Bio-affinity ultrafiltration combined with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS for screening of xanthine oxidase inhibitors from Persicae Ramulus.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a rich source of natural products and boasts a long history of traditional application in medicine because of its remarkable clinical efficacy. In the present study, the chemical constitutes of Persicae Ramulus was studied by bio-affinity ultrafiltration combined with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. A total of 60 compounds were identified and the main composition were flavonoids and phenylpropanoids. Then, the xanthine oxidase was incubated with extract of Persicae Ramulus to screen the xanthine oxidase inhibitors by affinity ultrafiltration methods. As a result, the analysis discovered 14 compounds to interact with xanthine oxidase. Evaluation of the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of both the Persicae Ramulus extract and its screened compounds revealed that Epicatechin, Isoquercetin, Naringenin, and Rutin exhibited xanthine oxidase inhibitory effects. In addition, molecular docking analysis was conducted to predict the potential docking position. This study may define the bioactive substance basis of Persicae Ramulus and accelerates the efficient discovery of functional ingredients from complex medicinal plant extracts.