Determination of bicyclol in dog plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Therapeutic potential of bicyclol in liver diseases: Lessons from a synthetic drug based on herbal derivative in traditional Chinese medicine

Bicyclol, an innovative chemical drug with proprietary intellectual property rights in China, is based on derivative of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Schisandra chinensis (Wuweizi) of North. Mounting data has proved that bicyclol has therapeutic potential in various pathological conditions in liver. In this narrative review, we provide the first summary of pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetic characteristics and toxicity of bicyclol, and discuss future research perspectives. Our results imply that bicyclol has a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, including anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, immuno-regulatory, anti-oxidative, antisteatotic, anti-fibrotic, antitumor, cell death regulatory effects and modulation of heat shock proteins. Pharmacokinetic studies have indicated that bicyclol is the main substrate of CYP3A/2E1. Additionally, no obvious drug interactions have been found when bicyclol is administered simultaneously with other prescriptions. Furthermore, the results of chronic toxicity have strongly addressed that bicyclol has no noticeable toxic effects on all biochemical indices and pathological examinations of the main organs. In view of good pharmacological actions and safety, bicyclol is anticipated to be a potential candidate for various liver diseases, including acute liver injury, fulminant hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Further studies are therefore required to delineate its molecular mechanisms and targets to confer this well-designed drug a far greater potency. We hope that bicyclol-based therapeutics for liver diseases might be broadly used in clinical practice worldwide.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma bicyclol by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Bicyclol is a synthetic drug widely used to treat chronic hepatitis B. This study aimed to develop a selective, sensitive and high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the detection of bicyclol in human plasma. Bicyclol was detected using a multiple reaction monitoring mode, with ammonium adduct ions (m/z 408.2) as the precursor ion and the [M-CH₃ ]⁺ ion (m/z 373.1) subjected to demethylation as the product ion. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Zobax Eclipse XDB-C₁₈ column with a gradient elution and a mobile phase of 2 mm ammonium formate and acetonitrile. Bicyclol was extracted from plasma matrix by precipitation. A linear detection response was obtained for bicyclol ranging from 0.500 to 240 ng/mL, and the lower limit of quantification was 0.500 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were all ≤7.4%, and the accuracies were within ±6.0%. The extraction recovery was >95.9%, and the matrix effects were between 96.0% and 108%. Bicyclol was found to be unstable in human plasma at room temperature, but the degradation was minimized by conducting sample collection and preparation in an ice bath. The validated method was successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of bicyclol tablets in six healthy Chinese volunteers.

Exploring Chemical Basis of Toxicity Reduction for Processed Roots of Stellera chamaejasme L. Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Some herbal medicines are treated with various processing methods to ensure their safe and effective use. However, chemical basis of toxicity reducing for most herbal medicines remains unclear. Stellera chamaejasme L., particularly the root (ruixianglangdu), is toxic. Thus, ruixianglangdu is commonly processed with vinegar or milk to reduce toxicity. Here, with help of multiple-ion monitoring (MIM)-based metabolomics, we comprehensively capture chemical information of ruixianglangdu. Then, 33 differential components between crude drugs and processed products were identified or tentatively characterized by multiple-ion monitoring–information dependent acquiring–enhanced product ion (MIM-IDA-EPI), whose level changed after being processed by vinegar or milk. It was found that flavonoids especially biflavonones could be the important chemical basis of toxicity reduction for processed ruixianglangdu. In addition, some coumarins and lignanoids could also play a role in reducing toxicity. It is believed that MIM-based metabolomics method was valuable for exploring chemical basis of toxicity reduction for processing. The data is critical to further study the mechanism of toxicity reducing for processed ruixianglangdu.

Application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling in the prediction of pharmacokinetics of bicyclol controlled-release formulation in human

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling can assist in formulation development. Bicyclol is a novel anti-hepatitis drug. A bilayer osmotic pump table of bicyclol is being developed. PBPK models for bicyclol immediate-release (IR) and controlled-release (CR) tablets in beagle dog, as well as PBPK model for IR tablets in human were constructed. These models incorporated physicochemical properties and in vitro preclinical data. Parameter sensitivity analysis was performed for the effects of solubility and dissolution on pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters. Models were refined by comparing simulated results to experimental measurements. Furthermore, the clinical PK for bicyclol CR tablets was predicted using the in vivo dissolution profile by deconvolution of the mean PK profile of CR tablets in dogs. In summary, the present study described a strategy employing PBPK models to evaluate the effects of formulation factors on PK profiles and predict the performance of bicyclol CR tablets in human.