title: Chemical profile- and pharmacokinetics-based investigation of the synergistic property of platycodonis radix in traditional Chinese medicine formula Shengxian decoction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the synergistic property of Platycodonis radix (PG) in a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription Shengxian decoction (SXT) by combining chemical profile with pharmacokinetic analysis strategy. The synergized prescription consisted of Astragali radix, Anemarrhenae rhizoma, Bupleuri radix, and Cimicifuage rhizoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was employed to investigate the chemical fingerprints of SXT and decreased SXT (SXT that removed Platycodonis radix, SXT-PG). A reliable LC-MS/MS method was developed to examine the pharmacokinetics of 9 marker compounds (including formononetin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, ononin, caffeic acid, isoferulic acid, mangiferin, timosaponin E1, timosaponin B-II and timosaponin B) following oral administration of SXT and SXT-PG in rats. Both in vitro chemical profiles and in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters differences between SXT and SXT-PG were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS method, a total of 25 compounds identified from SXT, including 13 triterpenoids, 5 caffeinic derivatives, 4 isoflavonoids and 3 xanthone glycosides. Comparing the chemical fingerprints between SXT and decreased SXT did not reveal significant difference in the chemical profile of other four TCMs. The improved pharmacokinetic profiles of mangiferin, timosaponin E1, timosaponin B-II and timosaponin B were found in SXT group, suggesting the quicker distribution and more effective absorption, when compared with those in the SXT-PG group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicated that PG did not increase the dissolution of synergized prescription when co-decocting, but guided the synergized prescription to target location, reflecting the courier role of PG, which was in line with the clinical principle of TCM. It also established a useful method for TCM synergistic property research.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China.
authors: Qin
authors: Q
authors: Zhan
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China.
authors: Shouhong
authors: S
authors: Gao
authors: Department of Pharmacognasy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Dong
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China.
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Pharmacognasy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
authors: Lianna
authors: L
authors: Sun
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China.
authors: Xia
authors: X
authors: Tao
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, PR China. Electronic address: chenwanshengsmmu@aliyun.com.
authors: Wan-Sheng
authors: WS
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D018517:Plant Roots; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal
keywords: Pharmacokinetics; Platycodonis Radix; Shengxian Decoction; UPLC–Q-TOF/MS