An UHPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of quercetin 3- O -rutinoside, kaempferol 3- O -rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3- O -rutinoside, bilobalide and ligustrazine in rat plasma, and its application to pharmacokinetic study of Xingxiong injection

A Study and In Vitro Evaluation of the Bioactive Compounds of Broad Bean Sprouts for the Treatment of Parkinson's Syndrome

Levodopa (LD) is the first discovered and the most promising and effective medication for Parkinson's disease (PD). As the first identified natural source of LD, Vicia faba L. (broad beans), especially its sprouts, has been confirmed to contain many other potential bioactive compounds that could also be therapeutic for PD. In this study, the bioactive components obtained from broad bean sprout extraction (BSE) that could be beneficial for PD treatment were screened, and the related mechanisms were explored. Solvent extraction combined with column chromatography was used to isolate bioactive fractions and monomer compounds, while UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, HRESI-MS and (1H, 13C) NMR were employed for compound identification. Network pharmacology techniques were applied to screen for potential mechanisms. A total of 52 compounds were identified in a 50% MeOH extract of broad bean sprouts. Moreover, twelve compounds were isolated and identified from ethyl acetate and n-butanol portions, including caffeic acid (1), trans-3-indoleacrylic acid (2), p-coumaric acid (3), protocatechualdehyde (4), isovitexin (5), isoquercetin (6), grosvenorine (7), kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (8), isoschaftoside (9), narcissin (10), kaempferitrin (11) and trigonelline HCl (12). Compounds 2, 4, 7, 8 and 12 were isolated from Vicia faba L. for the first time. The potential mechanisms were determined by analyzing 557 drug targets, 2334 disease targets and 199 intersections between them using a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Further in vitro experiments confirmed that caffeic acid (compound 1) and p-coumaric acid (compound 3) have neuroprotective effects in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated SH-SY5Y cells and lipopolysaccharide-treated PC-12 cells through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. In conclusion, this study explored effective components in broad bean sprouts and performed in vitro evaluations.

Bilobalide: A review of its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and safety

Bilobalide is a natural sesquiterpene trilactone from Ginkgo biloba leaves. It has good water solubility and is widely used in food and pharmaceutical fields. In the last decade, a plethora of studies on the pharmacological activities of bilobalide has been conducted and demonstrated that bilobalide possessed an extensive range of pharmacological activities such as neuroprotective, antioxidative, antiinflammatory, anti-ischemic, and cardiovascular protective activities. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that bilobalide may have the characteristics of rapid absorption, good bioavailability, wide distribution, and slow elimination. This review aims to summarize the advances in pharmacological, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and safety studies of bilobalide in the last decade with an emphasis on its neuroprotective and antiinflammatory activities, to provide researchers with the latest information and point out the limitations of relevant research at the current stage and the aspects that should be strengthened in future research.

Simultaneous Determination of Three Coumarins in Rat Plasma by HPLC-MS/MS for Pharmacokinetic Studies Following Oral Administration of Chimonanthi Radix Extract

Chimonanthi Radix (CR) is widely used in the treatment of influenza in China. Extensive studies revealed that the major bioactive constituents of CR were coumarins. However, pharmacokinetic study of coumarins in CR has not been fully studied. The purpose of this study was to establish a convenient and effective high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method that was used to simultaneously determine scopoletin, scopolin and isofraxidin in rat plasma after oral administration of CR extract using xanthotoxin as the internal standard. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a COSMOCORE C18 column (100 × 2 mm, 2.6 μm), using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B). Three coumarins and IS were quantified by positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method was fully validated in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision (intra- and inter-day), matrix effect, recovery as well as the stability of the analytes under various conditions. The results could provide further research foundation for anti-influenza mechanism of three coumarins in CR.

A Green Extraction Process for Polyphenols from Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Flowers Using Deep Eutectic Solvent and Ultrasound-Assisted Pretreatment

Sambucus nigra flowers, known as elderberry flowers (EBF), are a plant tissue rich in polyphenolic phytochemicals with important bioactivities. However, there are few studies dealing with the production of polyphenol-containing EBF extracts. The objective of the investigation presented herein was the development of a high-performance green extraction methodology, to generate EBF extracts enriched in polyphenolic substances, using an efficient deep eutectic solvent, combined with ultrasonication pretreatment. The DES was composed of L-lactic acid (hydrogen bond donor—HBD) and glycine (hydrogen bond acceptor—HBA) and, after an initial screening to properly regulate HBD/HBA ratio, the extraction was optimized by deploying response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions, which were DES/water (85% w/v), liquid-to-solid ratio 60 mL g⁻¹, and stirring speed 200 rounds per minute, the extraction yield in total polyphenols amounted to 121.24 ± 8.77 mg gallic acid equivalents per g dry matter. The integration of ultrasonication prior to the batch stirred-tank extraction boosted polyphenol recovery of up to 174.73 ± 2.62 mg gallic acid equivalents per g dry matter. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that the richest EBF extract obtained was dominated by rutin, a di-p-coumaroylquic acid and chlorogenic acid.

Supercritical CO2 Fluid Extraction for the Identification of Compounds from Citrus reticulata Semen by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Combined with Q-Exactive Orbitrap Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A rapid and simple method based on the coupling of supercritical fluid extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (SFE-UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS) detection for the identification of compounds from Citrus reticulata semen (CRS) was developed for the first time in this study. Through the optimization of the SFE parameters including extractive pressure, extractive temperature, and time, most of the compounds were successfully extracted at 50 °C, 33 MPa, and 2 h without an entraining agent, among which 32 compounds were successfully identified. Moreover, the operating conditions of UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS were also optimized for the analysis of the SFE extracts, and the extracts in the CRS showed good separation performance in 20 min. A total of 28 compounds from the SFE extract were identified by comparing the standard sample together with full scan and related literature data, among which esters and flavonoids were the major compounds identified in the CRS extracts. In addition, 2 phenols, 2 aldehydes, 2 triterpenes, and 5 other compounds were identified. The SFE-UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS method was successfully validated and applied for the identification of compounds from the CRS.