The stem of Nauclea officinalis have been utilized as a crude drug in China, so other parts of Nauclea officinalis are abandoned, resulting in a waste of traditional Chinese medicine resources. To determine the distribution and content of the alkaloids, phenolic acids and iridoid in different organs (stem, branch, leaf and bark) of this plant, a reliable method has been established using LC-MS/MS. Nine constituents, namely strictosamide, vincosamide, chlorogenic acid, sweroside, naucleamide B, protocatechuic acid, pumiloside, vanillic acid and cryptochlorogenic acid were simultaneously determined in six minutes. Meanwhile, the antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were evaluated for comparative analysis of the pharmacological activity in different parts from Nauclea officinalis. The results showed that the content of active components in other organs of Nauclea officinalis was higher than that in stems, and pharmacological effects of branches and leaves were also better. The established approach could be helpful for the quality control of Nauclea officinalis, and also provide necessary information for the rational utilization of Nauclea officinalis resources.
Chemicals, reagents and materials Chemical standards of sweroside,
protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid and vanillic
acid were purchased from Biopurify Phytochemicals Ltd. (Chengdu, China)