Quantitation of bergenin in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Development and validation of UPLC-PDA method for concurrent analysis of bergenin and menisdaurin in aerial parts of Flueggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.)

Bergenin and menisdaurin are biologically active components which are found in plant Flueggea virosa (Phyllanthaceae). Bergenin has pharmacological actions such as chemopreventive and antihepatotoxic while menisdaurin has an anti-viral activity which needs its evaluation by an analytical method (UPLC-PDA method) that can be applied to the quality control of pharmaceutical preparations. The developed UPLC-PDA method was applied for identification and quantification of standards bergenin and menisdaurin in the methanol extract of F. virosa (FVME). The analysis was carried out using Eclipse C18 (4.6 × 100 mm, 3.5 µm) UPLC column. The optimized chromatographic condition was achieved at 0.16 mL/min flow rate using gradient system with acetonitrile and water as mobile phase. Both biomarkers were measured at λ_max 235 nm in PDA detector at ambient temperature. The developed method furnished sharp and intense peaks of menisdaurin and bergenin at Rt = 2.723 and 3.068 min, respectively along with r2 > 0.99 for both. The recoveries of bergenin and menisdaurin were found in the range of 99.37–101.49% and 98.20–100.08%, respectively. With other validation data, including precision, specificity, accuracy, and robustness, this method demonstrated excellent reliability and sensitivity. The separation parameters i.e. retention, separation, and resolution factors for resolved standards (bergenin and menisdaurin) were >1, which showed good separation. The quantity of bergenin and menisdaurin in the FVME sample was found as 15.16 and 3.28% w/w, respectively. The developed UPLC-PDA method could be conveniently adopted for the routine quality control analysis.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of bergenin, a main active constituent of Saxifraga stolonifera Curt., in normal and hepatic injury rats after oral administration

Bergenin, isolated from the herb of Saxifrage stolonifera Curt. (Hu-Er-Cao) has hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, and neuroprotective activities. The aim of the present study was to establish a simple, rapid, and sensitive RP-HPLC method for determination of bergenin in rat plasma and compare its oral pharmacokinetic behaviors in normal and CCl₄-induced hepatic injury rats. With norisoboldine as an internal standard, chromatographic separation was performed on a C₁₈ analytical column with acetonitrile and water (11 : 89, V/V) containing 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase. A good linearity was obtained over the range of 100-10 000 ng·mL^-1. The lower limit of quantification was 50 ng·mL^-1. The developed method was successfully applied to a study of the pharmacokinetic difference of bergenin (100 mg·kg^-1) between normal and hepatic injury rats after oral administration. Marked alterations of pharmacokinetic parameters in hepatic injury rats were observed. Compared to normal rats, the AUC_(0-∞) of bergenin in hepatic injury rats was elevated to 2.11-fold and C_max was increased by 130%, whereas CL value was only 55% of the normal rats, suggesting that the systemic exposure of bergenin was significantly increased under hepatic injury status.

Simultaneous quantification of biomarkers bergenin and menisdaurin in the methanol extract of aerial parts of Flueggea virosa by validated HPTLC densitometric method

A simple, sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of biomarker bergenin and menisdaurin in the methanol extracts of aerial parts of Flueggea virosa (FVME). Chromatography was performed on glass-backed silica gel 60F254 HPTLC plates using dichloromethane: methanol as mobile phase. Scanning and quantification was done at UV absorption maxima of 260 nm. The system was found to give compact spot for bergenin and menisdaurin at Rf = 0.29 ± 0.01 and 0.16 ± 0.01, respectively. The linearity ranges for bergenin and menisdaurin were found to be the same (100-800 ng/spot) with correlation coefficients (R(2) values) of 0.997 and 0.999, respectively. The limit of detection for bergenin and menisdaurin was found to be 27 and 36.2 ng/band, respectively, while the limit of quantification was found to be 81 and 108 ng/band, respectively. Intra- and interday precisions (n = 6) for bergenin and menisdaurin were found to be 1.41-1.71 and 1.65-1.87%, and 1.68-1.89 and 1.75-1.93%, respectively. The percent recoveries were found to be 98.7-99.4 and 99.5-99.9%, respectively, for bergenin and menisdaurin. The percentage of bergenin and menisdaurin was found to be 15.25 and 4.22% (w/w), respectively, in FVME. The developed method permitted the simultaneous quantification of bergenin and menisdaurin and showed good resolution and separation from other constituents of extract; hence, the method can be used to standardize herbal formulations as well as bulk drugs for bergenin and menisdaurin.

Diversity, pharmacology and synthesis of bergenin and its derivatives: potential materials for therapeutic usages

Bergenin, a natural secondary metabolite, has been isolated from different parts of a number of plants. It is one of active ingredients in herbal and Ayurvedic formulations. It exhibits antiviral, antifungal, antitussive, antiplasmodial, antiinflammatory, antihepatotoxic, antiarrhythmic, antitumor, antiulcerogenic, antidiabetic and wound healing properties. It has been analyzed and estimated in different plant extracts, blood and drug samples using chromatographic techniques, and pharmacokinetic studies have been made. Several bergenin derivatives were isolated and/or synthesized and were found to possess pharmacological activities. Total synthesis of bergenin and its derivatives were reported. This review article covers literature on bergenin and its derivatives until 2013. Ethnomedicinal value of bergenin containing plant materials is also highlighted. This comprehensive review provides information on the potentiality of bergenin and its derivatives for therapeutic usages.

LC-MS/MS determination and pharmacokinetic study of bergenin, the main bioactive component of Bergenia purpurascens after oral administration in rats

Bergenin, a C-glucoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid from Bergenia purpurascens, is a naturally antitussive and expectorant agent. A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of the active component-bergenin, in rat plasma after oral administration of aqueous B. purpurascens extract. The plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with acetonitrile and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Diamonsil® C18 column (150 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) with isocratic elution using a mobile phase consisting of water-methanol (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The detection was accomplished by a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) scanning via an electrospray ionization (ESI) source operating in the negative mode. The optimized mass transition ion-pairs (m/z) for quantitation were 327.3/192.0 for bergenin, and 431.1/311.1 for IS. The time for each analysis run was only 3.5 min between injections. The calibration curve exhibited good linearity (r2>0.99) over a range of 1.00-2000 ng/mL for bergenin. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 1.00 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were no more than 11.8%, and relative errors (RE) were within the range of 0.0-4.4%. The validated method was successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of bergenin after oral administration of B. purpurascens extract in rats.