Sensitive UHPLC–MS/MS quantitation and pharmacokinetic comparisons of multiple alkaloids from Fuzi- Beimu and single herb aqueous extracts following oral delivery in rats

Development of an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of crassicauline A, fuziline, karacoline, and songorine in rat plasma and application in their pharmacokinetics

In this paper, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for quantifying the levels of crassicauline A, fuziline, karacoline, and songorine in rat plasma. After processing the rat plasma, the proteins in the plasma were separated by extracting the analytes with acetonitrile-methanol (9:1, v/v). The chromatographic column used was the UPLC HSS T3 column, and the mobile phase (methanol-water with 0.1% formic acid) under a gradient elution profile was used to separate the four compounds, with elution times for each analyte being less than 5 min. Electrospray ionization in positive-ion mode and operating in multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for quantitative analysis. Crassicauline A, fuziline, karacoline, and songorine were administered to 48 rats (n = 6 per group) orally (5 mg/kg) and intravenously (0.5 mg/kg). The standard curves demonstrated excellent linearity in the range of 1-2500 ng/mL, wherein all r values were greater than 0.99. The UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of crassicauline A, fuziline, karacoline, and songorine in rat plasma was successfully applied in determining their pharmacokinetics parameters, from which their oral bioavailabilities were calculated to be 18.7%, 4.3%, 6.0%, and 8.4%, respectively.

Exploration of material basis: Chemical composition profile, metabolic profile and pharmacokinetic characteristics in Xingbei Zhike granule

HEADINGS ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Xingbei Zhike granule (XBZK), a widely prescribed Chinese patent medicine, is known for its efficacy in clearing lung qi, relieving cough and reducing phlegm, as well as fever, dry and bitter taste, and irritability. Despite its clinical popularity, comprehensive investigations into its chemical composition, in vivo metabolism, and pharmacokinetic characteristics are limited.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study investigates the chemical composition, in vivo metabolism, and in vivo dynamics of XBZK to clarify its material basis and pharmacokinetic characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Orbitrap-MS) was used to determine the chemical composition and in vivo metabolic profile of XBZK. Additionally, UPLC with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS/MS) was performed to quantify its main components and evaluate its in vivo dynamics in rat plasma.

RESULTS

In total, 57 components were identified in XBZK. Furthermore, 40 prototype components and 31 metabolites were detected in various biological matrices of rats, including plasma, tissues, bile, feces, and urine. After administration, the area under the curve (AUC) for ephedrine (Eph), pseudoephedrine (Peph), neotuberostemonine (Neo), amygdalin (Amy), and enoxolone (Eno) exhibited a strong linear relationship with the administered dose (r > 0.9) in all rats. And gender-related differences in the absorption of peiminine (Pmn), peimisine (Pms), and chrysin-7-O-glucuronide (Cog) were notable among rats, with male rats showing a dose-dependent pattern of absorption, while female rats exhibited minimal absorption.

CONCLUSIONS

XBZK contains 57 components, primarily composed of flavonoids, alkaloids, and coumarins. The eight main components were rapidly absorbed and eliminated, with some, such as Eph, Peph, Neo, Amy and Eno, following a linear pharmacokinetic pattern. Furthermore, Pmn, Pms and Cog were well absorbed in male rats, showing a dose-dependent behavior.

Doped nanomaterial facilitates 3D printing target plate for rapid detection of alkaloids in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

This work aims to rapidly detect toxic alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) using laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). We systematically investigated twelve nanomaterials (NMs) as matrices and found that MoS2 and defect-rich-WO3 (D-WO3) were the best NMs for alkaloid detection. MoS2 and D-WO3 can be used directly as matrices dipped onto conventional ground steel target plates. Additionally, they can be conveniently fabricated as three-dimensional (3D) NM plates, where the MoS2 or D-WO3 NM is doped into resin and formed using a 3D printing process. We obtained good quantification of alkaloids using a chemothermal compound as an internal standard and detected related alkaloids in TCM extracts, Fuzi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata), Caowu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix), Chuanwu (Aconiti Radix), and Houpo (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex). The work enabled the advantageous "dip and measure" method, demonstrating a simple and fast LDI-MS approach that achieves clean backgrounds for alkaloid detection. The 3D NM plates also facilitated mass spectrometry imaging of alkaloids in TCMs. This method has potential practical applications in medicine and food safety. Doped nanomaterial facilitates 3D printing target plate for rapid detection of alkaloids in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

A review: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacology of aminoalcohol-diterpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum species

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Aconitum medicinal materials, such as Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux (Chinese: Wutou/) and Aconitum kusnezoffii Reichb. (Chinese: Caowu/), are a kind of important Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with great medicinal value. Statistics show that there are over 600 efficient TCM formulations comprising Aconitum medicinal materials. But high toxicity limits their clinical application. Clinically, the Aconitum medicinal materials must undergo a complex processing process that includes soaking, steaming, and boiling with pharmaceutical excipients, which makes highly toxic ester diterpenoid alkaloids are hydrolyzed to form less toxic aminoalcohol-diterpenoid alkaloids (ADAs).

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aims to summarize the pharmacokinetic and pharmacological activities of low-toxicity ADAs, providing a reference for future ADAs research and drug development.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Accessible literature on ADAs published between 1984 and 2022 were screened and obtained from available electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Springer, Science Direct and Google Scholar, followed by systematic analysis.

RESULTS

ADAs are secondary products of plant metabolism, widely distributed in the Aconitum species and Delphinium species. The toxicity of ADAs as pharmacodynamic components of Aconitum medicinal materials is much lower than that of other diterpenoid alkaloids due to the absence of ester bonds. On the one hand, the pharmacokinetics of ADAs have received little attention compared to other toxic alkaloids. The research primarily focuses on aconine and mesaconine. According to existing studies, ADAs absorption in the gastrointestinal tract is primarily passive with a short T_max. Simultaneously, efflux transporters have less impact on ADAs absorption than non-ADAs. After entering the body, ADAs are widely distributed in the heart, liver, lungs, and kidney, but less in the brain. Notably, aconine is not well metabolized by liver microsomes. Aconine and mesaconine are excreted in urine and feces, respectively. ADAs, on the other hand, have been shown to have a variety of pharmacological activities, including cardiac, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and regenerative effects via regulating multiple signaling pathways, including Nrf2/ARE, PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/Chop, ERK/CREB, NF-κB, Bcl-2/Bax, and GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

ADAs have been shown to have beneficial effects on heart disease, neurological disease, and other systemic diseases. Moreover, ADAs have low toxicity and a wide range of safe doses. All of these suggest that ADAs have great potential for drug development.

Compatibility of Fuzi and Ginseng Significantly Increase the Exposure of Aconitines

The herb-pair ginseng-Fuzi (the root of Aconitum carmichaelii) is the material basis of Shenfu prescriptions and is popular in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of heart failure, and even shock with severe-stage of COVID-19. A narrow therapeutic window of Fuzi may cause significant regional loss of property and life in clinics. Therefore, systemic elucidation of active components is crucial to improve the safety dose window of Shenfu oral prescriptions. A high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed for quantification of 10 aconitines in SD rat plasma within 9 min. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were below 0.032 ng/ml and 0.095 ng/ml, respectively. Furthermore, a systemic comparison with their pharmacokinetic characteristics after oral administration of a safe dosage of 2 g/kg of Fuzi and ginseng-Fuzi decoction for 24 h was conducted. Eight representative diester, monoester, and non-ester aconitines and two new active components (i.e., songorine and indaconitine) were all adopted to elucidating the differences of the pharmacokinetic parameters in vivo. The compatibility of Fuzi and ginseng could significantly increase the in vivo exposure of active components. The terminal elimination half-life and the area under the concentration-time curve of mesaconitine, benzoylaconitine, benzoylmesaconitine, benzoylhypaconitine, and songorine were all increased significantly. The hypaconitine, benzoylmesaconitine, and songorine were regarded as the main active components in vivo, which gave an effective clue for the development of new Shenfu oral prescriptions.

Water Extract of Fritillariae thunbergii Bulbus Inhibits RANKL-Mediated Osteoclastogenesis and Ovariectomy-Induced Trabecular Bone Loss

Fritillariae thunbergii bulbus has been widely used to treat symptoms of coughs and airway congestion in the chest due to pathological colds and damp phlegm in traditional Chinese medicine. Despite its long history of traditional use, its pharmacological activities on osteoclastogenesis and osteoporosis have not been evaluated. This study investigated the effects of the water extract of Fritillariae thunbergii bulbus (WEFT) on osteoclast differentiation in bone marrow-derived macrophage cells and on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in mice. We found that WEFT significantly inhibited osteoclastogenesis by downregulating the receptor activator of the NF-κB ligand (RANKL) signaling-induced nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) expression. In an OVX-induced osteoporosis model, WEFT significantly prevented the OVX-induced trabecular loss of femurs, accompanied by a reduction in fat accumulation in the bone marrow and liver. In addition, WEFT significantly prevented weight gain and gonadal fat gain without recovering uterine atrophy. Using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, seven alkaloids (peimisine glucoside, yibeissine, peiminoside, sipeimine-glucoside, peimisine, peimine, and peiminine) were identified in WEFT. The results of this study suggest that WEFT can be a potential pharmacological candidate to reduce menopausal osteoporosis and menopause-related symptoms, such as fat accumulation.

Simultaneous Determination of Six Alkaloids in Rat Plasma by SPE-HPLC-MS/MS and Their Pharmacokinetics after Oral Administration of Radix aconiti Preparata Extract

Simultaneous determination of the content of six alkaloids (aconitine, hypoaconitine, mesaconitine, benzoylaconine, benzoylhypaconine, and benzoylmesaconine) in rat plasma is enabled by HPLC-MS/MS combined with microsolid phase extraction (micro-SPE). To study its pharmacokinetics in rat plasma, the extracted plasma sample was passed through a C18 extraction column and eluted with acetonitrile. The six alkaloids in the Radix aconiti Preparata extract can be completely separated as peaks with good shape. The six components in the plasma sample showed a good linear relationship within their respective linear ranges (R ² > 0.997). The analysis of the six alkaloids can be completed within 20 min. This method has high intraday and interday precision, and the room temperature stability and freeze-thaw stability are good. The matrix effect of the plasma samples is between 86.4 and 114%. The metabolism of the six Aconitum alkaloids in plasma is analyzed using a two-compartment model, which is characterized by fast absorption, slow elimination, and good linear fit, R ² > 0.99. The peak time (T _max) for aconitine, hypaconitine, and neoaconitine ranged from 29.95 to 42.07 min, while the peak time (T _max) for benzoaconitine, benzohypaconitine, and benzoxinaconitine ranged from 42.88 to 73.08 min. With the increased dosage, the bioavailability of Aconitum alkaloids decreased gradually. The method for the determination of Aconitum alkaloids in rat plasma by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is sensitive and accurate, which is suitable for rat plasma analysis. The results provide a scientific basis for metabolic study of Aconitum alkaloids in vivo, and pave the way for clinical use of Aconitum medicinal materials and extracts.

Comparative HPLC-MS/MS-based pharmacokinetic studies of multiple diterpenoid alkaloids following the administration of Zhenwu Tang and Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata extracts to rats

Abstracts Zhenwu Tang (ZWT) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is primarily composed of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata (FZ) and diterpenoid alkaloids are believed to be the pharmacologically active compounds of ZWT. In this study, the pharmacokinetic profiles of hypaconitine, mesaconitine, aconitine, benzoylmesaconitine, benzoylaconitine, and benzoylhypacoitine were assessed in rats following intragastric ZWT administration. Furthermore, differences in the pharmacokinetic profiles of these six alkaloids were assessed as a function of rat sex and the administration of ZWT or FZ extracts to these animals. Plasma levels of these alkaloids were quantified via HPLC-MS/MS. Significant differences in key pharmacokinetic parameters were observed when comparing rats administered FZ or ZWT. Relative to FZ extract treatment, ZWT administration was associated with C_max and AUC_0-∞ values of benzoylmesaconitine that were about 3.5 and 5.5 times higher. Considerable variations in hypaconitine pharmacokinetic parameters were also revealed between female and male rats. The C_max and AUC_0-∞ of hypaconitine were about 2.5- and 2.7-fold elevated in female rats in comparison with male rats. These results suggested that the other compounds within ZWT can enhance the absorption of benzoylmesaconitine, while hypaconitine exhibits higher bioavailability in female rats, as compared with male rats.

Systematically explore the potential hepatotoxic material basis and molecular mechanism of Radix Aconiti Lateralis based on the concept of toxicological evidence chain (TEC)

Radix aconiti lateralis (Fuzi) is widely used in China as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthenia, pain and inflammation. However, its toxic alkaloids often lead to adverse reactions. Currently, most of the toxicity studies on Fuzi are focused on the heart and nervous system, and more comprehensive toxicity studies are needed. In this study, based on the previous reports of Fuzi hepatotoxicity, serum pharmacochemistry and network toxicology were used to screen the potential toxic components of Heishunpian(HSP), a processed product of Fuzi, and to explore the possible mechanism of HSP-induced hepatotoxicity. The results obtained are expressed based on the toxicological evidence chain (TEC). It was found that 22 potential toxic components screened can affect Th17 cell differentiation, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, and other related pathways by regulating AKT1, IL2, F2, GSR, EGFR and other related targets, which induces oxidative stress, metabolic disorders, cell apoptosis, immune response, and excessive release of inflammatory factors, eventually inducing liver damage in rats. This is the first study on HSP-induced hepatotoxicity based on the TEC concept, providing references for further studies on the toxicity mechanism of Fuzi.

Quantitative analysis and pharmacokinetic comparison of multiple bioactive components in rat plasma after oral administration of Qi-Shen-Ke-Li formula and its single-herb extracts using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Qi-Shen-Ke-Li (QSKL), a traditional Chinese formula prepared from six herbs, has long been used for the treatment of coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure. However, the herbal combination mechanism and underlying material basis of this multi-herbal formula are not clear. In this study, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method to simultaneously determine multiple bioactive compounds in QSKL was established and validated. Using the developed method, 18 bioactive components in rat plasma after oral administration of QSKL formula and its single herb extracts were quantified. Based on these results, pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters (T_1/2 , T_max , C_max , AUC_0-48h , and AUC_0-∞ ) of the 18 bioactive components were analyzed and compared using PKSlover 2.0 PK software. The experimental data suggested that significant changes in PK profiles were observed between the QSKL formula and its single-herb extracts. The herbal combination in QSKL significantly influences the system exposure and the PK behaviors of the 18 bioactive components, indicating multicomponent interactions among the herbs. This study provides insight into the herbal combination mechanism and underlying material basis of the QSKL formula.

Circadian clock regulates metabolism and toxicity of Fuzi(lateral root of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx) in mice

BACKGROUND

Therapeutic applications of Fuzi (lateral root of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx) are seriously concerned with its toxic effects. Strategies and approaches to reducing toxicity are of great interest.

PURPOSE

We aimed to characterize the diurnal rhythm of Fuzi toxicity, and to determine the role of metabolism and pharmacokinetics in generating toxicity rhythmicity.

METHODS

Toxicity was determined based on assessment of heart injury and animal survival after dosing mice with Fuzi decoction at different circadian time points. Circadian clock control of pharmacokinetics and toxicity was investigated using Bmal1-deficient (Bmal1-/-) mice.

RESULTS

Fuzi exhibited a diurnal rhythmicity in cardiotoxicity (reflected by plasma CK-MB and LDH levels). The highest level of toxicity was observed at ZT10 (5 PM), while the lowest level of toxicity occurred at ZT22 (5 AM). Also, a higher mortality rate was observed at ZT10 and lower mortality rates at other times of the day. ZT10 dosing of Fuzi generated higher systemic exposures of three toxic alkaloid ingredients aconitine (AC), hypaconitine (HA) and mesaconitine (MA) compared to ZT22. This was accompanied by reduced the formation of the metabolites (N-deethyl-AC, didemethyl-HA and 2‑hydroxyl‑MA) at ZT10. Bmal1 ablation resulted in an increased level of Fuzi toxicity at ZT22, while having no influences when drug was dosed at ZT10. As a consequence, circadian time-dependent toxicity of Fuzi was lost in Bmal1-deficient mice. In addition, Bmal1 ablation increased the plasma concentrations of AC, HA and MA in mice after oral gavage of Fuzi, and reduced formation of their metabolites (N-deethyl-AC, didemethyl-HA and 2‑hydroxyl‑MA). Moreover, Fuzi metabolism in wild-type liver microsomes was more extensive at ZT22 than at ZT10. Bmal1 ablation abrogated circadian time-dependency of hepatic Fuzi metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

Fuzi chronotoxicity in mice was attributed to time-varying hepatic metabolism and systemic exposure regulated by circadian clock. The findings may have implications in reducing Fuzi toxicity with a chronotherapeutic approach.

Quantitative determination of talatisamine and its pharmacokinetics and bioavailability in mouse plasma by UPLC-MS/MS

Talatisamine, as the efficacy ingredient of Aconitum, was known as a novel specific blocker for the delayed rectifier K⁺ channels in rat hippocampal neurons. In this study, a rapid, selective and reproducible UPLC-MS/MS separation method was established and fully validated for the quantitative determination of talatisamine levels in ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mouse blood. A total of 24 healthy male ICR mice were divided into four groups that was administered talatisamine via intravenous at a dose of 1 mg/kg and oral administration of three doses (2, 4, 8 mg/kg). All blood samples were protein precipitate by using acetonitrile with an internal standard (IS) deltaline. The effective chromatographic separation was carried out through an UPLC BEH C18 analytical column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with an initial mobile phase that consisted of acetonitrile and 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution (containing 0.1% formic acid) with a gradient elution pumped at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Also, an electrospray ionization (ESI) was applied to quantify the talatisamine in the positive ions mode. The method validation demonstrated good linearity over the range of 1-1000 ng/mL (r² ≥ 0.9993) for talatisamine in mouse blood with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) at 1 ng/mL. The accuracy values of the method were within 89.4% to 113.3%, and the matrix effects were between 103.2% and 106.3%. The mean extraction recoveries for talatisamine obtained from four concentrations of QC blood samples were exceeded 71.7%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) both of intra- and inter-day precision values for replicate quality control samples did not exceed 15% respectively for all analytes during the assay validation. This method was successfully applied to the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic of talatisamine, regardless of intragastric or intravenous administration in mice. Based on the pharmacokinetics data, the bioavailability of talatisamine in mice was >65.0% after oral administration, exhibiting an excellent oral absorption.

Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus: Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity

Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus (FTB) has been widely used as an antitussive herb for thousands of years in China. However, FTB's traditional uses, chemical compounds and pharmacological activities have not been systematically reviewed. This study aimed to review its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and toxicity. We searched the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine to explore the historical records which indicate that it acts to clear heat, resolve phlegm, relieve cough, remove toxicity and disperse abscesses and nodules. We searched 11 databases to identify potential phytochemical or pharmacological studies. Characteristics of its chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetic and toxicity were descriptively summarized. A total of 9706 studies were identified and 83 of them were included. As a result, 134 chemical constituents were identified, including 26 alkaloids, 29 compounds found in essential oils, 13 diterpenoids, two carbohydrates, two sterols, 18 amino acids, six nucleosides, four nucleobases, four fatty acids, three lignans, and 27 elements. Thirteen pharmacological effects of FTB were identified, including anti-cancer, tracheobronchial relaxation, antitussive, expectorant, anti-muscarinic, anti-inflammation, anti-thyroid, regulation of blood rheology, antiulcer, anti-diarrhea, pain suppression, antioxidation and neuroprotection. These pharmacological activities may be mainly attributed to the alkaloids in FTB. Further phytochemical, pharmacological and network pharmacological studies are recommended.

Simultaneous Evaluation of the Influence of Panax ginseng on the Pharmacokinetics of Three Diester Alkaloids after Oral Administration of Aconiti Lateralis Radix in Rats Using UHPLC/QQQ-MS/MS

Objectives

To investigate whether Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) could affect the metabolism of Diester Alkaloids (DAs) derived from Aconiti Lateralis Radix in vivo.

Methods and Results

24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized for 7-day treatment with P. ginseng (low, middle, and high), or vehicle. Aconiti Lateralis Radix was administered orally to each group on the 8th day. Plasma samples were collected, and Xevo TQ-S was used to detect the concentration of aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine in plasma. We describe a fast and reproducible method to detect the concentration of aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine in plasma. Compared to the control group, the AUC_(0-t) of three DAs increased in both the middle and high dosing groups. The Vz/F of three DAs in these groups as well as the CLz/F of aconitine in all P. ginseng groups and the CLz/F of mesaconitine and hypaconitine in P. ginseng middle and high groups were decreased compared to the control group.

Conclusion

Orally administrated P. ginseng potentially inhibits the metabolism of DAs from Aconiti Lateralis Radix in rats.

Simultaneous Determination and Pharmacokinetics of Peimine and Peiminine in Beagle Dog Plasma by UPLC-MS/MS after the Oral Administration of Fritillariae ussuriensis Maxim and Fritillariae thunbergii Miq Powder

A simple and high sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of peimine and peiminine in beagle dog plasma after the oral administration of Fritillariae ussuriensis Maxim and Fritillariae thunbergii Miq powder. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an ACQUIT UPLC^® BEH C₁₈ column (1.7 μm, 2.1 × 100 mm) in a gradient elution way with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The plasma samples were prepared by a liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) method with ethyl acetate. The analytes were detected with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (MS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and a positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) of the transitions at m/z 432.4→414.4 for peimine and m/z 430.3→412.3 for peiminine. The method was linear for two analytes over the investigated range with all determined correlation coefficients exceeding 0.9900. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.988 ng/mL for peimine and 0.980 ng/mL for peiminine. The mean extraction recoveries of peimine and peiminine at three quality control samples (QC) levels were ranged from 82.56 to 88.71%, and matrix effects ranged from 92.06 to 101.2%. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy were within the acceptable limits at LLOQ and QC levels. The method was effectively and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetics of peimine and peiminine after oral administration of powder to beagle dogs. The obtained results may be help to guide the clinical application of Fritillaria ussuriensis Maxim and Fritillaria thunbergii Miq.

Quality markers based on biological activity: A new strategy for the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine

BACKGROUND

The quality and quality evaluation system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are crucial in the safety and effectiveness assessment of TCM. However, they are also the major bottlenecks that restrict the quality control of TCM. Given the nature of Chinese medicine and the limitations of science and technology, the quality evaluation of TCM involves a few difficulties. Therefore, scholars have conducted considerable amount of research on this topic and obtained promising results. Biological potency and biomarkers have been used to evaluate the quality of TCM. Previous studies provided new strategies and methods to establish a system on quality evaluation.

PURPOSE

This review aims to provide a new strategy for the quality control of Chinese herbal medicine by combining biological potency and biomarkers based on biological effects.

METHODS

We reviewed the quality evaluation system of Chinese herbal medicine, focusing on quality markers (Q-markers) based on biological effects and the application of these markers in the quality evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine. We also reviewed the factors affecting quality, the difficulties related to the quality evaluation system and the attempt of researchers to improve the quality control of TCM.

RESULTS

We propose Q-biomarkers by integration of biological potency and biomarkers to evaluate the quality of TCM. The quality markers provided us significant insights in the process of definition. We further optimised the concept of Q-markers and summarised their definition and properties (including quantification, specificity and related to biological response) in accordance with the requirement of the quality evaluation of TCM.

CONCLUSION

We propose the use of Q-biomarkers in vivo related to specific diseases as a new strategy for the quality evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine. The quality evaluation system of Q-biomarkers would provide a new perspective to standardise and globalise TCM.

Development and Validation of an UPLC-MS/MS Method for Pharmacokinetic Comparison of Five Alkaloids from JinQi Jiangtang Tablets and Its Monarch Drug Coptidis Rhizoma

JinQi Jiangtang (JQJT) tablets, a Chinese patent medicine approved by the State Food and Drug Administration, are composed of Coptidis Rhizoma, Astragali Radix, and Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, and have a significant effect on diabetes. Coptidis Rhizoma is monarch drug in the prescription. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the pharmacokinetics of multiple ingredients from JQJT tablets and Coptidis Rhizoma extract (CRE) following oral administration in rats. Five alkaloids: coptisine chloride, epiberberine chloride, berberine chloride, jatrorrhizine chloride, and palmatine chloride, were simultaneously determined in rat plasma using established and validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Significant pharmacokinetic differences were observed for the five alkaloids after a single administration of CRE and JQJT tablets. Compared with CRE, the C_max values of palmatine chloride and jatrorrhizine chloride were decreased significantly, the AUC_0-t values of four alkaloids (all except jatrorrhizine chloride) were notably decreased, and the mean residence times of all five alkaloids were significantly decreased after administration of JQJT tablets. The results indicated that the absorption characteristics of the five alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma would be influenced by the compatibility of Astragali Radix or Lonicerae Japonicae Flos from JQJT tablets, such that absorption was inhibited and elimination was accelerated. In conclusion, the developed strategy was suitable for the comparison of five alkaloids from JinQi Jiangtang tablets and its monarch drug, which could be valuable for compatibility studies of traditional Chinese medicines.