Capillary electrophoresis study on the base-catalyzed formation of bioactive oxidized metabolites of 20-hydroxyecdysone

Highly Oxidized Ecdysteroids from a Commercial Cyanotis arachnoidea Root Extract as Potent Blood-Brain Barrier Protective Agents

Ecdysteroid-containing herbal extracts, commonly prepared from the roots of Cyanotis arachnoidea, are marketed worldwide as a "green" anabolic food supplement. Herein are reported the isolation and complete 1H and 13C NMR signal assignments of three new minor ecdysteroids (compounds 2-4) from this extract. Compound 4 was identified as a possible artifact that gradually forms through the autoxidation of calonysterone. The compounds tested demonstrated a significant protective effect on the blood-brain barrier endothelial cells against oxidative stress or inflammation at a concentration of 1 μM. Based on these results, minor ecdysteroids present in food supplements may offer health benefits in various neurodegenerative disease states.

Screening and characterization of xenobiotics in rat bio-samples after oral administration of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with a targeted and non-targeted strategy

Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet (SWYST), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), has been effectively used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) in clinically. However, an in-depth study of in vivo metabolism of SWYST is lacking. In this study, a targeted and non-targeted strategy based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was developed to screen and characterize SWYST-related xenobiotics in rats. Based on the in-house library, a chemical database of SWYST including 215 constituents was constructed through "find by formula" and further verified by characteristic fragmentations or the literatures. Then the constructed chemical database was applied for the targeted screening of prototypes. As for metabolites, the non-targeted screening was achieved combined the peak picking using the function "find by auto-MS/MS" and peak filtration of the prototypes and endogenous components, while the targeted screening was performed using Metabolite ID according to the possible metabolic reactions. Furthermore, the potential metabolites were preliminarily identified by comparison of the parent compounds or references to the literatures. As a result, 201 exogenous components (87 prototypes and 121 metabolites) were characterized in rats after administration of SWYST, including 55 (17 prototypes and 38 metabolites) in plasma, 151 (52 prototypes and 99 metabolites) in urine, and 121 (74 prototypes and 47 metabolites) in feces. Finally, their possible metabolic pathways were summarized, and the metabolic reactions mainly involved phase I reactions (hydroxylation, deoxygenation, hydrogenation, methylation, oxidation, hydrolysis and esterification) and phase II reactions (glucuronidation and sulfation). The findings of this research reveal the potential active ingredients of SWYST, providing an important material basis for the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SWYST.

Preparation and characterisation of ecdysterone/hydroxypropyl-Β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex with enhanced oral and transdermal bioavailability

To prepare ecdysterone (ES)/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) inclusion complex, thus improving the water solubility and bioavailability of ES. Phase-solubility study was performed to study the mass ratio of ES and HP-β-CD. Then, the ES/HP-β-CD inclusion complex was prepared by the solvent evaporation method, and its physicochemical properties were characterised using the SEM, DSC, XRD, ¹HNMR and FT-IR. In addition, in vitro dissolution and bioavailability (oral and transdermal) experiments were also conducted. The inclusion complex was formed with ES and HP-β-CD at the mass ratio of 1:1. ES existed in an amorphous form in the inclusion complex. The equilibrium solubility of ES/HP-β-CD inclusion complex in SGF (simulated gastric fluid) and SIF (simulated intestinal fluid) was 50.6 ± 0.11 mg/mL and 75.9 ± 0.38 mg/mL in SGF and SIF, which was 5.93 and 9.96 times higher than that of free ES, respectively. The ES/HP-β-CD inclusion complex had better dissolution ability and transdermal permeability than the free ES. The oral bioavailability and the transdermal bioavailability were respectively increased by 2.97 times and 1.92 times compared with the free ES. These data suggest that the ES/HP-β-CD inclusion complex can be developed as potential pharmaceutical product for future clinical applications.