Dietary supplementation Eucommia ulmoides extract at high content served as a feed additive in the hens industry.

Since numerous natural components in Eucommia ulmoides belong to phytoestrogen, its effect on hens production deserve more attention. To investigate the potential of E. ulmoides extract used as a feed additive, laying performance, egg quality, yolk cholesterol, yolk fatty acids, yolk fatty, yolk volatile components, albumen amino acids, plasma biochemical parameters, intestinal histology, and gut microbiota of hens (n = 120) were determined between basal diet (A) and dietary supplementation low (B), middle (C), and high (D) level E. ulmoides extract for 11 wk. When compared to A group, 2 percentage points elevation in laying rate was observed of D group. Significant up-regulation of immunoglobulin indexes and down-regulation of lipid related indexes in D group were also found if comparison with A group, suggesting that supplementation E. ulmoides extract at a relative high content benefited in immunity enhancing and blood-fat depressing. Meanwhile, obvious variation in albumen amino acids and yolk volatile compounds were inspected as dietary supplementation E. ulmoides extract, especially in D group, implied that the flavor of egg would change under high-level E. ulmoides extract treatment. Besides, villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum in D group were also significantly higher than that of in A group, indicating high-level E. ulmoides extract contributed to nutrient adsorption via intestinal histology changing. Moreover, the richness, diversity, and composition of gut microbiota in D group also significantly altered with a comparison of A group. These variation caused gut microbiota in D group major enriched in the KEGG pathway of insulin signing pathway, systemic lupus erythematosus, and bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, which were conducive to egg production elevation via facilitating nutrient adsorption, inflammation relieving, blood lipid amelioration, and insulin resistance alleviation. These results indicated that dietary supplementation E. ulmoides extract at high content could serve as a feed additive in the hens industry.

Online coupling solid-phase ligand-fishing with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry for rapid screening and identification of xanthine oxidase inhibitors in natural products.

Screening and analysis of bioactive compounds from natural products is challenging work due to their complexity. This study presents the first report on hyphenation of solid-phase ligand-fishing using immobilized xanthine oxidase microcolumn (IXOM) and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS) for screening and identification of XO inhibitors from complex mixtures. Solid-phase ligand-fishing system was hyphenated with the HPLC system via four-port switching valve and a six-port injection valve as an interface for transferring effluents from IXOM to HPLC, and collecting chromatograms from LFMC (ligand-fishing microextraction column) and C18 column in a run by only one DAD. Mixtures containing allopurinol (positive control) and tryptophane (negative control) were analyzed in order to verify the specificity and reproducibility of the approach. Subsequently, the newly developed system was applied to screening and identification of XO inhibitors from L. macranthoides and its human microsomal metabolites. Six prototype compounds (3-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid) and three metabolites (3-caffeoyl-epi-quinic acid, 5-caffeoyl-epi-quinic acid, 4-caffeoyl-epi-quinic acid) with XO binding affinities were identified. The XO inhibition activities of six prototype compounds were evaluated and confirmed using in vitro enzymatic assay. With the online system developed here, we present a feasible, selective, and effective strategy for rapid screening and identification of enzyme inhibitors from complex mixtures.

Preparation of magnetic dummy molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction and analysis of salicylic acid in Actinidia chinensis.

Compounds with strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds (e.g., salicylic acid) have weak intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between them and functional monomers in the imprinting process. Consequently, the corresponding molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have no specific adsorption ability. Here, the first magnetic dummy MIPs (MDMIPs) based on benzonic acid as dummy template are successfully developed and evaluated with respect to the applications in selective enrichment and analysis of salicylic acid from complex mixtures. Various parameters affecting absorption/desorption were evaluated for achieving optimal recovery and reducing nonspecific interactions. The prepared MDMIPs showed high adsorption capacity, good selectivity, rapid kinetic binding (40 min) and magnetic separation (5 s), high reproducibility (RSD< 4 % for batch-to-batch evaluation), and stability (only 4 % decrease after 6 cycles). Owing to the efficacy in specific binding and removal of interference, trace level salicylic acid was quantified (0.2 µg/g of fresh mass) in Actinidia chinensis by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Combination of preparative HPLC and HSCCC methods to separate phosphodiesterase inhibitors from Eucommia ulmoides bark guided by ultrafiltration-based ligand screening.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors are widely used because of their various pharmacological properties, and natural products are considered the most productive source of PDE inhibitors. In this work, a new ultrafiltration-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode-array detection-mass spectrometry based ligand screening was developed for the first screening of PDE inhibitors from Eucommia ulmoides bark, and then the target bioactive compounds were prepared by combination of stepwise preparative HPLC and high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) methods. Experiments were conducted to optimize the parameters in ultrafiltration, stepwise preparative HPLC, and HSCCC to allow rapid and effective screening and isolation of active compounds from complex mixtures. Seven lignans with purity over 97 % were isolated and identified by their UV, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and NMR data as (+)-pinoresinol-4,4'-di-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), (+)-pinoresinol-4-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl(1 → 6)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), (+)-medioresinol-4,4'-di-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3), (+)-syringaresinol-4,4'-di-O- ß-D-glucopyranoside (4), (-)-olivil-4'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (5), (-)-olivil-4-O-ß-D- glucopyranoside (6), and (+)-pinoresinol-4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (7). Compound 2 was first isolated from the genus Eucommia. Lignan diglucopyranosides (compounds 1-4) shower a greater inhibitory effect than lignan monoglucopyranosides (compounds 5-7). The method developed could be widely applied for high-throughput screening and preparative isolation of PDE inhibitors from natural products.

Comparative evaluation of three methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography analysis combined with a 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay for the rapid screening of antioxidants from Pueraria lobata flowers.

Traditional activity-guided fractionation of natural products is a time-consuming, labor intensive, and expensive strategy, which cannot compete with high-throughput and rapid screening of natural products. Therefore, more efficient approaches are necessary for searching active compounds from natural products. Three main methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis combined with 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, DPPH spiking HPLC analysis, on-line post-column HPLC-DPPH analysis, and HPLC-based DPPH activity profiling, were then developed for the rapid screening of antioxidants from complex mixtures. In the present study, a comparative study of these three methods has been conducted to identify antioxidants from an ethyl acetate fraction of Pueraria lobata flowers. The parameters in HPLC analysis and DPPH assay were optimized. The results indicated that all three methods could achieve similar information with regard to antioxidants, without the need for preparative isolation techniques. However, there were differences in instrumental set-up, sensitivity, and efficiency. DPPH spiking HPLC analysis seemed to be more sensitive and effective with simpler instrumental set-up and easier operation, which could also detect the total antioxidant capacity of color complexes. Eighteen antioxidants were tentatively screened and identified from P. lobata flowers by DPPH spiking HPLC-MS/MS. Among them, ten compounds including one new compound were first isolated from P. lobata flowers, and the DPPH radical scavenging activity of the new compound was reported for the first time.

[Extraction and separation of flavonoids from leave of Eucommia ulmoides in aqueous two-phase system].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the aqueous two-phase extraction and separation technology of flavonoids from the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides. METHODS: The system was prepared by dissolving suitable amounis of polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG4000) and dextran 40000 ( D40) in aqueous solution. Phase map of the system, the mass fraction of PEG4000 and D40, the effects of amount of added sample, pH value and temperature on target compounds were investigated systematically. RESULTS: The optimum extraction conditions were PEG4000 11%, N40 8%, 8 g sample which contains 6.85% of flavonoids, temperature 60 t and pH value 8. The highest extraction rate could reach to 75.82%. CONCLUSION: This method has the advantages of mild conditions, solvent-free residues and less time-consumed, and the obvious efficiency in single-stage separation and purification of flavonoids.

[Study on optimizing the analysis condition for active compound in Eucommia olive].

The absorption spectroscopic determination of aucubin by condensation with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde was optimized in this paper. A high sensitive method was established and the linearity range of the method was from 4.5 to 45 microg x mL(-1). The influences of the factors, such as the dosage of coloring agent, reaction time, heating temperature and the dose of acid etc., on the system were studied. And the result indicated that all of the factors had obvious effects on the system. The method has been applied to determining the content of aucubin in the extract of Eucommia olive with satisfactory results.

[Study on technology of extracting geniposidic acid from Eucommia ulmiodes and its application].

OBJECTIVE: To study the optimum technology of extracting bioactive component named geniposidic acid in Eucommia Ulmiodes by orthogonal test. METHOD: An orthogonal test table L16(4(5)) was used with the factors of extracting time, temperature, times, ethanol consistency and the ratio of solid to liquid. The content of geniposideic acid was determined by RP-HPLC. RESULT: The optimum technology was: temperature 50 degrees C, time 1 h, once, consistency 80%, and the ratio of solid and liquid 1:12. Under the condition, the best material of Eucommia Ulmiodes for extracting geniposidic acid was chosen. CONCLUSION: The technology can provide some theoretic advice for industry.