. OBJECTIVE: To establish an efficient method for rapid classification and identification of alkaloids in MR and its preparations, as well as metabolites in vivo after oral administration of MR. METHODS: Rapid identification of alkaloids and absorbed components of MR was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) coupled with UNIFI software. Moreover, the characteristic fragmentations and neutral losses of different types of alkaloids in MR were summarised to realise the rapid classification of alkaloids. RESULTS: A total of 55 components were unambiguously or tentatively identified in MR. Among them, 37 and 31 components were found in MR capsules and tablets, respectively. Meanwhile, 109 compounds were tentatively identified in rat plasma, urine and faeces, including 55 prototypes and 54 metabolites. Hydrogenation, hydroxylation, methylation, glucuronic acid and sulphate conjugations were the dominating metabolic fates of alkaloids. CONCLUSION: The data post-processing strategy established could greatly enhance the structural identification efficiency. The results obtained might lay the foundation for further interpretation of clinical effects, mechanism of action and quality control of MR.

A Time-Division Multiplexing Multi-Channel Micro-Electrochemical Workstation with Carbon-Based Material Electrodes for Online L-Trosine Detection.

In the background of the rapid development of artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, 5G/6G, and other technologies, electrochemical sensors pose higher requirements for high-throughput detection. In this study, we developed a workstation with up to 10 channels, which supports both parallel signal stimulation and online electrochemical analysis functions. The platform was wired to a highly integrated Bluetooth chip used for wireless data transmission and can be visualized on a smartphone. We used this electrochemical test platform with carbon-graphene oxide/screen-printed carbon electrodes (CB-GO/SPCE) for the online analysis of L-tyrosine (Tyr), and the electrochemical performance and stability of the electrodes were examined by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The CB-GO-based screen-printed array electrodes with a multichannel electrochemical platform for Tyr detection showed a low detection limit (20 µM), good interference immunity, and 10-day stability in the range of 20-200 µM. This convenient electrochemical analytical device enables high-throughput detection and has good economic benefits that can contribute to the improvement of the accuracy of electrochemical analysis and the popularization of electrochemical detection methods in a wide range of fields.

Electrochemical biosensor based on antibody-modified Au nanoparticles for rapid and sensitive analysis of influenza A virus.

To cope with the easy transmissibility of the avian influenza A virus subtype H1N1, a biosensor was developed for rapid and highly sensitive electrochemical immunoassay. Based on the principle of specific binding between antibody and virus molecules, the active molecule-antibody-adapter structure was formed on the surface of an Au NP substrate electrode; it included a highly specific surface area and good electrochemical activity for selective amplification detection of the H1N1 virus. The electrochemical test results showed that the BSA/H1N1 Ab/Glu/Cys/Au NPs/CP electrode was used for the electrochemical detection of the H1N1 virus with a sensitivity of 92.1 µA (pg/mL)-1 cm2, LOD of 0.25 pg/ml, linear ranges of 0.25-5 pg/mL, and linearity of (R 2 = 0.9846). A convenient H1N1 antibody-based electrochemical electrode for the molecular detection of the H1N1 virus will be of great use in the field of epidemic prevention and raw poultry protection. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11581-023-04944-w.

Prevalence and risk factors for myopia and high myopia: A cross-sectional study among Han and Uyghur students in Xinjiang, China.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for myopia and high myopia among Han and Uyghur students in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: This cross-sectional study with a multistage, stratified cluster sampling method was completed in Xinjiang, China. Visual acuity and noncycloplegic refraction were measured. The crude and sex- and age-adjusted prevalence of myopia and high myopia in Han and Uyghur students were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to identify risk factors associated with myopia and high myopia. RESULTS: In total, 84,033 participants were included in the final analysis, comprising 64,110 Han and 19,923 Uyghur participants. The overall age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of myopia and high myopia were 47.70% (95% CI: 47.67-47.74) and 2.55% (95% CI: 2.54-2.56), respectively. Compared to the Uyghur population, the Han population had a higher prevalence of myopia (63.59% vs. 21.34%, p < 0.0001) and high myopia (4.68% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.0001). Han ethnicity, age, female sex, higher education level and living in urban areas were found to be positively associated with myopia and high myopia. Living in northern Xinjiang was found to be positively associated with myopia but negatively associated with high myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Our study investigated the prevalence of myopia and high myopia among Han and Uyghur students aged 4-23 years in Xinjiang, China. The Han population had a higher prevalence of myopia and high myopia than the Uyghur population. However, the prevalence of myopia among the Uyghur population showed a more remarkable increasing trend than that among the Han population in Xinjiang.

In situ detection of heavy metal ions in sewage with screen-printed electrode-based portable electrochemical sensors.

The rapid development of industrial technologies continuously increases the heavy metal pollution of water resources. Recently, portable electrochemical analysis-based devices for detecting heavy metal ions have attracted much attention due to their excellent performance and low fabrication costs. However, it has proven difficult to accommodate complex testing needs in a cost-effective manner. To address these limitations, we propose a new system for the in situ detection of heavy metals in wastewater using an organic light-emitting diode-based panel to display data in real time and Bluetooth to transmit data to a smartphone for rapid analysis. The fabricated device integrates an in situ signal analysis circuit, a Bluetooth chip, a photocured 3D-printed shell, and an electrode sleeve interface. In addition, a fully screen-printed functional electrode plate containing chitosan/PANi-Bi nanoparticle@graphene oxide multi-walled carbon nanotubes is utilized for the rapid detection of heavy metal ions. This device can perform wireless data transmission and analysis and in situ signal acquisition and processing. The sensor exhibits a high sensitivity (Hg2+: 88.34 µA ppm-1 cm-2; Cu2+: 0.956 µA ppm-1 cm-2), low limit of detection (Hg2+: 10 ppb, Cu2+: 0.998 ppm) and high selectivity during the detection of copper and mercury ions in tap water under non-laboratory conditions, and the results of real-time tests reveal that parameters measured in the field and laboratory environments are identical. Hence, this small, portable, electrochemical sensor with a screen-printed electrode can be effectively used for the real-time detection of copper and mercury ions in complex water environments.

A smartphone ocular alignment measurement app in school screening for strabismus.

BACKGROUND: Strabismus is the leading risk factor for amblyopia, which should be early detected for minimized visual impairment. However, traditional school screening for strabismus can be challenged due to several factors, most notably training, mobility and cost. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a smartphone application in school vision screening for detection of strabismus. METHODS: The beta smartphone application, EyeTurn, can measure ocular misalignment by computerized Hirschberg test. The application was used by a school nurse in a routine vision screening for 133 elementary school children. All app measurements were reviewed by an ophthalmologist to assess the rate of successful measurement and were flagged for in-person verification with prism alternating cover test (PACT) using a 2.4Δ threshold (root mean squared error of the app). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the best sensitivity and specificity for an 8Δ threshold (recommended by AAPOS) with the PACT measurement as ground truth. RESULTS: The nurse obtained at least one successful app measurement for 93% of children (125/133). 40 were flagged for PACT, of which 6 were confirmed to have strabismus, including 4 exotropia (10△, 10△, 14△ and 18△), 1 constant esotropia (25△) and 1 accommodative esotropia (14△). Based on the ROC curve, the optimum threshold for the app to detect strabismus was determined to be 3.0△, with the best sensitivity (83.0%), specificity (76.5%). With this threshold the app would have missed one child with accommodative esotriopia, whereas conventional screening missed 3 cases of intermittent extropia. CONCLUSIONS: Results support feasibility of use of the app by personnel without professional training in routine school screenings to improve detection of strabismus.

Interactive multi-criteria group decision-making with probabilistic linguistic information for emergency assistance of COVID-19.

This paper develops a new method for interactive multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) with probabilistic linguistic information and applies to the emergency assistance area selection of COVID-19 for Wuhan. First, a new possibility degree for PLTSs is defined and a new possibility degree algorithm is devised to rank a series of probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTSs). Second, some new operational laws of PLTSs based on the Archimedean copulas and co-copulas are defined. A generalized probabilistic linguistic Choquet (GPLC) operator and a generalized probabilistic linguistic hybrid Choquet (GPLHC) operator are developed and their desirable properties are discussed in details. Third, a tri-objective nonlinear programming model is constructed to determine the weights of DMs. This model is transformed into a linear programming model to solve. The fuzzy measures of criterion subsets are derived objectively by establishing a goal programming model. Fourth, using the probabilistic linguistic Gumbel weighted average (PLGWA) operator, the collective normalized decision matrix is obtained by aggregating all individual normalized decision matrices. The overall evaluation values of alternatives are derived by the probabilistic linguistic Gumbel hybrid Choquet (PLGHC) operator. The ranking order of alternatives is generated. Finally, an emergency assistance example is illustrated to validate the proposed method of this paper.

[Overlapping Cervical Cell Image Segmentation Based on Bottleneck Detection and Watershed Algorithm].

This study proposes an image segmentation method based on bottleneck detection and watershed algorithm to solve the problem of overlapping cervical cell image. First, we use polygon approximation to get all feature points on the cell contour and then use bottleneck detection and ellipse fitting to obtain the correct split point pairs. Therefore, the approximate range of the overlapping region was determined. The watershed algorithm was used to obtain the internal boundary information for the gradient image of the region. Finally, the segmentation results of the overlapped cells were obtained by superimposing with the outer contour. The experimental results show that this algorithm can segment the contour of a single cell from the overlapping cervical cell images with good accuracy and integrity. The segmentation result is close to that of doctors' manual marking, and the segmentation result is better than other existing algorithms.

Fabrication of Polymeric Ferrocene Nanoparticles for Electrochemical Aptasensing of Protein with Target-Catalyzed Hairpin Assembly.

Herein we describe a novel isothermal and enzyme-free electrochemical aptasensor for protein detection via the employment of polymeric ferrocene nanoparticles (PFcNPs) and target-catalyzed hairpin assembly amplification. The synthesized PFcNPs not only load numerous Fc molecules for enhanced electrochemical output but also possess plenty of amino groups, which increase the water solubility and facilitate the conjugation with the aptamer toward the recognition of target protein. After the formation of an aptamer/protein complex, the conformation of the DNA probe changes, which further triggers hairpin assembly on top of DNA tetrahedral structures modified on the electrode interface. The process can be recycled, and multiple PFcNPs are localized on the electrode. Thus, an amplified electrochemical signal is able to be recorded, which is sufficient to achieve a demonstrated limit of detection as low as 67 fM. This developed aptasensor can also discriminate target protein from other interfering substances with a high selectivity. Furthermore, it has been successfully applied in diluted real blood serum samples. All of these features make the present methodology a promising candidate for ultratrace protein biosensors.

Corneal remodeling and spatial profiles following small incision lenticule extraction.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the three-dimensional corneal spatial profiles following small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) based on corneal asphericity, thickness, and volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-three eyes in 83 patients who underwent SMILE were examined before and 1 and 6 months after surgery. The asphericity of the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces was analyzed. Corneal volume (CV) was measured in corneal regions measuring 3.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 7.0 mm in diameter. Mean corneal thickness (CT) values were acquired at the apex (0.0 mm) and in four concentric radial zones from the apex (with diameters of 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0 mm). RESULTS: The mean anterior Q value increased from - 0.32 preoperatively to 0.67 at 1 month and 0.62 at 6 months postoperatively. The mean posterior Q value decreased from - 0.30 preoperatively to - 0.26 at 1 month and to - 0.25 at 6 months postoperatively. The CV increased by 0.05 ± 0.06 mm3 (1.40%), 0.06 ± 0.11 mm3 (0.83%), and 0.09 ± 0.17 mm3 (0.73%) along the radial zones with respective diameters of 3.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 7.0 mm. The CT increased by 6.02 ± 6.48 µm (1.36%) at the apex and then decreased with increasing distance from the center, i.e., to 5.52 ± 6.31 µm (1.20%) at 2.0 mm, 4.72 ± 6.55 µm (0.92%) at 4.0 mm, 4.47 ± 7.86 µm (0.75%) at 6.0 mm, and 4.86 ± 10.31 µm (0.70%) at 8.0 mm. No correlations were observed between changes in CV and CT and refractive fluctuation between 1 month and 6 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The corneal profile displayed a less oblate shift on the anterior surface; however, the posterior surface showed a slight backward shift during the postoperative period. The CV and CT steadily increased after surgery and mainly within the operative zones. Refraction remained stable postoperatively and was not affected by the corneal remodeling.

Ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of miRNA based on DNA strand displacement polymerization and Ca2+-dependent DNAzyme cleavage.

miRNAs are novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for a diversity of diseases like cancers. In this study, an ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensor for miRNA evaluation is fabricated. A methylene blue (MB) labeled DNA probe is firstly modified on a gold electrode. By employing target induced strand displacement amplification and subsequent DNAzyme cleavage cycles, a large number of MB molecules are released. The decreased oxidation peak current could be used to reveal the miRNA concentration. Based on the two efficient signal amplifications, this method shows ultrahigh sensitivity. Its feasibility for the analysis of miRNA in cell lysates is also demonstrated. Therefore, the method shows attractive potential for promising applications in early diagnosis of certain diseases.

Acylated Aminooligosaccharides with Inhibitory Effects against α-Amylase from Streptomyces sp. HO1518.

Five new acylated aminooligosaccharides (1⁻5), together with one known related analogue (6), were isolated from Streptomyces sp. HO1518. Their structure was identified by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR data and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and by comparison with those reported in the literature. All of the new compounds showed more promising porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) inhibitory activities than the clinical drug acarbose, indicating them as potential pharmaceutical drug leads toward type II diabetes.

The effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on serum lipid level and TLR4 expression of monocyte in peripheral blood of rats.

OBJECTIVE: To observe effect of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on serum lipid level and expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in rats' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). METHODS: Fifty Wistar female rats were divided into three groups: normal control (NC group; n=10), sham group (n=10), and L-T-4 (L-thyroxine) group (n=30, with thyroidectomy, fed with rich-calcium water after operation. 5 weeks later, abdominal subcutaneous injection of L-T-4: 0.95 µg/100g/d). 8 weeks later, the rats were killed then the peripheral blood was collected to determine the levels of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroid hormone (TT4), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C). Rats in L-T-4 group were divided into normal lipid (NL) group) and high lipid (HL) group) according to lipid value of NC group. Monocytes were separated from blood to determine TLR4 expression by flow cytometry. RESULTS: In NL and HL groups TSH were higher than in NC and Sham groups (p<0.05). TT4 have no significant differences (p>0.05). TLR4, TLR4 mRNA, NF-κB (p65) were increased (p<0.05). TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß were higher than in NC and sham groups (p<0.01). There were no significant differences of TLR4, TLR4 mRNA, NF-κB (p65), TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß expression between NL and HL groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: TLR4, TLR4 mRNA, NF-κB (p65) of PBMC and TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß expression in serum were all increased in SCH rats, which was not related to serum dyslipidemia.

Determination of cinnamaldehyde, thymol and eugenol in essential oils by LC-MS/MS and antibacterial activity of them against bacteria.

Plant essential oils contain many secondary metabolites, some of which can effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, so it is a very promising antibacterial agent. In this study, a qualitative and quantitative method based on high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of three bioactive substances, cinnamaldehyde (CNM), thymol (THY), and eugenol (EUG), in the essential oils of plants. Necessary tests for linearity, limit of quantification, recovery, carryover contamination and precision of the method were carried out. Then, the antibacterial activity of 3 bioactive compounds against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentration and the synergistic antimicrobial effect. The results indicated that CNM, THY and EUG had good antibacterial activity. According to the results of fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI), it is considered that CNM + THY and CNM + THY + EUG has obvious synergistic inhibitory effect on E. coli, and CNM + THY and CNM + EUG has obvious synergistic inhibitory effect on S. aureus. Finally, we analyzed the effect of the bioactive compounds on trace elements in bacteria and found significant changes in magnesium, calcium, copper and iron.

A Ribulose-5-phosphate Shunt from the Calvin-Benson Cycle to Methylerythritol Phosphate Pathway for Enhancing Photosynthetic Terpenoid Production.

Cyanobacteria are attractive hosts for photosynthetic terpenoid production, using CO2 as the sole carbon source. Although the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway is superior to the mevalonate pathway for cyanobacterial terpenoid synthesis, the first reaction of the MEP pathway, which is catalyzed by 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) synthase, involves complex regulation and carbon loss. Here, we constructed a direct route linking ribulose-5-phosphate (Ru5P) in the Calvin-Benson (CB) cycle with DXP in the MEP pathway in a cyanobacterium to increase the terpenoid yield from CO2 and bypass the DXS-targeted regulations. By employing the adaptive laboratory evolution, we identified new RibB variants including RibB 90-92del with a high activity of synthesizing DXP from Ru5P. These RibB variants were introduced into Synechococcus elongatus, resulting in the significantly increased photosynthetic production of isopentenol. The 13C tracer experiments demonstrated a direct carbon flow from Ru5P in the CB cycle to the MEP pathway; thus, this direct route was denoted as the Ru5P shunt. The strain harboring the Ru5P shunt produced 105.2 mg L-1 of isopentenol with an average rate of 17.5 mg L-1 d-1 under continuous light conditions, which is higher than those ever reported for five-carbon alcohol production by photoautotrophic microorganisms. Utilization of the Ru5P shunt in cyanobacterial cells also improved the pinene production, which demonstrates that this shunt can be used to enhance the photosynthetic production of diverse terpenoids.

Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles with Green Tea for Inhibition of ß-Amyloid Fibrillation Coupled with Ligands Analysis.

Background: Inhibition of amyloid ß protein fragment (Aß) aggregation is considered to be one of the most effective strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been found to be effective in this regard; however, owing to its low bioavailability, nanodelivery is recommended for practical applications. Compared to chemical reduction methods, biosynthesis avoids possible biotoxicity and cumbersome preparation processes. Materials and Methods: The interaction between EGCG and Aß42 was simulated by molecular docking, and green tea-conjugated gold nanoparticles (GT-Au NPs) and EGCG-Au NPs were synthesized using EGCG-enriched green tea and EGCG solutions, respectively. Surface active molecules of the particles were identified and analyzed using various liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry methods. ThT fluorescence assay, circular dichroism, and TEM were used to investigate the effect of synthesized particles on the inhibition of Aß42 aggregation. Results: EGCG as well as apigenin, quercetin, baicalin, and glutathione were identified as capping ligands stabilized on the surface of GT-Au NPs. They more or less inhibited Aß42 aggregation or promoted fibril disaggregation, with EGCG being the most effective, which bound to Aß42 through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, etc. resulting in 39.86% and 88.50% inhibition of aggregation and disaggregation effects, respectively. EGCG-Au NPs were not as effective as free EGCG, whereas multiple thiols and polyphenols in green tea accelerated and optimized heavy metal detoxification. The synthesized GT-Au NPs conferred the efficacy of diverse ligands to the particles, with inhibition of aggregation and disaggregation effects of 54.69% and 88.75%, respectively, while increasing the yield, enhancing water solubility, and decreasing cost. Conclusion: Biosynthesis of nanoparticles using green tea is a promising simple and economical drug-carrying approach to confer multiple pharmacophore molecules to Au NPs. This could be used to design new drug candidates to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Identification of plant microRNAs using convolutional neural network.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are of significance in tuning and buffering gene expression. Despite abundant analysis tools that have been developed in the last two decades, plant miRNA identification from next-generation sequencing (NGS) data remains challenging. Here, we show that we can train a convolutional neural network to accurately identify plant miRNAs from NGS data. Based on our methods, we also present a user-friendly pure Java-based software package called Small RNA-related Intelligent and Convenient Analysis Tools (SRICATs). SRICATs encompasses all the necessary steps for plant miRNA analysis. Our results indicate that SRICATs outperforms currently popular software tools on the test data from five plant species. For non-commercial users, SRICATs is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/sricats.

Rapid classification and identification of chemical compositions of Pu-zhi-hui-ling decoction by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS.

Pu-zhi-hui-ling decoction (PZHLD) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its chemical composition has not been reported. In this study, we aimed to establish a mass spectrometry (MS) analysis method for rapid classification and identification of the chemical constituents in PZHLD. The sample was analysed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). The chemical constituents of PZHLD were identified based on accurate MS data, fragmentation characteristics of MS/MS, and reference information described in the literature. A total of 123 chemical constituents were identified. In addition, we summarised the fragmentation pathways of the chemical constituents in PZHLD. Our finding might lay the foundation for the further pharmacodynamic study and clinical application of PZHLD.