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Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) is one of the richest sources of secondary metabolites. More than 250 natural products have been characterized from various parts of the neem tree. These include diterpenoids, triterpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, coumarins, hydrocarbons, and fatty acids. Many of these products possess therapeutic properties. Neem exudate or toddy is a milky white liquid with a strong smell secreted from the angle between the 2 main branches of old trees. Profiling of neem toddy for the presence of active metabolites was done by an in-house database using UHPLC-QTOF-MS. Fifty-seven metabolites were identified from the full scan of electrospray ionization positive and negative mode from the neem toddy extract by using UHPLC-QTOF-MS. Further confirmation of 31 of these metabolites was done by obtaining MS/MS spectrum from UHPLC-QTOF-MS. Principal component analysis study of metabolites from neem toddy with leaves, seed, seed coat, and bark revealed that they are closely related to those contained in neem seeds and seed coats. Azadirachtin, nimbidiol, 22,23-dihydroazadirachtin, nimbonone, nimbonolone, nimosone, and 6-deacetylnimbinene were found to be some of the most abundant metabolites in neem toddy. The neem toddy extract showed significant anti-inflammatory activity when tested in N9 murine microglial cells with 25 ng of recombinant mouse tumor necrosis factor alpha protein (active) using qRT-PCR. The active metabolites in neem toddy could be further explored for their therapeutic potentials.

A novel yet simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with diode array detector has been developed and validated for the quantification of ergosterol (Pro-vitamin D2) in commercia...

A rapid and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) based method was developed to separate and identify 44 phenolics and non-phenolics present in Averrhoa carambola fruit in three different stages of its growth. 5 anthocyanins, 9 phenolic acids, 3 flavones, 5 flavanols, 3 flavanones, amino acids, vitamins and other phenolic and non-phenolic compounds were identified. The identification and quantification of 27 bioactive compounds from methanolic star fruit extract are being reported for the first time. All the metabolites were quantified by normalizing the area under the peaks with that of the internal standard hydrocortisone. The extraction of metabolites by using a homogeniser (bead beater) was found to be the best method for the extraction of metabolites. Four essential microelements (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr) and three macroelements (K, Mg, Na) were quantified from star fruit using MP-AES. The zinc concentration (6.988 mg/100 g) in star fruit was found to be higher than in many cereals, vegetables and fruits. The methanolic star fruit extract showed excellent DPPH scavenging activity of 93% after 30 min of incubation in dark for the dry weight sample concentration of 50 mg/ml. In conclusion, the UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS based method developed and MP-AES results presented here can be used in the quality control of food supplements and medicines.

A UHPLC-QTOF-MS method was developed to separate and identify 70 triterpenes present in each of the 18 strains of Ganoderma spp. Collected from various parts of India. A PCDL MS library was used to retrieve and identify these 70 triterpenes by meticulous analysis of MS/MS fragments. The MS data from these 18 strains were further statistically analysed to arrive at meaningful conclusions. Heatmap analysis suggested that Ganoderma spp. G44, G25 and G36 were the top three strains of Ganoderma mushrooms based on their metabolic concentration in Indian biota. From the PCA loading plot, it was observed that the triterpenes Ganoderic acid A, Ganoderic acid D, Ganoderic acid F, Ganoderic acid J, Ganoderic acid M, Ganoderic acid N, Ganoderenic acid B, Ganoderiol H, 3β,7β-Dihydroxy-11,15,23-trioxo-lanost-8,16-dien-26-oic acid, 3β,7β,15β-trihydroxy-11,23-dioxo-lanost-8,16-dien-26-oic acid and 20 - hydroxy ganoderic acid AM1 were identified as the principal contributors for the discrimination of a particular strain of the mushroom. We have also identified the samples obtained from different regions of India with the highest concentration of metabolites with potent biological activity. The results presented here could be very helpful for both scientific and industrial applications such as quality control of various medicines and food additives containing triterpenes.