A rapid analytical method based on online solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry has been established and applied to the determination of tannin compounds that may cause adverse effects in traditional Chinese medicine injections. Different solid-phase extraction sorbents have been compared and the elution buffer was optimized. The performance of the method was verified by evaluation of recovery (≥40%), repeatability (RSD ≤ 6%), linearity (r² ≥ 0.993), and limit of quantification (≤0.35 μg/mL). Five tannin compounds, gallic acid, cianidanol, gallocatechin gallate, ellagic acid, and penta-O-galloylglucose, were identified with concentrations ranging from 3.1–37.4 μg/mL in the analyzed traditional Chinese medicine injections.

Tyrosine 367 Cysteine-fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 cell membrane chromatography combined with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was developed. Tyrosine 367 Cysteine-HEK293 cells were used as the cell membrane stationary phase. The specificity and reproducibility of the cell membrane chromatography was evaluated using 1-tert-butyl-3-{2-[4-(diethylamino)butylamino]-6-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-yl}urea, nimodipine and dexamethasone acetate. Then, anti-tumor components acting on Tyrosine 367 Cysteine-fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 were screened and identified from extracts of Ligusticum wallichii. Components from the extract were retained on the cell membrane chromatographic column. The retained fraction was directly eluted into high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry system for separation and identification. Finally, Levistolide A was identified as an active component from Ligusticum wallichii extracts. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide-formazan colorimetric assay revealed that Levistolide A inhibits proliferation of overexpressing the mutated receptor cells with dose-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 was also decrease under Levistolide A treatment. Flex dock simulation verified that Levistolide A could bind with the tyrosine kinase domain of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4. Therefore, Levistolide A screened by the cell membrane chromatography combined with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry can arrest cell growth. In conclusion, the two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography method can screen and identify potential anti-tumor ingredients that specifically act on the tyrosine kinase domain of the mutated fibroblast growth factor receptor 4.

In this study, highly selective core–shell molecularly imprinted polymers on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles were prepared using protocatechuic acid as the template molecule. The resulting magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The binding performances of the prepared materials were evaluated by static and selective adsorption. The binding isotherms were obtained for protocatechuic acid and fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model and Freundlich isotherm model. Furthermore, the resulting materials were used as the solid-phase extraction materials coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography for the selective extraction and detection of protocatechuic acid from the extracts of Homalomena occulta and Cynomorium songaricum with the recoveries in the range 86.3–102.2%.

A high-expression epidermal growth factor receptor cell membrane chromatography using the silica gel with the average particle size of 3 μm as the stationary phase carrier coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was established for the online screening of epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists from Radix Scutellariae (Huang Qin in Chinese), a traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, the growth factor receptor cell membrane chromatography model using the smaller particle size carrier showed a higher efficiency for simultaneous screening baicalein, another one of the potential epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists from Radix Scutellariae extract besides wogonin, which was found in our previous work. The molecular docking result showed the occupancy site and binding mode of baicalein and wogonin with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase were similar to gefitinib. The result of the assay for the in vitro inhibitory activity showed that baicalein and wogonin inhibited the growth of the high-expression epidermal growth factor receptor cell in a dose-dependent manner and even achieved a better inhibition effect than gifitinib in the low-dosage range.

Radix et Rhizoma Asari is a traditional Chinese medicine, and has many pharmacological effects, such as calming, analgesia, anti-inflammation, antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive, antivirus, etc. But few studies have screened the active compounds from extracts of Radix et Rhizoma Asari for tumor therapy. In this study, a two-dimensional liquid chromatography system was built to screen active compounds acting on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) from Radix et Rhizoma Asari. The screening result showed that asarinin from Radix et Rhizoma Asari was the targeted component that could act on EGFR specificity. The competitive binding assay and molecular docking assay results showed asarinin binding with EGFR in similar manner as with gefitinib, which was used as a positive control drug. Then the antitumor effect of asarinin was studied through cell growth assay in vitro. The results showed that gefitinib and asarinin could inhibit highly expressed EGFR cell growth in a dose-dependent manner in the range of dose from 0.10 to 102.4 μM. This two-dimensional liquid chromatography system will be a useful method in drug discovery from natural medicinal herbs for searching potential antitumor candidates.

Most of the anti-breast cancer drugs are often limited owing to drug resistance and serious adverse reactions. Therefore, development of more targeted and low toxic drugs from traditional Chinese medicines for breast cancer are needed. At the same time, establishment of fast and effective drug screening methods are urgently required. We describe here a 2D LC method of MDA-MB-231 cell membrane chromatography combined with HPLC/MS for recognition, separation, and identification of target components from traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Magnolia officinalis. The MDA-MB-231 cells membrane was used to prepare the chromatographic stationary phase in the first dimension. The active compounds had a retention characteristic on the cell membrane chromatography model (10 × 2.0 mm, 5 μm). The retention fractions were enriched using an online C₁₈ column (10 × 1.0 mm, 5 μm) and were analyzed by the second dimension RP chromatography. Finally, the activity of the retention fractions was tested through in vitro experiments. Results showed that the retention fractions were honokiol and magnolol and the inhibition rate on MDA-MB-231 cell growth were 23 and 64 μM, respectively. These results support the conclusion that this coupled analytical technique could be an efficient method in drug discovery.