Identification of New Diterpenes as Putative Marker Compounds Distinguishing Agnus Castus Fruit (Chaste Tree) from Shrub Chaste Tree Fruit (Viticis Fructus)

Abstract

Agnus Castus Fruit is defined in the European Pharmacopoeia as the dried ripe fruit of Vitex agnus-castus. In Europe it is used as a medicine targeting premenstrual syndrome and climacteric disorder. In Japan, Agnus Castus Fruit is becoming popular as a raw material for over-the-counter drugs and health food products, though its congenic species, Vitex rotundifolia and Vitex trifolia, have been used as Shrub Chaste Tree Fruit in traditional medicines. Therefore, it is important to discriminate these Vitex plants from the viewpoint of regulatory science. Here we tried to identify putative marker compounds that distinguish between Agnus Castus Fruit and Shrub Chaste Tree Fruit. We analyzed extracts of each crude drug by liquid chromatography?mass spectrometry, and performed differential analysis by comparison of each chromatogram to find one or more peaks characteristic of Agnus Castus Fruit. A peak was isolated and identified as an equilibrium mixture of new compounds named chastol (1) and epichastol (1a). The planar structures of 1 and 1a were determined spectroscopically. Their relative configurations were revealed by nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy and differential nuclear Overhauser effect-NMR data. Since avoiding contamination from closely related species is needed for the quality control of natural pharmaceuticals, this information will be valuable to establish a method for the quality control of both, Agnus Castus Fruit and Shrub Chaste Tree Fruit products.

Determination and Identification of a Specific Marker Compound for Discriminating Shrub Chaste Tree Fruit from Agnus Castus Fruit Based on LC/MS Metabolic Analysis

“…The original plant species of SCTF and ACF crude drugs were previously identified based on their DNA sequences. 8) General Procedures For column chromatography, Silica gel N60 (Kanto Chemical, Tokyo, Japan), YMC GEL ODS-A S-150 (YMC, Kyoto, Japan), and MCI GEL CHP-20 (Mitsubishi Chemical, Tokyo, Japan) were used as chromatographic carriers. The preparative HPLC system was composed of a JASCO PU-2089 Plus, JASCO MD-2010 Plus, and JASCO CO-2060 Plus equipped with a COSMOSIL 5C 18 -MS-II (20 mm i.d.×250 mm; Nacalai Tesque, Kyoto, Japan), COSMOSIL πNAP (10 mm i.d.×250 mm, Nacalai Tesque), or Shodex GF310HQ (4.6 mm i.d.×250 mm; Showa Denko, Kawasaki, Japan).…”

Comprehensive identification of Vitex trifolia fruit and its five adulterants by comparison of micromorphological, microscopic characteristics, and chemical profiles

“…In China, VTF has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of cold and various pain symptoms such as headache, migraine, toothache, and rheumatism for more than a 1000 years (Park et al, 2014; Rani & Sharma, 2013). In Japan, VTF has been taken as a natural analgesic (Oshima et al, 2016). Moreover, recent research has indicated the extensive biological activities of VTF including antitumor (Cao et al, 2016; Haïdara, Zamir, Shi, & Batist, 2006; Kobayakawa, Satonishimori, Moriyasu, & Matsukawa, 2004), antinociceptive, antihyperprolactinemia (Hu et al, 2007), antifibrosis (Zhou et al, 2017), antiinflammation (Bao et al, 2018; Lee, Jung, Ji, & Bae, 2017), antiasthma (Park et al, 2014) as well as the rosiglitazone‐like effects (Nishina et al, 2017).…”

“…At the same time, the micrographic images obtained from previous research were fuzzily hand‐painted with strong subjectivity. Besides, a highly accurate approach with DNA bar coding was set up (Oshima et al, 2016), while the high cost and the complicated experimental protocol make it limited for authentication of VTF.…”

A Beta/ZSM-22 Zeolites-Based-Mixed Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Method for the Simultaneous Extraction and Determination of Eight Compounds with Different Polarities in Viticis Fructus by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

“…In Japan, VF derived from the fruit of Vitex rotundifolia or Vitex trifolia , used for sedation, relieving pains and diminishing inflammation. Moreover, its congenic species, Vitex agnus-castus , was used as a medicine for curing climacteric disorder and premenstrual syndrome in Europe [6].…”