HPLC Method Validated for the Simultaneous Analysis of Cichoric Acid and Alkamides in <i>Echinacea purpurea</i> Plants and Products

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to determine caffeic acid derivatives, for example, cichoric acid, and alkamides in plant parts and herbal products of Echinacea purpurea. The method consists of an extraction procedure whereby the hydrophilic phenolics as well as the lipophilic alkamides are released from the samples, followed by the analytical HPLC procedure for quantitative determination of these compounds. The method is the first one validated for the determination of these two groups of compounds in the same procedure. Naringenin has been used as an internal standard, as no other flavanones are present in the extract and it does not interfere with any of the compounds under investigation. Analysis of Danish-grown plant material shows that it is possible to raise plants of a very high chemical quality in Denmark. A selection of international herbal products available on the Danish market show surprisingly variable quality, not necessarily reflecting the product information given on the labels. Keywords: Echinacea purpurea; Asteraceae; cichoric acid; caffeoyltartaric acid; alkamides; alkyl amides; HPLC quantification; validation; herbal medicin

HPLC Method Validated for the Simultaneous Analysis of Cichoric Acid and Alkamides in <i>Echinacea purpurea</i> Plants and Products

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to determine caffeic acid derivatives, for example, cichoric acid, and alkamides in plant parts and herbal products of Echinacea purpurea. The method consists of an extraction procedure whereby the hydrophilic phenolics as well as the lipophilic alkamides are released from the samples, followed by the analytical HPLC procedure for quantitative determination of these compounds. The method is the first one validated for the determination of these two groups of compounds in the same procedure. Naringenin has been used as an internal standard, as no other flavanones are present in the extract and it does not interfere with any of the compounds under investigation. Analysis of Danish-grown plant material shows that it is possible to raise plants of a very high chemical quality in Denmark. A selection of international herbal products available on the Danish market show surprisingly variable quality, not necessarily reflecting the product information given on the labels. Keywords: Echinacea purpurea; Asteraceae; cichoric acid; caffeoyltartaric acid; alkamides; alkyl amides; HPLC quantification; validation; herbal medicin

HPLC Method Validated for the Simultaneous Analysis of Cichoric Acid and Alkamides in <i>Echinacea purpurea</i> Plants and Products

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to determine caffeic acid derivatives, for example, cichoric acid, and alkamides in plant parts and herbal products of Echinacea purpurea. The method consists of an extraction procedure whereby the hydrophilic phenolics as well as the lipophilic alkamides are released from the samples, followed by the analytical HPLC procedure for quantitative determination of these compounds. The method is the first one validated for the determination of these two groups of compounds in the same procedure. Naringenin has been used as an internal standard, as no other flavanones are present in the extract and it does not interfere with any of the compounds under investigation. Analysis of Danish-grown plant material shows that it is possible to raise plants of a very high chemical quality in Denmark. A selection of international herbal products available on the Danish market show surprisingly variable quality, not necessarily reflecting the product information given on the labels. Keywords: Echinacea purpurea; Asteraceae; cichoric acid; caffeoyltartaric acid; alkamides; alkyl amides; HPLC quantification; validation; herbal medicin

Complementary Analysis of the Water-Soluble and Water-Insoluble Fraction of Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis Biocrudes by Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography

Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) biocrudes are of interest in the search for renewable energy and fuel. Depending on the process conditions, the produced biocrude can contain low to high percentage of oxygenates such as polyphenols, aldehydes/ketones, furan derivatives, acids, and sugars. The presence of these oxygenates leads to difficulties in handling, storage, and downstream processing. A better understanding of the chemical composition of biocrudes produced under different conditions, and their reactivity in the hydrotreatment process, is required to optimize the CFP process. In this study, we perform a comprehensive characterization of five biocrude samples from loblolly pine (<i>pinus taeda</i>), produced under different CFP conditions, by fractionation, automatic precolumn derivatization, and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC). The findings show that sample fractionation simplifies the chromatograms by separating the biocrudes into fractions based on polarity. Additionally, fractionation and derivatization enable the analysis of polar oxygenates (e.g., acids and sugars) that are present in low relative amounts in the biocrudes. In general, the use of complementary GC × GC methods resulted in separation and detection of compounds in a wide polarity range and enabled the detection of polar oxygenates in the biocrude samples

Baseline demographics of real-life data from 227 patients.

<p>Baseline demographics of real-life data from 227 patients.</p

Tornado diagram.

<p>Tornado diagram.</p

Health State Utility Values (HSUV).

<p>Health State Utility Values (HSUV).</p

Data and Markov model overview.

<p>The boxes represent the health states that a neurogenic patient can transition between after having failed standard bowel care (SBC) before and after 2007. SBC alone. After having failed SBC >6 months, a patient can either a) Resume SBC, b) Progress to SNS/SARS/ACE or d) Progress to stoma (absorbing state). TAI in combination with SBC. After having failed SBC >6 months, a patient can either a) Initiate Peristeen TAI, b) Resume SBC, c) Progress to SNS/SARS/ACE or d) Progress to stoma. <i>The model assumes that patients do not transition directly from SBC/TAI to stoma</i>. <i>Transition probabilities have been obtained for each 6-month model cycle using GoalSeek in Excel</i>.</p

Cost-effectiveness plane.

<p>WTP: Willingness to pay: linear threshold corresponds to the WTP value used by NICE in making reimbursement decisions (£30.000 per QALY gained). Each quadrant corresponds to one incremental cost option (cost saving, not cost saving) and one incremental benefit option (more/less benefit than comparator therapy).</p

Overview of transition probabilities applied in the model.

<p>Overview of transition probabilities applied in the model.</p