Determination of GL-V9, a derivative of wogonin, in rat plasma by UPLC-MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study after oral and pulmonary administration

GL-V9 induce apoptosis of CML cells via MAPK signaling pathway

GL-V9, a derivative of wogonin, has shown potent antitumor effects in various cancers, yet its impact on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) remains unexplored. In this study, we found that GL-V9 significantly decreased the viability of CML cells. Annexin V/PI staining demonstrated that GL-V9 induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. The JC-1 assay indicated a significant reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in cells treated with GL-V9. Additionally, GL-V9 altered reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in CML cells. Through transcriptomic sequencing and Western blot analysis, we further revealed that GL-V9 activated the MAPK pathway. These results suggest that GL-V9 is a promising therapeutic candidate for CML.

Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and excretion study of GL-V9 and its glucuronide metabolite 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 in Sprague-Dawley rats

The objective of this study is to explore the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and excretion patterns of GL-V9 and its glucuronide metabolite, 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9, following the administration of GL-V9 to Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. In this research, we developed and validated rapid, sensitive, and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) methods for quantifying GL-V9 and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 in various biological samples, including SD rat plasma, tissue homogenate, bile, urine, and feces. Quantification of GL-V9 and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 in plasma, tissue homogenate, bile, urine, and feces was performed using the validated LC-MS/MS methods. The bioavailability of GL-V9 in SD rats ranged from 6.23% to 7.08%, and both GL-V9 and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 exhibited wide distribution and rapid elimination from tissues. The primary distribution tissues for GL-V9 and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 in rats were the duodenum, liver, and lung. GL-V9 was predominantly excreted in urine, while 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 was primarily excreted in bile. GL-V9 exhibited easy absorption and rapid conversion to its glucuronide metabolite, 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9, following administration.

Trace quantification of GL-V9 and its glucuronide metabolites (5-O-glucuronide GL-V9) in Beagle dog plasma by UPLC-MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

GL-V9, a new synthetic flavonoid derived from wogonin, has shown beneficial biological functions. In this study, accurate and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS methods were developed and validated for the quantification of GL-V9 and its glucuronide metabolite (5-O-glucuronide GL-V9) in Beagle dog plasma. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C8 column (ACE Excel 5 C8 50×3.0 mm) using 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile were used as mobile phase. Mass detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operating in positive ion mode. Quantitative analysis was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with the transitions of m/z 410.2→126.1 for GL-V9, m/z 586.3→410.0 for 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 and m/z 180.0→110.3 for phenacetin (internal standard), respectively. The calibration curves for GL-V9 and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 showed excellent linearity over the concentration range of 0.5-500 ng/mL with correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were within 99.86% to 109.20% for GL-V9 and 92.55% to 106.20% for 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9, respectively. The mean recovery was 88.64% ± 2.70% for GL-V9, and 92.31% ± 6.28% for 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study in Beagle dogs after oral and intravenous administration. The oral bioavailability of GL-V9 was approximately 2.47%~4.35% in Beagle dogs and reached steady state on the fifth day after repeated dosing.

Simultaneous determination of asarinin, β-eudesmol, and wogonin in rats using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and its application to pharmacokinetic studies following administration of standards and Gumiganghwal-tang

Asarinin, β-eudesmol, and wogonin have common antiangiogenic activities and have the potential for use in chemotherapy. Besides, they are multivalent substances that are combined in various herbal medicines. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for simultaneous analysis of asarinin, β-eudesmol, and wogonin, which are representative pharmacological components of Asarum heterotropoides, Atractylodes lancea, and Scutellaria baicalensis, respectively, in rat biosamples using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The three components were separated using 5 mm aqueous ammonium acetate containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as a mobile phase, equipped with a KINETEX core-shell C₁₈ column. The analysis was quantitated on a triple-quadrupole mass-spectrometer employing electrospray ionization, and operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The chromatograms showed high resolution, sensitivity, and selectivity with no interference with plasma, urine, and feces constituents. The developed analytical method satisfied international guidance criteria and could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic (PK) studies evaluating oral bioavailability of asarinin, β-eudesmol, and wogonin after oral and intravenous administration and their urinary and fecal excretion ratios after oral administration to rats. Furthermore, the analysis was extended to PK studies following oral administration of Gumiganghwal-tang. This study was the first simultaneous analysis of the aforesaid three constituents in rat plasma, urine, and feces that also determined their PK parameters.

The Synthetic Flavonoid Derivative GL-V9 Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Suppressing AKT-Regulated HK2 and mTOR Signals

Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of most common type of non-black skin cancer. The malignancy degree and the death risk of cSCC patients are significantly higher than basal cell carcinoma patients. GL-V9 is a synthesized flavonoid derived from natural active ingredient wogonin and shows potent growth inhibitory effects in liver and breast cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the anti-cSCC effect and the underlying mechanism of GL-V9. The results showed that GL-V9 induced both apoptosis and autophagy in human cSCC cell line A431 cells, and prevented the growth progression of chemical induced primary skin cancer in mice. Metabolomics assay showed that GL-V9 potentially affected mitochondrial function, inhibiting glucose metabolism and Warburg effect. Further mechanism studies demonstrated that AKT played important roles in the anti-cSCC effect of GL-V9. On one hand, GL-V9 suppressed AKT-modulated mitochondrial localization of HK2 and promoted the protein degradation of HK2, resulting in cell apoptosis and glycolytic inhibition. On the other hand, GL-V9 induced autophagy via inhibiting Akt/mTOR pathway. Interestingly, though the autophagy induced by GL-V9 potentially antagonized its effect of apoptosis induction, the anti-cSCC effect of GL-V9 was not diluted. All above, our studies suggest that GL-V9 is a potent candidate for cSCC treatment.

Pharmacokinetics of B-Ring Unsubstituted Flavones

B-ring unsubstituted flavones (of which the most widely known are chrysin, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A) are 2-phenylchromen-4-one molecules of which the B-ring is devoid of any hydroxy, methoxy, or other substituent. They may be found naturally in a number of herbal products used for therapeutic purposes, and several have been designed by researchers and obtained in the laboratory. They have generated interest in the scientific community for their potential use in a variety of pathologies, and understanding their pharmacokinetics is important for a grasp of their optimal use. Based on a comprehensive survey of the relevant literature, this paper examines their absorption (with deglycosylation as a preliminary step) and their fate in the body, from metabolism to excretion. Differences among species (inter-individual) and within the same species (intra-individual) variability have been examined based on the available data, and finally, knowledge gaps and directions of future research are discussed.

An Investigation on Glucuronidation Metabolite Identification, Isozyme Contribution, and Species Differences of GL-V9 In Vitro and In Vivo

GL-V9 is a prominent derivative of wogonin with a wide therapeutic spectrum and potent anti-tumor activity. The metabolism characteristics of GL-V9 remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify the metabolic pathway of GL-V9 and investigate the generation of its glucuronidation metabolites in vitro and in vivo. HPLC-UV-TripleTOF was used to identify metabolites. The main metabolite that we found was chemically synthesized and the synthetic metabolite was utilized as standard substance for the subsequent metabolism studies of GL-V9, including enzyme kinetics in liver microsomes of five different species and reaction phenotyping metabolism using 12 recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms. Results indicated that the glucuronidation reaction occurred at C5-OH group, and 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 is the only glucuronide metabolite and major phase II metabolite of GL-V9. Among 12 recombinant human UGTs, rUGT1A9 showed the strongest catalytic capacity for the glucuronidation reaction of GL-V9. rUGT1A7 and rUGT1A8 were also involved in the glucuronidation metabolism. Km of rUGT1A7-1A9 was 3.25 ± 0.29, 13.92 ± 1.05, and 4.72 ± 0.28 μM, respectively. In conclusion, 5-O-glucuronide GL-V9 is the dominant phase II metabolite of GL-V9 in vivo and in vitro, whose formation rate and efficiency are closely related to isoform-specific metabolism profiles and the distribution of UGTs in different tissues of different species.