Study on the dynamic metabolic characteristic of main active ingredients in Danggui Buxue Decoction by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on in situ sequential metabolism strategy.

Danggui Buxue Decoction is a classic formula for replenishing qi and nourishing blood. Despite its widespread use, its dynamic metabolism involved remains unclear. Based on the sequential metabolism strategy, blood samples from different metabolic sites were obtained via in situ closed intestine ring integrated with a jugular venous continuous blood supply technique. An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-linear triple quadruple-Orbitrap-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the identification of prototypes and metabolites in rat plasma. The dynamic absorption and metabolic landscape of flavonoids, saponins, and phthalides were characterized. Flavonoids could be deglycosylated, deacetylated, demethylated, dehydroxylated, and glucuronicated in the gut and then absorbed for further metabolism. Jejunum is an important metabolic site for saponins biotransformation. Saponins that are substituted by Acetyl groups tend to lose their acetyl groups and convert to Astragaloside IV in the jejunum. Phthalides could be hydroxylated and glucuronidated in the gut and then absorbed for further metabolism. Seven components serve as crucial joints in the metabolic network and are potential candidates for the quality control of Danggui Buxue Decoction. The sequential metabolism strategy described in this study could be useful for characterizing the metabolic pathways of Chinese medicine and natural products in the digestive system.

An Approach to Characterizing the Complicated Sequential Metabolism of Salidroside in Rats.

Metabolic study of bioactive compounds that undergo a dynamic and sequential process of metabolism is still a great challenge. Salidroside, one of the most active ingredients of Rhodiola crenulata, can be metabolized in different sites before being absorbed into the systemic blood stream. This study proposed an approach for describing the sequential biotransformation process of salidroside based on comparative analysis. In vitro incubation, in situ closed-loop and in vivo blood sampling were used to determine the relative contribution of each site to the total metabolism of salidroside. The results showed that salidroside was stable in digestive juice, and it was metabolized primarily by the liver and the intestinal flora and to a lesser extent by the gut wall. The sequential metabolism method described in this study could be a general approach to characterizing the metabolic routes in the digestive system for natural products.

Metabolic routes along digestive system of licorice: multicomponent sequential metabolism method in rat.

This study was conducted to establish the multicomponent sequential metabolism (MSM) method based on comparative analysis along the digestive system following oral administration of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., leguminosae), a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for harmonizing other ingredients in a formulae. The licorice water extract (LWE) dissolved in Krebs-Ringer buffer solution (1 g/mL) was used to carry out the experiments and the comparative analysis was performed using HPLC and LC-MS/MS methods. In vitro incubation, in situ closed-loop and in vivo blood sampling were used to measure the LWE metabolic profile along the digestive system. The incubation experiment showed that the LWE was basically stable in digestive juice. A comparative analysis presented the metabolic profile of each prototype and its corresponding metabolites then. Liver was the major metabolic organ for LWE, and the metabolism by the intestinal flora and gut wall was also an important part of the process. The MSM method was practical and could be a potential method to describe the metabolic routes of multiple components before absorption into the systemic blood stream. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sequential Metabolism Study on Ginkgo Folium Tablet in Digestive System / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To investigate dynamic metabolism in vivo of Ginkgo Folium Tablet under the guidance of sequential metabolism thoughts. Methods In situ closed-loop in rats was carried out to study sequential metabolism of Ginkgo Folium Tablet through oral digestive system, namely to investigate and compare the intestinal flora metabolism, the gut wall metabolism and hepatic metabolism, combined with chromatographic fingerprint of blood samples. Results The analysis showed that 12 peaks in Ginkgo Folium Tablet were metabolized by intestinal flora, and 7 peaks generated through the gut wall. Most components of Ginkgo Folium Tablet were metabolized in liver, and 3 original medicine components were directly into the blood. Conclusion This study conducts a qualitative description of metabolism of Ginkgo Folium Tablet in different parts of the oral route, and provides references for the quality control, mechanism explanation and secondary development for Ginkgo Folium Tablet.

The absorption and metabolism differences of intestine and liver for multicomponent licorice water extract / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective This paper was to study the absorption and metabolism differences of intestine and liver for multicomponent licorice.Methods The components were identified with the UPLC-MS/MS. In situ closed-loop method was used to carry out the comparative experiments of absorption and metabolism differences between intestine and liver.Results 13 components were identified by UPLC-MS/MS. The absorption and metabolism results indicated some components in licorice water extract could be absorbed into blood and metabolism happened during this process. 14 metabolites were detected in the plasma sample. The hepatic metabolism results indicated many components could experience complex metabolism and more metabolites could be generated.Conclusions Liver was the major metabolism organ for licorice water extract and some components could be metabolized along with the absorption process in intestine. The absorption and metabolism differences between intestine and liver were significant.