Ligand fishing via a monolithic column coated with white blood cell membranes: A useful technique for screening active compounds in Astractylodes lancea

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2021-10, Vol.1656, p.462544, Article 462544
• Main Authors: Zhang, Fan, Jiang, Yuan, Jiao, Pan, Li, Shaoyong, Tang, Cheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atractylodes lancea; Ligand fishing; Monolithic column; Taxinol; White blood cell membranes
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.462544

•A new cell membranes affinity column was prepared.•An interesting assay was developed by using this affinity column.•Three active compounds were found from Atractylodes lancea. The cell membrane-coated monolithic column (CMMC) ligand fishing assay is an interesting approach set up for the study of natural products (NPs). NPs such as Atractylodes lancea contain many compounds. Traditional methods used to separate compounds and determine active compounds by pharmacological tests are time-consuming and inefficient. Therefore, an alternative method is required to determine active compounds in NPs. Here, white blood cells were broken, and the white blood cell membranes (WBCMs) were immobilized on the surface of a monolithic column to form a CMMC. The column was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the CMMC was used to screen active compounds in Atractylodes lancea. Three potential active compounds including hinesol, β-eudesmol, and 4-phenylbenzaldehyde were discovered. A molecular docking assay demonstrated that these compounds could bind to MD-2 laid on WBCMs. In addition, antiinflammatory effects by the discovered compound in vitro were confirmed, and β-eudesmol showed a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α of a RAW264.7 cell (P