Preparative mass-spectrometry profiling of bioactive metabolites inSaudi-Arabian propolis fractionated by high-speed countercurrentchromatography and off-line atmospheric pressure chemical ionizationmass-spectrometry injection
Elnakadyb,..., Ahmad A. Al Ghamdi, Gerold Jerza, Yasser A. . 2014
Propolis is a regional strongly differing heterogeneous glue material generated by honeybees using plant resins and beeswax. It is used to seal cracks in hives and to protect the bee populations from bacterial and fungal infections [1] and [2]. Bees collect the material from leaves, leaf buds, bark resins, and exudates [3] and [4]. Since many different plant sources can be used by the honeybees the chemical profiles are as complex as mixing different medicinal plants to produce a decoction for a phytomedical formulation.
Propolis was already used in the antique by Egyptians, Romans and Greeks as a medicine to treat various diseases, e.g. disinfection and treatment of open wounds [5]. Geographical settings, plant sources, and the collecting season are important factors in the diversity of the propolis samples regarding their chemical profiles, and their multiple biological activities which are of interest to researchers [5].
Up to now, mass spectrometry with ESI- and APCI-MS has been used intensively for metabolite profiling- and fingerprinting-studies of propolis. HPLC–DAD–ESI-MS/MS implemented to a study of Italian propolis [6], resulted in 40 metabolites such as phenolic acids, and flavonoids. The investigation of propolis samples from different locations in Brazil using LC–APCI-MS (negative ion mode) led to a large amount of metabolites such as diterpenes and phenolic compounds. For the respective aqueous extracts, dicaffeoyl-quinic acids were identified [7]. Gardana et al. compared the profiles of propolis from Europe, Latin American countries, Russia and China using HPLC–ESI-DAD–MS, and identified mainly flavonoids and phenolic acid derivatives [8]. Volpi and Bergonzini quantified flavonoids in propolis from different regions of the world by LC–ESI-MS [9]. The mass spectrometric fingerprinting could be seen as a reasonable approach to correlate specific geographical origins, regional variations and to prove authenticity of propolis samples [10]. Fingerprinting and chemical profiling has been applied to a set of 49 ethanolic extracts of propolis samples collected worldwide (North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania) using ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) in the negative ionization mode [11].
Investigations and analysis of very complex constituted crude extracts (plants, terrestrial microorganism, and marine organism) are strongly dependent on efficient preparative chromatographic separation methodologies. Techniques such as countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and countercurrent partition chromatography (CPC) using solely liquid chromatographic phases are versatile in its use and increasingly implemented to lab-scale isolation protocols for the recovery of bioactive natural products [12], [13] and [14]. A specific spectrometric detection of substances is also required for easy and fast tracing of lead- or target-compounds in order to facilitate the isolation process.
Some Candida species are found as endosymbionts in most healthy individuals. C.
Propolis is a regional strongly differing heterogeneous glue material generated by honeybees using plant resins and beeswax.
Beekeeping is one of the most important economic activities for rural communities in Saudi Arabia, where approximately 5000 beekeepers maintain more than one million honeybee colonies and produce…