•The chemical compositions of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMK) were analyzed systematically and influence of sulfur fumigation on the chemical profiles was evaluated by UFLC–QTOF–MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis.•52 components were examined from non-fumigated AMK (NF-AMK) and 28 compounds were newly produced after sulfur fumigation, out of which 59 major peaks were identified.•Eight sulfur-containing/dehydrated-integrated atractylenolides that evolved from the NF-AMK were screened out as potential characteristic chemical markers to examine the post-harvest handling procedures of commercial AMK with excessive sulfur fumigation.In the present study, the chemical compositions of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMK) were analyzed systematically and influence of sulfur fumigation on the chemical profiles was evaluated by ultrafast flow liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UFLC–QTOF–MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis. 52 components were detected from non-fumigated AMK (NF-AMK) and 28 components were newly produced after sulfur fumigation, out of which 59 major peaks were identified. The concentrations of 20 compounds significantly decreased and 37 compounds obviously increased. The potential structural transformation mechanism of terpenoids was explored to illustrate the correlation of the components contents before and after sulfur fumigation. Eight sulfur-containing/dehydrated-integrated atractylenolides that evolved from the NF-AMK were screened out as potential characteristic chemical markers to examine the post-harvest handling procedures of commercial AMK with excessive sulfur fumigation and maintain consistent quality.

•ZnS nanospheres as SPE sorbents were developed for the specific enrichment and identification of alkaloids from Crinum asiaticum var. sinicum.•The ZnS-based sorbents were prepared by the amidation reaction of poly-(acrylic acid) homopolymer with amino groups onto the porus ZnS nanospheres.•The developed SPE protocol could improve the extraction efficiency and selectivity for the alkaloids via the electrostatic interaction.•Tandem LC-TOF/MS spectrometry presented that the most all of the twenty-three main peaks in fraction from the SPE could be inferred as alkaloids.•Seven alkaloids including two new found chemical entities were directly identified from their GC-MS spectra.The current widely utilized polymer or C8, C18 end-capped material-based sorbents for solid-phase extraction could not capture alkaloids well only based on “like dissolves like” principle. In this paper, a layer-by-layer functionalized porous Zinc sulfide nanospheres-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with liquid chromatography time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (LC-TOF/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the specific enrichment and identification of alkaloids from complex matrixes, Crinum asiaticum var. sinicum crude extracts. The functionalized porous Zinc sulfide nanospheres were prepared by the amidation reaction of poly-(acrylic acid) (PAA) homopolymer with amino groups onto the porous ZnS nanospheres. Tandem LC-TOF/MS spectrometry presented that the almost all of the twenty-three main peaks in elution fraction from the SPE could be inferred as alkaloids with ion of mass according to the nitrogen rule and hit formula with Peak View1.2@software from AB SCIEX, and seven alkaloids including two new found chemical entities were directly identified from their GC-MS spectra and retention indices. We believe that this SPE protocol can also be utilized in the future to selectively enrich alkaloids from extracts of other plant species.

2,5-Dihydroxymethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (liguzinediol) has been recently discovered as a potential agent for treatment of heart failure with low safety risk. In the present study, four main metabolites of liguzinediol were synthesized and their positive inotropic activities were evaluated. Synthetic compounds were identical with the isolated metabolites of liguzinediol. Pharmacological examinations showed that the four major metabolites were not observed positive inotropic activity, and revealed that the positive inotropic activity of liguzinediol was essentially attributed to the parent agent.

A polymer-based cation exchanger and silica-based sorbents are generally used for the conventional solid phase extraction (SPE) toward alkaloids, because they provide both ion exchange interactions and strong hydrophobic interactions between the stationary phase and samples. However, strong hydrophobic interactions could cause the retention of some non-alkaloid compounds, to reduce the selectivity for alkaloids. In this paper, a non-aqueous solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure was developed and optimized utilizing novel polyacrylic acid-functionalized porous zinc sulfide nanospheres (PAA–PZNs) as the sorbents for the enrichment of alkaloids. The SPE sorbents were fabricated by the amidation reaction of the poly-(acrylic acid) homopolymer with amino group modified PZNs, which afforded an abundance of carboxyl groups, to effectively eliminate non-alkaloid compounds and concentrate alkaloids from the extracts. They exhibited not only high extraction efficiency, high selectivity and high recoveries for alkaloids, but also good chemical and mechanical stability. Therefore, the PAA functionalized porous zinc sulfide nanospheres and subsequently prepared non-aqueous solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure may prove to be a strong tool for selective enrichment of alkaloids from extracts.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important substance in diverse human organs and regulates a variety of physiological and pathological processes, such as inflammation, fever, pain and cancer. Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1), a glutathione (GSH)-dependent enzyme, can induce the generation of PGE2. Since the 1990s, scientists have been studying the biochemistry and pathophysiology of mPGES-1, proposing it to be a promising target for the treatment of PGE2 metabolic abnormalities. Nevertheless, selective mPGES-1 inhibitors have not been available in clinics up to now, and studies on mPGES-1 are rare. Unlike non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), mPGES-1 inhibitors can reduce PGE2 production without affecting the generation of other PGs and thromboxane (Tx), indicating fewer side effects of mPGES-1 inhibitors. Recently, many chemical substances obtained from natural plants, human endogenous substances and chemical synthesis have been demonstrated to have strong inhibitory effects on mPGES-1. Here, we mainly review studies on mPGES-1 biology and mPGES-1 inhibitors along with their chemistry, biological activity and docking algorithm of computer-aided molecular design in the past decade.

High-quality glutathione-capped Mn:ZnS/ZnO core/shell quantum dots were prepared in aqueous solution through the nucleation-doping method by using low-cost inorganic salts as precursors. Remarkable improvements of photoluminescence (PL) were achieved by introduction of a ZnO shell around the Mn:ZnS QDs through basic hydrolysis of Zn(NO3)2. The Mn:ZnS/ZnO quantum dots have been demonstrated to be sensitive time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) bioprobes for the detection of a trace amount of biomolecules such as avidin at a concentration of 3 nM with a linear response ranging from 10 to 100 nM. We anticipate that the QDs may have great potential for versatile applications in biodetection and bioimaging.

Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) prepared by a conventional aqueous synthetic method usually suffer from poor crystallinity and low quantum yield due to their relatively low reaction temperature. In this paper, high-quality Mn-doped ZnS QDs with long-lived emissions were prepared using a green and rapid microwave-assisted synthetic approach in an aqueous solution. The QDs were used for room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) detection of indapamide with a detection limit of 0.89 μM, and the RTP intensity showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of indapamide in the range from 1.5 to 80 μM. The relative standard deviation for seven independent measurements of 10 μM indapamide was 3.4%, and the recovery ranged from 94% to 105%.

Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) prepared by a conventional aqueous synthetic method usually suffer from poor crystallinity and low quantum yield due to their relatively low reaction temperature. In this paper, high-quality Mn-doped ZnS QDs with long-lived emissions were prepared using a green and rapid microwave-assisted synthetic approach in an aqueous solution. The QDs were used for room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) detection of indapamide with a detection limit of 0.89 μM, and the RTP intensity showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of indapamide in the range from 1.5 to 80 μM. The relative standard deviation for seven independent measurements of 10 μM indapamide was 3.4%, and the recovery ranged from 94% to 105%.