Simultaneous Determination of Five Phenolic Acids and Four Flavonoid Glycosides in Rat Plasma Using HPLC-MS/MS and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study after a Single Intravenous Administration of Kudiezi Injection

Development and Optimization of a High Sensitivity LC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Hesperidin and Naringenin in Rat Plasma: Pharmacokinetic Approach

The purpose of this study was to develop, optimize, and fully validate a high-sensitivity methodology using UHPLC-MS/MS to simultaneously quantify hesperidin and naringenin in microsamples (100 µL) of murine plasma after intragastric administration of single pure flavonoids and a mixture. The optimization process allowed for high sensitivity with detection limits of approximately picogram order using an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in negative mode and an experiment based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The validation parameters showed excellent linearity and detection limits, with a precision of less than 8% and a recovery of over 90%. This methodology was applied to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters for the administration of hesperidin and naringenin in individual form or in the form of a mixture. The results showed an absence of significant effects (p > 0.05) for Tmax and Cmax; however, the AUC presented significant differences (p < 0.05) for both flavonoids when administered as a mixture, showing an improved absorption ratio for both flavonoids.

Moslea Herba flavonoids alleviated influenza A virus-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier disruption via suppressing NOX4/NF-κB/MLCK pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Moslae Herba, a common traditional Chinese herb with special flavor, has potential for treating respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases.

AIM OF THIS STUDY

Lung endothelial barrier dysfunction (LEBD) accelerates the pathogenesis of influenza A virus (IAV)-induced secondary acute lung injury. New strategies against LEBD provide benefits in prevention and treatment of IAV. Previous studies showed that flavonoids (MHF), main bioactivity fraction derived from M. Herba, exerted anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities, but the underlying protection of MHF against IAV-induced acute lung injury remained obscure. The present study was to investigate the protection of MHF against IAV-induced LEBD in vivo and in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mice were intranasally challenged with IAV and orally administered with MHF for 5 days. The pulmonary hyperpermeability of infected mice was evaluated by Evans Blue staining and in vivo imaging. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and mediators were detected by ELISA assay. The transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMVECs) was measured by using TER meter. The expressions of key proteins in NOX4-mediated NF-κB/MLCK pathways were determined by western blotting.

RESULTS

MHF treatment reduced lung index, W/D ratios, and serum levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, PLA₂, LBT₄ and ICAM-1) in IAV-infected mice. Evans blue staining and in vivo imaging results revealed that MHF alleviated IAV-induced barrier dysfunction and pulmonary hyperpermeability. Moreover, luteolin and kaempferol, the main activity compounds in MHF, significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced HPMVEC apoptosis, and downregulated NF-κB/MLCK pathway by targeting NOX4.

CONCLUSION

MHF attenuated IAV-induced barrier dysfunction by suppressing NOX4/NF-κB/MLCK pathway and may serve as a potential agent for the prevention of LEBD and IAV.

Development of a HPLC-MS/MS Method to Determine the 13 Elements of Semen Cuscutae and Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study in Rats

This study developed a method for simultaneous determination of 13 elements of Semen Cuscutae (quercitrin, quercetin, hyperoside, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, luteolin, apigenin, kaempferol, isoquercitrin, cryptochlorogenic acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, astragalin, and rutin) in rat plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) in the negative MRM mode. The analytes were analyzed with CORTECS®C₁₈ column (4.6 × 150 mm, 2.7 μm) with mobile phases consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water (A) and acetonitrile (B). The intra- and interday precision of the target compounds were expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 0.5%–10.4%, and the accuracy of the target compounds was expressed as relative error (RE) not exceeding ±14.5% for all analytes. In the meantime, the extraction recovery of the target compounds in plasma samples ranged from 87.4% to 106.2% and matrix effect from 81.0% to 115.5%. The established method was successfully accomplished for the pharmacokinetic study of the analytes in rat plasma samples following oral administration of Semen Cuscutae extract, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of seven compounds were obtained.