[Determination of alpha-solanine, alpha-chaconine and solanidine in plasma and urine by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry].

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of alpha-solanine, alpha-chaconine and solanidine in plasma and urine. The sample was acidified with aqueous solution containing 2% (v/v if not specified) formic acid, and then cleaned-up by solid-phase extraction with a mixed-mode cation exchange (MCX) cartridge. The analysis of the glycoalkaloids was carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.7 microm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile (containing 0.1% formic acid) and H2O (containing 0.05% formic acid and 5.0 mmol/L ammonium acetate). The analytes were detected by positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in MRM mode, and quantified by external matrix-matched standard calibration. The cycle time of each analysis was 5.5 min. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.3-100 ng/mL of the glycoalkaloids in plasma and urine. The correlation coefficients were 0.997-0.999. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) and quantitation (S/N = 10) were 0.1 ng/mL and 0.3 ng/mL. The average recoveries were 82%-112% and 96%-114% for the glycoalkaloids spiked in plasma and urine, respectively, with relative standard deviations of 4.0%-16% and 2.7%-17% (n = 6). The method is simple, accurate and sensitive to detect the glycoalkaloids in plasma and urine for both clinical and forensic purposes.

Structural identification of methyl protodioscin metabolites in rats' urine and their antiproliferative activities against human tumor cell lines.

Methyl protodioscin (MPD), a furostanol saponin, is a preclinical drug shown potent antiproliferative activities against most cell lines from leukemia and solid tumors. The metabolites of MPD in rats' urine after single oral doses of 80 mg/kg were investigated in this research. Ten metabolites were isolated and purified by liquid-liquid extraction, open-column chromatography, medium-pressure liquid chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structural identification of the metabolites was carried out by high resolution mass spectra, NMR spectroscopic methods including (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and 2D NMR, as well as chemical ways. The 10 metabolites were elucidated to be dioscin (M-1), pregna-5,16-dien-3beta-ol-20-one-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)]-beta-d-glucopyranoside (M-2), diosgenin (M-3), protobioside (M-4), methyl protobioside (M-5), 26-O-beta-d-glucopyrannosyl(25R)-furan-5-ene-3beta, 22alpha, 26-trihydroxy-3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-d-glucopyranoside(M-6),26-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl(25R)-furan-5-ene-3beta,26-dihydroxy-22-methoxy-3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-d-glucopyranoside (M-7), prosapogenin A of dioscin (M-8), prosapogenin B of dioscin (M-9), and diosgenin-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (M-10), respectively. M-1 was the main urinary metabolite of MPD in rats. Some metabolites showed potent antiproliferative activities against HepG2, NCI-H460, MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines in vitro.

[Effect of intestinal bacteria on metabolism of ophiopognin saponin D' in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the metabolic transformation and the absorbed metabolites of ophiopognin saponin D' (OD') given orally in rats. METHOD: The contents of both original OD' and its metabolites were detected by means of HPLC-ELSD and the metabolites of OD' in blood and urine were measured by use of TLC and HPLC-MS in vivo. RESULT: OD' could be metabolized by intestinal bacteria in rats. The content of diosgenin, one of the metabolites, increased gradually as the time passed. CONCLUSION: OD' can be metabolized in intestine of rat and its metabolite, diosgenin, was absorbed in blood of rat.

Characterization of the pharmacokinetics of dioscin in rat.

Dioscin (diosgenyl 2,4-di-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside) is an important constituent of some traditional Chinese medicines with several bioactivities. We have investigated the pharmacokinetics of dioscin in rat after intravenous and oral administrations. Compartmental methods were used to perform pharmacokinetic data analysis. The dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of dioscin was characterized after intravenous administrations (0.064, 0.16, 0.4 and 1.0mg/kg) to rats. There was significant decrease in clearance with increasing dose (4.67+/-0.09 ml/min/kg (0.064 mg/kg) versus 3.49+/-0.23 ml/min/kg (1.0 mg/kg), P<0.05), and the plot of reciprocal clearance values versus the doses was linear (r=0.909, P<0.05). After an I.V. dose of 1mg/kg, simultaneous oral gavage of activated charcoal did not change the pharmacokinetic parameters indicating enterohepatic recycling of dioscin is not important in rat. The absolute oral bioavailability was very low (0.2%). In tissue distribution and bile excretion studies after I.V. and oral administrations, dioscin was shown to undergo a prolonged absorption from the intestinal tract and slow elimination from organs, and only a small amount of drug was recovered in bile. The cumulative amounts of dioscin in feces and urine indicated that the parent drug is mainly excreted in the feces.