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Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai is a well-known medicinal hemiparasite widely distributed in Asia. The synthesis and accumulation of its metabolites are affected by both environmental factors and the host plants, while the latter of which is usually overlooked. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the effects of host and habitat on the metabolites in V. coloratum through multiple chemical and biological approaches. The metabolite profile of V. coloratum harvested from three different host plants in two habitats were determined by multiple chemical method including high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV), gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The differences in antioxidant efficacy of V. coloratum were determined based on multiple in vitro models. The multivariate statistical analysis and data fusion strategy were applied to analyze the differences in metabolite profile and antioxidant activity of V. coloratum. Results indicated that the metabolite profile obtained by various chemical approaches was simultaneously affected by hosts and environment factors, and the environment play a key role. Meanwhile, three main differential metabolites between two environment groups were identified. The results of antioxidant assay indicated that environment have more effects on the biological activity of V. coloratum than the host. Therefore, we conclude that the integration of various chemical and biological approaches combined with multivariate statistical and data fusion analysis, which can determine the influences of host plant and habitat on the metabolites, is a powerful strategy to control the quality of semi-parasitic herbal medicine.

The objective of this study was to explore the effects and underlying intervention mechanisms of Angelica water extract (AWE) on abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) based on serum metabolomics. Firstly, the concentration of main active substances in AWE was determined and the chemical components were identified by UPLC‐Q‐Exactive Orbitrap‐MS/MS. A drug‐induced abortion model was established by mifepristone and misoprostol. After administration AWE (2.16 g/kg) for 7 days, the coagulation function, serum hormone levels, H&E staining, and immunohistochemistry observation of uterus were detected. In addition, serum metabolites profiles were performed on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS). The contents of ferulic acid, senkyunolide A, and ligustilide in AWE were 0.7276, 0.0868, and 1.9908 mg/g, respectively. Twenty‐six compounds were identified in AWE. It was found that AWE was effective in regulation of coagulation function and promoting endometrial recovery. Meanwhile, the levels of E2, Pg, and HCG and the expression of ERα, Erβ, and PR were down‐regulated in AUB model and up‐regulated by the treatment of AWE. Twenty‐one potential biomarkers were eventually identified by multivariate statistical analysis. Study indicated that glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, amino acids, retinol metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis were the main related metabolic pathways involved for the treatment of AUB by AWE. The results showed that AWE has potential therapeutic effect on AUB by altering the metabolic aberrations., Angelica water extract could reduce alleviate pathological injury and regulate the coagulation function to promote recovery of the endometrium. Angelica water extract could increase the levels of E2, Pg, and HCG and the expression of ERα, Erβ, and PR. Angelica water extract could regulate the metabolic pathways which include the glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, and retinol metabolism.

Comprehensive characterization of the chemical constituents of Chinese patent medicine poses a great challenge due to the frustrating complexity resulting from superposition of multiple drugs. Lanqin Oral Liquid is a five-component Chinese patent medicine widely applied to treat pharyngeal inflammation in clinic. Here, we streamline a universal three-dimensional separation approach to efficiently identify the multicomponents from Lanqin Oral Liquid by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and UNIFI/in-house library-driven automatic peak annotation. Because of the systematic optimization, the use of an HSS T3 column enabled good separation of the multiple components within 42 min, while high-definition MSE in both the negative and positive modes could characterize more classes of herbal components, thus providing the retention, collision cross-section, and MS information for each component. Benefiting from the ion mobility separation, cleaner MS1 and MS2 spectra were acquired. Aided by comparison and analysis of the fragmentation pathways of 49 reference compounds, we could characterize 175 compounds from Lanqin Oral Liquid. A validated high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprinting approach unveiled good similarity (0.985-1.000) among 22 batches of commercial samples. Conclusively, we demonstrated a practical solution to elucidating the chemical composition of Chinese patent medicines, with the potential of popularization.

Background:Udenafil, a recently discovered drug used for erectile dysfunction treatment, has been widely prescribed and its effect on human systems has been extensively studied. However, there is little research on the human metabolites of udenafil. Three metabolites have been identified in rats. Objective: Herein, highly sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was conducted to identify new udenafil metabolites. Methods:Human liver microsomes were incubated with udenafil for in vitro samples, and rat urine and faeces samples were collected from udenafil-administered rats for in vivo samples. Each sample was deproteinated with acetonitrile and extracted by solid phase extraction. The purified samples were separated and analyzed by LC-Q-TOF-MS, and some metabolite candidates were reanalyzed for further structural analysis using LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Results:Eleven and three metabolites were identified in the in vitro and in vivo samples, respectively, and were found to be hydrolyzed, oxidized, or demethylated forms of udenafil or its metabolites. The error of the metabolic analysis was −8.7 to 7.6 ppm, indicating the high accuracy of the method. Conclusion:These metabolic results could be useful for further investigation of udenafil and new phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.

Aster tataricus, a traditional Chinese herb, has been used to treat cough and asthma for many years. Its raw and processed products have different pharmacological effects in clinical applications. To explore the chemical profile differences of components in A. tataricus processed with different methods, metabolomics methods based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were developed. Chemometrics strategy was applied to filter and screen the candidate compounds. The accuracy of differential markers was validated by back propagation neural network. The established methods showed that raw A. tataricus, honey-processed A. tataricus, vinegar-processed A. tataricus, and steamed A. tataricus were clearly divided into four groups, suggesting that the components were closely related to the processing methods. A total of 64 nonvolatile and 43 volatile compounds were identified in A. tataricus, and 22 nonvolatile and 12 volatile differential constituents were selected to distinguish the raw and processed A. tataricus. This study demonstrated that the metabolomics methods coupled with chemometrics were a comprehensive strategy to analyze the chemical profile differences and provided a reliable reference for quality evaluation of A. tataricus.

Two-dimensional gas chromatography (2D GC)���quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS) combined with derivatization was applied to determine naphthenic acids (NAs) in oil sand processed water (OSPW). Using the excellent resolution of 2D GC and mass resolution of QTOFMS with derivatization, 8 cyclohexane carboxylic acid isomers, 18 methylcyclohexyl carboxylic acid isomers, and 18 methylcyclohexyl acetic acid isomers were identified. Linear relationships across wide concentration ranges were established with correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.9995, 0.9992, and 0.9990, for cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, 4-methylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid, and 4-methylcyclohexane acetic acid. The precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 5), was from 7. 7���9.5% with recoveries between 72.0% and 84.9%. This method was applied to analyze sewage and showed high concentrations of naphthenic acids in untreated samples.

Introduction Pyranosides as one kind of natural glycosides contain a pyran ring linked to an aglycone in the structure. They occur widely in plants and possess diverse biological activities. The discovery of new pyranosides not only contributes to research on natural products but also may promote pharmaceutical development. Objectives A non-targeted liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method coupled with an all ion fragmentation-exact neutral loss (AIF-ENL) strategy was developed for the screening of pyranosides in plants. Methods Pyranosides in various types were collected as a model. The AIF-ENL strategy comprised three steps: AIF spectrum acquisition and generation, ENL-based searching and identification, and confirmation of structural type using target second-stage mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The strategy was systematically evaluated based on the matrix effects, fragmentation stability, scan rate and screening efficiency and finally applied to Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. et Thoms) H. Ohba. Results The method was proved to be an efficient tool for the screening of pyranosides. When it was applied to R. crenulata, a total of 24 pyranoside candidates were detected. Among them, six were tentatively identified on the basis of the agreement of their elemental composition with the reported. The other 18 were detected in R. crenulata for the first time. Conclusion The method offers a new platform for discovering pyranosides. In addition, the developed non-targeted strategy can also be used for other natural products, such as flavonoids and coumarins, as long as there is a common fragmentation behaviour in their MS/MS to generate characteristic neutral losses or fragments.

Oilseeds are an important source of dietary lipids, and a comprehensive analysis of oilseed lipids is of great significance to human health, while information about the global lipidomes in oilseeds was limited. Herein, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method for comprehensive lipidomic profiling of oilseeds was established and applied. First, the lipid extraction efficiency and lipid coverage of four different lipid extraction methods were compared. The optimized methyl tert-butyl ether extraction method was superior to isopropanol, Bligh-Dyer, and Folch extraction methods, in terms of the operation simplicity, lipid coverage, and number of identified lipids. Then, global lipidomic analysis of soybean, sesame, peanut, and rapeseed was conducted. A total of 764 lipid molecules, including 260 triacylglycerols, 54 diacylglycerols, 313 glycerophospholipids, 36 saccharolipids, 35 ceramides, 30 free fatty acids, 21 fatty esters, and 15 sphingomyelins were identified and quantified. The compositions and contents of lipids significantly varied among different oilseeds. Our results provided a theoretical basis for the selection and breeding of varieties of oilseed as well as deep processing of oilseed for the edible oil industry.

Quick identification of the complex composition of traditional Chinese medicine only through liquid-mass spectrometry technology is difficult. Especially the identification of isomers and co-eluting compounds is even more difficult. In this study, an approach of multidimensional data modes based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with traveling wave ion mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was proposed to quickly and comprehensively identify the compounds in Platycodi Radix. First, data-independent acquisition, high-definition acquisition, and tandem mass spectrometry acquisition modes were used to acquire integrated multidimensional mass spectral data. Second, summarize the diagnostic ions of compounds according to the fragmentation pathway of references. Third, unknown compounds and isomers were identified via the UNIFI™ software with an in-house library. Finally, a total of 87 compounds were identified, seven compounds were explicitly identified by comparing the retention time and fragment ions with the references. Fourteen compounds were first detected in the Platycodi Radix, four of them tentatively were identified by comparing with previous literature, eight compounds were observed and reported for the first time by comparing typical fragmentation pathway with the known standard substances in this paper. This research strategy has a certain potential for the analysis of complex components of other traditional Chinese medicine.

Gardeniae Fructus, the dry fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, has been widely used for the treatment of different diseases. Although four types of processed Gardeniae Fructus products, characterized by differing effects, are available for clinical use, little is known regarding the respective processing mechanisms. In this study, ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with multivariate statistical analysis was applied to characterize the chemical profiles of the differently processed Gardeniae Fructus products and to determine differences in their chemical compositions, thereby enabling us to identify those active compounds associated with the observed clinical effects. A total of 125 compounds were accordingly identified, among which, 56 were established as primary contributors to the significant differences (p < 0.01) between crude and processed Gardeniae Fructus, based on t-test analysis. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms underlying the chemical transformations that occur during processing were discussed. The findings of this study may not only contribute to the more effective quality control of Gardeniae Fructus but also provide basic information for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the changes in chemical constituents in response to processing, and provide a basis for further investigations of Gardeniae Fructus processing mechanisms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Rheum officinale Baill. is a traditional Chinese medicine that has long been used for eliminating body heat, cooling and detoxifying blood, removing blood stasis and promoting menstruation, and clearing away heat-dampness to eliminate jaundice. Comprehensive and systematic structural identification of the components of Rheum officinale Baill. remains a challenge. An appropriate analytical method needs to be established for the comprehensive investigation and identification of the chemical constituents in Rheum officinale Baill. extract. In this study, a new systematic approach using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with a data mining strategy was developed to screen the targeted and nontargeted components of Rheum officinale Baill. A total of 124 compounds were identified in the Rheum officinale Baill. extract including 31 acylglucosides, 9 phenolic acids, 26 tannins, 53 anthraquinones, and 5 other compounds. Note that 55 of these compounds were reported for the first time here. In conclusion, in this study, we devised an efficient and systematic method for detecting complex compounds and have used it here to provide a foundation for future research into bioactive ingredients and quality control of Rheum officinale Baill. extract.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivatives of testosterone which are used medically for several diseases. However, misuse is commonly observed by athletes to promote enhancement of strength and performance. AAS are frequently obtained through online black markets from clandestine drug manufacturing laboratories, without any quality standards, being potentially dangerous for users. The purpose of this work was the development and application of a fast and simple procedure for the quantitation of stanozolol by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) in tablets packs seized in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The samples of stanozolol were separated considering its dosage form. The internal standard (methyltestosterone) was added to the aliquots of the samples, dissolved in methanol and 5μL were injected into the analytical system. The newly developed method has been validated for lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ), linearity, accuracy, precision and selectivity. The LLOQ was 0.1 µg/mL. The developed method was successfully applied to 31 samples seized by the Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil (a Brazilian federal revenue service agency). According to the results, 90.3% of the suspected medicines (n=31) were adulterated, and 65% exhibited higher concentrations of stanozolol than those indicated in the label. This work successfully established a new method for quantification of stanozolol using LC-QTOF-MS. This method aims at contributing to the identification and quantification of this anabolic androgenic steroid frequently seized by federal inspection agencies.

A liquid chromatography−quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC−QTOF/MS) based plant metabolomics approach was established to investigate the metabolic profiles of the Cinnamomum camphora leaves of four different areas. The LC−QTOF/MS data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squared discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) to find the potential characteristic components of C. camphora leaves from the four areas in a quick way. C. camphora leaves from different areas could be separated into four different groups chemically according to the PCA scores. The chemical constituents in C. camphora leaves from four areas were obviously different. The potential markers were identified by comparison with the reference compounds or were tentatively assigned by matching the retention time, empirical molecular formula and fragment ions with those of the published compounds of C. camphora leaves. The proposed analytical method is fast, accurate and reliable for differentiating C. camphora leaves from different areas. Moreover, this study supplied a new method for the quality evaluation of other medicinal materials.

Gedi (Abelmoschus Manihot L.) is a tropical plant in the Malvaceae family, one of the groups of plants in the herbal community. Gedi plants are known to contain flavonoids, hormones, alkaloids, tannins and phenolic compounds. An ultrasonic extraction tool is used in the extraction process of Gedi leaves. The objective of the study is to know the yield and analyze Gedi leaf extract, including proximate analysis and active substance components with LCMS-QTof. The material used is Gedi leaves from Manado. Ultrasonic extraction was carried out with a dry Gedi leaf ratio and Ethanol 1:40 (m/v) with a time of 30 minutes. The concentration of the extract is with a rotary evaporator temperature of 50-60℃. The yield of the extract of Gedi leaf is 9.86%. Study of the proximity of dried Gedi leaf powder revealed 27.135% protein, 41.675% carbohydrate, 329 kcal energy, 11.235% water and 13.83% ash material. Meanwhile for proximity products, the Gedi leaf extract contains 0.635% protein, 1.27% carbohydrate, 9.26% total energy, 7.1% water, and 0.635% ash. The active compounds in the Gedi extract have been analyzed using LCMS. Trigonelline, Gentiatibetine, Harman, Periplocoside C, and Biotin were detected using the positive-ionization mode, whereas Chloramphenicol was detected with negative-ionization mode.

Taohong Siwu Decoction is a classic Chinese medicine prescription for treatment of cerebral ischemia and gynecological diseases. However, the active ingredients of Taohong Siwu Decoction have not been identified. In this study, a ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass system was used to analyze the active components and metabolites of Taohong Siwu Decoction absorbed into the blood and the brain. A total of 39 active compounds and 90 metabolites were identified in the blood and brain by comparing retention times, accurate masses, fragmentation patterns, and literature data. The results showed that flavonoids (Carthamus tinctorius L), aromatic organic acids, and benzoquinones (Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and Ligusticumchuanxiong hort) were prominent active ingredients in Taohong Siwu Decoction. Furthermore, hydrolysis, glucuronidation, and sulfation were identified as the main metabolic pathways of Taohong Siwu Decoction in vivo. This was the first study to characterize the active components and metabolites of Taohong Siwu Decoction in the blood and brain using ultra performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass.

The rhizomes of Dioscorea septemloba (DS) is one of traditional Chinese medicine, which can be used for treatments of urethral and renal infections, as well as rheumatism. Nevertheless, detailed information on DS chemical compositions is still scarce. Therefore, the present work is aimed at investigating the phytochemical components of DS using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in negative ion mode. The proposed method provided tentative identification of 32 components, 6 of which were determined to be new. The present study highlighted the importance of DS as a promising source of medicinal ingredients and provides valuable information on the new potential components in DS.

The Rosa chinensis cultivars Rosa Lvye, Rosa Knock out, Rosa Parade and Slater’scrimson China were analyzed for the volatile chemical composition in their flower petals. Headspace solid phase micro...

The lucrative market of herbal remedies spurs rampant adulteration, particularly with pharmaceutical drugs and their unapproved analogues. A comprehensive screening strategy is, therefore, warranted to detect these adulterants and, accordingly, to safeguard public health. This study uses the data-dependent acquisition of liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) to screen phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in herbal remedies using suspected-target and non-targeted strategies. For the suspected-target screening, we used a library comprising 95 PDE5 inhibitors. For the non-targeted screening, we adopted top-down and bottom-up approaches to flag novel PDE5 inhibitor analogues based on common fragmentation patterns. LC-QTOF-MS was optimised and validated for capsule and tablet dosage forms using 23 target analytes, selected to represent different groups of PDE5 inhibitors. The method exhibited excellent specificity and linearity with limit of detection and limit of quantification of

There are numerous articles published for geographical discrimination of tea. However, few research works focused on the authentication and traceability of Westlake Longjing green tea from the first- and second-grade producing regions because the tea trees are planted in a limited growing zone with identical cultivate condition. In this work, a comprehensive analytical strategy was proposed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics coupled with chemometrics. The automatic untargeted data analysis strategy was introduced to screen metabolites that expressed significantly among different regions. Chromatographic features of metabolites can be automatically and efficiently extracted and registered. Meanwhile, those that were valuable for geographical origin discrimination were screened based on statistical analysis and contents in samples. Metabolite identification was performed based on high-resolution mass values and tandem mass spectra of screened peaks. Twenty metabolites were identified, based on which the two-way encoding partial least squares discrimination analysis was built for geographical origin prediction. Monte Caro simulation results indicated that prediction accuracy was up to 99%. Our strategy can be applicable for practical applications in the quality control of Westlake Longjing green tea.

An analytical method for the simultaneous and reliable determination of 20 antigout and antiosteoporosis pharmaceutical compounds in adulterated health food products was developed using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The method was validated through the determination of specificity, linearity, limit of detection, and limit of quantification, method detection limit, method quantitation limit, precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability. The matrix effect was also determined. The validation results of the developed method are as follows: for solid and liquid blank samples, limits of detection ranged from 0.05 to 5.00 ng/mL and limits of quantification ranged from 0.15 to 15.00 ng/mL. Linearity was acceptable, and the correlation coefficients (R2 ) were ≥0.99 for all target compounds. Both intra and interday precision were less than 9.16% RSD, and accuracies ranged from 95.31 to 116.68%. Mean recoveries for different types of dietary supplements classified as powders, liquids, tablets, and capsules were found to be 80.81 to 117.62% with less than 15.00% relative standard deviation. The stability of the standard mixture solution was less than 11.72% relative standard deviation after 48 h. By the proposed method, the presence of dexamethasone was determined in seized herbal food products at concentrations that ranged from 126 to 215 µg/g.

Three different vegetable oils, including soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, were differentiated from olive oil by using ultra-performance convergence chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight (UPC2-QTOF MS) and multivariate data analysis based on their differences in triacylglycerol compositions. Then, olive oil was adulterated by adding these three vegetable oils in 1%, 0.75%, and 0.5% (v/v), and the adulterated olive oils were differentiated from the pure olive oils using the similar analytical strategies but different data processing approaches. After that, the representative markers in differentiating the adulterations were selected, and a mathematical model was created to detect the olive oil adulteration based on these specific markers. These results indicated that UPC2-QTOF MS coupled with multivariate data analysis is a sensitive and accurate method in detecting olive oil adulteration, even in 0.5% adulteration level (v/v). This method could be applied in olive oil adulteration detection, and potentially beneficial to the oil industry.

Kratom is a botanical drug with psychoactive properties that is increasingly being used recreationally and “therapeutically” in a non-medically supervised setting. Analytical methods for the detection of kratom use in biological matrices are limited in scope. Prevalence of these alkaloids and their metabolites in forensic specimens is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a procedure to identify five Mitragyna alkaloids in blood and tissues using liquid chromatography quadrupole time–of–flight mass spectrometry (LC–Q/TOF–MS). Mitragynine (MG), speciociliatine (SC), paynantheine (PY), speciogynine (SG) and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-MG-OH) were identified in postmortem blood (n = 40) and liver specimens (n = 20). Mitragyna alkaloids were determined quantitatively using targeted acquisition and metabolites were identified qualitatively using full scan (untargeted) acquisition. The analytical procedure was validated in accordance with published recommendations. Limits of quantitation were 0.5–2 ng/mL for the five targeted alkaloids. Precision, bias, and matrix effects were all within acceptable thresholds. Concentrations of MG in central and peripheral blood were 1–422 ng/mL and 1–412 ng/mL. Liver concentrations of MG ranged from 1450 ng/g. Metabolites of MG (7-MG-OH, 9-O-demethylmitragynine and 16-carboxymitragynine) were also identified in postmortem blood with 7-MG-OH being identified in at least 95% of cases. Interestingly, SC concentrations were frequently identified in excess of MG concentrations. A validated LC–Q/TOF–MS method for the analysis of five Mitragyna alkaloids is described. In addition, minor Mitragyna alkaloids and metabolites can serve as biomarkers of kratom use in blood and tissues.

The dried root of Asparagus cochinchinensis (RAC) has been used as an important traditional Chinese medicine for a long time in China. Steroidal saponins (SSs) are considered to be the main active ingredients of this herb. However, the isolation and structural determination of SSs from RAC are time-consuming and laborious. For this reason, the development of new methods for the separation and characterization of SSs is highly desirable. In this study, a new high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) method with precursor ions and the corresponding fragment ions was developed for the identification of SSs in RAC. Finally, 30 SSs have been detected and identified, including 17 potential new compounds. This is the first systematic study of SSs in RAC by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS method.

Donkey milk has been widely shown to be an ideal substitute for human milk because of its similar composition. However, alterations to the composition of donkey milk during lactation have not been well studied. In this study, untargeted metabolomics with ultra-high-performance liquid tandem chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used to analyze and compare the metabolites in donkey colostrum (DC) and mature milk (DMM). Two hundred seventy metabolites were characterized in both DC and DMM. Fifty-two of the metabolites in the DC were significantly different from those in the DMM; 8 were downregulated and 44 were upregulated. This demonstrated that the composition of the donkey milk changed with lactation. Additionally, the interactions and metabolic pathways were further analyzed to explore the mechanisms that altered the milk during lactation. Our results provide comprehensive insights into the alterations in donkey milk during lactation. The results will aid in future investigations into the nutrition of donkey milk and provide practical information for the dairy industry.

Jigucao capsule is a well-known Chinese Patent Medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis and cholecystitis. The chemical components of Jigucao capsule were not clear resulting from the paucity of relevant studies, which hindered the research of the pharmacological mechanism, the comprehensive development and utilization of Jigucao capsule in clinical. By establishing a high-throughput ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry combine intelligent UNIFITM software data processing platform to automatically characterize and identify the chemical profile of Jigucao capsule, 144 compounds were determined rapidly, including 34 terpenoids, 25 flavonoids, 22 steroids, 21 phenylpropanoids, 10 glycosides, 6 alkaloids, 13 organic acids, and other 13 components. These compounds may be the active components of Jigucao capsule. In this study, a rapid and robust method for comprehensively analyzing the chemical composition of Jigucao capsule was described and established for the first time. The results will provide a reference for the quality control of Jigucao capsule and the establishment of a higher quality standard, as well as for the pharmacodynamic material basis research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Dingkun Dan (DKD), a reputable traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat gynecological diseases and showed significant clinical effects since ancient times. However, the application and development of DKD are seriously hampered by the unclear active substances. Structural characterization of compounds absorbed in vivo and their corresponding metabolites is significant for clarifying the pharmacodynamic material basis. In this study, an integrated strategy using ultra-performance liquid chromatography, coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and UNIFI™ software, was used to identify prototypes and metabolites after oral administration of DKD in rats. As a result, a total of 261 compounds, including 140 prototypes and 121 metabolites, were tentatively characterized in rat plasma, urine, and feces. The metabolic pathways of prototypes have been studied to clarify their possible transformation process in vivo. Moreover, an in vitro metabolism study was applied for verifying the metabolites under simulating the metabolic environment in vivo. This first systematic metabolic study of DKD is important for elucidating the metabolites and metabolic pathways and could provide a scientific basis for explaining the integrative mechanism in further pharmacology study.

Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is now the main analytical method for the identification and quantification of peptides and proteins in biological samples. In modern research, identification of biomarkers and their quantitative comparison between samples are becoming increasingly important for discovery, validation, and monitoring. Such data can be obtained following specific signals after fragmentation of peptides using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) methods, with high specificity, accuracy, and reproducibility. In addition, these methods allow measurement of the amount of post-translationally modified forms and isoforms of proteins. This review article describes the basic principles of MRM assays, guidelines for sample preparation, recent advanced MRM-based strategies, applications and illustrative perspectives of MRM/PRM methods in clinical research and molecular biology.

The purpose of this research was to develop a simple, sensitive, and accurate method for simultaneous determination of 35 free amino acids using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Tea samples were extracted with boiling water bath, and then separated by XBridge BEH Amide column by gradient elution. The exact mass and MS/MS spectra of the target compound was detected under the TOF–MS and Information dependent acquisition (IDA)–MS/MS mode. The results demonstrated good linearity (R2 > 0.9980) in the range of 0.5–1,000 ng/mL. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.13–25.00 mg/kg and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 0.25–50.00 mg/kg. The recovery rate ranged from 70.1 to 105.1% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) n = 6). This research provides a targeted strategy for developing an analysis method for amino acids in tea.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a large group of synthetic organic compounds which exhibit unique properties and have been extensively used for consumer and industrial products, resulting in a widespread presence in the environment. Regulation requiring PFAS monitoring has been implemented worldwide due to their potential health and eco-toxicological effects. Targeted methods are commonly used to monitor between twenty to forty PFAS compounds, representing only a small fraction of the number of compounds that may be present. Consequently, there is an increasing interest in complementary non-targeted methods to screen and identify unknown PFAS compounds with the aim to improve knowledge and to generate more accurate models regarding their environmental mobility and persistence. This work details the development of a method that simultaneously provided targeted and non-targeted PFAS analysis. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was coupled to ion mobility-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (IMS-QTOF-MS) and used to quantify known and screen unknown PFAS in environmental samples collected within the greater Sydney basin (Australia). The method was validated for the quantification of 14 sulfonate-based PFAS, and a non-targeted data analysis workflow was developed using a combination of mass defect analysis with common fragment and neutral loss filtering to identify fluorine-containing species. The optimised method was applied to the environmental samples and enabled the determination of 3-7 compounds from the targeted list and the detection of a further 56-107 untargeted PFAS. This simultaneous analysis reduces the complexity of multiple analyses, and allows for greater interrogation of the full PFAS load in environmental samples.

The basic properties of herbal medicines are cold, hot, warm, and cool. The differentiation of these properties is important for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Ginseng and American ginseng possess opposite properties of warm and cool, respectively. At present, the mechanisms and the influence of steaming leading to the differences in their properties are not clear and require further investigation. Therefore, nontargeted metabonomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to investigate the effects of ginseng, American ginseng, and their variants on the changes in endogenous metabolites in rat urine. A total of 19 potential biomarkers were screened out and identified, of which 17, 7, and 5, were respectively related to warm, cool, and both warm and cool properties with opposite effects. The metabolic pathways corresponded to fatty acids, lipids, glycolysis, and energy metabolisms. The warm and tonic effects of red ginseng are stronger than those of ginseng and consistent with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. The red American ginseng has cool property; however, the degree of coolness is less than that of American ginseng. This study provides a reference methodology to understand the effects of processing and mechanisms associated with the differences in the properties of herbal medicines.

Purpose The present study aims to develop a forensic toxicological library to identify 56 natural toxic substances by liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF-MS/MS). Methods For setting up the library of product ion spectra, individual substances (31 plant toxins, 7 mushroom toxins, 5 marine toxins, 5 frog venoms, 4 mycotoxins, and 4 substances derived from plants) were analyzed by LC–QTOF-MS/MS with positive and negative ionization. The product ion spectra were acquired at the collision energies (CEs) of 20, 35, and 50 eV in single enhanced product ion mode and then in collision energy spread mode in which the CE ramp range was set to 35 ± 15 eV. Results To test the performance of the library, human blood plasma samples were spiked with a mixture of lycorine and domoic acid, extracted by acetonitrile deproteinization and analyzed by LC–QTOF-MS/MS. Identification by our library search could be achieved for these toxins at the purity scores of 79.1 and 67.2, respectively. The method was also applied to postmortem blood from a death case with an aconite intake, and showed that four toxins in an aconite could be identified in the blood sample at the purity scores of 54.6–60.3. Conclusions This library will be more effective for the screening of natural toxic substances in routine forensic toxicological analysis. To our knowledge, there are no reports dealing with development of library for natural toxic substances by LC–QTOF-MS/MS.

The whole plant of Plantago depressa is commonly used as traditional Chinese medicine and functional food ingredient. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content evaluation indicated that its ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions were rich in polyphenols. However, to date, the polyphenolic profile is limited because of the complex matrix. Here, polyphenols in ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of P. depressa were first separated and enriched by High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography (HSCCC). Then, their structures were characterized or tentatively identified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)–Diode Array Detector (DAD)–Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry (QTOF-MS/MS) (HSCCC × HPLC–DAD–QTOF-MS/MS). Because of the orthogonality of HSCCC and HPLC, 37 polyphenols were identified. Notably, 29 polyphenols were discovered from P. depressa for the first time. Finally, contents of two potential new compounds, 2-ethoxy plantamajoside isomers (17 and 29), were determined as 0.27 ± 0.03 and 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/g, respectively. Results indicated that P. depressa could be used as a promising source of polyphenols for health promotion, and the developed method (HSCCC × HPLC) was efficient to explore polyphenolic profile for complex natural products.

Synthetic cannabinoids pose significant threats to public health and safety, as their implications in overdose and adverse events continue to arise in United States and around the world. Synthetic cannabinoids have seen several generations of chemically diverse structural elements, impacting potency and effects. These factors create new analytical challenges for forensic laboratories. This report describes an efficient liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) assay for the identification of synthetic cannabinoid parent compounds and metabolites, including real-time identification of emergent compounds, using a SCIEX TripleTOF® 5600+ with non-targeted SWATH® acquisition. Method validation evaluated precision/accuracy, limits of detection, interferences, processed sample stability and carryover, for which 19 parent compounds and 19 metabolites were tested. To demonstrate feasibility, de-identified blood sample extracts were acquired from a large forensic toxicology laboratory and analyzed using the validated LC-QTOF-MS assay. In mid-2018, 200 blood extracts were analyzed, demonstrating a 19% positivity rate with > 94% agreement rate with original testing. In addition, three newly discovered synthetic cannabinoids were identified, including 5F-MDMB-PICA, 4-cyano CUMYL-BUTINACA and 5F-EDMB-PINACA. These synthetic cannabinoids were previously unreported in forensic toxicology casework in the United States. 5F-MDMB-PICA has become the most prevalent synthetic cannabinoid in United States, as of early 2019. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this assay and workflow in the identification and characterization of synthetic cannabinoids, as well as the usefulness of sample-mining using non-targeted mass acquisition by LC-QTOF-MS for the discovery of NPS. High resolution mass spectrometry should be considered when developing new or novel assays for synthetic cannabinoids.

Branched fatty chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are associated with the "mutton flavor" found with the aroma resulting from cooked older sheep meat with three BCFAs, 4-methyloctanoic (MOA), 4-ethyloctanoic (EOA) and 4-methylnonanoic (MNA) acids as the main compounds responsible for "mutton flavor". Usually, BCFA analysis is done by gas chromatography (GC) with the use of quadrupole mass spectrometry (qMS) becoming predominant. 2-Butyloctanoic acid (2BO) has been used in this facility using as an internal standard to determine BCFA content in sheep fat. In this present work, GC-qMS, along with GC-quadrupole-time of flight MS (GC-QTOF-MS), have been deployed to characterize alkyl esters (as methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl) for MOA, EOA, MNA, and 2BO. This work presents, for the first time, the mass spectral characterization of 2BO for these alkyl esters using GC-qMS and GC-QTOF-MS.

Twenty-six key odourants were found in Hongxin and Shatian pomelo peel oils using aroma extraction dilution analysis (AEDA). trans-2-Dodecenal was identified to be the most potent key odourant, wit...

We revealed the potential biomarker and pathway of gelanxinning capsule on rat model with coronary heart disease, which aims to clarify holistic therapeutic effect and predict quality-markers of gelanxinning capsule. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry based on metabolomics technique was used to find the biomarkers and related metabolic pathways of coronary heart disease model, which evaluates the intervention effect of gelanxinning capsule. Using serum pharmacochemistry of traditional Chinese medicine and Pearson correlation analysis, effective ingredients in serum is analyzed to characterize the activity of gelanxinning capsule on coronary heart disease under valid state. A total of 20 biomarkers from coronary heart disease were identified and 12 of them were regulated by gelanxinning capsule treatment, which is mainly involved in sphingolipid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism. With the high sensitivity liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry technology, a total of 46 compounds from gelanxinning capsule were identified in vitro and 25 of them were absorbed in blood. The correlation analysis of serum biomarkers and absorbed components was used to find 11 compounds as quality-markers to be responsible for the efficacy of gelanxinning capsule. This strategy was successfully applied to screening of potential mechanism and quality-markers from herbal medicine.

Gynostemma pentaphyllum has gained increasing interest in recent years for its widespread use as a medicinal plant, dietary supplement, herbal tea, and vegetable in China. This herb possesses many ...

Schizonepetae Spica (SS), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used over thousands of years. In modern medicine, it has been adopted in the traditional prescription for cancer ...

A high-throughput lipid analysis method was established to comprehensively investigate the lipid profiles of three marine (Scomberomorus niphonius, Scophthalmus maximus, and Oncorhynchus keta) and ...

Objectives: The study was conducted to identify the phenolic compounds and other possible bioactive compounds present in the leaf extracts of Tabernaemontana heyneana Wall. Methods: Phenolic acid profiling was carried out using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight (QTOF). An internal standard syringic acid was used for quantitation of phenolic acids and naringenin for quantitation of flavonoids. Results: The leaf extracts analysis revealed the presence of 17 compounds consisting of 14 phenolic compounds and three terpenes. Among 17 compounds, eight were the major compounds, namely, coniferyaldehyde, resveratrol, sinapic alcohol, protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and protocatechuic aldehyde. This forms the first report on the identification of these pharmaceutically important compounds in T. heyneana. Conclusion: These findings offer clear evidence and scientific support for further research on the leaf extract of T. heyneana plant for its therapeutic purpose.

A fit-to-purpose ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic high resolution mass spectrometric method was developed for the ultra-trace analysis of 10 active pharmaceutical ingredients in one chromatographic run as follows: atorvastatin, carbamazepine (CARB), ciprofloxacin (CIPR), clarithromycin (CLAR), diclofenac (DICL), metoprolol (METO), naproxen (NAPR), sitagliptin (SITA), sulfamethoxazole (SULF) and tetracycline. By applying Oasis HLB solid phase extraction cartridges, a 1250-fold enrichment was achieved. For quantitative determination, internal standard calibration was applied. Lower limits of quantification for the analytes were ≤0.025 μg/L. Good linearity was found between 0.01 and 5 μg/L in most cases. Generally, overall recovery for drinking, river and treated wastewater samples spiked with the target analytes at one concentration level comparable with the blank values and another one by one order of magnitude higher was between 80 and 120%. The relative standard deviation values were ≤16%. The proposed method has been applied for the aforementioned water matrices sampled monthly between January and March 2019. Concentration of CARB in drinking water per se was about 0.025 μg/L, confirming the low removal rates during river bank filtration applied for drinking water production. Seven compounds were present in the river water in ≤50 ng/L. Eight compounds were detected at least once from the treated wastewater samples including CARB, DICL, NAPR and SITA in >1 μg/L. Concentration of CARB, DICL, METO, SITA used for chronic affections was almost constant during the monitored time period. To the contrary, concentration of CIPR, CLAR, SULF used for acute infections registered peak values in the same samples taken in winter.

Herbal medicines (HMs) usually consist of complex matrices of phytochemical compounds responsible for their efficacy. Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and ultra-high performance SFC (UHPSFC) are efficient techniques that can be advantageously used for the analysis of complex HMs. Here, the comprehensive UHPSFC methods were established for separation of similar flavonoids, chemical profiling and differentiation, and quality assessment of Epimedium species (EPs). An efficient separation of 12 polar flavonoids was enabled in UHPSFC with an important additive, oxalic acid. Then, 51 flavonoids were characterized, and 28 potential markers enabling the differentiation of E. wushanense from other four species were discovered by UHPSFC-QTOF/MS combined pattern recognition multivariate statistical analysis. Additionally, the UHPSFC-PDA was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 7 predominant flavonoids in five EPs, and remarkable variation in their contents was observed. This integrated UHPSFC approach has potential applications in systematic analysis and quality evaluation of HMs containing hydrophilic flavonoids.