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BACKGROUND: Biogenic amines (BA) are hazardous components in Huangjiu (HJ). To ensure the quality of Dangshen Huangjiu (DSHJ), an orthogonal experiment L9 (33) was proposed to optimize the process by the main brewing factors (pre‐fermentation temperature, pre‐ and post‐fermentation time) that may affect BA and functional factors in DSHJ. DSHJ was produced with low BA content and high functional factors. Gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry combined with a multivariate statistical method (GC‐IMS‐MSM) was used to analyze the volatile components in the brewing process of DSHJ. RESULTS: The optimum brewing process parameters of DSHJ were as follows: pre‐fermentation temperature, 28 °C; pre‐fermentation time, 9 days; post‐fermentation time, 18 days. The average content of BA in DSHJ was 33.12 mg L−1, and the sensory score, total phenol content and DPPH free radical scavenging rate of DSHJ were significantly higher than those of HJ. A total of 14 esters, 7 acids, 7 alcohols, 1 ketone, 5 aldehydes and 1 pyrazine in DSHJ and HJ were identified by GC‐IMS. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in DSHJ and HJ in the soaking rice and saccharification stage. 11 components, such as ethyl acetate, and 12 components, such as acetic acid, were the different components of HJ and DSHJ in pre‐fermentation and post‐fermentation stages, respectively. In the post‐fermentation stage, the contents of 8 components in DSHJ such as ethyl acetate were higher than in HJ. CONCLUSION: The preparation process parameters of DSHJ optimized by orthogonal experiments can ensure that DSHJ has the advantages of low BA content, high total phenol content and good antioxidant activity. Sensory score and GC‐IMS‐MSM analysis found that DSHJ prepared using the optimal process had the characteristics of good taste and rich aroma. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate and sensitive analysis of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) trace biomarkers is essential for early warning and diagnosis of RA, while anti‐cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti‐CCP‐ab) is a specific one. In this study, a simple label‐free electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of anti‐CCP‐ab was constructed with nitrogen‐doped graphene (N−G) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The proposed non‐enzyme immunosensor had exhibited high specificity, selectivity, and stability in the linear calibration curve range from 0.125∼2000 pg mL‐1 and has been successfully used in the detection of anti‐CCP‐ab in human serum, providing a new idea for the early diagnosis of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Codonopsis Radix (CR) is an edible food and traditional Chinese herb medicine that is widely used in China and Southeast Asia. Saccharides, including fructo‐oligosaccharides (FOS) and polysaccharides, are among the most important active substances in CR. However, a quality evaluation of CR based on oligosaccharides has not been conducted. Objective: This study aimed to establish a high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector method (HPLC‐CAD) for the quality evaluation of CR and processed products based on analysis of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Method: A sensitive and rapid HPLC‐CAD method for the simultaneous determination of two monosaccharides (D‐fructose and D‐glucose), sucrose, and FOS (GF2–GF6) was established to evaluate the quality of CR for the first time. In the present study, 65 batches of CR from three species of the genus Codonopsis were analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. Furthermore, the effects of cultivation management measures (plant growth retardants supply, harvesting time, and growth period) and primary process (drying methods) in the production areas on the target compounds were studied by analysing 34 batches of processed samples. Results: Different varieties of CR resulted in considerably different saccharide contents. Cultivation management measures and processing method remarkably affected the quality of CR. Low concentration of plant growth retardants was recommended. The best harvest time is in October after 4 years of growth. Dryer‐drying was suggested to meet the requirement for large‐scale processing. Conclusion: This method would provide an efficient analytical tool for monosaccharides and oligosaccharides of CR and contribute to the improvement of CR quality. An accurate and efficient HPLC‐CAD method for monosaccharides and oligosaccharides was established and demonstrated to be suitable to evaluate the quality of Codonopsis Radix and processed products. Results indicated that the content of oligosaccharides varied considerably among the specimens, not only inter‐species but also intra‐species. Besides cultivar type, other factors such as plant growth retardants supply, harvesting time, growth period, and drying methods would affect the saccharide accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vesatolimod (GS‐9620) is an agonist of toll‐like receptor (TLR7) 7, which has been developed as an anti‐hepatitis B virus (HBV) agent. The focus of the present study is on the metabolic stability evaluation and metabolite identification of GS‐9620 in rat, dog, and human liver microsomes, as well as interspecies comparison. The average observed in vitro T1/2 values were 3.06, 13.06, and 15.56 minutes in rat, dog, and human liver microsomes, respectively. The findings suggested that GS‐9620 was rapidly metabolized in the presence of reductive nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) in rat liver microsomes (RLM), and moderately metabolized in dog liver microsomes (DLM) and human liver microsomes (HLM). Subsequently, the metabolites were characterized using an ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap orbitrap tandem mass spectrometer (UHPLC–LTQ–Orbitrap–MS) with dd‐MS2 on‐line data acquisition mode. Under the current conditions, a total of 18 metabolites were detected and their identities were proposed by comparing their accurate masses, fragmental ions, and retention times with those of GS‐9620. Three metabolites (M2, M4, and M18) were authentically identified by using reference standards. In RLM, 16 metabolites were identified with M2 being the most abundant metabolite. M4, M5, and M9 were rat‐specific. In DLM, 12 minor metabolites were identified with a dog‐specific metabolite (M6). In HLM, GS‐9620 showed similar metabolic profiles to that in DLM, and 11 minor metabolites were detected with M12 being human‐specific. Based on the identified metabolites, the metabolic pathways of GS‐9620 were proposed, including hydroxylation, bis‐hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, and oxidative deamination. This study was conducted to investigate the metabolic profiles of vesatolimod (GS‐9620) in rat, dog and human liver microsomes. A total of 18 metabolites were identified. The results showed that dog has the comparable metabolic profiles with human. This study would provide valuable information on the in vitro disposition of GS‐9620. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The dried roots of Inula helenium L. (IH) and Inula racemosa Hook f. (IR) are used commonly as folk medicine as ‘tumuxiang’ (TMX). The mixing and sharing of IH and IR in clinical use is a universal phenomenon. Modern pharmacological studies confirmed that IH and IR display anti‐inflammatory activities. However, the difference in anti‐inflammatory pharmacodynamic substances between these two herbs is still unknown. In the present study, the fingerprints of 18 IH and nine IR samples were established using UPLC/QTOF‐MSE. A dimethylbenzene‐induced mouse ear vasodilation model was applied in evaluating the anti‐inflammatory properties of all 27 samples. Then, the spectrum–efficacy model between chemical characteristic peaks and anti‐inflammatory activities was investigated using principal component regression and partial least squares. Finally, the combination of UNIFI Scientific Information System with a library search of traditional Chinese medicines was employed to automatically characterize the peaks. UNIFI identified a total of 80 chemical components. Among the components, the 53 characteristic peaks showed correlation with anti‐inflammatory activities, pointing to phenolic and organic acids as primary anti‐inflammatory ingredients of TMX. This approach can efficiently and intelligently facilitate the identification of bioactive components from traditional Chinese medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Pteryxin is a coumarin compound naturally occurring in the roots of Radix Peucedani, a commonly used as traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of certain respiratory diseases and hypertension. An UPLC-MS/MS method was established to quantify pteryxin in mouse plasma and tissue homogenates. Isoimperatorin was used as internal standard (IS). The method was based on protein precipitation with methanol for sample preparation. Pteryxin and IS were separated using a UPLC™ BEH C18 column and eluted with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (70:30, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.2 mL/min. MS/MS detection was carried out by monitoring the fragmentation of m/z 409.3-287.2 for pteryxin and m/z 271.3-185.2 for IS on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The total run time was only 6 min. The results showed that it had good linearity over a wide concentration range ( r > 0.999), and pteryxin was rapidly distributed and then eliminated from mouse plasma ( t1/2 =1.463 h). The major distribution tissues of pteryxin in mice were liver, and pteryxin was enabled to cross the blood-brain barrier owing to its low polarity. There was no long-term accumulation of pteryxin in mouse tissues. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSIONS Codonopsis pilosula var. modesta (CPVM) is a famous medicinal and edible plant of Campanulaceae. However, fresh CPVM roots (FCPVR) are prone to softening, browning and spoilage after concentrated harvesting in the main production area of Gansu Province, China in autumn, which poses great challenges to their large‐scale storage and modern processing. In this study, effects of chitosan (CS), natamycin (NA) and modified atmosphere agent (MA) on the postharvest quality of FCPVR were first investigated. The roots after different treatments were stored at 4 °C and relative humidity of 75 ± 5% for 100 days. Their overall quality changes were evaluated from three perspectives: physiological quality, endophytic bacterial community and volatile organic compounds.The clustering heatmap and principal component analysis results indicated that CS (2 g kg−1), NA (0.5 g kg−1) and MA (5 g) had a synergistic effect on physiological quality. The roots in the CS + NA + MA group maintained better physiological state, effective components and antioxidant capacity throughout the storage process. On this basis, compared with room temperature storage, the relative abundance of the main spoilage bacterium Pseudomonas in the CS + NA + MA group roots decreased by 44% on the 100th day of storage. Furthermore, after CS + NA + MA composite treatment, the roots produced richer esters with fruit aroma during low‐temperature storage.The CS + NA + MA composite treatment could maintain the physiological quality and flavor of FCPVR, inhibit spoilage by microbial contamination and maintain the optimal quality during low‐temperature storage for up to 100 days. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]