Quantitative Determination of Anti-Inflammatory Columbianetin in Rat Plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS for Pharmacokinetic Studies after Oral Administration of Duhuo Extract

Network pharmacology strategy for revealing the pharmacological mechanism of pharmacokinetic target components of San-Ye-Tang-Zhi-Qing formula for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

San-Ye-Tang-Zhi-Qing formula (SYTZQ) is an effective prescription for the treatment of pre-diabetes disorders of glycolipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It consists of five Chinese herbs including Mori Folium, Nelumbinis Folium, Crataegi Folium, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Paeoniae Radix Rubra.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study was aimed to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of pharmacokinetic target components of SYTZQ for the treatment of T2DM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A rapid, precise and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to quantify simultaneously nuciferin, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid in rat plasma after oral administration of SYTZQ. The network pharmacology was used to analyze the effect of the compounds absorbed into the blood of SYTZQ on T2DM. The effects of paeoniflorin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid on adipogenic differentiation were validated in vitro experiments.

RESULTS

The separation was performed on an ACQUITY UHPLC HSS T3 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water as the mobile phase in gradient elution. The calibration curves of five analytes showed good linearity (r ≥ 0.9991) with the lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) between 0.3 and 5.0 ng/mL. The recoveries and matrix effects of five analytes ranged from 81.1% to 113%. The RSDs of inter-day and intra-day precision were all within 13.7%. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of five ingredients after oral administration of SYTZQ to rat. 39 major targets and 22 candidate pathways of five compounds absorbed into the blood of rats after administration of SYTZQ were identified and successfully constructed a compound-target-disease-pathway network. It was confirmed that paeniforin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid could decrease the adipogenicity differentiation in vitro experiments.

CONCLUSIONS

The pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that the five components (nuciferin, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid) were absorbed and eliminated quickly in vivo. These five absorbed components were associated with 22 pathways, including insulin resistance, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, PI3k/AKT-, TNF-, cAMP- and cGMP-PKG-signaling pathway. Paeoniflorin, nuciferine and rosmarinic acid have the effect of inhibiting adipocyte differentiation. This study could provide more reference for quality control, and provide a firm basis for evaluating the clinical efficiency of SYTZQ.

A Diol-Based-Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Method for the Simultaneous Extraction and Determination of 13 Compounds From Angelicae Pubescentis Radix by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A simple and eco-friendly Diol-based-matrix solid-phase dispersion method (MSPD) was optimized and established to simultaneously extract 13 bioactive compounds (7 coumarins and 6 phenolic acids) in Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (APR) by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector (UHPLC-PDA). Diol was chosen as the dispersing sorbent and methanol solution was used as the elution solvent. The preparation procedures for the MSPD including the types of sorbents, mass ratio of matrix to sorbent, grinding time, type, concentration and volume of elution solvent were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, good recoveries of the 13 target compounds were obtained in the range of 94.8-107% (RSD < 3.22%). The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the ranges of 0.08-0.12 μg mL^-1 and 0.16-0.24 μg mL^-1, respectively. Compared with the traditional method, it was a green and environmentally friendly technique. The results proved that the established method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of 13 target bioactive compounds for quality control in APR.

Simultaneous Determination of Columbianadin and Its Metabolite Columbianetin in Rat Plasma by LC-MS/MS: Application to Pharmacokinetics of Columbianadin after Oral Administration

Columbianadin and its metabolite columbianetin exhibited the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, calcium channel blocking and antitumor activities. To compare the differences between pharmacokinetics of columbianadin and its metabolite columbianetin after oral administration of pure columbianadin and Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (APR) extract, a simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was established and validated to simultaneously determine columbianadin and columbianetin in rat plasma. Two analytes and an internal standard (warfarin) were well separated and determined after liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Ammonium acetate aqueous solution (1 mmol/L) and acetonitrile were used as the mobile phase and the flow rate was 0.3 mL/min. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.1 ng/mL for columbianetin and 0.5 ng/mL for columbianadin, respectively. There were significant differences between some pharmacokinetic parameters and bioavailability of columbianadin after oral administration of pure columbianadin and APR extract. The studies on comparative pharmacokinetics of columbianadin were of great use for facilitating the clinical application of columbianadin and were also highly meaningful for the potential development of APR.

Systems Pharmacology Dissection of Multiscale Mechanisms of Action for Herbal Medicines in Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

As a chronic inflammatory and angiogenic disease with increased morbidity and mortality, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the proliferation of synovial tissue and the accumulation of excessive mononuclear infiltration, which always results in the joint deformity, disability, and eventually the destruction of the bone and cartilage. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with rich history of proper effectiveness in treating the inflammatory joint disease containing RA, has long combated such illness from, actually, an integrative and holistic point of view. However, its "multi-components" and "multi-targets" features make it very difficult to decipher the molecular mechanisms of RA from a systematic perspective if employing only routine methods. Presently, an innovative systems-pharmacology approach was introduced, which combined the ADME screening model, drug targeting, and network pharmacology, to explore the action mechanisms of botanic herbs for the treatment of RA. As a result, we uncovered 117 active compounds and 85 key molecular targets from seven RA-related herbs, which are mainly implicated in four signaling pathways, that is, vascular endothelial growth factor, PI3K-Akt, Toll-like receptor, and T-cell-receptor pathways. Additionally, the network relationships among the active components, target proteins, and pathways were further built to uncover the pharmacological characters of these herbs. Besides, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area calculations were carried out to explore the binding interactions between the compounds and their receptors as well as to investigate the binding affinity of the ligand to their protein targets. In vitro experiments by ligand binding assays validate the reliability of the drug-target interactions as well as the MD results. The high binding affinities and good inhibitions of the active compounds indicate that the potential therapeutic effects of these herbal medicines for treating RA are exerted probably through the modulation of these relevant proteins, which further validates the rationality and reliability of the drug-target interactions as well as our the network-based analytical methods. This work may be of help for not only understanding the action mechanisms of TCM and for discovering new drugs from plants for the treatment of RA, but also providing a novel potential method for modern medicine in treating complex diseases.

Simultaneous assessment of absorption characteristics of coumarins from Angelicae Pubescentis Radix: In vitro transport across Caco-2 cell and in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats after oral administration

Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (APR), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used for the treatments of rheumatism and headache for centuries. To assess the absorption characteristics of coumarins from APR, a sensitive and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was established for the simultaneous determination of sixteen coumarins from APR, including psoralen, xanthotoxin, bergapten, bergaptol, isoimperatorin, imperatorin, columbianetin, columbianetin acetate, columbianadin, oxypeucedanin hydrate, angelol B, umbelliferone, scopoletin, osthole, meranzin hydrate and nodakenetin. The specificity, linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect and stability of the method were all validated to be satisfactory. The method was then applied to the in vitro transport of APR extract (APRE) across human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell and in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats after oral administration of APRE. All of the tested coumarins were well or moderately absorbed across Caco-2 monolayers, and could be quickly absorbed into rat blood circulation after oral administration. Columbianetin was the most easily absorbed compound across Caco-2 cell, and also had extremely highest plasma concentration in vivo. Excellent correlation between in vitro absorption across Caco-2 cell monolayers and in vivo pharmacokinetics of coumarins from APRE was well verified. The results provided valuable information for the overall absorption characteristics of the coumarins from APR, as well as for its further studies of in vivo active substances in the further.

Simultaneous determination of four phenolic acids and seven alkaloids in rat plasma after oral administration of traditional Chinese medicinal preparation Jinqi Jiangtang Tablet by LC-ESI-MS/MS

A rapid, sensitive and selective high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of four phenolic acids (neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid and ferulic acid) and seven alkaloids (berberine, epiberberine, coptisine, magnoflorine, berberubine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine) in rat plasma. After mixing with the internal standards tetrahydropalmatine (IS1) and rosmarinic acid (IS2), plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. The HPLC analysis was performed on an Agilent Eclipse plus C18 (4.6 mm×100 mm, 1.8 μm) column with mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min(-1). The detection was accomplished for the analytes and internal standards using positive electrospray ionization for the alkaloids and negative electrospray ionization for the phenolic acids in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The method showed a good linearity over a wide concentration range (r(2)>0.99). The lower limit of quantification of seven alkaloids was lower than 2 ng mL(-1) and that of four phenolic acids was less than 20 ng mL(-1). The developed method was applied to the pharmacokinetic study of 11 components after oral administration of traditional Chinese medicinal preparation Jinqi Jiangtang Tablet in rats.

The pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and excretion of columbianetin acetate and its metabolite columbianetin were analysed in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS after administration of columbianetin acetate and Angelicae pubescentis radix extract

Angelicae pubescentis radix (APR) has been widely used in the clinic for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability studies of columbianetin in rats after oral and intravenous administration

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The roots of Angelica pubescens Maxim. f. biserrata Shan et Yuan (RAP) has been used as Traditional Chinese medicine to treat rheumatic disease in China since ancient times, but its action mechanisms was not well understood. Columbianetin is one of the main active constituents isolated from RAP, which has been shown to have various biological activities, but the absorption characteristics and oral bioavailability dose proportionality of columbianetin in vivo were not studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Male Sprague Dawley rats (210-230 g) received either an intravenous (i.v. 5, 10 and 20 mg kg(-1)) or oral (5, 10 and 20 mg kg(-1)) dose of columbianetin. The levels of columbianetin in plasma were measured by a simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The simple liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate was used for sample preparation. Osthole was selected as internal standard (IS).

RESULTS

The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a C18 column at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1), where water-methanol was used as mobile phase. The calibration curve of the method was linear in the concentration range of 0.05-2000 μg mL(-1). The intra and inter-day accuracy for columbianetin in rat plasma samples were within 8% and the variation was less than 8.3%. This method was suitable for the determination and pharmacokinetic study of columbianetin in rat plasma after both intravenous and oral administration. The results indicated that maximum plasma concentrations(Cmax) for the columbianetin (17-42 μg mL(-1)) were achieved at 0.3-0.5h post-oral dosing and the apparent volume of distribution (V/F) ranged from 0.38 to 0.44 L. Absolute bioavailability of columbianetin was assessed to be 81.13 ± 45.85, 81.09 ± 33.63 and 54.30 ± 23.19%, respectively. Terminal elimination half-life (T1/2) of the columbianetin after oral dosing was 60-90 min and were 2.5-3.3 fold longer than those observed for the i.v. dosing.

CONCLUSIONS

The pharmacokinetic properties of columbianetin in rat after oral administration were characterized as rapid oral absorption, quick clearance and good absolute bioavailability. The bioavailability of columbianetin ranged from 54 to 81% for 5, 10 and 20 mg kg(-1) oral doses. The bioavailability of columbianetin is independent of the doses studied. Columbianetin showed dose proportionality over the dose range 5-20 mg kg(-1). The results clearly demonstrated that columbianetin was one of the material bases of RAP. Furthermore, an HPLC method was demonstrated in this study for the research of traditional Chinese medicine.

Influence of processing on pharmacokinetic of typical constituents in radix polygoni multiflori after oral administration by LC-ESI-MS/MS

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The processed radix polygoni multiflori (P-RPM) are produced from the raw radix polygoni multiflori (R-RPM) steamed with black bean juice, but the two traditional Chinese medicines are used to treat the different diseases in clinic. In order to clarify the influence of processing on pharmacological properties of radix polygoni multiflori, an investigation was carried out to compare the pharmacokinetics of typical constituents after oral administration of P-RPM and R-RPM extracts

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A simple, rapid and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of gallic acid, polydatin, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (PM-SG), resveratrol, and emodin in rat plasma. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered the two extracts with approximately the same dosage.

RESULTS

It was found that gallic acid was distributed as opened one-compartment model while polydatin, PM-SG and emodin were fitted to an open two-compartment model after oral administration of raw and processed radix polygoni multiflori extract. Cmax and AUC of gallic acid were increased (P<0.01), but Cmax and AUC of PM-SG were descreased (P<0.05). AUC of polydatin and emodin were similar with that of PM-SG. However, resveratrol was not detected in plasma collected at certain intervals following oral administration of the two extracts.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that influence of the processing could improve the bioavailability of gallic acid and reduce the absorption of PM-SG, polydatin and emodin in rats. The LC-MS/MS method could be used to evaluate the effect of processing on pharmacokinetic of typical constituents in radix polygoni multiflori after oral administration.