Identification of chemical constituents in extracts and rat plasma from Fructus Aurantii by UPLC-PDA-Q-TOF/MS.
BACKGROUND
Fructus Aurantii, as a component of several compound formulae, shows many bioactivities. As is well known, the constituents of traditional Chinese medicines are very complex and multiple constituents are responsible for the therapeutic effect. However, the concrete compounds are difficult to confirm. Therefore, studies on the constituents absorbed into serum and their metabolites are necessary.


OBJECTIVE
To search for the active constituents in Fructus Aurantii.


METHODS
An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-Q-TOF/MS) method was established to analyse the aqueous extract in Fructus Aurantii and the constituents absorbed into blood. Compound identification was made by matching the empirical molecular formula with those of the reported compounds and UV spectra, and further elucidated by lower energy CID mass spectra.


RESULTS
Twelve flavonoid O-glycosides were detected, and nine compounds were tentatively identified as polymethoxylated flavones. Six parent compounds were identified and four metabolites were observed in rat plasma, two of which were identified as naringenin glucuronide and hesperetin glucuronide, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The approach developed has proved useful in the study of the active constituents in traditional Chinese medicines.
School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
Chaoyi
C
Ma
Wenyuan
W
Gao
Ying
Y
Gao
Shuli
S
Man
Luqi
L
Huang
Changxiao
C
Liu
D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D002957:Citrus / Q000737:chemistry*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D044950:Flavanones / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D047309:Flavones / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D020719:Glucuronides / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006027:Glycosides / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006569:Hesperidin / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010949:Plasma / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D044950:Flavanones; D047309:Flavones; D020719:Glucuronides; D006027:Glycosides; D014867:Water; D006569:Hesperidin; C005273:naringenin; C013015:hesperetin