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Flavonoids, including flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, chalcones, and isoflavans, have long been recognized as the main active ingredients in licorice. A method combining liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed to characterize components in three Glycyrrhiza species, and to expound the characteristic fragmentation behaviors in the positive ion mode. Based on the fragmentation patterns of reference compounds, a total of 39 compounds, including 37 flavonoid aglycones and two coumestans, were identified or tentatively identified. Besides, some common features, such as H2O, CO, and CH2O2 losses, together with retro-Diels-Alder fragmentation, were observed in these compounds. Furthermore, diagnostic fragmentations of C-ring cleavages and UV absorption on the skeleton groups were observed to structurally characterize flavonoid aglycones. In addition, typical losses of different substituent groups were detected: Neutral losses of 56 (C4H8) and 68 Da (C5H8) were yielded from a prenyl chain; neutral losses of 42 (C3H6), 54 (C4H6), and 70 Da (C4H6O) were generated by a pyran ring. Particularly, neutral losses of 18 (H2O), 16 (CH4), 112 (C8H16), and 98 Da (C7H14) predicted a hydroxyl, a methoxyl, double prenyl chains, and a prenyl chain with a pyran ring, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Currently, adverse reactions limit the development of traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMI), and severe anaphylactoid shock is one of the serious adverse reactions, which presents a significant challenge. The presence of abnormal inflammatory mediators before the administration of TCMI will most likely result in severe anaphylactoid reactions. Not only that, the lack of clinically relevant safety evaluations impedes the widespread use of TCMI, and there is an urgent need for studies to reveal the mechanisms of anaphylactoid shock caused by TCMI., Aim of the Study: To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation, which aggravates anaphylactoid reactions caused by TCMI, utilizing a guinea pig model., Methods: The dose and duration of LPS administration and different doses of compound 48/80 (C48/80) were examined by using guinea pigs as a model. Shuanghuanglian (SHLI) and Qingkailing (QKLI) injections, these two representative TCMI, were used for validation. The plasma biochemical indices, including histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6, immunoglobulin E, C5a, tryptase, and platelet activating factor, as well as the pathological characteristics of the lung, were analyzed. Futhermore, plasma metabolomics was employed to reveal changes in metabolic pathways in vivo when inflammation co-exists with TCMI. In addition, Western blot analysis was conducted to assess the expression of critical signaling pathways., Results: Stimulation with 2 mg/kg of LPS for 12 h induced inflammatory responses in the guinea pig model. C48/80 (3.0 mg/kg) in combination with LPS resulted in an increase in anaphylactoid-related indicators in the plasma. High doses of SHLI and QKLI aggravated plasma indices and lung histological injury caused by LPS-induced inflammation. A total of 36 and 63 differential metabolites were significantly altered after LPS stimulation in the SHLI-and QKLI-treated guinea pig groups, respectively. The associated metabolic pathways include central carbon metabolism in cancer, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism. The p38/ERK/NF-κB signal pathway may be significantly affected by TCMI in vivo after LPS stimulation., Conclusion: LPS-induced inflammation aggravated anaphylactoid reactions caused by SHLI and QKLI, with a correlation to dosage. After the presence of LPS, the administration of TCMI interferes with the immune response by over-activating the p38/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway. This activation leads to an excessive release of inflammatory factors and anaphylactoid mediators. These results present a new direction for mitigating adverse clinical reactions associated with TCMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Eupatorium lindleyanum has traditionally been used as folk medicine in Asian countries for its therapeutic effects on tracheitis and tonsillitis. Investigation of the anti-inflammatory active constituents from E. lindleyanum led to the isolation of two novel sesquiterpene lactones, named eupalinolide L (1: ) and eupalinolide M (2: ), and seven known sesquiterpene lactones (3: -9: ). The structures and configurations of the new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, especially 2D NMR techniques. In vivo experiments showed that the sesquiterpenes fraction significantly reduced mouse ear edema induced by xylene (18.6%, p < 0.05). In in vitro assays, compounds 1: -9: showed excellent anti-inflammatory activities, as they lowered TNF- α and IL-6 levels in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells (p < 0.001). The above results suggest that the sesquiterpene lactones from E. lindleyanum can be developed as novel potential natural anti-inflammatory agents., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)