Preparation of restricted access monolithic tip via unidirectional freezing and atom transfer radical polymerization for directly extracting magnolol and honokiol from rat plasma followed by liquid chromatography analysis

Restricted access membrane roll with functionalized silica nanoparticles cross-linked by hydrophilic polymer chains on the surface for the direct extraction of Evodiae Fructus active components from rat plasma

Evodiamine and other indole alkaloids are the main active constituents in Evodiae Fructus (EF), which is widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, the toxic side effects of EF caused by the alkaloid evodiamine have gradually attracted the attention of researchers. In this regard, the rapid and accurate detection of these alkaloids in biological body fluids has become a challenging task. Therefore, it has become a priority that the rapid and efficient extraction of evodiamine etc. alkaloids from blood sample. In this research, a novel method was proposed to prepare the restricted access (RA) membrane with the hydrophobic functional silica nanoparticles cross-linked on the surface by hydrophilic poly-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (p-HEMA). The poly-HEMA chains played the role of protein exclusion and the functional nanoparticles played the role of hydrophobic adsorbent. The RA membrane was wound into a roll shape and inserted into a 1 mL medical syringe to assemble a portable SPE device, named as SRAMR-SPE, for the direct and simultaneous extraction of evodiamine (EVO), rutecarpine (RUT) and dehydroevodiamine (DHE) in rat plasma after a simple dilution with PBS. The prepared functional nanoparticles and RA membrane were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. HPLC-UV analysis was used to investigate the extraction performance of SRAMR. An associated SRAMR-SPE-HPLC method was constructed and applied to the detection of real rat plasma after the method validation for the verification of the reliability and applicability of the SRAMR-SPE. The experimental results showed that the RA membrane roll (RAMR) had a good ability to exclude plasma proteins and adsorb analytes with multiple reusability. For 3 consecutive cycles of SRAMR-SPE processes, the extraction recoveries of three components at three concentration levels were determined as follows: DHE 93.1-95.1 %, EVO 88.8-91.6 % and RUT 93.6-95.6 %, and the absolute recoveries of the entire SRAMR-SPE-HPLC-UV method were separately as follows: DHE 90.3-92.3 %, EVO 86.2-90.9 %, RUT 91.8-96.4 %. The linear ranges were detected as follows: 0.0600-6.00 μg mL-1 (DHE), 0.105-5.65 μg mL-1 (EVO) and 0.0632-6.32 μg mL-1 (RUT).

Trends in extraction and purification methods of Lignans in plant-derived foods

Lignans are widely used as dietary supplements within health foods. However, excess addition of lignans can induce adverse reactions, therefore, it is necessary to develop rapid, effective, economical, and environmentally friendly extraction and purification methods to enhance lignan extraction efficiency. Recently, the advancement of sample pretreatment has been primarily directed towards the application of novel extraction solvents (e.g., supramolecular solvents) in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, the miniaturization of solid-phase extraction, the utilization of innovative adsorbent materials in dispersive solid-phase microextraction and matrix-assisted solid-phase extraction, and the employment of subcritical water extraction technology. Up to now, no systematic review has encompassed these advancements. Consequently, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the extraction and purification methods of lignans from plant-derived foods since 2017, with a particular focus on the application of microextraction technologies and new materials. It also analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and discusses their future developing trends.

Greenness assessment of microextraction techniques in therapeutic drug monitoring

Aim: In this study, we evaluated the greenness and whiteness scores for microextraction techniques used in therapeutic drug monitoring. Additionally, the cons and pros of each evaluated method and their impacts on the provided scores are also discussed. Materials & methods: The Analytical Greenness Sample Preparation metric tool and white analytical chemistry principles are used for related published works (2007-2023). Results & conclusion: This study provided valuable insights for developing methods based on microextraction techniques with a balance in greenness and whiteness areas. Some methods based on a specific technique recorded higher scores, making them suitable candidates as green analytical approaches, and some others achieved high scores both in green and white areas with a satisfactory balance between principles.

Magnolol Loaded on Carboxymethyl Chitosan Particles Improved the Antimicrobial Resistance and Storability of Kiwifruits

Magnolol is a natural compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Magnolia officinalis, which exhibits antimicrobial properties. However, magnolol is insoluble in water and consists of a phenolic hydroxyl group, which is volatile; these factors hinder its application. In this study, a safe and environmentally friendly method to improve the microbial resistance and storability of harvested fruits is developed using the water-soluble carrier carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and magnolol. Magnolol was loaded on CMCS particles to form Magnolol@CMCS antimicrobial particles, a preservation coating agent. Magnolol@CMCS particles effectively solved the problems of water insolubility and agglomeration of magnolol and reduced the size distribution D50 value of magnolol from 0.749 to 0.213 μm. Magnolol@CMCS particles showed greater toxicity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Botryosphaeria dothidea than that of magnolol alone, with effective medium concentration (EC50) values of 0.9408, 142.4144, and 8.8028 μg/mL, respectively. Kiwifruit treated with the Magnolol@CMCS solution showed delayed changes in fruit hardness and soluble solid and dry matter contents and significantly higher ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and soluble total sugar contents and sugar:acid ratios compared with that of the control fruit. In addition, no disease spots were observed on fruit treated with the Magnolol@CMCS solution within 7 days after inoculation with B. dothidea. In conclusion, Magnolol@CMCS particles showed antimicrobial activity on harvested fruits, effectively delayed the hardness and nutritional changes of fruits during storage, and improved the storability of kiwifruit.