Profiling and structural analysis of cardenolides in two species of Digitalis using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract

Plants of the Digitalis genus contain a cocktail of cardenolides commonly prescribed to treat heart failure. Cardenolides in Digitalis extracts have been conventionally quantified by highperformance liquid chromatography yet the lack of structural information compounded with possible co-eluents renders this method insufficient for analyzing cardenolides in plants. The goal of this work is to structurally characterize cardiac glycosides in fresh-leaf extracts using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) that provides exact masses. Fragmentation of cardenolides is featured by sequential loss of sugar units while the steroid aglycon moieties undergo stepwise elimination of hydroxyl groups, which distinguishes different aglycones. The sequence of elution follows diginatigenin digoxigenin gitoxigenin gitaloxigenin digitoxigenin for cardenolides with the same sugar units but different aglycones using a reverse-phase column. A linear range of 0.8-500 ng g -1 has been achieved for digoxigenin, β -acetyldigoxin, and digitoxigenin with limits of detection ranging from 0.09 to 0.45 ng g -1 . A total of 17 cardenolides have been detected with lanatoside A, C, and E as major cardenolides in Digitalis lanata while 7 have been found in Digitalis purpurea including purpurea glycoside A, B, and E. Surprisingly, glucodigifucoside in D. lanata and verodoxin and digitoxigenin fucoside in D. purpurea have also been found as major cardenolides. As the first MS/MS-based method developed for analyzing cardenolides in plant extracts, this method serves as a foundation for complete identification and accurate quantification of cardiac glycosides, a necessary step towards understanding the biosynthesis of cardenolide in plants.

The P450 Sterol Side Chain Cleaving Enzyme (P450scc) for Digoxin Biosynthesis in the Foxglove Plant Belongs to the CYP87A Family

“…A Waters XSelect CSH™ C18 HPLC column (Waters, Milford, MA, USA) with a particle size of 3.5 μm, an internal diameter of 2.1 mm and a length of 150 mm was used for the separation. For analyzing primary cardenolides including lanatoside A, B, C, and E, and cardenolide pathway intermediates, including pregnenolone, progesterone, 5- β -pregnane-3,20-dione, 3 β -hydroxy-pregnane-20-one, 3 β ,14 β -dihydroxy-5 β -pregnane-20-one, and 3 β ,14 β ,21-trihydroxy-5 β -pregnane-20-one from plant samples the LC/MS protocol is the same as previously described 56 . For analyzing pregnenolone and pregnenolone acetate from yeast samples, the following protocol was developed.…”

“…Gradient elution started with 40% mobile phase B for 2 min followed by a linear gradient 40∼95% B from 2-12 min, held for 5 min and brought back to initial conditions of 40% mobile phase B for 1 min. Sample injection volume was 20 μ L. A full-scan data-dependent MS 2 was used with an inclusion list of the precursor ion mass which included a scan range m/z 100-1200, and all other settings as previously described 56 . The mass spectrometer was regularly calibrated in both positive and negative mode with a solution of compounds of known mass.…”

“…Sample injection volume was 20 μL. A full-scan data-dependent MS 2 was used with an inclusion list of the precursor ion mass which included a scan range m/z 100-1200, and all other settings as previously described 56 . The mass spectrometer was regularly calibrated in both positive and negative mode with a solution of compounds of known mass.…”