Determination of Quinic Acids in Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench by Ultrafiltration Affinity and Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UF-UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)

Abstract

Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench, a traditional herbal medicine distributed in Europe and Central Asia, has been used to lower blood lipids and treat obesity. However, the active compounds of H. arenarium, and the potential mechanism by which they reduce obesity remain unclear. The primary objective of this study was to identify the anti-obesity compounds in H. arenarium extracts. Based on the compound library of Helichrysum species, 55 compounds, including six with anti-obesity activity, have been identified by ultrafiltration affinity and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UF-UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Interestingly, all of the detected active compounds were derivatives of caffeoylquinic acid. Among them, isochlorogenic acid B showed the most potent inhibitory activity toward lipase, with an IC₅₀ value of 12.63 ± 2.99 μg/mL. The potential mechanisms of the six active compounds for the treatment of obesity were explored. This work presents an efficient method for rapid screening lipase inhibitors from complex natural products, which can be easily adapted to other therapeutically relevant enzymatic systems. Additionally, the results revealed the chemical basis and mechanism of the anti-obesity properties of H. arenarium.

Keywords:

• Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench
• molecular docking
• pancreatic lipase inhibitors
• quinic acids
• UF-UPLC-Q-TOF-MS

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers: 81760756, U1903211), the Achievement Transformation and Technology Promotion Plan of Shihezi University (CGZH201806), and the Financial Science and Technology Plan Project of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (2020AA005, 2018CB002).