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Planta Med 2016; 82(07): 662-670
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-103031
Natural Product Chemistry and Analytical Studies
Original Papers
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Structural Identification of Sesquiterpene Alkaloids from the Stems of Dendrobium nobile Using LC-QToF[*]

Yan-Hong Wang
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
,
Bharathi Avula
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
,
Naohito Abe
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
,
Feng Wei
2   Institute for Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ethnic Medicine, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, Peopleʼs Republic of China
,
Mei Wang
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
,
Shuang-Cheng Ma
2   Institute for Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ethnic Medicine, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, Peopleʼs Republic of China
,
Zulfiqar Ali
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
,
Mahmoud A. Elsohly
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
3   ElSohly Laboratories, Incorporated, Oxford, MS, USA
,
Ikhlas A. Khan
1   National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
4   Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
5   Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 20 October 2014
revised 19 January 2016

accepted 04 February 2016

Publication Date:
07 April 2016 (online)

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See also:

Structural characterization of dendrobine-type sesquiterpene alkaloids from the stems of Dendrobium nobile using LC-MS/MSPlanta Med 2014; 80(10): PD110
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1382531

Abstract

Dendrobium nobile is one of the fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Sesquiterpene alkaloids are the main active components in this plant. Due to weak ultraviolet absorption and low content in D. nobile, these sesquiterpene alkaloids have not been extensively studied using chromatographic methods. Herein, tandem mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography separation provides a tool for the identification and characterization of the alkaloids from D. nobile. A total of nine sesquiterpene alkaloids were characterized by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. These alkaloids can be classified into two subgroups that are represented by dendrobine and nobilonine. Tandem mass spectrometric studies revealed the fragmentation pathways of these two subgroup alkaloids that were used for the identification and characterization of other alkaloids in D. nobile. Characterization of these alkaloids using accurate mass and diagnostic fragments provided a reliable methodology for the analysis of D. nobile by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was defined as the signal-to-noise ratio equal to 3 : 1. Limits of detection of dendrobine and nobilonine were less than 30 ng/mL. The developed method was applied for the analysis of various Dendrobium species and related dietary supplements. Alkaloids were identified from D. nobile, but not detected from commercial samples including 13 other Dendrobium species and the 7 dietary supplements.

Key words

Dendrobium nobile - Orchidaceae - shi hu - dendrobine - nobilonine - UHPLC-QToF/MS - tandem mass - sesquiterpene alkaloids

* Part of this work has been presented as a poster presentation at the American Society of Pharmacognosy 2014 Annual Meeting – Held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals. The abstract of the poster was published in Planta Medica 2014; 80: PD110; doi:10.1055/s-0034-1382531


 

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