title: Herb-drug pharmacokinetic interaction between radix astragali and pioglitazone in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radix astragali (RA) was the most frequently used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) according to the statistics on 52 anti-diabetic formulas recorded in New National Traditional Chinese Medicine; it was employed in 34 out of the 52 formulas. The aim of this study was to elucidate potential pharmacokinetic interaction between RA and pioglitazone, and to provide guidance for clinical medicine safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  A specific and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method was established to quantify pioglitazone in rat plasma. Then healthy and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats were each divided into control and RA decoction (RAD) administration groups-healthy, healthy-RAD, T2DM, T2DM-RAD; pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone was carried out after RAD was administrated to rats for 7 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The established UPLC-MS/MS method was rapid, specific, and precise. Between healthy and healthy-RAD groups, half-life (T(1/2)), area under the curve (AUC (0-t)), Vz/F, and Cl/F showed mild yet statistically significant differences; no significant difference for any above parameter was detected between T2DM and T2DM-RAD groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RAD co-administration did not affect the pharmacokinetics of pioglitazone especially in diabetic groups; RA and pioglitazone might be feasible herb-drug co-effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Yue-mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jing-wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Zhan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ya-song
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Mei-cun
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant; D027885:Astragalus propinquus; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008297:Male; D000077205:Pioglitazone; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; C027492:Huang Qi; D000077205:Pioglitazone