title: A systematic study of the dissolution and relative bioavailability of four ginsenosides in the form of ultrafine granular powder, common powder and traditional pieces of Panax quinquefolius L, in vitro and in beagles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Panax quinquefolius L (PQ), also known as American ginseng, has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years in the Far East, which was wildly used actively in healing the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems, in supporting chemoprevention of cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  An integrated, rapid, sensitive and reliable UHPLC-ESI-QQQ MS/MS method was validated and successfully applied in a pharmacokinetics study in which four representative ginsenosides were measured in beagle plasma following oral administration of Panax quinquefolius L (PQ) in the form of ultrafine granular powder, standard powder and an extract.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two paired ions ([M+Na](+) in the positive MS process, and two characteristic ions [Q3](+) in the positive MS/MS process) of the target compounds were optimized and selected for improved qualitative and quantitative analysis of ginsenosides in beagle plasma. The relative bioavailability of the target ginsenosides in these three formulations was measured by the pharmacokinetic parameters, including Cmax, Tmax, AUC0-∞ and so on. The ultrafine granular powder had the highest bioavailability, as well as the greatest extent of and fastest dissolution in vitro.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that improved formulations of PQ could facilitate the dissolution and promote absorption of the important compounds it contains.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Hao-Qi
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Cai-Xia
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Qiu
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd., Zhongshan, Guangdong Province 528400, China.
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd., Zhongshan, Guangdong Province 528400, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Le
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 16, Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimennei, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001682:Biological Availability; D004285:Dogs; D065546:Drug Liberation; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006207:Half-Life; D015394:Molecular Structure; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011208:Powders
chemical_list: D036145:Ginsenosides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011208:Powders
keywords: Ginsenosides; Panax quinquefolius L; Relative bioavailability; Ultrafine granular powder