A Rapid and Accurate 1HNMR Method for the Identification and Quantification of Major Constituents in Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills

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.

Effectiveness and Safety of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pill in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: 3-Year Results from a Multicentre Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pill (QSYQ) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

This multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted at 40 centers in China. Patients with ACS after PCI entered either the QSYQ or Western medicine (WM) groups naturally based on whether they had received QSYQ before enrollment. QSYQ group received QSYQ (0.52 g, 3 times a day for 12 months) in addition to WM. The primary endpoint included cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization. The secondary endpoint included rehospitalization due to ACS, heart failure, stroke, and other thrombotic events. Quality of life was assessed by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ).

RESULTS

A total of 936 patients completed follow-up of the primary endpoint from February 2012 to December 2018. Overall, 487 patients received QSYQ and WM. During a median follow-up of 566 days (inter quartile range, IQR, 517-602), the primary endpoint occurred in 46 (9.45%) and 65 (14.48%) patients in QSYQ and WM groups respectively [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.90; P=0.013]. The secondary endpoint occurred in 61 (12.53%) and 74 (16.48%) patients in QSYQ and WM groups, respectively (adjusted HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.53-1.09; P=0.136). In sensitivity analysis, the results still demonstrated that WM combined with QSYQ reduced the risk of the primary endpoint (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.46-0.98; P=0.039). Moreover, QSYQ improved the disease perception domain of the SAQ (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In patients with ACS after PCI, QSYQ combined with WM reduced the incidence of the primary endpoint. These findings provide a promising option for managing ACS after PCI and suggest the potential treatment for reducing the risk of primary endpoint included cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization through intermittent administration of QSYQ (Registration No. ChiCTR-OOC-14005552).

Comparison and Determination of the Content of Mosapride Citrate by Different qNMR Methods

As a salt-type compound, mosapride citrate's metabolism and side effects are correlated with its salt-forming ratio. Several techniques were developed in this work to compare various quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) methodologies and to quantitatively examine the content of raw materials. Among the qNMR techniques, methods for 1H NMR and 19F NMR were developed. Appropriate solvents were chosen, and temperature, number of scans, acquisition time, and relaxation delay parameter settings were optimized. Maleic acid was chosen as the internal standard in 1H NMR, and the respective characteristic signals of mosapride and citrate were selected as quantitative peaks. The internal standard in 19F NMR analysis was 4,4'-difluoro diphenylmethanone, and the distinctive signal peak at -116.15 ppm was utilized to quantify mosapride citrate. The precision, repeatability, linearity, stability, accuracy, and robustness of the qNMR methods were all validated according to the ICH guidelines. By contrasting the outcomes with those from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the accuracy of qNMR was assessed. As a result, we created a quicker and easier qNMR approach to measure the amount of mosapride citrate and evaluated several qNMR techniques to establish a foundation for choosing quantitative peaks for the qNMR method. Concurrently, it is anticipated that various selections of distinct quantitative objects will yield the mosapride citrate salt-forming ratio.

Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescription in Naolingsu Capsule Based on Combinative Method of Fingerprint, Quantitative Determination, and Chemometrics

BACKGROUND

Naolingsu capsule (NLSC) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription in China. It is widely used to treat neurasthenia, insomnia, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and other diseases. However, its inalienable chemical groups have not been carried out.

METHODS

We first established the nontargeted investigation based on fingerprinting coupled with UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS. Second, the quantitative methods based on HPLC-DAD and LC-MS/MS were connected to the synchronous quantitative assurance of eleven and fourteen marker compounds. Finally, the quantitative information was processed with SIMCA-P for differentiating the distinctive bunches of samples to screen the foremost appropriate chemical markers.

RESULTS

The similarity of HPLC fingerprints of 24 batches of NLSC samples was 0.645-0.992. In total, 37 flavonoids, 21 organic acids, 22 lignans, 13 saponins, and 20 other compounds were recognized in NLSC by the UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS method. The quantitative determination was approved for linearity, discovery limits, accuracy, repeatability, soundness, and precision. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models accomplished the great classification of the samples from the five enterprises, respectively. Rehmannioside D (RD), methylophiopogonanone A (MPA), 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose (DS), schisandrin B (SSB), epimedin C (EC), icariin (ICA), and jujuboside B (JB) were considered as the potential chemical markers for NLSC quality control.

CONCLUSION

The experimental results illustrated that the combinative strategy was valuable for quick pharmaceutical quality assessment, which can potentially differentiate the origin, decide the realness, and assess the overall quality of the formulation.