This study developed a rapid and green liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of three major flavonoids (cianidanol, saxifragin, and miquelianin) in alpine bistort rhizome (ABR) and Zhuyaliao Zhixie Granules (ZZG). To our knowledge, this is the first simultaneous determination of these three compounds in Polygonaceae. Following ultrasonic extraction with 70% methanol, separation was achieved on a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column using 0.1% formic acid in water and methanol as the mobile phase. LC-MS/MS detection was performed in the negative ion mode using multiple-reaction monitoring, with a total analysis time of only 6 min per sample. All analytes showed excellent linearity (r > 0.998) and satisfactory recoveries (94.0-107%) with low relative standard deviations (1.06-2.87%). Quantitative profiling revealed that both source type and provenance significantly affected flavonoid levels in ABR, whereas the granules exhibited markedly reduced levels of these flavonoids compared to the raw botanical materials. Compared to previously reported LC methods, this approach exhibited greater analytical efficiency and was both practical and green according to the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI). The developed method provides a reliable tool for ABR quality evaluation and promotes greener, faster modernization of traditional Chinese medicine analysis.

Fraxini Cortex is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been used for thousands of years to treat dampness-heat diarrhea, dysentery, red or white vaginal discharge, painful swelling or redness of the eyes, and nebula. It contains various chemical components, including coumarins, iridoids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. Coumarins are important active ingredients in Fraxini Cortex and have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and antiviral activities. Aesculin and aesculetin are two major coumarin components of Fraxini Cortex that are widely used in its quality evaluation. Previous HPLC methods for determination of aesculin and aesculetin present several limitations, such as long analysis times and high solvent and reference compound consumption. In this study, a rapid, eco-friendly and cost saving HPLC method for the determination of aesculin and aesculetin in Fraxini Cortex was established by using the core-shell column and equal absorption wavelength (EAW). Different factors influencing the extraction process, such as the extraction solvent, temperature, and time, were assessed to obtain the optimal extraction conditions. The results showed that Fraxini Cortex samples could be well extracted by ultrasonic extraction for 5 min with a 25% ethanol aqueous solution. A core-shell column was used, and different mobile phases and flow rates were investigated to obtain the best rapid-HPLC separation conditions. The optimized HPLC conditions were as follows: a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (50 mm×4.6 mm, 2.7 μm), acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (6∶94, v/v) as the eluent, a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min, and a column temperature of 25 ℃. The EAW of aesculin and aesculetin was a key factor in their determination using a single reference compound. EAW selection was performed in two steps. First, the UV spectra of two equimolar concentrations of the reference compounds (aesculin and aesculetin) were compared to determine the EAW of the two analytes. The EAW results were then verified by the HPLC analysis of the reference compound solutions. The final EAW of aesculin and aesculetin was 341 nm. The determination of aesculin and aesculetin using only one reference compound (i. e., aesculin) was achieved by HPLC-UV at this EAW. The newly developed HPLC method revealed a good linear relationship between the two target analytes (r=1.0000). The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.5 μmol/L and 3.0 μmol/L, respectively, and the average recoveries of aesculin and aesculetin were 99.0% and 97.5%. The stabilities of the sample solutions were examined, and the two analytes demonstrated good stability for 24 h. The contents of the target analytes in 10 batches of Fraxini Cortex were determined using the proposed EAW method and the classic external standard method (ESM), and comparable concentrations were obtained. The contents of aesculin and aesculetin in the 10 batches of Fraxini Cortex were 0.26%-2.80% and 0.11%-1.47%, respectively. A t-test was conducted to compare the results of the proposed EAW technique with those obtained via the method reported in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and no significant difference between the two assay methods was noted (P>0.05). Comparison of the newly established EAW method with those reported in the literature revealed that our method required only 10 min to complete and used as little as 0.5 mL of the solvent and only one standard. Therefore, the developed EAW method is a rapid, simple, eco-friendly, and cost-effective analytical method that is suitable for the determination of aesculin and aesculetin in Fraxini Cortex and its related products. The proposed technique is an improved method for determining aesculin and aesculetin and contributes to the enhancement of the quality evaluation of Fraxini Cortex.

Polygonum viviparum L. (PV) is a widely used resource plant with high medicinal, feeding and ecological values. Our studies show that PV has strong antioxidant activity. However, up to date, the antioxidant activity and components in other parts were not fully elucidated. In the present study, a new online pre-column ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)-based antioxidant reaction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS) was developed for rapid and high-throughput screening of natural antioxidants from three different parts of PV including stems and leaves, fruits and rhizomes. In this procedure, it was assumed that the peak areas of compounds with potential antioxidant activity in HPLC chromatograms would be greatly diminished or vanish after incubating with the FRAP. The online incubation conditions including mixed ratios of sample and FRAP solution and reaction times were firstly optimized with six standards. Then, the repeatability of the screening system was evaluated by analysis of the samples of stems and leaves of PV. As a result, a total of 21 compounds mainly including flavonoids and phenolic acids were screened from the three parts of PV. In conclusion, the present study provided a simple and effective strategy to rapidly screen antioxidants in natural products.

The development of pharmacological antiangiogenic agents to disrupt the vascular supply and starve tumours of nutrients and oxygen is a novel strategy for tumour therapy. Chinese cordyceps, a traditional Chinese herb, has been widely reported to exhibit antitumor effects. In the present study, we tested the suppression of tumour angiogenesis by Chinese cordyceps extract (CCE) via a tube formation assay using human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and Lewis lung carcinoma xenografts in mice. In addition, CCE was investigated in an ex vivo angiogenesis assay using rat aortic rings. CCE showed a dose-dependent suppression of capillary tube formation in HUVECs as well as in rat aortic rings. The antiangiogenic activity of CCE was further verified in Lewis lung carcinoma xenograft models in mice, where the tumour volume was significantly decreased after treatment with CCE at 100 mg/kg. The mean vascular density (MVD) in the tumours, as measured by immunohistochemical staining of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31), was also markedly reduced by treatment with CCE at 100 mg/kg. These results indicated that Chinese cordyceps may exhibit antitumor effects through antiangiogenic activity and could be used in the prevention and/or therapy of angiogenesis-related cancers.

Abstract Development of pharmacological agents for anti-angiogenesis to disrupt the vascular supply and starve tumor of nutrients and oxygen is a novel strategy for tumor therapy. Chinese cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a traditional Chinese herb, has been widely reported to exhibit antitumor effects. In the present study, we tested suppression of Chinese cordyceps extract (CCE) on tumor angiogenesis in tube formation assay using human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and Lewis carcinoma xenografts in mice. In addition, CCE was also investigated in an ex vivo angiogenesis assay using rat aortic rings. CCE could dose-dependently suppress capillary tube formation in HUVECs as well as in rat aortic ring. The antiangiogenesis activity of CCE was further verified in Lewis xenografted mice models where tumor volume was significantly decreased in the treatment of CCE at 100 mg/kg. The mean vascular density (MVD) in the tumor, measured by platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31) immune-histochemical staining, was also markedly inhibited by CCE at 100 mg/kg treatment. These results indicated that Chinese cordyceps may have antitumor activity through antiangiogenesis activity and could be used in prevention and/or therapy of angiogenesis related cancers.

对古代文献记载的“冬虫夏草”进行本草考证,正本溯源,古为今用,为冬虫夏草未来的研究和产业发展提供支撑.根据历代文献中记载“冬虫夏草”的特点,对冬虫夏草的名称来源、形态分布及功效等进行考证,对比冬虫夏草及其易混淆品亚香棒虫草Cordyceps hawkesii、凉山虫草Cordyceps liangshanensis、戴氏虫草Cordyceps taii,认为古代部分文献存在将混淆品记载为冬虫夏草的现象.冬虫夏草为冬虫夏草菌Ophiocordyceps sinensis寄生在蝙蝠蛾科昆虫幼虫上所形成的药材,药用历史悠久,是其他混淆品不可替代的药用品种.

目的 利用高效液相色谱技术建立牛樟芝指纹图谱分析方法.方法 采用95％乙醇超声提取样品;色谱柱为Agilent poroshell 120 EC-C18柱(4.6 mm×50 mm,2.7μm),流动相为0.1％甲酸水溶液-乙腈,梯度洗脱,流速为0.8 mL·min-1,检测波长270 nm;质谱检测器用于化合物定性分析.采用“中药色谱指纹图谱相似度评价系统”(2012版)对10批牛樟芝子实体和4批牛樟芝菌丝体样品进行相似度分析.结果 从牛樟芝样本中发现了16个色谱峰,鉴定了其中12个成分,包括11个三萜酸类化合物和麦角甾醇;10批牛樟芝子实体相似度均大于0.9,4批菌丝体相似度均小于0.5.结论 本试验建立的液相分析方法快速、稳定可用于牛樟芝药材的综合质量评价,牛樟芝子实体和菌丝体化学成分存在差异.

鲜药即新鲜采挖新鲜使用的药材,成分丰富、功效好.其在我国具有悠久的使用历史,其应用贯穿于中医药学的整个发展过程,也是现代中药临床使用的重要组成部分.该文对近年来鲜药质量评价技术的研究进行了探讨,为未来鲜药的质量控制研究提供参考.

牛樟芝是台湾的特有真菌,国内外大量研究结果表明,牛樟芝含有三萜类、多糖类、腺苷、超氧歧化酶、核酸、凝集素、蛋白质、氨基酸、微量元素等多种活性成分,具有抗肿瘤、抗氧化、抗炎症、抗疲劳、免疫调节、保护肝脏、降血压、降糖、改善记忆功能障碍等作用.该文对牛樟芝进行了系统介绍,包括牛樟芝的发现、命名及其寄主等,并重点分析了其有效成分及药理功能,以期为牛樟芝的使用及其相关产品的开发提供依据.