In the present study, four new steroidal saponins, namely vernoniamyoside A–D (1–4), together with the two known steroidal saponins vernoamyoside D (5) and vernonioside B₂ (6) were isolated from the ethanol extract of leaves of the African medicinal plant Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Asteraceae). Their structures were demonstrated by spectral analyses along with 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and mass spectrometry (MS). The cytotoxicity of the compounds was also tested by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method on the cell lines Hela, MCF-7, BT-549 and MDA-MB-231. Vernoniamyoside A, vernoniamyoside B, and vernonioside B₂ showed cytotoxicity towards BT-549 cell lines. Vernoniamyoside C, vernoniamyoside D and vernoamyoside D showed different levels of cytotoxic activities.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)has played an important role in promoting the health of Chinese people. The TCM Psoralea corylifolia L. has been used in the treatment of various kinds of diseases including enuresis, vitiligo, and calvities. However, therapeutic effects of P. corylifolia L. have often influenced by the quality of plants. So, it is very important to control the quality of P. corylifolia L. In this study, analytical high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used to fingerprint P. corylifolia L. Samples of P. corylifolia L. were extracted by ultrasonic extraction. n-hexane-ethyl acetate–methanol–water at a ratio of 5:5.5:6.5:5 (v/v) was selected as a two-phase solvent system and the condition of HSCCC were optimized in order to good separation. And the method of HSCCC was verified (reproducibility, precision, and stability). HSCCC chromatograms exhibited six common peaks, which were selected as indicator compounds for the quality control of P. corylifolia L. Within 20 types of medicinal materials, chemical components are similar, but the levels of components are quite different in HSCCC fingerprint. The present results demonstrate that the HSCCC method provides a reliable basis for the quality control of P. corylifolia L. and can also be applied to confirm the authenticity of plant materials.

Wedelolactone is a coumarin ether with significant hepatoprotective effects. However, there are few pharmacokinetic studies of wedelolactone, which will affect the studies of its efficacy and potential toxicity. In this study, a selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was developed to confirm the pharmacokinetic parameters of wedelolactone in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Kromasil C₁₈ UPLC column (250 × 4.6 mm; 5.0 μm) by gradient mobile phase of methanol-water containing 0.5% acetic acid (v/v). Perfect linearity was obtained and the samples were stable under different conditions. The intra-day and inter-day precisions (relative standard deviation, %) were within 3.81% and accuracies (relative error, %) ranged from −4.01% to 7.12%. The extraction recoveries in rat plasma ranged from 95.98% to 108.93%. This rapid method was successfully applied in the pharmacokinetic study of wedelolactone in rat plasma. Following the oral administration of 5.00 mg/kg wedelolactone, the wedelolactone was rapidly absorbed. Pharmacokinetic parameters were used to quantitatively describe the dynamic changes of wedelolactone in vivo, providing a theoretical basis for pharmacological research on drugs and preclinical medication. The study of wedelolactone can provide a theoretical basis and quick analysis for the study of other traditional Chinese medicine. This may lead to breakthroughs in the pharmacokinetic study of complex Chinese medicines.

Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson is a popular Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with a variety of bioactivities. However, there are some problems that have affected the development of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson. At present, many methods have been reported for the analysis of coumarins in Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson. However, the quality control of coumarins in Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) has not been reported. In this study, analytical high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for fingerprint of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water at 4:6:6.5:3.5 (v/v). The UV wavelength was set at 254 nm. Six coumarin compounds with high biological activity were selected as indicator compounds for the quality control. The HSCCC fingerprint of the Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson was successfully established and there were some differences according to the results of the fingerprint analysis. The present results demonstrate that HSCCC is an established and efficient technique for the fingerprint analysis of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson and can be used to control the quality of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson. In brief, HSCCC is a useful technology for the fingerprint analytical method for TCM.