Gastroparesis is a motility disorder that causes severe gastric symptoms and delayed gastric emptying, where the majority of sufferers are females (80%), with 29% of sufferers also diagnosed with Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes. Current clinical recommendations involve stringent dietary restriction and includes the avoidance and minimization of dietary fibre. Dietary fibre lowers the glycaemic index of food, reduces inflammation and provides laxation. Lack of dietary fibre in the diet can affect long-term gastrointestinal health. Our previously published rheological study demonstrated that “low-viscosity” soluble fibres could be a potentially tolerable source of fibre for the gastroparetic population. A randomised controlled crossover pilot clinical study was designed to compare Partially-hydrolysed guar gum or PHGG (test fibre 1), gum Arabic (test fibre 2), psyllium husk (positive control) and water (negative control) in mild-to-moderate symptomatic gastroparesis patients (requiring no enteral tube feeding). The principal aim of the study was to determine the short-term physiological effects and tolerability of the test fibres. In n = 10 female participants, post-prandial blood glucose, gastroparesis symptoms, and breath test measurements were recorded. Normalized clinical data revealed that test fibres PHGG and gum Arabic were able to regulate blood glucose comparable to psyllium husk, while causing far fewer symptoms, equivalent to negative control. The test fibres did not greatly delay mouth-to-caecum transit, though more data is needed. The study data looks promising, and a longer-term study investigating these test fibres is being planned.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted an increasing clinical demand for safe and effective treatment options against an overzealous immune defence response, also known as the “cytokine storm”. Andrographolide is a naturally derived bioactive compound with promising anti-inflammatory activity in many clinical studies. However, its cytokine-inhibiting activity, in direct comparison to commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), has not been extensively investigated in existing literature. The anti-inflammatory activities of andrographolide and common NSAIDs, such as diclofenac, aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen were measured on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ induced RAW264.7 cells. The levels of PGE2, nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α & LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines on differentiated human macrophage THP-1 cells were measured against increasing concentrations of andrographolide and aforementioned NSAIDs. The associated mechanistic pathway was examined on NFκB using flow cytometry on the human endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule (ELAM9) (E-selectin) transfected RAW264.7 cells with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Andrographolide exhibited broad and potent anti-inflammatory and cytokine-inhibiting activity in both cell lines by inhibiting the release of IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ, which are known to play a key role in the etiology of cytokine storm and the pathogenesis of inflammation. In comparison, the tested NSAIDs demonstrated weak or no activity against proinflammatory mediators except for PGE2, where the activity of andrographolide (IC₅₀ = 8.8 μM, 95% CI = 7.4 to 10.4 μM) was comparable to that of paracetamol (IC₅₀ = 7.73 μM, 95% CI = 6.14 to 9.73 μM). The anti-inflammatory action of andrographolide was associated with its potent downregulation of NFκB. The wide-spectrum anti-inflammatory activity of andrographolide demonstrates its therapeutic potential against cytokine storms as an alternative to NSAIDs.

A validated analytical method is reported for the analysis of chlorogenic and caffeic acids in Xu Duan (Dipsacus asperoides) in the dried raw herb. The ground samples were extracted by ultrasonication in water and the extract was analysed by LC-PDA with identity confirmation by (+)ESI-MS/MS. A C18 column was used with a 0.1% aqueous formic acid : methanol gradient mobile phase. The analytes were quantified 325 nm. With the MS detector, using the chlorogenic acid precursor ion with m/z 354, ions with m/z 191, and 85 were produced. For caffeic acid the precursor ion with m/z 181, ions with m/z 163, 135, and 89 were produced. The amount of chlorogenic and caffeic acids in the raw herb was found to be 4.46 and 0.63 mg/g, respectively, and the method LOD was 0.13 and 0.02 mg/g, respectively.

Lycium (also known as Goji berry) is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with claimed benefits, including eye and liver protection, immune system fortification and blood glucose control. The commercially available product comes from either the L. barbarum or L. chinense species, with the former dominating the marketplace due to its better taste profile. The main objective of this study was to develop a validated LC-ESI-MS/MS method to quantify multiple key bio-active analytes in commercially available Lycium berries and to qualitatively assess these samples using a principal component analysis (PCA). A LC-ESI-MS/MS method for the quantitation of seven analytes selected using the Herbal Chemical Marker Ranking System (Herb MaRS) was developed. The Herb MaRS ranking system considered bioavailability, bioactivity and physiological action of each target analyte, its intended use and the commercial availability of an analytical standard. After method optimization combining high resolving power with selective detection, seven analytes were quantified and the Lycium samples were quantitatively profiled. Chromatographic spectra were also obtained using longer run-time LC-UV and GC-MS methods in order to qualitatively assess the samples using a principal component analysis (PCA). The result of the method validation procedure was a 15.5 min LC-ESI-MS/MS method developed for the quantification of seven analytes in commercial Lycium samples. Wide variation in analyte concentration was observed with the following results (analyte range in mg/g): rutin, 16.1–49.2; narcissin, 0.37–1.65; nictoflorin, 0.26–0.78; coumaric acid, 6.84–12.2; scopoletin, 0.33–2.61; caffeic acid, 0.08–0.32; chlorogenic acid, 1.1–9.12. The quantitative results for the L. barbarum and L. chinense species samples indicate that they cannot be differentiated based on the bio-actives tested. A qualitative assessment using PCA generated from un-targeted LC-UV and GC-MS phytochemical spectra led to the same conclusion. The un-targeted quantitative and qualitative phytochemical profiling indicates that commercial L. barbarum and L. chinense cannot be distinguished using chemical analytical methods. Genetic fingerprinting and pharmacological testing may be needed to ensure the efficacy of commercial Lycium in order to validate label claims.

Dietary fibres are an integral part of a balanced diet. Consumption of a high-fibre diet confers many physiological and metabolic benefits. However, fibre is generally avoided by individuals with gastrointestinal motility disorders like gastroparesis due to increased likelihood of exacerbated symptoms. Low-viscosity soluble fibres have been identified as a possible source of fibre tolerable for these individuals. The aim of this study is to determine the rheological properties of 10 common commercially available soluble fibres in chemically simulated digestive conditions and evaluate their suitability for individuals with mild to moderate gastroparesis, a gastric motility disorder. Rheological testing under neutral condition (distilled water pH 7) and chemically simulated gastric digestion were evaluated to determine the yield point and relative viscosity of each fibre. Our results reveal two rheological categories of soluble fibres; pseudoplastic and dilatant. Simulated digestion was shown to significantly alter the yield-points of psyllium husk, iota-carrageenan, beta-glucan, apple-fibre pectin, and inulin. Gum Arabic and partially hydrolysed guar gum showed the lowest viscosities and were not affected under simulated digestion, characteristics that make them potential candidate fibres for patients with gastroparesis. Altogether, our results demonstrate that digestion can have a significant impact on fibre viscosity and should be taken into consideration when evaluating the suitability of fibres for patients with gastric motility disorders.

The Naoxinqing (NXQ) tablet is a standardised proprietary herbal product containing an extract of persimmon leaves (Diospyros kaki) for the management of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. Although previous reports suggested that the efficacy of NXQ is at least partly mediated by its anti-oxidative property, the anti-oxidative effect of the major components of NXQ has not been studied systematically. For quality control purposes, only analytical methods limited to 3 marker analytes have been reported, the extent to which the other components affect efficacy has not been explored. In this study, we developed an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC MS/MS) method for the identification of seven analytes (kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (astragalin), quercetin-3-O-galactoside (hypericin), quercetin-3-O-glucoside (isoquercitin), kaempferol, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (protocatechuic acid), and furan-2-carboxylic acid (pyromucic acid) and quercetin) in the NXQ. This is the first method reported and validated for the quantification of the seven major secondary metabolites in NXQ. The results for the quantified analytes were then compared in 15 different batches of NXQ. The variation observed in the seven components highlights the need to quantify key bioactive components to ensure product consistency. Radical scavenging activity and abundance was used to rank the analytes. The anti-oxidative effects of NXQ were examined using cultured human vascular endothelial cells (EA.hy926). Corrected 2,2-di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity results revealed that quercetin and kaempferol have the strongest anti-oxidant capacity in the extract. Both quercetin and kaempferol significantly inhibited the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced EA.hy926 cell injury and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In conclusion, we established and validated an UPLC-MS/MC method for the analysis of major bioactive components in the NXQ and demonstrated that its anti-oxidative property may play a critical role in cerebrovascular protection.