Characterization of metabolites in rats after gavage of two lignans from fruits of Vitex negundo var. cannabifolia by UFLC-IT-TOF-MS / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate in vivo metabolic profiles of two lignans, 6-hydroxy-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3- hydroxymethyl-7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-2-naphthaldehyde (VB-1) and vitedoin A (VB-2) in the rats. Methods: A UFLC-IT- TOF-MS method was applied to characterize the prototypes and metabolites of VB-1 and VB-2 in rat feces, urine, bile, and plasma after oral administration. Results: Eleven metabolites of the two parent compounds were detected and two prototypes were identified unambiguously by comparing with references. Analysis of metabolites revealed that glucuronidation, sulfation, and hydroxylation were major biotransformation pathways of two lignans. Conclusion: In this study, under the analysis of metabolites of two lignans, its in vivo metabolic process is basically clarified. The results could be helpful for the further pharmacokinetics and pharmacological evaluations of VB-1 and VB-2.