Pharmacokinetics and molecular docking of the cardioprotective flavonoids in Dalbergia odorifera.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the cardioprotective effects and pharmacokinetics of Dalbergia odorifera flavonoids. The cardioprotective effects were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining histopathological observations and the detection of myocardial enzymes by kits in serum, peroxidation and antioxidant levels and ATPase activities by kits in the homogenate supernatant, and antioxidant and apoptosis-related protein expression in heart tissue by immunohistochemistry. The pharmacokinetics parameters of the flavonoids in rat plasma were investigated by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Molecular docking of the compounds absorbed by the blood with specific proteins was carried out. D. odorifera flavonoids significantly reduced the levels of creatinine kinase, alanine transaminase, nitric oxide, and Hydrogen peroxide, elevated the levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and ATPase, significantly reduced the pathological degree of heart tissue and had obvious anti-myocardial ischemia efficacy. Nine out of the 17 flavonoids were detected in rat plasma. The peak concentration and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve values of 3'-O-methylviolanone and sativanone were significantly higher than those of other ingredients. The peak time of most flavonoids (except for Genistein and Pruneion) was lower than 2 h, while the half-life of elimination of the nine flavonoids ranged from 3.32 to 21.5 h. The molecular docking results showed that daidzein, dalbergin, formononetin, and genistein had the potential to bind to the target proteins. The results of the study provide an important basis for understanding the cardioprotective effects and clinical application of D. odorifera.

Centrifugation-Assisted Solid-Phase Extraction Coupled with UPLC-MS/MS for the Determination of Mycotoxins in ARECAE Semen and Its Processed Products.

Mycotoxins can occur naturally in a variety of agriculture products, including cereals, feeds, and Chinese herbal medicines (TCMs), via pre- and post-harvest contamination and are regulated worldwide. However, risk mitigation by monitoring for multiple mycotoxins remains a challenge using existing methods due to their complex matrices. A multi-toxin method for 22 mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, M2; ochratoxin A, B, C; Fumonisin B1, B2, B3; 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, diace-toxyscirpenol, HT-2, T-2, deepoxy-deoxynivalenol, deoxynivalenol, neosolaniol, zearalenone, and sterigmatocystin) using centrifugation-assisted solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up prior to ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis for Arecae Semen and its processed products was developed and validated. Several experimental parameters affecting the extraction and clean-up efficiency were systematically optimized. The results indicated good linearity in the range of 0.1-1000 µg/kg (r2 > 0.99), low limits of detection (ranging from 0.04 µg/kg to 1.5 µg/kg), acceptable precisions, and satisfactory recoveries for the selected mycotoxins. The validated method was then applied to investigate mycotoxin contamination levels in Areca catechu and its processed products. The mycotoxins frequently contaminating Areca catechu were aflatoxins (AFs), and the average contamination level and number of co-occurring mycotoxins in the Arecae Semen slices (Binlangpian) were higher than those in commercially whole Arecae Semen and Arecae Semen Tostum (Jiaobinlang). Sterigmatocystin was detected in 5 out of 30 Arecae Semen slices. None of the investigated mycotoxins were detected in Arecae pericarpium (Dafupi). The results demonstrated that centrifugation-assisted SPE coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS can be a useful tool for the analysis of multiple mycotoxins in Areca catechu and its processed products.

Development of a Reliable ic-ELISA with a Robust Antimatrix Interference Capability Based on QuEChERS Technology for the Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Edible and Medical Coix Seeds and Subsequent Risk Assessments.

Indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) is an ideal immunoassay method for large-scale screenings to detect mycotoxin contaminants. However, the matrix effect of complicated samples has always been challenging when performing immunoassays, as it leads to false-positive or negative results. In this study, convenient QuEChERS technology combined with optimizing the dilution solvent was ingeniously used to eliminate interference from the sample matrix to greatly improve the detection accuracy, and reliable ic-ELISAs for the two official tolerance levels of 60 and 500 µg/kg were developed to screen zearalenone (ZEN) in edible and medical coix seeds without any further correction. Then, the 122 batches of coix seeds were determined, and the positive rate was up to 97.54%. The contaminated distribution was further analyzed, and risk assessment was subsequently performed for its edible and medical purposes. The findings indicated that consumption of coix seeds with higher ZEN contamination levels may cause adverse health effects for both medical and edible consumption in the adult population; even under the condition of average contamination level, ZEN from coix seeds was the more prominent contributor to the total risk compared to other sources when used as food; thus, effective prevention and control should be an essential topic in the future.

Detection of seven Alternaria toxins in edible and medicinal herbs using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Alternaria mycotoxins are ubiquitous mycotoxins that contaminate food and animal feed. Here, an UPLC-MS/MS was developed and used for the detection of seven Alternaria mycotoxins in 19 different edible and medicinal herbs. Extensive optimization resulted in a simple and convenient sample preparation procedure with satisfactory extraction and a lower matrix effect. LOQs ranged from 0.01 to 2.0 ng/mL. Recoveries varied between 71.44% and 112.65%, with RSD less than 12%. The method was successfully applied for use in the mycotoxin analysis of 260 samples. A high percentage (28.46%) of samples were contaminated by 1-5 mycotoxins. Alternariol mono methylether was the predominant mycotoxin with high percentage of positive samples (37.5%), followed by alternariol (22.5%), alternariol (17.5%), tentoxin (10.83%), altertoxin Ⅰ (7.5%), and altenusin (4.17%). Collectively, the natural incidence data obtained from this study will help with better, validated risk assessments and efforts towards more comprehensive, future regulation.

Dragon's Blood from Dracaena Worldwide: Species, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology.

Dragon's blood (DB) refers mainly to the crimson resin of many Dracaena spp. DB has been used by different traditional medicine systems worldwide, including Arabic medicine, African medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Thai medicine, etc. DB are mainly used to heal wounds, kill pain, stop bleeding, and cure various diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and ulcers for over 1000 years. 11 Dracaena spp. and 3 subspecies are reported to be able to produce red resin. However, the resources are extremely deficient. Several Dracaena spp. are in threatened status. Over 300 compounds have been isolated from Dracaena spp., mainly including flavonoids, steroids, and phenolics. DB exhibits anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antithrombotic, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties, which explain its wound healing effects, preventive effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, dual-directional regulation of blood flow, neuroprotection and radioprotective effects. No apparent side effects or toxicity have been reported. DB are restricted from being exploited due to limited resources and unclear resin formation mechanism. It is necessary to expand the cultivation of Dracaena spp. and fully understand the mechanism underlying the resin formation process to develop an effective induction method for the sustainable utilization of DB.

[Domestic and international research progress of edible and medicinal Arecae Semen].

Arecae Semen, as the first place among "Four South Medicines" in China, has great dual-use value of medicine and food. The research of Arecae Semen was mainly focused on the active ingredients and efficacy value, and its potential safety hazards were also concerned. Until now, there is still a lack of clear boundaries between medicine and food, resulting in its safety cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish clear boundaries of medicine and food use and health risk assessment. In this paper, the differences of pretreatment and application methods of Arecae Semen were analyzed, and the research progress of Arecae Semen in chemical composition identification and toxicology research and safety evaluation were reviewed emphatically. Finally, the differences of quality control and safety evaluation of Arecae Semen in pharmacopoeias or standards were analyzed at home and abroad. It was expected to provide reference value for quality control, safety evaluation and international standardization research of Arecae Semen.

Is traumatic meniscal lesion associated with acute fracture morphology changes of tibia plateau? A series of arthroscopic analysis of 67 patients.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) has become a routine preoperative examination for tibial plateau fractures (TPFs). Assessing the location of the fragment and intercondylar eminence fracture can provide clinicians with valuable information; however, the evaluation of traumatic meniscal lesion (TML) and arthroscopic management are controversial. AIM: To predict TML by three-dimensional skeletal anatomy changes in unilateral TPF and bilateral TPF on preoperative thin layer CT. METHODS: Acute fracture of tibial plateau patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery between December 2017 and December 2019 were included in this retrospective study. The type, zone, and location of TMLs were diagnosed based on the operation records and/or arthroscopic videos. Measurement of three-dimensional fracture morphology included the following: Frontal fragment width of plateau, sagittal fragment subsiding distance (FSD), sagittal fracture line distance, sagittal posterior tibial slope, and transversal area ratio of fragment area) on preoperative CT three-dimensional plane. The correlation of TML with skeletal values was calculated according to unicondylar TPFs and bicondylar TPFs. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients were enrolled in this study, among which 30 patients had TMLs, lateral/medial (23/7). FSD was a particularly positive factor to predict TML, with odds ratio of 2.31 (1.26-5.63). On sagittal view of CT, FSD degree of 8 mm and posterior tibial slope exceeding 11.74° implied enhanced risk of TML in bicondylar TPFs. On coronal view, once fragment width of plateau surpassed 3 cm, incidence of TML reached 100%. On transverse view, area ratio of fragment as enhanced risk of 5.5% and FSD > 4.3 mm for predicting TML were observed in unicondylar TPFs. CONCLUSION: TML can be predicted by different parameters on preoperative CT views according to unicondylar fractures and bicondylar TPFs.

Molecular Mechanism Underlying Mechanical Wounding-Induced Flavonoid Accumulation in Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen, an Endangered Tree That Produces Chinese Rosewood.

Dalbergia odorifera, a critically endangered tree species, produces heartwood containing a vast variety of flavonoids. This heartwood, also known as Chinese rosewood, has high economic and medicinal value, but its formation takes several decades. In this study, we showed that discolored wood induced by pruning displays similar color, structure, and flavonoids content to those of natural heartwood, suggesting that wounding is an efficient method for inducing flavonoid production in D. odorifera. Transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the mechanism underlying wounding-induced flavonoids production in D. odorifera heartwood. Wounding upregulated the expression of 90 unigenes, which covered 19 gene families of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways, including PAL, C4H, 4CL, CHS, CHI, 6DCS, F3'5'H, F3H, FMO, GT, PMAT, CHOMT, IFS, HI4'OMT, HID, IOMT, I2'H, IFR, and I3'H. Furthermore, 47 upregulated unigenes were mapped to the biosynthesis pathways for five signal molecules (ET, JA, ABA, ROS, and SA). Exogenous application of these signal molecules resulted in the accumulation of flavonoids in cell suspensions of D. odorifera, supporting their role in wounding-induced flavonoid production. Insights from this study will help develop new methods for rapidly inducing the formation of heartwood with enhanced medicinal value.

Analysis of Flavonoids in Dalbergia odorifera by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Dalbergia odorifera, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases in China for thousands of years. Flavonoids are major active compounds in D. odorifera. In this paper, a rapid and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of 17 flavonoids in D. odorifera. Quantification was performed by multiple reaction monitoring using electrospray ionization in negative ion mode. Under the optimum conditions, calibration curves for the 17 analytes displayed good linearity (r2 > 0.9980). The intra- and inter-day precisions (relative standard deviations) were lower than 5.0%. The limit of quantitation ranged from 0.256 to 18.840 ng/mL. The mean recovery range at three spiked concentrations was 94.18-101.97%. The validated approach was successfully applied to 18 samples of D. odorifera. Large variation was observed for the contents of the 17 analytes. Sativanone and 3'-O-methylviolanone were the dominant compounds. The fragmentation behaviors of six flavonoids were investigated using UPLC with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. In negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, all the flavonoids yielded prominent [M - H]- ions. Fragments for losses of CH3, CO, and CO2 were observed in the mass spectra. Formononetin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, sativanone, and alpinetin underwent retro-Diels-Alder fragmentations. The proposed method will be helpful for quality control of D. odorifera.

Dalbergia odorifera: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and quality control.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dalbergia odorifera, a traditional herbal medicine, has long been used in China for dissipating blood stasis, regulating the flow of qi, and relieving pain. AIM OF THIS REVIEW: This review aims to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information about the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and quality control of D. odorifera. Additionally, perspectives for possible future investigations on D. odorifera are also discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information on D. odorifera was obtained from a library database and electronic searches (e.g., Elsevier, Springer, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, China Knowledge Resource Integrated). RESULTS: According to classical Chinese herbal texts and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, D. odorifera promotes blood circulation, relieves pain, and eliminates blood stasis, and it can be used to treat cardio-cerebrovascular diseases in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. The chemical constituents of D. odorifera have been well studied, with approximately 175 metabolites having been identified, including flavonoids, phenols, arylbenzofurans, and quinones. The species also contains well-studied volatile oil. Its flavonoids and volatile oil are generally considered to be essential for its pharmacological activity. Modern pharmacology research has confirmed that isolated components and crude extracts of D. odorifera possess wide-ranging pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-angina, anti-oxidative, and other activities. Additionally, there are few quality control studies on D. odorifera. CONCLUSIONS: To date, significant progress has been made in D. odorifera phytochemistry and pharmacology. Thus, modern pharmacological research has provided some evidence for local or traditional uses. D. odorifera also showed therapeutic potential in cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases. However, the present findings are insufficient to explain its mechanisms of action. Additionally, the mechanism of heartwood formation, artificial induction technology for heartwood production, and quality control of D. odorifera require further detailed research.

Oriented assembly of surface plasmon resonance biosensor through staphylococcal protein A for the chlorpyrifos detection.

In this study, we report a direct surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on an oriented assembly of antibody for the rapid detection of chlorpyrifos residue in agricultural samples. In this covalent-orientated strategy, staphylococcal protein A (SPA) was first covalently bound to the surface for monitoring chlorpyrifos residue, with subsequent binding of the antibody in an orientated fashion via its fragment crystallizable (Fc) region. Consequently, the SPA-modified biosensor exhibited a satisfactory specificity and a low detection limit of 0.056 ng mL-1 for chlorpyrifos, with a linear detection range of 0.25-50.0 ng mL-1. Under optimal conditions, the sensor chip could be regenerated for at least 210 cycles. The results presented here indicate that the SPA-modified sensor chip can successfully improve the sensitivity and obviating the need of the modification of the antibody. The developed SPR biosensor method has the great potential for rapid, sensitive, and specific detection with broad applications in areas of environmental monitoring and food safety. Graphical abstract.

A gold/Fe3O4 nanocomposite for use in a surface plasmon resonance immunosensor for carbendazim.

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for the pesticide carbendazim is described that has enhanced performance due to the use of a Au/Fe3O4 nanocomposite as an amplifying label on the surface the carboxymethyldextran-coated gold layer of the sensor. The surface was further modified with monoclonal antibody to obtain a sensor for real-time detection of carbendazim. Binding of carbendazim results in a change in refractive index. SPR detection in the absence of Au/Fe3O4 nanocomposite and by UPLC-MS analysis demonstrated the improved performance to be due to the use of the Au/Fe3O4 nanocomposite. Response is linear in the 0.05 to 150 ng·mL-1 carbendazim concentration range, and the limit of detection is 0.44 ng·mL-1. This is more than 1 order of magnitude lower than that of the conventional SPR assay. The recoveries from spiked medlar are between 102.4 and 115.0%. The selectivity was tested by using the pesticides benzimidazole, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-benzimidazole propionic acid, and 2-(2-aminoethyl) benzimidazole as potential interferents. Conceivably, this Au/Fe3O4 nanocomposite-based method has a large potential for the detection of other small analytes at trace concentrations. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the SPR sensor for the detection of the fungicide carbendazim (methyl 2-benzimidazole carbamate; MBC) based on the use of a gold/Fe3O4 nanocomposites.

[Research developments for using of carbon nanotubes in pesticide residues detection and their application prospects in traditional Chinese medicines].

Pesticides are one of the main exogenous harmful residues in traditional Chinese medicines( TCMs),and the potential safety problems caused by pesticides affect the sustained and healthy development of TCMs. Carbon nanotubes( CNTs) possessed unique structure and properties,and widely used in analytical chemistry and other areas. In this review,the structure of CNTs and preparation method of composite material were summed up. Then,the application of CNTs in the pre-treatment technique of pesticides residues such as solid-phase extraction,solid phase micro-extraction,dispersive solid-phase extraction,matrix solid phase dispersion for detection of pesticides in different matrices were discussed in detail. In addition,the characteristics of pesticides in TCMs and maximum levels of pesticide residues in TCMs were investigated. Finally,the development and problems of CNTs in the determination of pesticide residues in TCMs were prospected.

A simple multi-residue method for determination of plant growth retardants in Ophiopogon japonicus and soil using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Plant growth retardants may play an important role in regulation of yield and quality of crops, fruits, and vegetables. Such compounds have begun to be used in the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), especially for root medicines. Although the potential risks to human health of these compounds has attracted increasing attention, analytical methods for detection of plant growth retardants in TCMs remain poorly investigated. In this study, an effective and reliable method for simultaneous determination of 11 plant growth retardants in Ophiopogon japonicus and soil samples was developed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). Extraction was conducted in acetonitrile containing 1.0% (v/v) acetic acid with ultrasonication. The octadecylsilyl (C18) and MgSO4 were used as the dispersive-solid phase extraction (d-SPE) sorbent and provided satisfactory recoveries for the analytes. The conditions of extraction and LC-MS/MS were optimized to achieve the highest recovery and sensitivity. Good linearity was achieved within a wide range with all correlation coefficients exceeding 0.9950. The recoveries of all analytes in O. japonicus and soil samples ranged from 57.37% (choline chloride) to 99.93% (trinexapac-ethyl) and from 54.37% (daminozide) to 94.82% (triadimenol), respectively. The limits of quantifications ranged from 0.03 to 3.54 µg/L. The proposed method was successfully applied to detect and quantify 11 plant growth retardants in empirical O. japonicus and soil samples. High frequency of paclobutrazol and choline chloride was found in O. japonicus samples. In addition, paclobutrazol showed a high residual concentration (>1100 µg/kg) in the soil of O. japonicus indigenous production.

Simultaneous Analysis of Iridoid Glycosides and Anthraquinones in Morinda officinalis Using UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and UPLC-Q/TOF-MSE.

Morinda officinalis is an important herbal medicine and functional food, and its main constituents include anthraquinone and iridoid glycosides. Quantification of the main compounds is a necessary step to understand the quality and therapeutic properties of M. officinalis, but this has not yet been performed based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Analytes were extracted from M. officinalis by reflux method. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for quantification. Fragmentation pathways of deacetyl asperulosidic acid and rubiadin were investigated based on UPLC with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (Q/TOF-MS) in the MSE centroid mode. The method showed a good linearity over a wide concentration range (R² ≥ 0.9930). The limits of quantification of six compounds ranged from 2.6 to 27.57 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions of the investigated components exhibited an RSD within 4.5% with mean recovery rates of 95.32⁻99.86%. Contents of selected compounds in M. officinalis varied significantly depending on region. The fragmentation pathway of deacetyl asperulosidic and rubiadin was proposed. A selective and sensitive method was developed for determining six target compounds in M. officinalis by UPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the proposed method will be helpful for quality control and identification main compounds of M. officinalis.

Evaluation and quantitative analysis of 11 compounds in Morinda officinalis using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and photodiode array detection coupled with chemometrics.

Morinda officinalis (Rubiaceae) is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for the treatment of impotence and osteoporosis in clinical therapy. In the present study, a rapid and simple ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 11 bioactive compounds in M. officinalis. This assay method was validated with respect to linearity (R2  > 0.9991), precision, repeatability, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and accuracy (with observed recovery rates between 94.21 and 100.38%). The quantitative results revealed significant differences in the concentrations of the selected compounds. Additionally, chemometric methods, including hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, and partial least-squares discriminate analysis, were applied to compare and sort the 25 batches of M. officinalis samples based on the quantitative data of the analytes. All of the samples were clearly divided into two groups: the Hainan samples were successfully discriminated from the samples from other origins. Simultaneous determination of multiple compounds using the proposed method combined with chemometrics could be a viable strategy to compare and evaluate the quality of M. officinalis.

Quality evaluation of Alpinia oxyphylla after Aspergillus flavus infection for storage conditions optimization.

In the storage of Alpinia oxyphylla, growth of mildew (especially toxic fungi, such as Aspergillus flavus) is a potential safety risk. Few reports have investigated how A. oxyphylla storage conditions impact mold growth or how mold growth impacts the bioactive components of A. oxyphylla. In this study, sterilized A. oxyphylla samples were contaminated by artificial inoculation of A. flavus spores. The main chemical components and aflatoxin levels in the infected A. oxyphylla samples were characterized. Central composite design-response surface methodology was used to study the effects of different temperature and humidity of storage conditions on the fungal growth in A. oxyphylla and accumulation of aflatoxins. The results showed that aflatoxins levels can be minimized by storing samples at temperatures below 25 °C and with humidity less than 85%. Additionally, we found that the yield and composition of volatile oil in A. oxyphylla exhibited small changes due to mold growth. However, polysaccharide content reduced remarkably. Temperatures below 25 °C and humidity below 85% were the best storage conditions to preventing A. oxyphylla from becoming moldy. Our results provide the theoretical basis for future studies the effects of storage conditions and mold growth on the quality and safety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).

Multi-elements determination in medical and edible Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis and their decoctions by ICP-MS.

Contents of twenty elements (Mg, K, Ca, Na, Fe, Al, Zn, Ba, Mn, Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb and V) in two medical and edible plant species, Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis were simultaneously determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method after microwave digestion with HNO3-H2O2 (6:1, v/v) as the digestion solvent. Certified standard reference material Poplar leaf was used to assess the accuracy of the method. The greatest contents of Mg, K, Ca, Al, Fe and Na were found in dried Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis samples. The contents of five heavy metals including Pb, Cd, As, Hg and Cu in Alpinia oxyphylla did not exceed the limits. The contents of Pb in 76.67% samples and Cd in two batches of Morinda officinalis samples exceeded the limits set by Chinese Pharmacopeia. The contents of the selected elements in different parts (leaves, stems, roots and fruits) of Alpinia oxyphylla varied considerably. The highest concentrations of Mg, Ca, Mn and Se were found in the leaves of Alpinia oxyphylla, at the same time, while, the contents of 9 elements including Cd, Cr, Cu, As, Pb in the roots were the highest. The transfer ratios of selected elements from both species of herbs into their decoctions were reduced. Especially for the heavy metals, the transfer ratios were below 30% except As (79.73%) in Morinda officinalis. The results showed that decoction of the samples may reduce the intake of heavy metals.

Multi-residue analysis of 26 organochlorine pesticides in Alpinia oxyphylla by GC-ECD after solid phase extraction and acid cleanup.

A simple and effective multi-residue method was developed and validated for the analysis of 26 organochlorine pesticide residues in Alpinia oxyphylla by a gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The target pesticides were extracted by sonication and cleaned up with florisil solid phase extraction and sulphuric acid. Some crucial parameters, including extraction solvent and time, sorbent type, elute solvent and concentration of sulphuric acid were optimized to improve the performance of sample preparation procedure. The optimized method gave high sensitivity with detection limit ranging from 0.1 to 2.0µg/kg. Matrix-matched calibration was employed for the quantification, and a wide linear range (from 1.0 to 1000µg/kg) with r(2) values ranging from 0.9971 to 0.9998 was obtained. For the majority of the tested pesticides, the average recoveries were in acceptable range (between 70% and 110%) with relative standard deviation values below 15.0%. Matrix effect was evaluated for target compounds through the study of ratio of peak area obtained in the solvent and blank matrix. The proposed method was applied to simultaneously analyze 26 pesticides in 55 batches of Alpinia oxyphylla samples. 3 samples were found to be positive with four pesticides (α-BHC, quintozene, trans-chlordane and op'-DDD), which were confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode.

GC-FID coupled with chemometrics for quantitative and chemical fingerprinting analysis of Alpinia oxyphylla oil.

Analytical methods for quantitative analysis and chemical fingerprinting of volatile oils from Alpinia oxyphylla were established. The volatile oils were prepared by hydrodistillation, and the yields were between 0.82% and 1.33%. The developed gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) method showed good specificity, linearity, reproducibility, stability and recovery, and could be used satisfactorily for quantitative analysis. The results showed that the volatile oils contained 2.31-77.30 µL/mL p-cymene and 12.38-99.34 mg/mL nootkatone. A GC-FID fingerprinting method was established, and the profiles were analyzed using chemometrics. GC-MS was used to identify the principal compounds in the GC-FID profiles. The profiles of almost all the samples were consistent and stable. The harvesting time and source were major factors that affected the profile, while the volatile oil yield and the nootkatone content had minor secondary effects.