Simultaneous Quantitation of Tetrahydropalmatine and Protopine in Rabbit Plasma by HPLC–PAD, and Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

Development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography quantification method of levo-tetrahydropalmatine and its metabolites in plasma and brain tissues: application to a pharmacokinetic study

Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is an alkaloid isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs of the Corydalis and Stephania genera. It has been used in China for more than 40 years mainly as an analgesic with sedative/hypnotic effects. Despite its extensive use, its metabolism has not been quantitatively studied, nor there a sensitive reliable bioanalytical method for its quantification simultaneously with its metabolites. As such, the objective of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive and selective HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of l-THP and its desmethyl metabolites l-corydalmine (l-CD) and l-corypalmine (l-CP) in rat plasma and brain tissues. Rat plasma and brain samples were processed by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Symmetry® C18 column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 μm) at 25°C. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-methanol-10 mm ammonium phosphate (pH 3) (10:30:60, v/v) and was used at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The column eluent was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 230 and 315 nm, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 1-10,000 ng/mL. The intra- and interday reproducibility studies demonstrated accuracy and precision within the acceptance criteria of bioanalytical guidelines. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to analyze samples from a pharmacokinetic study of l-THP in rats. Taken together, the developed method can be applied for bioanalysis of l-THP and its metabolites in rodents and potentially can be transferred for bioanalysis of human samples.

Preclinical pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion studies of a potential analgesics - corydaline using an ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid resolution ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of corydaline in rats' plasma and various tissues for pharmacokinetic, tissue distribution and excretion studies of corydaline. The analytes were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1mm×100mm, 1.7μm) and detected with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer using positive ion ESI in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were m/z 370.0→192.0 for corydaline and 354.1→188.0 for IS, respectively. Calibration curves (1/x(2) weighted) offered satisfactory linearity (r(2)>0.9984) within 1-1000ng/mL. The accuracy and precision ranged from -7.4% to 8.5% and 3.4% to 12.8%, respectively. The absolute matrix effect (94.2-119.2%), relative matrix effect (1.7-9.6%) and recoveries (81.4-93.7%) were satisfactory in all the biological matrices examined. The assay was successfully applied to the plasma pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion studies of corydaline in rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as half-life (t1/2), mean residence time (MRT) and maximum concentration (Cmax) were determined. These preclinical data of corydaline would be useful for the clinical reference.

Effect of wine and vinegar processing of Rhizoma Corydalis on the tissue distribution of tetrahydropalmatine, protopine and dehydrocorydaline in rats

Vinegar and wine processing of medicinal plants are two traditional pharmaceutical techniques which have been used for thousands of years in China. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP), dehydrocorydaline (DHC) and protopine are three major bioactive molecules in Rhizoma Corydalis. In this study, a simple and reliable HPLC method was developed for simultaneous analysis of THP, DHC and protopine in rat tissues after gastric gavage administration of Rhizoma Corydalis. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to investigate the effect of wine and vinegar processing on the compounds' distribution in rat tissues. Our results showed that processing mainly affect the T(max) and mean residence time (MRT) of the molecules without changing their C(max) and AUC(0-24)( )(h) Vinegar processing significantly increased the T(max) of DHC in heart, kidney, cerebrum, cerebrellum, brain stem and striatum and prolonged the T(max) of protopine in brain. No significant changes were observed on the T(max) of THP in rat tissues after vinegar processing. Wine processing reduced the T(max) of protopine and DHC in liver and spleen and T(max) of protopine in lung, but increased the T(max) of THP in all the rat tissues examined. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the effects of processing on the tissue distribution of the bioactive molecules from Rhizoma Corydalis.

Isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo and their binding affinities at the dopamine D1 receptor

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of Corydalis yanhusuo has resulted in the isolation of eight known isoquinoline alkaloids - tetrahydropalmatine, isocorypalmine, stylopine, corydaline, columbamine, coptisin, 13-methylpalmatine, and dehydrocorybulbine. The tertiary alkaloids were further analyzed by chiral HPLC to determine the ratios of d-and l-isomers. The isolated compounds were screened for their binding affinities at the dopamine D(1) receptor. Isocorypalmine had the highest affinity (K(i) = 83 nM). The structure-affinity relationships of these alkaloids are discussed.