The ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis of phenolics in four plant species

For the evaluation of the efficiency of in vitro systems and for standardization of commercial products the reliable fast analytical procedures are required. These are usually based on HPLC analysis. Regular HPLC separations are usually time and solvent consuming. The new achievements in analytical equipment allows to apply much faster technique UPLC for plant phytochemical analysis. The technology is quite new (developed in 2004) and in this respect there is no literature available. It was applied for separation of phenolics in the extracts of four plant species: basil (Ocimium basilicum), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), soybean (Glycine max), mint (Mentha piperica) considered as a source of nutraceuticals researched under the project NUTRASNACK (E.C. F.P.6 contract No FOOD-CT-2005-023044). The Acquinity Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatograph (Waters) consisting of Binary Solvent Manager, Sample Manager, PDA detector and Empower Pro 2.0 software was used. The analyses were performed on an UPLC BEH C18 column (1.7mm, 50mm ´ 2.1mm) utilizing a gradient elution profile and a mobile phase consisting of 0,1% acetic acid in water and 40% AcN. The column was maintained at 50oC and at a flow rate was kept constant at 0.35 mL/min. The separation profiles obtained for four analysed species were of similar quality as the profiles obtained with HPLC. However, optimization of the separation conditions (water-acetonitrile gradient shape, column temperature) in UPLC allowed us to reduce separation time down to 5 min (basil, dandelion) and 6 min (mint and soybean); regular HPLC separation time was 50 min. The developed method simplified the analytical protocol and shortened the time of analysis just to few minutes. This an important achievement when big number of samples e.g. in vitro culture efficiency evaluation is necessary

Extraction and purification of active natural products from four plants species

The project NUTRASNACK (E.C. F.P.6 contract No FOOD-CT-2005-023044) has the main objective to produce by in vitro cultures secondary metabolites with health benefits, which can be used for fortification of some food products. On the of the key partner is ENERVIT®, a well-known firm in the development of nutrition programs to enhance the performances of athletes and sportsmen. For the purpose of the project a number of plant species have been selected for the study of the possibility of commercial application of their secondary metabolites. This includes basil (Ocimium basilicum), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), soybean (Glycine max), mint (Mentha piperica) and Leguminosae species (genus Trifolium). For above species the conditions and protocols for the extraction of active principles need to be established. These protocols are aimed at the preparation of extracts for analytical purposes but also for commercial application for separation of large amounts of phytochemicals. For this purpose he extraction with different solvents and the purification of extracts by Reversed Phase C18 or Amberlite XAD4 Solid Phase Extraction. It was shown that in case of green samples two options should be considered. For samples used for analytical purposes the 70% EtOH should be a case of choice. For commercial purposes the water extract is more reasonable. Water extracts contain all active chemicals and allow to avoid chlorophyll presence in the extract. This substantially simplified the method of purification and enrichment. In case of soybean the EtOH extract is necessary as isoflavones are not so readily soluble in water. Further purification can be achieved by SPE

LC-DAD-ESI/MS identification of active natural products from four plants species

In our work on the project NUTRASNACK (E.C. F.P.6 contract No FOOD-CT-2005-023044) composition of the extract from basil (Ocimium basilicum), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), soybean (Glycine max), mint (Mentha piperica) was evaluated using hyphenated technique liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry LC-DAD-ESI/MSn. Applying this technique major consituents were preliminary identified or confirmed if appropriate standards were available. For basil, five phenolic constituents were identified: flavonoid (unknown), phenolic acid (unknown), chicoric acid and rosmarinic acid; minor peaks corresponding to quercetin glycosides were present. In dandelion extract cis- and tras-caftaric acids, two unknown phenolic acid, chlorogenic acid and chicoric acid were identified. Soybean extract contained 15 individual isoflavones with characteristic UV spectra. Based on their MSn their structures were confirmed. The mint phenolics contained rosmarinic acid, number of isoflavones and flavonols. Due to the fact that the structure of several compounds could not be confirmed because of their complexity and the lack of appropriate standards their preparative separation has been performed to produce reference substances

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed