Characterisation and identification of chemical constituents in aqueous extract of Fomes officinalis Ames based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry.

INTRODUCTION: Fungal species are an attractive resource for physiologically functional food and drug precursor. Fomes officinalis Ames, a medicinal fungus, is traditionally used as a folk medicine in traditional Chinese medicine prescription for the therapy of cough and asthma. The water-soluble substances in Chinese herbal medicines are likely to play an important physiological function. However, information on probing and identifying chemical components of the aqueous extract of Fomes officinalis Ames (AFO) remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to screen and characterise the chemical components of AFO. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An effective and sensitive ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS) method with the Full MS/PIL/dd-MS2 acquisition approach was applied for the profiling of chemical components in AFO. An HSS T3 column was used for component separation, and a strategy of simultaneous targeted and untargeted multicomponent characterisation was implemented. Multiple identification approaches were used, including accurate molecular mass and elemental composition matching, literature and database searching, and fragmentation rules elucidation. RESULTS: A total of 115 components, including 20 amino acids and derivatives, six nucleobases, nine nucleosides, 75 dipeptides, two tripeptides, and three other components, were tentatively identified. Among them, the targeted exploring method screened six nucleobases and nine nucleosides including modified nucleosides. To our best knowledge, this is the first time a report has been done on the presence of the 115 compounds in AFO. CONCLUSION: Profiling and characterisation compounds of AFO enriched its material basis, which would lay the foundation for improving potential medicinal and nutritional values and effecting comprehensive quality control of Fomes officinalis Ames.

Piptolinic acids F-J, five new lanostane-type triterpenoids from Piptoporus betulinus.

Five new lanostane-type triterpenoids, named piptolinic acids F - J (1-5), as well as seven known analogues (6-12), were isolated from methanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of Piptoporus betulinus. Compounds 1-4 were 24-methyl-lanostane triterpenoids, while compound 5 was a 3,4-seco-lanostane derivative. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS). Cytotoxicity evaluation indicated that compound 6 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against human melanoma cell line A-375 (IC50 = 42.8 µM) and human renal carcinoma cell line 786-O (IC50 = 56.5 µM).

Cytotoxic lanostane triterpenoids from the fruiting bodies of Piptoporus betulinus.

Chemical investigation of a bioactive methanolic extract of the fruiting bodies of Piptoporus betulinus led to the isolation of five previously undescribed lanostane triterpenoids named piptolinic acids A-E, as well as five known lanostane triterpenoids. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS analysis. Piptolinic acid A with an unusual moiety (3-hydroxy-4-methoxycarbonyl-3-methylbutyryloxy) at C-3 exhibited comparable cytotoxic activity against human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 (IC50 = 1.77 µM) and human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 (IC50 = 8.21 µM) to those of positive control, fluorouracil (IC50 = 6.38 and 4.41 µM, respectively).