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A validated UHPLC-PDA with an ESI-MS/MS method has been developed for simultaneous estimation of six bioactive alkaloids (magnoflorine, berbamine, columbamine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine and berberine) in the different extracts of the roots of Berberis aristata DC (Family:Berberdiaceae). It is an important medicinal herb native to Northern Himalaya and commonly known as ‘daruharidra’, ‘daruhaldi’, ‘Indian barberry’ or ‘tree turmeric’. An insight into the research literature uncovered reports on isoquinoline alkaloids like magnoflorine, berbamine, columbamine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine as major bioactives in B. aristata roots, possessing different pharmacological and therapeutic effects. In the present study, these aforementioned alkaloids were separated on Phenomenex Luna®, 5 µm-C8 analytical column. The HPLC-MS analysis was performed at a flow rate of 0.90 mL min−1. Each alkaloid that is resolved was characterized by precursor ions and fragment ions with electrospray ionization (ESI) source in both positive and negative ionization using scan mode. The limit of detections (LODs) were 0.087, 0.727, 0.035, 0.124, 0.782 and 0.794 μg mL−1 for magnoflorine, berbamine, columbamine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine and berberine, respectively. The proposed UHPLC-PDA method was fully validated according to international (ICH) guidelines and was found to be selective, sensitive and highly accurate for the concomitant estimation of the aforementioned symbolic bio-markers of B. aristata roots.

Food ingredients hold a higher nutritional value as a botanical supplement playing a vital role in modifying and maintaining the physiological conditions that improve human health benefits. The Kashmir saffron (Crocus sativus L; KCS) obtained from dried stigmas is known for its aroma precursors and apocarotenoid derivatives, imparting a wide range of medicinal values and therapeutic benefits. In the present study, a simultaneous determination of apocarotenoids and flavonoids in stigma-based botanical supplements was carried out using analytical investigations. The high-performance thin-layer chromatography-based qualitative analysis of the raw material (stigmas, stamens, and tepals) and stigma extract has been carried out to identify apocarotenoids and flavonoids. The rapid HPLC-PDA method for the simultaneous quantification of KCS apocarotenoids was robust, precise ( 0.99), and accurate (80-110%) as per the single-laboratory validation data. Furthermore, the combined-expanded uncertainty (95%; K = 2) was calculated and found as 0.0035-0.007% (

Ellagic acid is a popular antioxidant dietary supplement. It is a natural phenolic compound common to multiple botanical sources. The ellagic acid based dietary supplements are manufactured by hydrolysis of ellagitannins from Punica granatum. However, use of ellagic acid from sources other than P. granatum is not uncommon. Currently, there is no robust analytical methodologies for quantification and confirmation of the enriched ellagic acid (›40%) source in commercial products. Therefore, we have developed and validated ultra-fast liquid chromatography - photodiode array detector and ultra-fast liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry methods for quantification and source identification of ellagic acid in commercial products. The results of the study confirm punicalin A-B, punicalagin A and B as positive markers and catechin and chebulinic acid as adulteration markers.

Background Ocimum genus, known as Tulsi or Basil, is a prominent botanical class in Asian culture, especially in India. The leaves have immunomodulatory, antioxidant, stress-relieving, and adaptogenic roles in traditional and modern medicine, with prominent usage in herbal teas and nutraceuticals. Objective An high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) method was developed and validated for quantification of vicenin-2, orientin, cynaroside, betulinic acid, genistein with syringic acid, rosmarinic acid, eugenol, carnosic acid, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, luteolin, and apigenin and was confirmed using a novel electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) method in the Ocimum genus samples. Method The methodology parameters were developed on an reverse phase (RP) C18 column with a gradient elution of 1 mL/min flow rate for 0.1% o-phosphoric acid and acetonitrile at 210 and 340 nm wavelengths. Results The validation data for 13 bioactive compounds showed good linearity (r2 > 0.99) with sensitive LOD (0.034–0.684 µg/mL) and LOQ (0.100–2.068 µg/mL) with recoveries (83.66–101.53%). The results of the quantification were found to be precise (RSD, Conclusions The validated HPLC-PDA and LC-ESI-MS/MS method was found to be selective and suitable for analyzing 13 compounds in O. tenuiflorum and 12 cultivars from the Ocimum genus as a quality control tool. This method can be used in routine analysis as an inexpensive alternative to advanced techniques. Highlights This work is the first to report for vicenin-2, orientin, cynaroside, betulinic acid, and genistein, with simultaneous analysis of eight bioactive compounds in the Ocimum genus.

"Curcumin (CUR)" is the principal active phytoconstituent present in Curcuma longa (CL), also known as Turmeric, is a popular natural product used in food and dietary supplements industries. For economic advantage, CUR is manufactured synthetically. The synthetic curcumin (SC) could be mislabeled, mistaken, or mixed with natural origin CL or CL extract (CLE) or CL products for replenishing CUR. The study aimed to differentiate CLE and SC by targeting CIMP-1,i.e. (1E,4Z)-5-hydroxy-1-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl) hexa-1,4-dien-3-one by HPLC-PDA (photodiode array) and HPTLC-DS (densitometry) based on unique patterns. The validated HPLC-PDA method for CIMP-1 and CUR in SC showed robustness and sensitivity up to 1% adulteration with recovery, precision, and linearity of compounds as per guidelines. All four compounds were identified and confirmed by ESI-MS/MS. In this research, the presence of Boron (B) found as a qualitative indicator of SC (> 250.0 mg/kg) and CLE (< 2.0 mg/kg) by ICP-MS. Further, this HPLC-PDA method was successfully applied for sixteen samples of CLE procured across India, out of which four samples showed the presence of synthetically origin curcumin. This research is the first report of simple, lab-based methods for profiling of CUR based on natural or synthetic origin and identification of SC.

Implantation is an essential process during establishment of pregnancy in mammals. It is initiated with the attachment of the blastocyst to a receptive uterine epithelium followed by its invasion into the stromal tissue. These events are profoundly regulated by the steroid hormones 17β-estradiol and progesterone. During the past several years, mouse models harboring conditional gene knockout mutations have become powerful tools for determining the functional roles of cellular factors involved in various aspects of implantation biology. Studies using these genetic models as well as primary cultures of human endometrial cells have established that the estrogen receptor α, the progesterone receptor, and their downstream target genes critically regulate uterine growth and differentiation, which in turn control embryo-endometrial interactions during early pregnancy. These studies have uncovered a diverse array of molecular cues, which are produced under the influence of estrogen receptor α and progesterone receptor and exchanged between the epithelial and stromal compartments of the uterus during the progressive phases of implantation. These paracrine signals are critical for acquisition of uterine receptivity and functional interactions with the embryo. This review highlights recent work describing paracrine mechanisms that govern steroid-regulated uterine epithelial-stromal dialogue during implantation and their roles in fertility and disease.

Embryo implantation is regulated by a variety of endometrial factors, including cytokines, growth factors, and transcription factors. Earlier studies identified the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a cytokine produced by uterine glands, as an essential regulator of implantation. LIF, acting via its cell surface receptor, activates the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in the uterine epithelial cells. However, the precise mechanism via which activated STAT3 promotes uterine function during implantation remains unknown. To identify the molecular pathways regulated by STAT3, we created SW(d/d) mice in which Stat3 gene is conditionally inactivated in uterine epithelium. The SW(d/d) mice are infertile due to a lack of embryo attachment to the uterine luminal epithelium and consequent implantation failure. Gene expression profiling of uterine epithelial cells of SW(d/d) mice revealed dysregulated expression of specific components of junctional complexes, including E-cadherin, α- and β-catenin, and several claudins, which critically regulate epithelial junctional integrity and embryo attachment. In addition, uteri of SW(d/d) mice exhibited markedly reduced stromal proliferation and differentiation, indicating that epithelial STAT3 controls stromal function via a paracrine mechanism. The stromal defect arose from a drastic reduction in the production of several members of the epidermal growth factor family in luminal epithelium of SW(d/d) uteri and the resulting lack of activation of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling and mitotic activity in the stromal cells. Collectively, our results uncovered an intricate molecular network operating downstream of STAT3 that regulates uterine epithelial junctional reorganization, and stromal proliferation, and differentiation, which are critical determinants of successful implantation.

Steroid hormone-regulated differentiation of uterine stromal cells, known as decidualization, is essential for embryo implantation. The role of the estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) during this differentiation process is unclear. Development of conditional Esr1-null mice showed that deletion of this gene in both epithelial and stromal compartments of the uterus leads to a complete blockade of decidualization, indicating a critical role of ESR1 during this process. To further elucidate the cell type-specific function of ESR1 in the uterus, we created WEd/d mice in which Esr1 is ablated in uterine luminal and glandular epithelia but is retained in the stroma. Uteri of WEd/d mice failed to undergo decidualization, indicating that epithelial ESR1 contributes to stromal differentiation via a paracrine mechanism. We noted markedly reduced production of the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in WEd/d uteri. Supplementation with LIF restored decidualization in WEd/d mice. Our study indicated that LIF acts synergistically with progesterone to induce the expression of Indian hedgehog (IHH) in uterine epithelium and its receptor patched homolog 1 in the stroma. IHH then induces the expression of chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II, a transcription factor that promotes stromal differentiation. To address the mechanism by which LIF induces IHH expression, we used mice lacking uterine epithelial signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, a well-known mediator of LIF signaling. Our study revealed that LIF-mediated induction of IHH occurs without the activation of epithelial signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 but uses an alternate pathway involving the activation of the ERK1/2 kinase. Collectively our results provide unique insights into the paracrine mechanisms by which ESR1 directs epithelial-stromal dialogue during pregnancy establishment.

The etiology of ovarian epithelial cancer is poorly understood, mainly due to the lack of an appropriate experimental model for studying the onset and progression of this disease. We have created a mutant mouse model in which aberrant estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) signaling in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis leads to ovarian epithelial tumorigenesis. In these mice, termed ERαd/d, the ERα gene was conditionally deleted in the anterior pituitary, but remained intact in the hypothalamus and the ovary. The loss of negative-feedback regulation by estrogen (E) at the level of the pituitary led to increased production of luteinizing hormone (LH) by this tissue. Hyperstimulation of the ovarian cells by LH resulted in elevated steroidogenesis, producing high circulating levels of steroid hormones, including E. The ERαd/d mice exhibited formation of palpable ovarian epithelial tumors starting at 5 months of age with 100% penetrance. By 15 months of age, 80% of ERαd/d mice die. Besides proliferating epithelial cells, these tumors also contained an expanded population of luteinized stromal cells, which acquire the ability to express P450 aromatase and synthesize E locally. In response to the elevated levels of E, the ERα signaling was accentuated in the ovarian epithelial cells of ERαd/d mice, triggering increased ERα-dependent gene expression, abnormal cell proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Consistent with these findings, treatment of ERαd/d mice with letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, markedly reduced circulating E and ovarian tumor volume. We have, therefore, developed a unique animal model, which serves as a useful tool for exploring the involvement of E-dependent signaling pathways in ovarian epithelial tumorigenesis., Author Summary Ovarian cancer is currently the most lethal gynecological cancer in the United States. Multiple epidemiological studies indicate that women who take hormone replacement therapy, estrogen or estrogen with progesterone, peri- or postmenopause will have an increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, the five-year survival rate after diagnosis is very low indicating that better tools are needed to diagnose and treat ovarian cancer. The models that would allow investigation of this disease are severely limited. In this article we introduce a mouse model that develops epithelial ovarian tumors, and by employing inhibitors of estrogen synthesis, we show that ovarian tumorigenesis in this model is dependent on estrogen production within the ovarian tumor. These studies suggest that estrogen may play a role in promoting ovarian tumor growth.