Hollow fiber cell fishing with high performance liquid chromatography for screening bioactive compounds from traditional Chinese medicines

A novel hollow fiber cell fishing method with high performance liquid chromatography was proposed and used to screen, isolate, and analyze bioactive compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs). The active compounds that interact with the living cells acceptor inside the hollow fiber lumen were screened and isolated from the TCM extracts in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). Subsequently, the active compounds bound to the cells were desorbed with methanol, and were analyzed using HPLC. HFCF with HPLC was introduced for the screening and analysis of lignans in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baill and coumarins in Fructus Cnidii and Fructus Psoraleae. The surface properties of the hollow fibers filled with living cells were characterized. The nonspecific binding between the active centers of the hollow fibers and the bioactive compounds were investigated. The cell survival rates were determined before and after the screening. The repeatability of the method was tested. Some structures of the lignans and coumarins screened from TCMs were identified by the comparison to the retention times of the reference substances. HFCF-HPLC is a simple, fast, effective, and reliable method for the screening and analysis of bioactive compounds, and it can be extended to screen other bioactive compounds from TCMs.

► A bioactive screening method based on the hollow fiber cell fishing with chemical analysis is proposed.
► A hollow fiber is employed as living cells carrier.
► The proposed procedure allows the screening of bioactive lignans and coumarins in TCMs.