Determination of oridonin in rat plasma by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Pharmacokinetics Study of Rabdosia Rubescens Drop Pills Based on UPLC-MS/MS

Background:

Rabdosia rubescens drop pills have the effects of clearing away heat and toxin, detumescence, relieving pain.

Objective:

A simple and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of oridonin, ponicidin, and rosmarinic acid in rat plasma was developed based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

Methods:

Chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm) with a mobile phase consisting of water containing 0.2% formic acid (mobile phase A) and methanol (mobile phase B) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min over a total run time of 3.8 min. All analytes were measured with optimized multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive and negative ion ESI mode.

Results:

The transitions of oridonin, ponicidin, rosmarinic acid, diphenhydramine, and chloramphenicol were 365.3→347.3, 363.3→345.2, 359.0→160.9, 256.0→167.2, and 321.1→151.9, respectively. The linear ranges were 1-256 ng/mL for ponicidin and rosmarinic acid and 2-512 ng/mL for oridonin. The validated method wasstable and reliable. There was no significant difference in the half-life (t1/2) of the three analytes at three doses. The area under the curve (AUC0-t) and peak concentration (Cmax) of the three analytes decreased linearly in each dose range, and the linear correlation R2 of each analyte under the three doses was greater than 0.95.

Conclusion:

This method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of oridonin, ponicidin, and rosmarinic acid in rat plasma after intragastric administration of Rabdosia rubescens drop pills.

Oridonin: A Review of Its Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity

Oridonin, as a natural terpenoids found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, is widely present in numerous Chinese medicine preparations. The purpose of this review focuses on providing the latest and comprehensive information on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of oridonin, to excavate the therapeutic potential and explore promising ways to balance toxicity and efficacy of this natural compound. Information concerning oridonin was systematically collected from the authoritative internet database of PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library and Europe PMC applying a combination of keywords involving "pharmacology," "pharmacokinetics," and "toxicology". New evidence shows that oridonin possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatorenal activities as well as cardioprotective protective activities and so on. Although significant advancement has been witnessed in this field, some basic and intricate issues still exist such as the specific mechanism of oridonin against related diseases not being clear. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicated that oridonin may exhibit adverse effects, even toxicity under specific circumstances, which sparked intense debate and concern about security of oridonin. Based on the current progress, future research directions should emphasize on 1) investigating the interrelationship between concentration and pharmacological effects as well as toxicity, 2) reducing pharmacological toxicity, and 3) modifying the structure of oridonin-one of the pivotal approaches to strengthen pharmacological activity and bioavailability. We hope that this review can provide some inspiration for the research of oridonin in the future.

Simultaneous determination of ginsenoside Rb1, naringin, ginsenoside Rb2 and oridonin in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of Weifuchun tablet

A sensitive, specific and rapid liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed and validated for analysis of ginsenoside Rb1, naringin, ginsenoside Rb2 and oridonin in rat plasma using sulfamethoxazole as an internal standard (IS). Separation was conducted out on an Agilent Eclipse XDB C18 column with liner gradient elution using acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% aqueous acetic acid (B). A tandem mass spectrometric detection was conducted using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) via an electrospray ionization (ESI) source. A novel multi-determination-periods program was executed to achieve a higher sensitivity by setting three scanning periods. All analytes exhibited good linearity within the concentration range (r>0.9973). The lower limits of quantitation (LLOQ) of ginsenoside Rb1, naringin, ginsenoside Rb2 and oridonin were 2.64, 4.32, 2.32 and 1.56ng/mL, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day precisions of the investigated components exhibited an RSD within 8.3%, and the accuracy (RE) ranged from -8.6% to 6.0% at all quality control levels. The developed method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of ginsenoside Rb1, naringin, ginsenoside Rb2 and oridonin in rats after oral administration of a Weifuchun tablet.

Pharmacokinetic profile of phytoconstituent(s) isolated from medicinal plants-A comprehensive review

Herbal medicine, the backbone of traditional medicine, has played an important role in human health and welfare for a long period. Traditional therapeutic approaches of regional significance are found in Africa, South and Central America, China, India, Tibet, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. The considerable scientific significance and commercial potential of traditional medicines have resulted in increased international attention and global market demands for herbal medicines, especially Chinese herbal medicines. Herbal medicines currently are the primary form of health care for the poor in the developing countries, and also are widely used as a supplement or substitute for conventional drugs in developed countries. These traditional medicines have a pivotal role in the treatment of various ailments and more than 50% of drugs used in Western pharmacopoeia are isolated from herbs or derived from modifications of chemicals found in plants. Herbal medicines usually contain a complex mixture of various bioactive molecules, which make its standardization complicated, and there is little information about all compounds responsible for pharmacological activity. Several research papers have been published that claim pharmacological activity of herbal medicines but few are discussing the role of the exact phytoconstituent. Understanding the pharmacokinetic profile of such phytoconstituents is essential. Although there are research papers that deal with pharmacokinetic properties of phytoconstituents, there are a number of phytoconstituents yet to be explored for their kinetic properties. This article reviews the pharmacokinetic profile of 50 different therapeutically effective traditional medicinal plants from the year 2003 onward.

Simultaneous determination of oridonin, ponicidin and rosmarinic acid from Herba Isodi Rubescentis extract by LC-MS-MS in rat plasma

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of oridonin, ponicidin and rosmarinic acid in rat plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in positive and negative ion modes of operation. Multiple reaction monitoring was used for quantification using the precursor to product ion pairs of m/z 359.100 → 160.9 (rosmarinic acid), m/z 150.1 → 106.9 (acetaminophen as internal standard 1), m/z 365.1 → 347.3 (oridonin), m/z 363.3 → 345.2 (ponicidin) and m/z 258.3 → 201.0 (dextrorphan as internal standard 2). Optimum chromatographic separation was achieved with a BDS Hypersil C18 column (100 × 2.1 mm, 2.4 µm) and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-5mM ammonium acetate containing 0.1% acetic acid (25:75, v/v). The analytes were extracted from rat plasma using a single liquid-liquid extraction technique and the calibration curve was linear within the concentration range of 2-1,000.0 ng/mL for three analytes. The extraction recovery was above 70%, the intra-day and inter-day precision of the quality control (QC) samples was less than 12.45% and the accuracy of the QC samples was 96.99-105.79% of the nominal values. The method was sensitive and reliable and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic and bioavailability study of Herba Isodi Rubescentis extract in rats.

Study on the autophagy of prostate cancer PC-3 cells induced by oridonin

To investigate the mechanism of oridonin (ORI)-induced autophagy in prostate cancer PC-3 cells, PC-3 cells cultured in vitro were treated with ORI, and the inhibitory ratio of ORI on PC-3 cells was assayed by 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide. The ultrastructural changes of the cells were observed under light microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Acridine orange (AO) staining was used to observe the acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs). The level of autophagy-related proteins, MAP1-LC3, was detected by Western Blot, and RT-PCR was used to detect the level of mRNA of beclin 1. After ORI treatment, the proliferation of PC-3 cells was inhibited significantly in a concentration and time-dependent manner. SEM examination revealed cellular shrinkage and disappearance of surface microvilli in ORI-treated cells. Under TEM examination, the nuclei exhibited chromatin condensation and the appearance of a large number of autophagosomes with double-membrane structure in cytoplasm. AO staining showed the existence of AVOs. The expression of LC3 and the mRNA level of beclin 1 was increased by ORI. Furthermore, autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine reversed the increase of beclin 1 mRNA. The growth of PC-3 cells was inhibited, and autophagy was induced by ORI, indicating ORI may have a potential antitumor effect.