In line with NCCAM/NIH's Policy on Natural Product Integrity and good research practices, Core B will ensure the botanical authenticity and phytochemical reliability of the Center's key study materials: crude herbals, botanical extracts, and purified reference materials (phytochemicals). Core B was established with the 2010 funding cycle of our Center and introduced the Botanical Integrity Dossiers (BPIDs) to ensure traceability and authenticity of the study materials. Core B will continue to fulfill its mission as the Botanical Integrity Core by providing the entire Center with the essential expertise required to ensure the pharmacognostic integrity of the study materials, and will maintain and expand the collection of BPIDs. The overarching goal is to acquire, produce, and certify the pharmacognostic quality of, materials that are essential for the studies in Projects 1-3 and Cores C+D. Core B has three Specific Aims: acquire crude herbal materials, authenticate them, and document their integrity within BPIDs (Aim 1); produce, acquire, and characterize state-of-the-art botanical extracts and generate BPIDs (Aim 2); provide the Center with well-characterized reference materials of purified phytochemicals (Aim 3). For this purpose, Core B will utilize established and modern pharmacognostic methods (organoleptic, microscopy, DNA barcoding), pharmacopoeial, industry-standard and automated extraction procedures (percolation, liquid-liquid partitioning, ASE), and state-of-the art phytochemical methods: preparative chromatography including targeted countercurrent separation (CS), analytical (UHPLC), and spectroscopic techniques (MS, NMR, qNMR, HiFSA). Core B will collaborate closely with the Analytical Core D on the LC-MS and NMR analyses. Collectively, Core B provides an important foundation for the reproducibility and significance of all chemical, biological, and clinical studies in the Center.
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