The Profiling and Identification of the Absorbed Constituents and Metabolites of Guizhi Decoction in Rat Plasma and Urine by Rapid Resolution Liquid Chromatography Combined with Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
Guizhi decoction (GZD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription consisting of Ramulus Cinnamomi, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Fructus Jujubae and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, is usually used for the treatment of common colds, influenza, and other pyretic conditions in the clinic. However, the absorbed ingredients and metabolic compounds of GZD have not been reported. In this paper, a method incorporating rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify ingredients after oral administration of GZD. Identification of the primary components in GZD, drug-containing serum and urine samples was carried out in order to investigate the assimilation and metabolites of the decoction in vivo. By comparing the total ion chromatograms (TICs) of GZD, a total of 71 constituents were detected or characterized. By comparing TICs of blank and dosed rat plasma, a total of 15 constituents were detected and identified as prototypes according to their retention time (tR) and MS, MS/MS data. Based on this, neutral loss scans of 80 and 176 Da in samples of rat plasma and urine helped us to identify most of the metabolites. Results showed that the predominant metabolic pathways of (epi) catechin and gallic acid were sulfation, methylation, glucuronidation and dehydroxylation; the major metabolic pathways of flavone were hydrolysis, sulfation and glucuronidation. Furthermore, degradation, oxidation and ring fission were found to often occur in the metabolism process of GZD in vivo.
School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, China. iloveygr@163.com.
Hongjun
H
Xiang
Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. zls0423@163.com.
Lishi
L
Zhang
Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. sjn2003@sina.com.
Jiannan
J
Song
China Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. binf@263.net.
Bin
B
Fan
China Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. nyl100@163.com.
Yinglan
Y
Nie
Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. baidong2010@gmail.com.
Dong
D
Bai
School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, China. hm_lei@126.com.
Haimin
H
Lei
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis*; D010949:Plasma / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; C528663:guizhi decoction
Guizhi decoction; identification; metabolites; rapid resolution liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF-MS)