Rapid Analysis of Aristolochic Acids and Aristolactams in Houttuyniae Herba by LC-MS/MS.

Houttuyniae herba, the Saururaceae plant Houttuynia cordata Thunb., has multiple therapeutic effects, including clearing heat, eliminating toxins, reducing swelling, discharging pus, and relieving stagnation. It has a long history as an edible and medicinal plant in China. Phytochemical studies show that the main constituents include volatile oil, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Aristolactam is a major alkaloid with a structure similar to toxic aristolochic acids. However, there has been no systematic study on aristolochic acids and alkaloids in Houttuyniae herba. Therefore, in this study, an LC-MS/MS method was developed to simultaneously detect seven alkaloids and five aristolochic acids in Houttuyniae herba from different origins. Six alkaloids (O-demethyl nornucifrine, N-nornucifrine, aristololactam AII, aristololactam FI, aristololactam BII, cepharadione B) were found and quantitatively determined in 75 batches of samples. Meanwhile, no aristolochic acids or aristololactams were found in Houttuyniae herba at a limit of detection (LOD) of ≤4 ng/mL. The method developed was fully validated in terms of LOD, limit of quantification (LOQ), linearity, precision, accuracy, and stability. These data clarify the content of the above safety-related components in Houttuyniae herba and provide a reference for further research into its safety.

Development of a novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for aristolochic acids detection: Application in food and agricultural soil analyses.

Prolonged dietary exposure to AA-contaminated food crops cultivated in contaminated farmland was shown to be one of the main culprits of Balkan endemic nephropathy. Ultra-sensitive methods for the detection of AA at trace levels are important for surveillance purposes. We report the development of a novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for AA-detection. One striking feature of the method is that the Zn/H+-induced nitroreduction convert AA into their respective aristolactams, which dramatically enhances their analytical sensitivity. The method was applied to quantitate AA in food grains and soil samples collected from farming villages of Serbia, and flour samples purchased from supermarkets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of detecting AA in food ingredients available in supermarkets, which is alarming because it reveals AA poses insidious threats not only to residents of rural farming villages, but also to people residing in urban areas.

Simultaneous determination of four amides in Saururus chinensis by matrix solid phase dispersion and high-performance liquid chromatography method.

A rapid and simple analytical method was established for the determination of four amides (N-p-trans-coumaroyltyramine, aristolactam AⅡ, sauristolactam and aristolactam BⅡ) in Saururus chinensis by matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). In the optimized MSPD, 0.2 g S. chinensis powder was blended with 0.4 g silica gel, and 5 mL methanol was selected as elution solvent. The MSPD extraction achieved higher extraction recovery of four amides, and required less sample, solvent and preparation time, comparing with the conventional methods (Soxhlet and ultrasonic extraction). The assay was performed on a TSK gel ODS-100Z column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm) at 30 °C. Acetonitrile and 0.4% acetic acid aqueous solution was used as mobile phase by gradient elution at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was 280 nm. All the analytes showed good linear regression (R2 ≥ 0.9998) within the concentration ranges. The validated method showed good precision and stability with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤ 3.18%. The recoveries were in the range of 96.57-99.65%, with RSDs less than 2.74%.

A current update on the phytopharmacological aspects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

The present review is an attempt to put an insight into a medicinal plant Houttuynia cordata Thunb, which is indigenous to North-East India and China. It is an aromatic medicinal herb belonging to family Saururaceae and is restricted to specialized moist habitats. The review provides detailed information regarding the morphology, distribution, phytochemistry, ethnopharmacological uses and also describes various pharmacological activities reported on the plant H. cordata. The review describes therapeutic efficacy of the whole plant and its extracts, fractions and isolated compounds in different diseased condition. Among the important pharmacological activities reported includes, anti-mutagenic, anti-cancer, adjuvanticity, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenging, anti-microbial, anti-allergic, anti-leukemic, chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps activities. Thus, the present review will act as a source of referential information to researchers to perform clinical studies on isolated compounds that may serve the society and will help in improving human health care system.

Phenolic aristolactams from leaves and stems of Aristolochia chilensis / Aristolactamas fenólicas de hojas y tallos de Aristolochia chilensis

Three phenolic aristolactams, aristolactam AII (3), velutinam (4) and piperolactam A (5), were identified from the leaves and stems of Aristolochia chilensis Bridges ex Lindl. The structures of these compounds were elucidated using a combination of HPLC-DAD, GC-MS and NMR experiments.

Tres aristolactamas fenólicas aristolactama AII(3), velutinam(4) y piperolactama A(5), se identificaron en hojas y tallos de Aristolochia chilensis Bridges ex Lindl. Las estructuras de estos compuestos se determinaron por combinación de CLAE-DAD, CG-EM y experimentos de RMN.

Fate of Ingested Aristolactams from Aristolochia chilensis in Battus polydamas archidamas (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).

We performed a sequestration study of aristolactams (ALs) from Aristolochia chilensis in Battus polydamas archidamas (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) by examining the AL content of the plant, fifth instar larvae, osmeterial secretion, pupae, exuviae and feces. Aristolactam-I (AL-I) and aristolactam-II (AL-II) present in A. chilensis are sequestered by fifth instar larvae of B. polydamas archidamas. There is a preferential sequestration of AL-II, or a more efficient metabolization and excretion of AL-I, by the larva. No ALs were found in the osmeterial secretion, pupae and exuviae; in addition, little AL-I and no AL-II were found in larval frass. The two lactams, particularly AL-I, are extensively metabolized to other products in the larva. A reasonable hypothesis is that the ingested ALs are oxidized to their respective aristolochic acids.