Quality evaluation of cortex berberidis from different geographical origins by simultaneous high performance liquid chromatography combined with statistical methods

Purpose: To develop an effective method for evaluating the quality of Cortex berberidis from different geographical origins. Methods: A simple, precise and accurate high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was first developed for simultaneous quantification of four active alkaloids (magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine) in Cortex berberidis obtained from Qinghai, Tibet and Sichuan Provinces of China. Method validation was performed in terms of precision, repeatability, stability, accuracy, and linearity. Besides, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to study the quality variations of Cortex berberidis from various geographical origins. Results: The proposed HPLC method showed good linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. The four alkaloids were detected in all samples of Cortex berberidis. Among them, magnoflorine (36.46 - 87.30 mg/g) consistently showed the highest amounts in all the samples, followed by berberine (16.00 - 37.50 mg/g). The content varied in the range of 0.66 - 4.57 mg/g for palmatine and 1.53 - 16.26 mg/g for jatrorrhizine, respectively. The total content of the four alkaloids ranged from 67.62 to 114.79 mg/g. Moreover, the results obtained by the PLS-DA and ANOVA showed that magnoflorine level and the total content of these four alkaloids in Qinghai and Tibet samples were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those in Sichuan samples. Conclusion: Quantification of multi-ingredients by HPLC combined with statistical methods provide an effective approach for achieving origin discrimination and quality evaluation of Cortex berberidis. The quality of Cortex berberidis closely correlates to the geographical origin of the samples, with Cortex berberidis samples from Qinghai and Tibet exhibiting superior qualities to those from Sichuan.

Analysis of root canal organic tissue dissolution capacity according to the type of irrigation solution and agitation technique

Aim: To analyze the root canal organic tissue dissolution capacity promoted by irrigating solutions, with or without the use of different agitation techniques. Methods: Bovine pulp tissue fragments were initially weighed. The following irrigating solutions were tested: 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine digluconate solution, and distilled water. The irrigating protocols were: immersion, mechanical agitation with endodontic files, and ultrasonic or sonic systems (Endoactivactor® and Easy Clean®). At the end of the protocols, the pulps were weighed to determine their final weight. For comparison, the average percentage of tissue dissolution in relation to the groups was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test complemented by multiple comparisons test. The significance level was set at 5%. Results: Among the irrigation solutions, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite showed a higher dissolving power than 2% chlorhexidine digluconate and distilled water. Furthermore, ultrasonic and sonic systems were more effective irrigating protocols than immersion and mechanical agitation with endodontic files. Conclusions: The combination of sodium hypochlorite with an agitation system promotes a greater degree of tissue degradation.