A Strategy for Pinpointing Natural Bioactive Components Using Two-Dimensional Bioassay Profilings Combined with Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Countercurrent Chromatography × High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A HPLC-assisted mathematical prediction method of ternary solvent systems to develop an intelligent online selection system for countercurrent chromatography solvent system

Countercurrent chromatography (CCC) is an efficient technique for purifying bioactive natural compounds, but selecting the solvent system can be a time-consuming and crucial process for successful separation. This paper discussed the HPLC-assisted mathematical prediction method for the n-hexane/alcohol solvents/water (HAWat) and ethyl acetate/n-butanol/water (EBuWat) systems and designed an intelligent online selection system to simplify the separation process. First, the applicable rage of HAWat and EBuWat solvent systems were quantified by the methanol concentration at the column inlet when template molecules peak in a HPLC analysis (B%). Then, we analyzed the relationship between the logarithmic partition coefficient (log K) of template molecules and the alcohol solvent ratio by using different brands of chromatography columns. Moreover, the prediction function was developed by correlating the best solvent composition of CCC solvent system with the B% of template molecules. The results indicated that the HAWat system was suitable for separating compounds with B% > 85 %, while the EBuWat system was effective for compounds with 40 % < B% < 55 %. The quadratic function for HAWat systems and one universal EBuWat system (8.2:1.8:10) were determined and verified to develop the HPLC-assisted mathematical prediction function method. The method could select suitable solvent systems for separfigation easily and quickly. And a step of result correction was required for the occasional discrete value. Finally, an intelligent CCC online selection system that integrates established mathematical functions was designed to enable real-time solvent selection, on-demand solvent configuration, and automated sample separation. It eliminates the iterative process of shake-flask experiments and facilitates intelligent upgrading of CCC instrumentation.

Tyrosinase Oxidative Cross-Linking in the Cell-Like Crowded Microenvironment for Visible Inhibitor Screening

Owing to many diseases and disorders being caused by dysfunctional or over/underexpressed enzymes, screening for inhibitors of pharmacologically relevant enzymes has emerged as a promising tool for drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, enzyme engineering, and other medical fields. However, despite the recent advances, most inhibitor screenings are still usually conducted in dilute media, at concentrations far from the media in which the enzymes are actually found, which may cause drugs to fail when translated to in vivo. Herein, we build a gel-like intracellular biological environment in vitro using a tyrosinase oxidative cross-linking hydrogel system that is closer to the real catalytic environment of enzymes. We report a straightforward and effective inhibitor evaluation strategy that can quickly compare the inhibitory strengths of inhibitors based on the principle that adding inhibitors causes color changes and mechanical changes in the system. Enabled by molecular docking, we further demonstrate the different performances of the inhibitors at different concentrations. By construction of the cell-like crowded environment in vitro, this system shows an appealing application prospect for new drug development.

Recent Advances in Screening and Separating Active Components From Natural Products Based on High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography

Natural products play a vital role in human health because people find that they can reduce the incidence of many diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, researchers have developed many effective techniques for screening and separating active compounds from natural products. High-speed countercurrent chromatography is a unique unsupported liquid-liquid chromatography technology that has been widely used in the separation of natural products. In this paper, the research progress of screening and separating active components from natural products by combining high-speed countercurrent chromatography technology with other technologies is reviewed from two aspects: pre-column activity assay and post-column activity assay. The purpose of this paper is to provide some theoretical support for the screening and separation of natural active compounds by high-speed countercurrent chromatography. I hope that the contents summarized in this paper can provide more basis for the development of screening and separation of natural active compounds to realize large-scale preparation.

Improvement of polarity-based solvent system for countercurrent chromatography in the guidance of solvent selectivity: n-hexane/ethyl acetate/ alcohol solvents/water as an example

Solvent system selection based on polarity is a common strategy in a countercurrent chromatography (CCC) analysis. However, the solvent selectivity of solvent system is often ignored, despite its significant impact on the separation efficiency of CCC. In this study, the role of solvent in the overall properties of solvent system and the selective classification of solvent system were discussed to improve the solvent system selection based on polarity. Firstly, the mathematical relationship between logarithm of the partition coefficient (log K) of the template molecule and solvent composition of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/alcohol solvents (methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol)/water (HEAwat) system was analyzed and the optimal solvent system (K = 1) of the template molecules was determined. Then, the actual methanol concentration at the column inlet when the analyte peak in a HPLC analysis (B%) and the clustering results of the average polarity (P') of the optimal CCC solvent system were analyzed. Finally, the classification of HEAWat system in terms of its overall solvent properties by deducing equations of selectivity parameters (χe, χd, and χn) to explain the P' values clustering results. The results showed that HEAWat system was suitable for the separation of analytes with 55 % < B% < 100 %. However, the n-hexane/ethyl acetate/isopropanol/water (HEIWat) system proved more suitable for the separation of large polar compounds to other HEAWat system when the P' value decreased due to the change of alcohol solvents. The selected solvent systems were classified into group III and IV by Snyder's method. The solvent systems in group III were suitable for the separation of analytes with 85 % < B% < 100 %, and the distribution behavior of analytes was mainly influenced by the ratio of each solvent. The solvent systems in group IV were suitable for the separation of analytes with 55 % < B% < 85 %, and the distribution behavior of analytes was mainly influenced by the type of alcohol solvents.

Application of two-dimensional reversed phase countercurrent chromatography × high-performance liquid chromatography to bioactivity-guided screening and isolation of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Rheum palmatum L

In the present work, comprehensive two-dimensional reversed-phase countercurrent chromatography × reversed-phase liquid chromatography combined (2D RPCCC × RPLC) with 2D microfraction bioactive evaluation was employed to screen and isolate α-glucosidase inhibitors from Rheum palmatum L. Countercurrent chromatography was employed to improve 2D analysis and preparative separation. A selected biphasic solvent system composed of petroleum ether/ethyl acetate/methanol/water with gradient elution mode was used for the first dimension RPCCC separation (1D RPCCC). Solid-phase extraction was applied to eliminate interfering polar compounds before the second dimension analysis (2D RPLC). 76 components were shown in 2D contour plot in UV 280 nm. 11 Candidates were separated by a scaled-up CCC and identified by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, including anthraquinones, flavonoids, stilbenes, phenols, and glucoside derivatives. In addition, it was found that two components, resveratrol-4'-O-(6″-galloyl)glucoside (36) and lyciumaside (43) were identified as natural α-glucosidase inhibitors in Rheum palmatum L. for the first time.

Gain deeper insights into traditional Chinese medicines using multidimensional chromatography combined with chemometric approaches

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) possess a rich historical background, unique theoretical framework, remarkable therapeutic efficacy, and abundant resources. However, the modernization and internationalization of TCMs have faced significant obstacles due to their diverse ingredients and unknown mechanisms. To gain deeper insights into the phytochemicals and ensure the quality control of TCMs, there is an urgent need to enhance analytical techniques. Currently, two-dimensional (2D) chromatography, which incorporates two independent separation mechanisms, demonstrates superior separation capabilities compared to the traditional one-dimensional (1D) separation system when analyzing TCMs samples. Over the past decade, new techniques have been continuously developed to gain actionable insights from complex samples. This review presents the recent advancements in the application of multidimensional chromatography for the quality evaluation of TCMs, encompassing 2D-gas chromatography (GC), 2D-liquid chromatography (LC), as well as emerging three-dimensional (3D)-GC, 3D-LC, and their associated data-processing approaches. These studies highlight the promising potential of multidimensional chromatographic separation for future phytochemical analysis. Nevertheless, the increased separation capability has resulted in higher-order data sets and greater demands for data-processing tools. Considering that multidimensional chromatography is still a relatively nascent research field, further hardware enhancements and the implementation of chemometric methods are necessary to foster its robust development.

Spectrum-Effect Relationship in Chinese Herbal Medicine: Current Status and Future Perspectives

The quality of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) directly impacts clinical efficacy and safety. Fingerprint technology is an internationally recognized method for evaluating the quality of CHM. However, the existing quality evaluation models based on fingerprint technology have blocked the ability to assess the internal quality of CHM and cannot comprehensively reflect the correlation between pharmacodynamic information and active constituents. Through mathematical methods, a connection between the "Spectrum" (fingerprint) and the "Effect" (pharmacodynamic data) was established to conduct a spectrum-effect relationship (SER) of CHM to unravel the active component information associated with the pharmacodynamic activity. Consequently, SER can efficiently address the limitations of the segmentation of chemical components and pharmacodynamic effect in CHM and further improve the quality evaluation of CHM. This review focuses on the recent research progress of SER in the field of CHM, including the establishment of fingerprint, the selection of data analysis methods, and their recent applications in the field of CHM. Various advanced fingerprint techniques are introduced, followed by the data analysis methods used in recent years are summarized. Finally, the applications of SER based on different research subjects are described in detail. In addition, the advantages of combining SER with other data are discussed through practical applications, and the research on SER is summarized and prospected. This review proves the validity and development potential of the SER and provides a reference for the development and application of quality evaluation methods for CHM.

Retention correlation and orthogonality between reversed phase countercurrent chromatography and liquid chromatography based on solvent strength

Correlation of elution performance between reversed phase countercurrent chromatography and liquid chromatography was investigated using five selected natural components. Theoretical guidance for orthogonality of two-dimensional countercurrent chromatography and liquid chromatography was proposed. The difference in retention behavior between countercurrent chromatography and liquid chromatography was studied when the mobile phase was composed of methanol and water by measuring the partition behavior of five selected compounds in two typical biphasic solvent systems composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water and chloroform-methanol-water. An orthogonal diagram between countercurrent chromatography and liquid chromatography was obtained by normalized treatment of the measured partition coefficients and capacity factors. The experimental results showed that each biphasic solvent system used for countercurrent chromatography had a high orthogonality with liquid chromatography when a specific volume ratio was used.

Screening of Tyrosinase, Xanthine Oxidase, and α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix by Ultrafiltration and HPLC Analysis

Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix (PCR), the rhizome and root of Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc., has been used as an herbal medicine for a long time. In this study, the ultrafiltration combined with high performance liquid chromatography (UF-HPLC) method was developed to screen tyrosinase (TYR), α-glucosidase (α-GLU), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitors from PCR. Firstly, the inhibitory activity of 50% methanol PCR extract on TYR, α-GLU, XOD, and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) was tested. The extract showed a good inhibition on the enzymes, except for ACHE. Therefore, UF-HPLC experiments were carried out to screen TYR, α-GLU, and XOD inhibitors from PCR extract. Seven potential bioactive components were discovered, including methylgallate (1), 1,6-di-O-galloyl-D-glucose (2), polydatin-4'-O-D-glucoside (3), resveratrol-4'-O-D-glucoside (4), polydatin (5), malonyl glucoside resveratrol (6), and resveratrol-5-O-D-glucoside (7). Most of them were found as enzyme inhibitors from PCR for the first time, except polydatin (5), which had been reported as an α-GLUI in PCR in the literature. Finally, molecular docking analysis was applied to validate the interactions of these seven potential active components with the enzymes. Compounds 1-7 were proven as TYR inhibitors, compounds 2, 4-7 were identified as XOD inhibitors, and compounds 4-6 were confirmed as α-GLU inhibitors. In short, the current study provides a good reference for the screening of enzyme inhibitors through UF-HPLC, and provides scientific data for future studies of PCR.