Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-electrospray Mass Spectrometry Research Articles

Anti-inflammatory and anti-aggregating effects of rangpur in the first trimester of growth: ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry profile and quantification of hesperidin.

Citrus fruits are a rich source of valuable molecules, and their industrial processing produces bagasses, little explored to generate important by-products. These Citrus residues, including seeds and peels, also contain numerous pharmacologically important substances. To reduce the impact of these Citrus by-products, young, harvested fruits could be used as a functional supplemental food while another part is grown until maturity for industrial production. This study therefore aims to valorize rangpur (Citrus limonia) in the first 3 months of its growth by investigating and comparing its monthly chemical profiles using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS) and its anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet activity. Extracts obtained from the fruits harvested in November, December, and January, 2017 and 2018 (L221117, L161217, and L160118) showed different UPLC-ESI-MS profiles. Twenty-five of the 26 detected metabolites were identified as cyclitol, pyrrolidine betaine, aryl propanoyl esters, chlorogenic acids, flavonoids, coumarins, and limonoids. Quantification studies indicated an increased concentration of hesperidin from the younger fruits to the older fruits of the series. L160118 reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels more than other extracts. Their activity followed the same trends as the hesperidin concentration in each fruit. In contrast, the most promising antiplatelet activity was observed with the extracts from the two youngest fruits. This suggests combined effects of the chemical components found in these fruits' extracts. The extracts obtained from these young fruits showed considerable anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet activity. Overall, young rangpur could be used as raw material to produce functional foods without producing any waste. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Validated LC-ESI-MS/MS Method for the Quantitation of Neopanaxadiol: a Novel Neuroprotective Agent from Panax ginseng and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study in Rat Plasma

Neopanaxadiol (NPD), a new panaxadiol first obtained from the acid hydrolysate of the total ginsenosides of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Araliaceae) in our laboratory, showed neuroprotective effect against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cortical cells (Tao et al. Chin Chem Lett 20:687-689, 2009 ). In this research, a sensitive and specific method of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) for the quantitative analysis of NPD in rat plasma was developed. The NPD and internal standard of panaxadiol were extracted from 200 µL of rat plasma samples with methanol, then the samples were injected in an UPLC (Waters BEH) with C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 µm) and eluted with the mobile phase consisting of methanol-water-formic acid (80:20:0.2, v/v/v). Excellent linearity was found between 5 and 160 ng mL–1 with a limit of quantitation of 4 ng mL–1. Intra- and inter-day precision values (RSD) of QC samples were both below 7 %. This study was successfully utilized for the pharmacokinetic profiles of NPD in rats after oral administration and provided an experimental basis for the further pharmacology and clinical application of ginseng products.