The Greater Celandine: Identification and Characterization of an Antimicrobial Peptide from Chelidonium majus.

Chelidonium majus, known as Greater Celandine, is a latex-bearing plant that has been leveraged for its anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Herein, C. majus aerial tissue is mined for the presence of antimicrobial peptides. A highly abundant cysteine-rich peptide with a length of 25 amino acids, deemed CM-AMP1, is characterized through multiple mass spectrometric approaches. Electron-activated dissociation is leveraged to differentiate between isoleucine and leucine residues and complement conventional collision-induced dissociation to gain full sequence coverage of the full-length peptide. CM-AMP1 shares little sequence similarity with any proteins in publicly available databases, highlighting the novelty of its cysteine landscape and core motif. The presence of three disulfide bonds in the native peptide confers proteolytic stability, and antimicrobial activity is greatly decreased upon the alkylation of the cysteine residues. Synthetic variants of CM-AMP1 are used to confirm the activity of the full-length sequence and the core motif. To assess the biological impact, E. coli was grown in a sublethal concentration of CM-AMP1 and quantitative proteomics was used to identify proteins produced by the bacteria under stress, ultimately suggesting a membrane lytic antimicrobial mechanism of action. This study integrates multiple analytical methods for molecular and biological characterization of a unique antimicrobial peptide identified from C. majus.

Chemical characterization of three different extracts obtained from Chelidonium majus L. (Greater celandine) with insights into their in vitro, in silico and network pharmacological properties.

Plant species C. majus, which is a very rich source of secondary metabolites, was used to obtain extracts, using a conventional extraction technique. For the extraction of bioactive molecules, three solvents were used: ethyl acetate, methanol and water, which differ from each other based on their polarity. The obtained extracts were examined in terms of chemical composition, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory activity, and cytotoxic effects. The research results indicate that methanol was a better and more efficient extractant in the process of isolating bioactive compounds than ethyl acetate and water. The chemical composition of this solvent, i.e. its polarity, contributed the most to the extraction of alkaloids and flavonoids. The high content of total phenolic compounds in the methanol extract, as well as individual alkaloids, caused a very strong antioxidant activity, as well as a strong inhibitory power when it comes to inhibiting the excessive activity of cholinesterase and tyrosinase. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts achieved very good cytotoxic activity against cancerous cells HGC-27 and HT-29 and did not exert a toxic effect on non-cancerous cell lines (HEK293). Extracts of plant species C. majus, especially methanol extract could be characterized as a very good starting plant material for the formulation of products intended for various branches of the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Determination of Selected Isoquinoline Alkaloids from Chelidonium majus, Mahonia aquifolium and Sanguinaria canadensis Extracts by Liquid Chromatography and Their In Vitro and In Vivo Cytotoxic Activity against Human Cancer Cells.

The search for new substances with cytotoxic activity against various cancer cells, especially cells that are very resistant to currently used chemotherapeutic agents, such as melanoma cells, is a very important scientific aspect. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of Chelidonium majus, Mahonia aquifolium and Sanguinaria canadensis extracts obtained from different parts of these plants collected at various vegetation stages on FaDu, SCC-25, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Almost all the tested extracts showed higher cytotoxicity against these cancer cells than the anticancer drug etoposide. The highest cytotoxicity against the FaDu, SCC-25, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines was obtained for the Sanguinaria candensis extract collected before flowering. The cytotoxicity of extracts obtained from different parts of Chelidonium majus collected at various vegetation stages was also evaluated on melanoma cells (A375, G361 and SK-MEL-3). The highest cytotoxic activity against melanoma A375 cells was observed for the Chelidonium majus root extract, with an IC50 of 12.65 µg/mL. The same extract was the most cytotoxic against SK-MEL-3 cells (IC50 = 1.93 µg/mL), while the highest cytotoxic activity against G361 cells was observed after exposure to the extract obtained from the herb of the plant. The cytotoxic activity of Chelidonium majus extracts against melanoma cells was compared with the cytotoxicity of the following anticancer drugs: etoposide, cisplatin and hydroxyurea. In most cases, the IC50 values obtained for the anticancer drugs were higher than those obtained for the Chelidonium majus extracts. The most cytotoxic extract obtained from the root of Chelidonium majus was selected for in vivo cytotoxic activity investigations using a Danio rerio larvae xenograft model. The model was applied for the first time in the in vivo investigations of the extract's anticancer potential. The application of Danio rerio larvae xenografts in cancer research is advantageous because of the transparency and ease of compound administration, the small size and the short duration and low cost of the experiments. The results obtained in the xenograft model confirmed the great effect of the investigated extract on the number of cancer cells in a living organism. Our investigations show that the investigated plant extracts exhibit very high cytotoxic activity and can be recommended for further experiments in order to additionally confirm their potential use in the treatment of various human cancers.

The Activity of Chelidonium majus L. Latex and Its Components on HPV Reveal Insights into the Antiviral Molecular Mechanism.

Yellow-orange latex of Chelidonium majus L. has been used in folk medicine as a therapeutic agent against warts and other visible symptoms of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections for centuries. The observed antiviral and antitumor properties of C. majus latex are often attributed to alkaloids contained therein, but recent studies indicate that latex proteins may also play an important role in its pharmacological activities. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the crude C. majus latex and its protein and alkaloid-rich fractions on different stages of the HPV replication cycle. The results showed that the latex components, such as alkaloids and proteins, decrease HPV infectivity and inhibit the expression of viral oncogenes (E6, E7) on mRNA and protein levels. However, the crude latex and its fractions do not affect the stability of structural proteins in HPV pseudovirions and they do not inhibit the virus from attaching to the cell surface. In addition, the protein fraction causes increased TNFα secretion, which may indicate the induction of an inflammatory response. These findings indicate that the antiviral properties of C. majus latex arise both from alkaloids and proteins contained therein, acting on different stages of the viral replication cycle.

Eutectic Thin-Layer Chromatography as a New Possibility for Quantification of Plant Extracts-A Case Study.

Deep eutectic solvents (DES), compared to classic ones, have interesting properties, such as the ability to solubilize compounds differing in polarity or increased dissolution of selected chemical compounds. They also offer specific interactions between the mobile and stationary phases. Those features make them promising solvents in chromatographic techniques, including the use in the separation of complicated samples. The first quantitative analysis with eutectic thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is presented in the paper. As a case study, five alkaloids from Chelidonium maius were selected as target compounds. A wide range of terpene-based DESs was investigated to develop the chromatographic system, both pure and after dilution. Moreover, a novel approach was employed to adjust polarity, involving mixing DESs differing in chromatographic properties. This procedure has proved to be effective. The best results were obtained with a 2:1 (wt/wt) mixture of DESs: camphor + phenol and menthol + limonene, with a 20% addition of methanol. The chromatographic system was validated and checked on the real sample, which made it the first applicable and operational quantitative eutectic TLC system.

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) essential oil as an anticancer agent on MCF-7 cell line.

Essential oils (EOs) of greater celandine (GC) roots and leaves were extracted, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for analyzing them. Then they were loaded into chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) using emulsion-ionic gelation method. CNPs loaded with greater celandine root essential oil (GCREO) and leave essential oil (GCLEO) were synthesized (size 76.5-115.3 nm) using an emulsion-ionic gelation method. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used for characterization of the formed NPs. Good encapsulation efficiency was confirmed for GCREO (62.5%) and GCLEO (69.1%) in CNPs. According to the MTT results, the synthesized NPs showed a dose-dependent effect on MCF-7 cell line. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for GCREO, GCLEO, CSNRs-GCREO and CNPs-GCLEO samples were 126.4, 90.2, 77.6, and 41.5 µg/mL, respectively. The highest rate of apoptosis was obtained in the CNPs-GCLEO group (63.73%). The results revealed that the cytotoxicity of CSNRs-GCREO and CNPs-GCLEO against MCF-7 cell line was significantly higher than that of their free form, implying that encapsulation of GCREO and GCLEO in CNPs is an efficient technique for improving their anti-cancer activity against MCF-7 cell line.

Combined Protein and Alkaloid Research of Chelidonium majus Latex Reveals CmMLP1 Accompanied by Alkaloids with Cytotoxic Potential to Human Cervical Carcinoma Cells.

Chelidonium majus L. is a latex-bearing plant used in traditional folk medicine to treat human papillomavirus (HPV)-caused warts, papillae, and condylomas. Its latex and extracts are rich in many low-molecular compounds and proteins, but there is little or no information on their potential interaction. We describe the isolation and identification of a novel major latex protein (CmMLP1) composed of 147 amino acids and present a model of its structure containing a conserved hydrophobic cavity with high affinity to berberine, 8-hydroxycheleritrine, and dihydroberberine. CmMLP1 and the accompanying three alkaloids were present in the eluted chromatographic fractions of latex. They decreased in vitro viability of human cervical cancer cells (HPV-negative and HPV-positive). We combined, for the first time, research on macromolecular and low-molecular-weight compounds of latex-bearing plants in contrast to other studies that investigated proteins and alkaloids separately. The observed interaction between latex protein and alkaloids may influence our knowledge on plant defense. The proposed toolbox may help in further understanding of plant disease resistance and in pharmacological research.

Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) for COVID-19: A twenty-case series.

In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, China, with a rapid increase in cases worldwide. Until now, among several drugs tested, none demonstrated sufficient efficacy for its etiological treatment. Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) is a well-known medicinal plant, traditionally indicated for digestive disorders and topically to remove warts. This study, performed at private offices in São Paulo and Aracaju (Brazil), describes 20 consecutive COVID-19 outpatients treated with greater celandine and their clinical evolution. The patients, aged 14-71 years (median of 41 years), were treated with Chelidonium majus 10% mother tincture, 20-30 drops three times a day for 3-12 days (median of 5 days). Clinical features were assessed during the treatment and at least until 1 week after its end. These cases were considered mild, as most COVID-19 cases. The symptoms were mainly fever, fatigue, cough, sore throat, coryza, anosmia, ageusia, and headache. Ten patients had comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and overweight. Complete or almost complete clinical improvement occurred within 1-9 days of treatment (median of 3 days). There were no adverse events. This casuistry, although small, may inspire other researchers to continue investigating Chelidonium majus as a healing treatment for COVID-19.

Enantioselective Syntheses of Strychnos and Chelidonium Alkaloids through Regio- and Stereocontrolled Cooperative Catalysis.

We describe enantioselective syntheses of strychnos and chelidonium alkaloids. In the first case, indole acetic acid esters were established as excellent partner nucleophiles for enantioselective cooperative isothiourea/Pd catalyzed α-alkylation. This provides products containing indole-bearing stereocenters in high yield and with excellent levels of enantioinduction in a manner that is notably independent of the N-substituent. This led to concise syntheses of (-)-akuammicine and (-)-strychnine. In the second case, the poor performance of ortho-substituted cinnamyl electrophiles in the enantioselective cooperative isothiourea/Ir catalyzed α-alkylation was overcome by appropriate substituent choice, leading to enantioselective syntheses of (+)-chelidonine, (+)-norchelidonine, and (+)-chelamine.

Thin-layer chromatography with eutectic mobile phases-preliminary results.

The presented paper is the first to show thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis based on eutectic mobile phases (Deep Eutectic Solvents - DES). During the experiment 25 eutectic mixtures were investigated for their chromatographic properties. Most of them belong to the natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) group. Also, new eutectic liquids based on phenolics and terpenes, not previously employed in analytical practice, were tested. The eutectic liquids were investigated as pure or diluted with solvents used in chromatographic routine: methanol, water, acetone, chloroform or diethyl ether. The analyses were carried out using classic and high performance silica gel plates. The working solution was a mixture of five alkaloids found in genus Chelidonium, namely sanguinarine, coptisine, chelerythrine, chelidonine, and berberine, with UV light detection of 366 nm. This report proves that eutectic TLC is possible and that the eutectic interactions play a crucial role in the separation process. In most of the tested modifications at least partial separation was achieved. The most successful mobile phase, which enabled separation of all the tested alkaloids, was the equimolar mixture of menthol and phenol with a 35% addition of methanol. The system was also effective in separating alkaloids in the real Chelidonium maius extract sample.

Milky Sap of Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) and Anti-Viral Properties.

The milky juice of the greater celandine herb has been used in folk medicine and in homeopathy for treatment of viral warts for years. However, classical medicine fails to use properties of celandine herbs in treatment of diseases induced by papilloma viruses. Nevertheless, dermatological outpatient clinics are regularly visited by patients reporting efficacy of milky sap isolated from celandine herb in treatment of their own viral warts. Authors of this report decided to analyze the respective world literature in order to critically evaluate the potential for treatment of viral dermal warts using the milky sap of celandine. Moreover, the case of a 4-year old boy was presented, the parents of whom applied the milky sap of celandine on viral warts on hands. Thus, Ch. majus may be a potential therapeutic modality for skin warts, especially in a young patients, where conventional therapy may be difficult to apply.

Modulatory Effect of Chelidonium majus Extract and Its Alkaloids on LPS-Stimulated Cytokine Secretion in Human Neutrophils.

Due to certain differences in terms of molecular structure, isoquinoline alkaloids from Chelidonium majus engage in various biological activities. Apart from their well-documented antimicrobial potential, some phenanthridine and protoberberine derivatives as well as C. majus extract present with anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects. In this study, the LC-MS/MS method was used to determine alkaloids, phenolic acids, carboxylic acids, and hydroxybenzoic acids. We investigated five individually tested alkaloids (coptisine, berberine, chelidonine, chelerythrine, and sanguinarine) as well as C. majus root extract for their effect on the secretion of IL-1ß, IL-8, and TNF-α in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils). Berberine, chelidonine, and chelerythrine significantly decreased the secretion of TNF-α in a concentration-dependent manner. Sanguinarine was found to be the most potent inhibitor of IL-1ß secretion. However, the overproduction of IL-8 and TNF-α and a high cytotoxicity for these compounds were observed. Coptisine was highly cytotoxic and slightly decreased the secretion of the studied cytokines. The extract (1.25-12.5 µg/mL) increased cytokine secretion in a concentration-dependent manner, but an increase in cytotoxicity was also noted. The alkaloids were active at very low concentrations (0.625-2.5 µM), but their potential cytotoxic effects, except for chelidonine and chelerythrine, should not be ignored.

Applicability of a Monolithic Column for Separation of Isoquinoline Alkalodis from Chelidonium majus Extract.

Isoquinoline alkaloids are the main group of secondary metabolites present in Chelidonium majus extracts, and they are still the object of interest of many researchers. Therefore, the development of methods for the investigation and separation of the alkaloids is still an important task. In this work, the application potential of a silica-based monolithic column for the separation of alkaloids was assessed. The influence of the organic modifier, temperature, salt concentration, and pH of the eluent on basic chromatographic parameters such as retention, resolution between neighboring peaks, chromatographic plate numbers, and peak asymmetry were investigated. Based on the obtained results, a gradient elution program was developed and used to separate and quantitatively determine the main alkaloids in a Chelidonium majus root extract.

New lignanamides and alkaloids from Chelidonium majus and their anti-inflammation activity.

Two new lignanamides, majusamides A and B (1 and 2), and two new alkaloids, chelidoniumine (3) and tetrahydrocoptisine N-oxide (4), together with six known hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCCA) were isolated from the 75% ethanol extract of Chelidonium majus through the silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MCI, ODS column chromatography, and semi-HPLC. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data and physico-chemical methods. The absolute configurations of 1-3 were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The anti-inflammatory activities of all the isolates on the NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages were evaluated. Compounds 7 and 9 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 25.3 ±â€¯0.5 and 23.5 ±â€¯1.7 µM, respectively.

Comparison of Anticancer Activity and HPLC-DAD Determination of Selected Isoquinoline Alkaloids from Thalictrum foetidum, Berberis sp. and Chelidonium majus Extracts.

Background: Plants are an important origin of natural substances that the raw material for various pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications due to the presence of phytochemicals, such as alkaloids. Alkaloids, which are found in different plant species, possess numerous biological activities. Some alkaloids have strong cytotoxic effects on various cancer cells. The search for new drugs to treat various cancers is one of the most important challenges of modern scientific research. Objective: This study aimed to investigate of cytotoxic activity of extracts that were obtained from Chelidonium Majus; Berberis sp.; Thalictrum foetidum containing various alkaloids on selected cancer cell lines. The aim was also the quantification of selected alkaloids in the investigated extracts by HPLC. Methods: The analysis of alkaloids contents were performed while using HPLC in reversed phase (RP) mode using Polar RP column and mobile phase containing acetonitrile, water, and ionic liquid. The cytotoxic effect of the tested plant extracts and respective alkaloids' standards were examined while using human pharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells (FaDu), human tongue squamous carcinoma cells (SCC-25), human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7), and human triple-negative breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MDA-MB-231). Conclusion: All of the investigated plant extracts possess cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines: FaDu, SCC-25, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231. The highest cytotoxic activity against FaDu and MDA-MB-231 cells was observed for Chelidonium majus root extract, while the highest cytotoxic activity against SCC-25 and MCF-7 cells was estimated for the Thalictrum foetidum root extract. There obtained significant differences in the cytotoxic activity of extracts that were obtained from the roots and herbs of Chelidonium majus and Thalictrum foetidum. Based on these results, investigated plant extracts can be recommended for further investigations of anticancer activity.

Development of a Selective Adsorbing Material for Binding of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Herbal Extracts, Based on Molecular Group Imprinting.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are secondary plant constituents that became a subject of public concern because of their hepatotoxic, pneumotoxic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects. Due to disregardful harvesting and/or contamination with pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants, there is a high risk of ingesting these substances with plant extracts or natural products. The limit for the daily intake was set to 0.007 µg/kg body weight. If contained in an extract, cleanup methods may help to minimize the pyrrolizidine alkaloid concentration. For this purpose, a material for depleting pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal preparations was developed based on the approach of molecular imprinting using monocrotaline. Molecular imprinted polymers are substances with specific binding characteristics, depending on the template used for imprinting. By means of group imprinting, only one molecule is used for creating selective cavities for many molecular pyrrolizidine alkaloid variations. Design of Experiment was used for the development using a 25 screening plan resulting in 64 polymers (32 MIPs/32 NIPs). Rebinding trials revealed that the developed material can compete with common cation exchangers and is more suitable for depleting pyrrolizidine alkaloids than C18- material. Matrix trials using an extract from Chelidonium majus show that there is sufficient binding capacity for pyrrolizidine alkaloids (80%), but the material is lacking in selectivity towards pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the presence of other alkaloids with similar functional groups such as berberine, chelidonine, and coptisine. Beyond this interaction, the selectivity could be proven for other structurally different compounds on the example of chelidonic acid.

Protoberberine compounds extracted from Chelidonium majus L. as novel natural photosensitizers for cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that secondary metabolites occur in Chelidonium majus L. (C. majus) crude extract and milky sap (alkaloids such as berberine, coptisine, chelidonine, chelerythrine, sanguinarine, and protopine) are biologically active compounds with a wide spectrum of pharmacological functions. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from plants, possesses a wide range of biological activities, including inhibition of growth of a variety of cancer cell lines. PURPOSE AND STUDY DESIGN: In the present study, we investigated the potential anticancer effect of a protoberberine alkaloidal fraction (BBR-F) isolated from the medicinal plant C. majus on HeLa and C33A cervical cancer cells after light irradiation (PDT treatment). METHODS: BBR-F was prepared from an ethanolic extract of stems of C. majus. Identification of alkaloidal compounds was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. BBR-F was then biologically evaluated for its anticancer properties. Cytotoxic activity after PDT treatment and without light irradiation (dark cytotoxicity) was determined by colorimetric WST-1 assay. The impact of the protoberberine alkaloidal fraction on the morphology and function of the cells was assessed by fluorescence and confocal microscopy as well as by flow cytometric analysis. To investigate the proinflammatory effect of the extracted natural BBR-F, nitric oxide concentration was determined using the Griess method. RESULTS: An effective reduction in HeLa and C33A cell viability was observed after PDT treatment of BBR-F treated cells. Furthermore, microscopic analysis identified various morphological changes in the studied cells that occurred during apoptosis. Apoptosis of HeLa and C33A cells was also characterized by biochemical changes in cell membrane composition, activation of intracellular caspases, disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest that the components of the natural plant protoberberine fraction (BBR-F) extracted from C. majus may represent promising novel photosensitive agents and can be applied in cancer photodynamic therapy as natural photosensitizers.

Cytotoxic and Proapoptotic Activity of Sanguinarine, Berberine, and Extracts of Chelidonium majus L. and Berberis thunbergii DC. toward Hematopoietic Cancer Cell Lines.

Isoquinoline alkaloids belong to the toxic secondary metabolites occurring in plants of many families. The high biological activity makes these compounds promising agents for use in medicine, particularly as anticancer drugs. The aim of our study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity and proapoptotic activity of sanguinarine, berberine, and extracts of Chelidonium majus L. and Berberis thunbergii DC. IC10, IC50, and IC90 doses were established toward hematopoietic cancer cell lines using trypan blue staining. Alterations in the expression of 18 apoptosis-related genes in cells exposed to IC10, IC50, and IC90 were evaluated using real-time PCR. Sanguinarine and Chelidonium majus L. extract exhibit significant cytotoxicity against all studied cell lines. Lower cytotoxic activity was demonstrated for berberine. Berberis thunbergii DC. extract had no influence on cell viability. Berberine, sanguinarine, and Chelidonium majus L. extract altered the expression of apoptosis-related genes in all tested cell lines, indicating the induction of apoptosis. The presented study confirmed the substantial cytotoxicity and proapoptotic activity of sanguinarine, berberine, and Chelidonium majus L. extract toward the studied hematopoietic cell lines, which indicates the utility of these substances in anticancer therapy.

Hypolipidemic effects of herbal extracts by reduction of adipocyte differentiation, intracellular neutral lipid content, lipolysis, fatty acid exchange and lipid droplet motility.

An increase in adipose tissue is caused by the increased size and number of adipocytes. Lipids accumulate in intracellular stores, known as lipid droplets (LDs). Recent studies suggest that parameters such as LD size, shape and dynamics are closely related to the development of obesity. Berberine (BBR), a natural plant alkaloid, has been demonstrated to possess anti-obesity effects. However, it remains unknown which cellular processes are affected by this compound or how effective herbal extracts containing BBR and other alkaloids actually are. For this study, we used extracts of Coptis chinensis, Mahonia aquifolium, Berberis vulgaris and Chelidonium majus containing BBR and other alkaloids and studied various processes related to adipocyte functionality. The presence of extracts resulted in reduced adipocyte differentiation, as well as neutral lipid content and rate of lipolysis. We observed that the intracellular fatty acid exchange was reduced in different LD size fractions upon treatment with BBR and Coptis chinensis. In addition, LD motility was decreased upon incubation with BBR, Coptis chinensis and Chelidonium majus extracts. Furthermore, Chelidonium majus was identified as a potent fatty acid uptake inhibitor. This is the first study that demonstrates the selected regulatory effects of herbal extracts on adipocyte function.

Intracellular Accumulation as an Indicator of Cytotoxicity to Screen Hepatotoxic Components of Chelidonium majus L. by LC-MS/MS.

A novel strategy was developed to identify hepatotoxic compounds in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). It is based on the exposure of HL-7702 cells to a TCM extract, followed by the identification and further determination of potential hepatotoxic compounds accumulated in the cells by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). As a case study, potential hepatotoxic components in Chelidonium majus L. were screened out. Five alkaloids (sanguinarine, coptisine, chelerythrine, protopine, and chelidonine) were identified by LC-MS/MS within 10 min, and their intracellular concentrations were first simultaneously measured by LC-MS/MS with a run time of 4 min. A cell viability assay was performed to assess the cytotoxicity of each alkaloid. With their higher intracellular concentrations, sanguinarine, coptisine, and chelerythrine were identified as the main hepatotoxic constituents in Ch. majus. The study provides a powerful tool for the fast prediction of cytotoxic components in complex natural mixtures on a high-throughput basis.