Rapid identification of triptolide in Tripterygium wilfordii products by gold immunochromatographic assay.

Triptolide colloidal gold immunoassay strip was prepared by using colloidal gold labeled monoclonal antibody purified with saturated ammonium sulfate, triptolide succinate-bovine serum albumin and sheep anti-mouse IgG for the first time in our lab. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit of TP strip prepared in this study were determined to be 1 µg/mL and the total analysis time (including sample preparation) was less than 50 min. Sixty-six batches of Tripterygium wilfordii (T. wilfordii) and its adulterations were analyzed. It was found that 28 batches of T. wilfordii were positive as detected by the strips and 38 batches were negative. The result of test strip detection was in consistent with that from the UFLC-ESI-MS/MS method. Gold immunochromatography assay was demonstrated as a rapid, cost-effective, reliable technique for on-site screening of T. wilfordii and its preparations. The prepared colloidal gold immunoassay strip can be conveniently used for rapid identification of triptolide containing products.

[Recent advances in analysis of endogenous toxic components in traditional Chinese medicines].

Endogenous toxic components have become an important topic in the field of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Since the endogenous toxic components in TCMs are often used as clinical effective components, the safety and effectiveness of endogenous toxic substances has become an important part of the research of TCMs. In this paper, the classification and evaluation criteria of toxic Chinese medicinal materials are described, and the analytical methods of endogenous components in TCMs are summarized and expounded base on with the techniques of chromatography, spectroscopy, immunoassay, and so on. On this basis, the problems in terms of endogenous toxic components are analyzed and discussed. This paper could provide ideas and methods for the evaluation of the validity and safety of TCMs containing endogenous toxic components.

Ammonia volatilization from a Chinese cabbage field under different nitrogen treatments in the Taihu Lake Basin, China.

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is a major pathway of nitrogen (N) loss from soil-crop systems. As vegetable cultivation is one of the most important agricultural land uses worldwide, a deeper understanding of NH3 volatilization is necessary in vegetable production systems. We therefore conducted a 3-year (2010-2012) field experiment to characterize NH3 volatilization and evaluate the effect of different N fertilizer treatments on this process during the growth period of Chinese cabbage. Ammonia volatilization rate, rainfall, soil water content, pH, and soil NH4(+) were measured during the growth period. The results showed that NH3 volatilization was significantly and positively correlated to topsoil pH and NH4(+) concentration. Climate factors and fertilization method also significantly affected NH3 volatilization. Specifically, organic fertilizer (OF) increased NH3 volatilization by 11.77%-18.46%, compared to conventional fertilizer (CF, urea), while organic-inorganic compound fertilizer (OIF) reduced NH3 volatilization by 8.82%-12.67% compared to CF. Furthermore, slow-release fertilizers had significantly positive effects on controlling NH3 volatilization, with a 60.73%-68.80% reduction for sulfur-coated urea (SCU), a 71.85%-78.97% reduction for biological Carbon Power® urea (BCU), and a 77.66%-83.12% reduction for bulk-blend controlled-release fertilizer (BBCRF) relative to CF. This study provides much needed baseline information, which will help in fertilizer choice and management practices to reduce NH3 volatilization and encourage the development of new strategies for vegetable planting.