title: Pharmacokinetic comparison of ferulic acid in normal and blood deficiency rats after oral administration of Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong and their combination.
abstract: Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) and Rhizome Ligusticum (RLC) combination is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinics for treatment of blood deficiency syndrome in China. The aim of this study is to compare the pharmacokinetic properties of ferulic acid (FA), a main bioactive constituent in both RAS and RLC, between normal and blood deficiency syndrome animals, and to investigate the influence of compatibility of RAS and RLC on the pharmacokinetic of FA. The blood deficiency rats were induced by injecting 2% Acetyl phenylhydrazine (APH) on the first day, every other day, to a total of five times, at the dosage of 100, 50, 50, 30, 30 mg/kg body mass, respectively. Quantification of FA in rat plasma was achieved by using a simple and rapid HPLC method. Plasma samples were collected at different time points to construct pharmacokinetic profiles by plotting drug concentration versus time, and estimate pharmacokinetic parameters. Between normal and blood deficiency model groups, both AUC((0-) (t) ()) and C(max) of FA in blood deficiency rats after RAS-RLC extract administration increased significantly (P < 0.05), while clearance (CL) decreased significantly. Among three blood deficiency model groups, t(1/2α), V(d), AUC((0-) (t) ()) and AUC((0-∞)) all increased significantly in the RAS-RLC extract group compared with the RAS group. The results indicated that FA was absorbed better and eliminated slower in blood deficiency rats; RLC could significantly prolong the half-life of distribution, increase the volume of distribution and the absorption amount of FA of RAS in blood deficiency rats, which may be due to the synergic action when RAS and RLC were used together to treat blood deficiency syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046, China; E-Mails:  liweixia01@126.com  (W.L.);  njuguo@njutcm.edu.cn  (J.G.);  huanmao1985@163.com  (H.W.);  maomilove321@163.com  (M.H.);  qiandw@njutcm.edu.cn  (D.Q.).
authors.forename: Weixia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Meiyan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Jin-Ao
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Duan
mesh_terms: D029971:Angelica sinensis / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D030004:Ligusticum / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010659:Phenylhydrazines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D003373:Coumaric Acids; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010659:Phenylhydrazines; D010936:Plant Extracts; C534193:chuanxiong rhizome preparation; C004999:ferulic acid; C006384:N(1)-acetylphenylhydrazine