Two-dimensional mapping using different chromatographic separations coupled with mass spectrometry for the analysis of ginsenosides in Panax ginseng root and callus.

Two-dimensional (2D) mapping using different chromatographic separations coupled with mass spectrometry is a rapid and simple method for the analysis of a mixture using conventional liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The 2D map could be created from two different chromatograms obtained with the same detector and different columns or separation methods. In this study, 2D mapping was applied to the analysis of components contained in Panax ginseng, and was evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in the separation of these components. The several glycosides included in Panax ginseng could not be sufficiently separated by one-dimensional chromatography with a reverse phase or a hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) column, but the components of Panax ginseng could be separated and visualized as a component pattern by 2D mapping. We showed that the components contained in the calli and their quantities were altered by the culture conditions in which the calli were grown by 2D mapping. 2D mapping is expected to be a useful method for visualizing complex component patterns found in glycosides and unknown compounds in foods.

Nanotrap and mass analysis of aromatic molecules by phenyl group-modified nanoparticle.

To functionalize the surface of nanoparticles with phenyl groups for subsequent cross-linking with aromatic molecules by mutual interactions, we prepared functional nanoparticles (d = 3 nm) by silanization with phenyl-triethoxysilane. The nanoparticles had Fe(2)O(3) cores conjugated to phenyl groups; this was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and absorption spectrophotometry. The typical C-H and C-C peaks and the absorption at 240 nm, which corresponds to aromatic rings, were detected in the spectroscopic results for the phenyl group-modified nanoparticles. The nanoparticles could ionize aromatic (colchicine, reserpine, and bradykinin peptide) and nonaromatic (L-α-phosphatidylethanolamine,dioleoyl, and polyethylene glycol) molecules by nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The nanoparticles worked as a selective trap and an ionization-assisting reagent in mass spectrometry for the aromatic molecular targets.

Mass spectrometric imaging of ginsenosides localization in Panax ginseng root.

We performed mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) to localize ginsenosides (Rb(1), Rb(2) or Rc, and Rf) in cross-sections of the Panax ginseng root at a resolution of 100 microm using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) of alkali metal-adducted ginsenoside ions revealed structural information of the corresponding saccharides and aglycone. MALDI-MSI confirmed that ginsenosides were located more in the cortex and the periderm than that in the medulla of a lateral root. In addition, it revealed that localization of ginsenosides in a root tip (diameter, 2.7 mm) is higher than that in the center of the root (diameter, 7.3 mm). A quantitative difference was detected between localizations of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside (Rb(1), Rb(2), or Rc) and protopanaxatriol-type ginsenoside (Rf) in the root. This imaging approach is a promising technique for rapid evaluation and identification of medicinal saponins in plant tissues.

Effect of an herbal formula containing Ganoderma lucidum on reduction of herpes zoster pain: a pilot clinical trial.

Administration of hot water extracts of a herbal formula containing Ganoderma lucidum, WTMCGEPP (Wisteria floribunda 0.38, Trapa natans 0.38, Miristica agrans 0.38, Coix lachryma-jobi 0.75, cultivated Ganoderma lucidum 0.75, Elfuinga applanata 0.38, tissue cultured Panax ginseng 0.3, and Punica granatum 0.38: numerals designate dry weight gram/dose), decreased herpes zoster pain for five Japanese patients suffering from shingles. Pain relief started within a few days of intake and was almost complete within 10 days. Two acute herpes zoster with manifestations including trigeminal nerve ophthalmia (both 74 years old), lower body zoster (70 years old), herpes zoster oticus (17 years old), and leg herpes (28 years old), responded quickly to treatment and no patient developed post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) after more than one year of follow-up.

A novel carbon skeletal trichothecane, tenuipesine A, isolated from an entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces tenuipes.

Tenuipesine A (1), a novel trichothecane with an unprecedented carbon-migrated skeleton that embodies of a cyclopropane ring, was isolated from cultivated fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes (Isaria japonica), a popular entomopathogenic fungi employed in folk medicine and health foods in China, Korea, and Japan. The structure was determined on the basis of two-dimensional NMR data. Its stereochemistry was elucidated by spectroscopic data and the chemical transformation of the coexisting trichothecene, 4beta-acetoxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene-3alpha,15-diol (2). [structure: see text]

Novel spirocyclic trichothecanes, spirotenuipesine A and B, isolated from entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces tenuipes.

Entomopathogenic fungi forming fruiting bodies have been employed as tonics and antitussives from ancient times. Paecilomyces tenuipes, which is also called Isaria japonica, is a very popular entomopathogenic fungus and is often considered a health food in northeast Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan. We cultivated the fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes. Among the large-scale cultivations, fruiting body grown in barley grain contained two novel spirocyclic trichothecane derivatives, spirotenuipesine A (1) and B (2), and known trichothecane mycotoxins. Compounds 1 and 2 showed potent activity in neurotrophic factor biosynthesis in glial cells. The isolation of these compounds indicated that P. tenuipes is a promising source for producing various biologically active substances including trichothecanes. It is noteworthy that trichothecane mycotoxins are present in Paecilomyces tenuipes, which is typically used in medicinal health food.