A hierarchical screening method for detection of illegal adulterants in Fur seal ginseng pills by profiling analysis of HPLC multi‐dimensional fingerprints

DoE Screening and Optimization of Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Nicotinic Acid and Six Statins: Application to Pharmaceutical Preparations and Counterfeit Detection

An isocratic reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated to simultaneously determine nicotinic acid, pravastatin sodium, rosuvastatin calcium, atorvastatin calcium, pitavastatin calcium, lovastatin sodium and simvastatin sodium in focus on counterfeit drug detection. Thin-layer chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry have been additionally performed to verify the identification of adulterants of counterfeit herbal medicines. Chromatographic separation was carried out on Inertsil® ODS-3 C18 (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 μm) with isocratic mobile phase elution containing a mixture of acetonitrile: methanol: 25 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer, pH 2.86 adjusted with 0.1 M o-phosphoric acid (48: 30: 22, v/v/v), at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and with UV detection at 238 nm. The design of experiment methodology, Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken designs, was used to screen and optimize the mobile phase composition. The validation of the method was also carried out under the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The developed method was sensitive, accurate, simple, economical and highly robust, in addition to the comprehensiveness and novelty of this method for separating the seven drugs. The results were statistically compared with the reference methods used Student's t-test and variance ratio F-test at P < 0.05.

Lodenafil

Lodenafil is a class of drugs called an inhibitor of PDE5 which also include a wide range of other erectile medicines, such as sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil. It is part of a new generation of PDE5 inhibitors that includes udenafil and avanafil. Lodenafil is a prodrug manufactured in the form of lodenafil carbonate, the carbonate dimer that divides in the body into two active drug lodenafil molecules. The oral bioavailability of this formulation is higher than that of the parent drug. This article discusses, by a critical comprehensive review of the literature on lodenafil in terms of its description, names, formulae, elemental composition, appearance, and therapeutic uses. The article also discusses the methods for preparation of lodenafil, its physical-chemical properties, analytical methods for its determination, pharmacological-toxicological properties, and dosing information.

A comprehensive quality evaluation method of Corydalis yanhusuo by HPLC fingerprints, chemometrics, and correlation analysis

A novel quality evaluation method of Corydalis yanhusuo was established by researching the high-performance liquid chromatography behavior of alkaloids under different buffer solutions and exploring the correlation between alkaloids in C. yanhusuo. The retention times of tetrahydropalmatine and corydaline were significantly influenced by pH, while the peak shape was affected by buffer types and ionic strength. The resolution of compounds in fingerprint was satisfactory under acetonitrile-0.2% phosphoric acid buffer (adjusted pH to 5.0 with triethylamine). Twelve common peaks were found by comparing 20 batches of C. yanhusuo fingerprints, and three tertiary alkaloids and four quaternary alkaloids were identified. The fingerprints were analyzed by similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis. All samples were divided into three groups, and the contents of dehydrocorydaline and coptisine from Zhejiang province were relatively higher than other origins. There were six components performing more contributions to the quality of C. yanhusuo. The correlations between alkaloids were conducted by Pearson correlation analysis and mathematical model analysis. The content correlation between palmatine and berberine was y = 0.28x²  + 0.03x + 0.03, and the dehydrocorydaline and coptisine was y = -7.54/(1 + (x/0.14)^0.5 ) + 2.61. The established mathematical model of alkaloids provided a guiding significance for the quality control of C. yanhusuo.

Novel synthesized attapulgite nanoparticles-based hydrophobic monolithic column for in-tube solid-phase microextraction of thiosildenafil, pseudovardenafil, and norneosildenafil in functional foods

In this study, a novel method which involved in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) using an attapulgite (ATP) nanoparticles-based hydrophobic monolithic column was successfully developed. It was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection for the determination of three phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, including thiosildenafil, pseudovardenafil, and norneosildenafil, in functional foods. The monolithic column was prepared by one-step polymerization, using 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate-modified ATP nanoparticles and 1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide (VBIMBr) as the functional monomers, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as the cross-linker. The obtained poly(ATP-VBIMBr-EDMA) monolith was characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive analysis of X-ray, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption capacity, up to 2.00 μg/cm calculated by the Langmuir isotherm model, was about six times that of the poly(VBIMBr-EDMA) monolith. Crucial factors affecting the extraction efficiency, including sample solvent, elution solvent, flow rates of sampling loading and elution, sample loading volume, and elution volume, were investigated in details. Under the optimal in-tube SPME conditions, the proposed method showed good reproducibility with run-to-run, column-to-column, and batch-to-batch relative standard deviations less than 7.2%, and low limits of detection of 0.5-0.9 ng/mL in real samples. Thiosildenafil was detected in four types of functional foods with the contents of 1.30-4.78 μg/g. This newly proposed in-tube SPME method based on poly(ATP-VBIMBr-EDMA) monolith may provide a simple, efficient, and promising alternative to daily monitoring of PDE-5 inhibitors in functional foods.

Computer-Aided Rapid Establishment of Fingerprint of Xiaojin Capsule by HPLC

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas have a significant clinical efficacy, and the fingerprint technology has been widely accepted to fully reveal the quality of TCM. Whereas, it is a great challenge to establish the fingerprint chromatogram which can fully reflect every single herb material in a short time. In this study, we used Xiaojin capsule (XJC) as a case and developed a rapid fingerprint method based on increasing the column temperature and flow rate simultaneously combined with computer-aided. First, the elution gradient was optimized based on the retention parameters and peak shape parameters of the four linear gradients, and then, the column temperature and flow rate were increased simultaneously to shorten the analysis time. Next, the standard fingerprint chromatogram of XJC, which can reflect every herb material, was generated. Finally, quality markers were screened through unsupervised cluster analysis and supervised orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis. Combining computer-aided with increasing column temperature and flow rate simultaneously can develop the rapid method for establishing HPLC fingerprint of XJC, which can fully reflect every single herb material and provide comprehensive quality control. The strategy for establishing HPLC fingerprint of TCM formula could be applied to other traditional Chinese medicine formulas and herbal medicine.

A Review of Authenticity and Authentication of Commercial Ginseng Herbal Medicines and Food Supplements

Ginseng traditional medicines and food supplements are the globally top selling herbal products. Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius and Panax notoginseng are the main commercial ginseng species in herbal medicine. Prices of ginseng products vary widely based on the species, quality, and purity of the used ginseng, and this provides a strong driver for intentional adulteration. Our systematic literature search has reviewed the authenticity results of 507 ginseng-containing commercial herbal products sold in 12 countries scattered across six continents. The analysis of the botanical and chemical identity of all these products shows that 76% are authentic while 24% were reported as adulterated. The number of commercial products as well as the percentage of adulteration varies significantly between continents, being highest in South America (100%) and Australia (75%), and lower in Europe (35%), North America (23%), Asia (21%) and Africa (0%). At a national level, from the five countries for which more than 10 products have been successfully authenticated, the highest percentage of adulterated ginseng products were purchased from Taiwan (49%), followed by Italy (37%), China (21%), and USA (12%), while all products bought in South Korea were reported to be authentic. In most cases, labeled Panax species were substituted with other Panax species, but substitution of ginseng root, the medicinally recommended plant part, with leaves, stems or flowers was also reported. Efficient and practical authentication using biomarkers to distinguish the main ginseng varieties and secondary metabolite spectra for age determination are essential to combat adulteration in the global marketplace.

Analysis of Aspirin, Prasugrel and Clopidogrel in Counterfeit Pharmaceutical and Herbal Products: Plackett–Burman Screening and Box–Behnken Optimization

An isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of aspirin, prasugrel HCl and clopidogrel bisulfate in the presence of clopidogrel-related compound (impurity-A) in focus on counterfeit. This method was used to determine counterfeited antiplatelet drugs in two substandard Indian pharmaceutical products sold on the market in Yemen and two traditional herbal medicines sold on the market in China. Thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry of counterfeit herbal medicines have additionally been carried out to verify the identification of adulterants. Chromatographic separation was performed on Inertsil ® ODS-3 C18 (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) with isocratic mobile phase elution containing a mixture of acetonitrile: (25 mM) potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer, pH 2.7 adjusted with 0.1 M o-phosphoric acid (79: 21, v/v), at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and UV detection at 220 nm. Designs of experiment methodology, Plackett–Burman and Box–Behnken designs were used for the screening and optimization of the mobile phase composition. The method validation was also performed in accordance with the International Council on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The method developed for routine analysis was found to be sensitive, simple, accurate and highly robust. The results were statistically compared to reference methods using Student’s t-test and variance ratio F-test at P &lt; 0.05.

Microwave-assisted extraction followed by salting-out phase separation for hierarchical screening of illegal adulterants in aphrodisiac health products by multi-dimensional fingerprint profiling analysis

A novel method for hierarchical screening of illegal adulterants in Fur seal ginseng pills (FSGP) products was developed by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) coupled to salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) with multi-dimensional fingerprint profiling analysis. Using a homogeneous system formed by dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and water as the extractant, the MAE conditions were investigated to maximize extraction recoveries, followed by addition of ammonium sulfate to induce DMC phase separation for SALLE enrichment of 16 potentially illegal adulterants such as phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors, androgens, α receptor antagonists and yohimbine etc. By means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection (DAD) and fluorescence detection (FLD), multi-dimensional fingerprints were acquired by multi-wavelength detection to highlight the signals of the potentially illegal adulterants and reduce or remove interferences from the sample matrix. For high accuracy and reliability, a hierarchical screening strategy was designed by multi-dimensional fingerprinting profiling analysis (MDFPA). The method exhibited proper identification and quantification performance, and it was successfully applied to screening of illegal adulterants in 18 batches of the samples through the step-by-step MDFPA. Also, the results were further confirmed by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS). The proposed method was proved to be a green, efficient and reliable alternative to monitoring aphrodisiac health products.

Fluorescence based immunochromatographic sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of tadalafil and comparison with a gold lateral flow immunoassay

Tadalafil (TDL) is an illegal additive drug found in drinks and functional foods that could threaten public health. There was a great concern whether the adulteration occurred in coffee added with similar type of herbs. Here we have developed a rapid, simple, sensitive, and semi-quantitative lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) based on gold and fluorescence labelled monoclonal antibody (mAb) for detection of TDL in coffee sample. Under optimal conditions, the cut off limits using gold nanoparticles labelled mAb (GLM) was found to be 250 ng/mL and 100 ng mL using fluorescent labelled mAb (FLM) in coffee samples. The coffee samples were spiked with TDL, and the LFIA with GLM gave average recoveries of 92-105.3% (intra-assay) and 96.6-105.9% (inter-assay), meanwhile with FLM gave recoveries 97.9-107.3% (intra-assay) and 98.3-108.9% (inter-assay). Results gave LFIA with FLM more sensitive than with GLM and all the test can be completed within 10 min, which would be an option for convenient and rapid assay of TDL detection.

Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019

This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.