UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of the herb composition of Tangshen formula and the in vivo pharmacokinetics of its metabolites in rat plasma

INTRODUCTION

Tangshen formula (TSF) is a traditional Chinese medicine composed of seven medicinal herbs including Astragalus membranaceus, Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch, Citrus aurantium L., etc. which is used to treat diabetic nephropathy III, IV qi and yin deficiency and stasis syndrome. Most of the studies on TSF are pharmacological and pharmacodynamic experiments. There are few basic studies on its chemical substances, and the effective constituents are not clear.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the main chemical components of TSF and the absorbed components in rat plasma following oral administration based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Moreover, providing a rapid and valid analytical strategy for simultaneous determination of six components in rat plasma and use it in pharmacokinetic studies.

RESULTS

A total of 132 components were identified in TSF, and 44 components were identified in rat plasma after oral TSF, 35 of which were prototype components and nine were metabolic components. A sensitive and reliable LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous determination of six components in rat plasma. The intra-day and inter-day precision relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 15%; the accuracy of low, medium and high concentrations ranged from 80% to 120%. The recovery met the requirements and the RSD of the recoveries was less than 15%.

CONCLUSION

A total of 132 components were identified in TSF. The LC-MS/MS quantitative method for the simultaneous determination of morroniside, loganin, notoginsenoside R₁ , ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb₁ and astragaloside IV in rat plasma was established for the first time. The pharmacokinetic parameters are clarified, which can guide the clinical medication of TSF.

Pharmacokinetics-based comprehensive strategy to identify multiple effective components in Huangqi decoction against liver fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Huangqi decoction (HQD) has been used to treat chronic liver diseases since the 11th century, but the effective components in HQD against liver fibrosis have not been definitively clarified.

PURPOSE

To investigate and identify multiple effective components in HQD against liver fibrosis using a pharmacokinetics-based comprehensive strategy.

METHODS

The absorbed representative components in HQD and their metabolites were detected in human plasma and urine using high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with a database-directed method, and then pharmacokinetics in multiple HQD components in human plasma was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadruple mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the anti-fibrotic effect of potential effective HQD components was studied in LX-2 cells and that of a multi-component combination of HQD (MCHD) was verified in a mouse CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis model.

RESULTS

Twenty-four prototype components in HQD and 17 metabolites were identified in humans, and the pharmacokinetic characteristics of 14 components were elucidated. Among these components, astragaloside IV, cycloastragenol, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritigenin, and isoliquiritigenin downregulated the mRNA expression of α-SMA; cycloastragenol, calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, formononetin, glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritin, and isoliquiritin downregulated the mRNA expression of Col I; and calycosin, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, cycloastragenol, and glycyrrhetinic accelerated the apoptosis of LX-2 cells. MCHD reduced serum aminotransferase activity and hepatic collagen fibril deposition in mice with CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

Using the pharmacokinetics-based comprehensive strategy, we revealed that multiple effective HQD components act together against liver fibrosis.

Screening and Identification of the Metabolites of Water Extracts of Raw and Honey-Processed Astragalus in Rat Urine Based on UHPLC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS and Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Radix Astragali is a famous traditional Chinese medicine and honey-processed Astragalus is a product of Radix Astragali acquired by honey-processing. These two products are widely utilized to treat various diseases. In this study, we screened bioactive components and metabolites of raw and honey-processed Astragalus in rat urine by ultra-performance liquid chromatography equipped with electrospray ionization/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis. In total, 62 compounds, including 7 parent compounds and 55 metabolites, were detected and 11 metabolites were characterized for the first time. The identified metabolites indicated that the metabolic reactions of Astragalus in rats included hydroxylation, glucuronidation, deglucosidation, monomethylation, demethylation, sulfation, hydrogenation, and dehydroxylation. The metabolic pathways of raw and honey-processed Astragalus in rat urine also were clarified. Through multivariate statistical analysis of the data of the raw and honey-processed Astragalus groups, we found that 20 compounds were differential components and that 1 metabolite only existed in the honey-processed Astragalus group. The differences in these ingredients between these two groups might provide the basis for interpreting the biologic activity differences in traditional Chinese medicine treatments. Graphical Abstract.

Metabolite identification and pharmacokinetic study of Lamiophlomis rotata in rats

An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique and a subsequent LC-MS/MS method were developed for metabolite profile study of Lamiophlomis rotata extract after its oral administration.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of the multiple constituents of Shuanghua Baihe tablets in healthy subjects

It is the first clinical study to investigate the pharmacokinetics and safety of the multiple constituents of Shuanghua Baihe tablets in humans by LC-MS/MS.