The Epidemiology of Tinea Capitis in Guangxi Province, China.

The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis in Guangxi, southern China. A multicenter prospective descriptive study was conducted in 8 hospitals across Guangxi. From January 2019 to July 2022, one hundred seventy-one (171) patients diagnosed with tinea capitis were included. Demographic data, risk factors, and fungal data were collected. If necessary, species were further identified by morphological or molecular sequencing in the central laboratory. Of the 171 cases of tinea capitis, 74.3% occurred in patients aged 2-8 years. Children with tinea capitis were mainly boys (59.6%) and were more likely than adults to have a history of animal contact (44.2% vs. 33.3%) and zoophilic dermatophyte infection (76.9% vs. 46.7%, P = 0.008). The adults were mainly female (53%) and were more likely than children to have a history of infection with anthropophilic organisms (53.3% vs. 18.9%). The causative agents of tinea capitis in Guangxi were diverse, and the most common pathogen was Microsporum canis (M. cani, n = 98, 62%), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (T. mentagrophytes n = 18, 11.4%) and Trichophyton tonsurans (T. tonsurans n = 12, 7.6%). In addition, tinea capitis caused by Nannizzia incurvata (N. incurvata) and Trichophyton verrucosum (T. verrucosum) was detected in the study. Notably, the proportion of patients with kerion in the study was 41.5% (n = 71), and most of those patients were children (n = 68), especially neglected children living in the rural mountainous areas of Guangxi, where they were unable to receive timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. In conclusion, the causative agents of tinea capitis in Guangxi, South China, are diverse, and the incidence of kerion is high, indicating that diagnosis and treatment modalities in the region remain grossly inadequate. Clinicians and policy-makers should collaborate to adopt public health strategies to control the disease.

Metabolic profiling comparison of isovitexin in normal and kidney stone model rats by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Isovitexin, a bioactive flavonoid constituent isolated from Desmodii Styracifolii, is considered an adjuvant for antiurolithiasis diseases. In this study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was developed to characterize and compare the metabolic profiling of isovitexin experimented on normal and kidney stone model rats. The comparative research indicated that 28 metabolites (18 phase I and 10 phase II) in normal rats and 33 metabolites (20 phase I and 13 phase II) in kidney stone model rats were initially identified. The results of relative quantitative determination reflected that the contents of metabolites produced by deglycosylation, reduction, and isomerization in kidney stone model rats were greater than those in healthy rats. Instead, the levels of oxidative and dehydrogenated metabolites in normal groups were higher than those in kidney stone model groups. The results of this study are valuable and important for understanding the metabolic process of isovitexin in clinical application, and especially the metabolism study in kidney stone model rats could provide a beneficial reference for the further search of effective substances associated with the treatment of kidney stones.

Comparative metabolism of schaftoside in healthy and calcium oxalate kidney stone rats by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method.

Schaftoside is a flavone-C-glycoside isolated from Herba Desmodii Styracifolii with valuable anti-kidney stones efficacies. In this study, a six-step strategy was first developed to detect and identify the metabolites in plasma, urine, bile, feces and rat intestinal bacteria samples of healthy and model rats administrated with schaftoside using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The number and the relative peak area of metabolites in healthy rats and model rats were compared, and it was noticed that metabolites in bio-samples of healthy and model rats both had obvious differences. A total of 28 metabolites of schaftoside in healthy rats and 30 metabolites in model rats were initially indentified. The relative peak area of the parent drug and every metabolite in model rat plasma samples were larger than those in healthy rat plasma. Those metabolites with high blood concentrations might be beneficial for the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in the kidney. The results are valuable and important for understanding the metabolic process of schaftoside in clinical application, and especially the metabolism study in calcium oxalate kidney stone model rats could provide a beneficial reference for the further search of effective substances associated with the treatment of kidney stones.

Structural characterization and screening of chemical markers of flavonoids in Lysimachiae Herba and Desmodii Styracifolii Herba by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry based metabolomics approach.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Lysimachiae Herba (LH) and Desmodii Styracifolii Herba (DSH) have been widely used for the treatment of calculi, but there is a certain focus in clinical application. Flavonoids as their pharmacologically active substances were focusly studied to make clear of their chemical compositions and reveal the similarities and differences between LH and DHS by analysis of characteristic marker components at the molecular level. An ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) approach based on metabolite profiling was established. The high-resolution data was acquired through data dependent acquisition (DDA) mode. Based on the targeted and untargeted analytical strategies, a total of 113 compounds were identified, of which 80 compounds existed in LH and 61 in DSH. Then multivariate statistical analysis was applied to further find the characteristic marker components, and a total number of 21 variables were screened as the valuable variables for discrimination. By matching with identified flavonoids, these 21 variables were corresponding to 15 flavonoids (including 6 from LH and 9 from DSH) which were firstly identified as the marker compounds. These results indicated that the UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS method with analysis strategy was a powerful tool for rapidly identification and screening of marker compounds of flavonoids between LH and DSH, and the 15 screened marker compounds provide a chemical basis for the further researches on the mechanisms of LH and DSH in the treatment of cholelithiasis and nephrolithiasis respectively.

Metabolites study on 5-O-methylvisammioside in vivo and in vitro by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

5-O-Methylvisammioside is one of major chromones of Radix Saposhnikoviae possessing definite pharmacological activities, but there are few reports with respect to the metabolism of 5-O-methylvisammioside. In this work, metabolites in vivo were explored in male Sprague-Dawley rats and in vitro investigated on rat intestinal bacteria incubation model and were identified by using ultra high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. An online data acquisition method based on a multiple mass defect filter and dynamic background subtraction was developed to trace all probable metabolites. As a result, 26 metabolites in vivo (including 18, 15, 10, and 10 in rat urine, faece, bile, and blood) and 7 metabolites in vitro were characterized, respectively. Additionally, the main metabolic pathways in vivo and in vitro, including deglycosylation, deglycosylation + demethylation, deglycosylation + oxidation, N-acetylation, and sulfate conjugation, were summarized by calculating the relative content of each metabolite. The obtained results significantly enriched our knowledge about 5-O-methylvisammioside metabolism and will lead to a better understanding of its safety and efficacy.

Determination and Quantitative Comparison of Nucleosides in two Cordyceps by HPLC-ESI-MS-MS.

A hybrid quadruple linear ion trap liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) analytical method has been developed for simultaneous determination of 13 nucleosides from Cordyceps cicadae and Cordyceps sinensis for assessing whether C. cicadae can become a substitute for C. sinensis, based on that C. cicadae has in common with C. sinensis for treating chronic diseases. Among the 13 compounds, three compounds including cytidine, hypoxanthine and 2'-deoxyguanosine were firstly identified and quantified in C. cicadae. Ideal separation was achieved in one single LC-MS-MS run of 12 min by optimized chromatographic conditions. The identification and quantification analysis of target compounds were performed in electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The limit of detection and quantity for 13 compounds were <42.0 and 84.2 ng/mL, respectively. The determination results of 12 batches of C. sinensis and 20 batches of C. cicadae were then analyzed and classified by multivariate statistical analysis. C. cicadae contained a relatively higher level of three nucleosides (cytidine, uracil and 2'-deoxyuridine) than those in C. sinensis. The results of this study provided the theoretical basis for the substitution of C. sinensis with C. cicadae. The optimized method could be used for the quality control and investigate bioactive compound variation of Cordyceps.

Simultaneous detection of four flavonoids and two alkaloids in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application to a comparative study of the pharmacokinetics between Abri Herba and Abri mollis Herba extract after oral administration.

Abri Herba and Abri mollis Herba both were important members of the Leguminosae family in southwestern China. Abri mollis Herba was often used as Abri Herba due to their proximity, but there are few studies on pharmacokinetics to compare their main identical active compositions. A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method in the positive/negative electrospray ionization switching mode was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of four flavonoids and two alkaloids in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a C18 column with a gradient mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.5% acetic acid. The detection of the target compounds was conducted in multiple-reaction monitoring mode with a hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with positive/negative ion-switching electrospray ion source. The differences in pharmacokinetics were discovered, which indicated that the substitution between them is some degree of irrationality. The validated method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of the six components in male rat plasma after oral administration of Abri Herba and Abri mollis Herba extract and the results in the study would provide a useful guide for the clinical application of Abri Herba with those in Abri mollis Herba.