A Strategy Combining Higher Energy C-Trap Dissociation with Neutral Loss- and Product Ion-Based MS Acquisition for Global Profiling and Structure Annotation of Fatty Acids Conjugates.

Fatty acids conjugates (FACs) are ubiquitous but found in trace amounts in the natural world. They are composed of multiple unknown substructures and side chains. Thus, FACs are difficult to be analyzed by traditional mass spectrometric methods.

Profiling and identification of metabolites of isorhynchophylline in rats by ultra high performance liquid chromatography and linear ion trap Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

The searching of potentially bioactive metabolites in the biological body is an interesting and meaningful work for the drug study. However, the structural clarification of possible metabolites is one of the most challenging tasks in drug metabolism studies because of the variety of metabolic reactions and complexity of metabolites in vivo. Here, an ultra high performance liquid chromatography/linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (U-HPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) with combination of data post-processing techniques, including extracted ion chromatogram (EIC) and multiple mass defect filters (MMDF), was established for profiling and identification of metabolites of isorhynchophylline (IR) in vivo and in vitro, and the possible metabolic pathways were subsequently proposed after the oral dose of 20mg/kg; A total of 47 metabolites of IR were tentatively identified, including 47, 21, 18, and 25 metabolites in rat urine, plasma, liver and rat liver microsomes (RLM) samples, respectively.

Venenum Bufonis induces rat neuroinflammation by activiating NF-κB pathway and attenuation of BDNF.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Venenum Bufonis (VB), also called toad venom, has been widely used in clinic as a cardiotonic, anohyne and antineoplastic agents both in China and other Asian countries. However, its neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity limit its wide clinical application. Compared with extensive attention attracted with cardiotoxicity, the toxic effect of VB on Central Nervous System (CNS) is much less studied.

TXNIP/TRX/NF-κB and MAPK/NF-κB pathways involved in the cardiotoxicity induced by Venenum Bufonis in rats.

Venenum Bufonis (VB) is a widely used traditional medicine with serious cardiotoxic effects. The inflammatory response has been studied to clarify the mechanism of the cardiotoxicity induced by VB for the first time. In the present study, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, were administered VB (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) intragastrically, experienced disturbed ECGs (lowered heart rate and elevated ST-segment), increased levels of serum indicators (creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and serum interleukin (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h, which reflected that an inflammatory response, together with cardiotoxicity, were involved in VB-treated rats.

Colon-derived uremic biomarkers induced by the acute toxicity of Kansui radix: A metabolomics study of rat plasma and intestinal contents by UPLC-QTOF-MS(E).

Kansui radix (KR) is a poisonous Chinese herbal medicine recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the acute toxicity obstructs its clinical applications. To explore its acute toxicity mechanism to enhance clinical safety, a metabolomics study based on UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS(E) was performed. Wistar rats were exposed for 4h to the aqueous and ethyl acetate extracts prepared from KR at a high dose (25g/kg).

An efficient and target-oriented sample enrichment method for preparative separation of minor alkaloids by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography.

An efficient and target-oriented sample enrichment method was established to increase the content of the minor alkaloids in crude extract by using the corresponding two-phase solvent system applied in pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography. The enrichment and separation of seven minor indole alkaloids from Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq.

Anti-inflammatory diterpenoids from the root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus.

Five new ent-pimarane (1-3, 7, and 8) and three new ent-kaurane diterpenoids (4-6) and a new oleanane triterpene acid (9), together with 22 known compounds, were isolated from the root bark of the medicinal herb Acanthopanax gracilistylus. The structures of 1-9 were established based on the interpretation of high-resolution MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR data. The absolute configurations of 7 and 11 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism analysis.

New triterpenic acids from Uncaria rhynchophylla: chemistry, NO-inhibitory activity, and tandem mass spectrometric analysis.

Five new oleanane and ursane type triterpenes, namely uncarinic acids F-J (1-5), together with six known triterpenic acids (6-11) were isolated from the stems and hooks of Uncaria rhynchophylla. Structure elucidation of 1-5 was based on the integrated analyses of high-resolution MS data, 1D ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, DEPT) and 2D (HSQC, HMBC, ROESY) NMR spectra. Compounds 4, 10, and 11 exhibited weak inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.

Phenanthrenes, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes, bibenzyls with their derivatives, and malate or tartrate benzyl ester glucosides from tubers of Cremastra appendiculata.

Eleven previously unknown compounds and 23 known compounds, including 20 phenanthrene or 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivatives, five bibenzyls, seven malate or tartrate benzyl ester glucosides, adenosine and gastrodin were isolated from tubers of Cremastra appendiculata. Among the obtained compounds, two are the first isolated dimers with one phenanthrene or bibenzyl unit connected to C-3 of 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-phenanthro[2,1-b]furan moiety. In addition, 33 of these compounds were evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxic activity against two cancer cell lines.

Elution-extrusion counter-current chromatography separation of two new benzyl ester glucosides and three other high-polarity compounds from the tubers of Pleione bulbocodioides.

Introduction: The tubers of Pleione bulbocodioides (Franch.) Rolfe, with gastrodin and benzyl ester glucosides as main components, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various cancers and bacterial infections. Up to now, their official quality control method is still inadequate, and the difficulty of obtaining these high-polarity compounds is one of the major reasons.

Simultaneous determination of 24 constituents in Cortex Lycii using high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

A fast high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to determine 24 components including 11 phenolic compounds, 9 phenolic amides, and 4 cyclic peptides in Cortex Lycii. The analytes were quantified by a triple quadrupole instrument in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The fragmentation patterns of phenolic amides and cyclic peptides using ESI and collision-induced dissociation (CID) techniques are reported.

Neolignanamides, lignanamides, and other phenolic compounds from the root bark of Lycium chinense.

Seven new neolignanamides (1-7), including two pairs of cis- and trans-isomers, and a new lignanamide (8) were isolated from the EtOAc-soluble fraction of an EtOH extract of the root bark of Lycium chinense, together with 22 known phenolic compounds (9-30), four of which were obtained from the genus Lycium for the first time. Compounds 5, 6, and 7 are unusual dimers having a rare connection mode between the two cinnamic acid amide units, while compounds 6, 7, and 8 are the first naturally occurring dimers derived from two dissimilar cinnamic acid amides. The cinnamic acid amides, neolignanamides, and lignanamides possess moderate radical-scavenging activity against the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and superoxide radicals.