Comparative pharmacokinetic study of the components in Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.-Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. herb pair and its single herb between normal and Alzheimer’s disease rats by UPLC-MS/MS

• Published in: Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis 2020-01, Vol.177, p.112874-112874, Article 112874
• Main Authors: Qi, Yu, Cheng, Xinhui, Jing, Huiting, Yan, Tingxu, Xiao, Feng, Wu, Bo, Bi, Kaishun, Jia, Ying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Alpinia - chemistry; Alpinia oxyphylla; Alzheimer Disease - blood; Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy; Alzheimer Disease - etiology; Alzheimers’ disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides - administration & dosage; Amyloid beta-Peptides - toxicity; Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Combinations; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Monitoring - methods; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - administration & dosage; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacokinetics; Humans; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Peptide Fragments - administration & dosage; Peptide Fragments - toxicity; Pharmacokinetic; Rats; Schisandra - chemistry; Schisandra chinensis; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; UPLC-MS/MS
• ISSN: 0731-7085; 1873-264X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2019.112874

•First study on the determination of compounds in ASHP in rat plasma using UPLC–MS/MS.•A comparative pharmacokinetic study on ASHP and its single herb.•ASHP can improve elimination and absorption of nine components.•A comparative pharmacokinetic study on normal rats and AD rats after receiving ASHP. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that seriously affects daily life. Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. Fructus (SCF) and Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. Fructus (AOF) have been regarded as classical herbs for dementia since ancient times. Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.—Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. herb pair (ASHP) is the compatible form of the two herbs. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of protocatechuic acid, chrysin, schisandrin, gomisin A, gomisin B, nootkatone, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B and schisandrin C in rat plasma. The pharmacokinetic differences of the above nine active components in normal rats and AD model rats after oral administration of SCF, AOF, and ASHP ethanol extracts were investigated. Chloramphenicol and bifendate were used as the internal standards. Extraction of plasma sample was by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. A SBC18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) was used in this experiment at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min at 30 °C with linear gradient elution using acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid. This study showed ASHP can improve the absorption of protocatechuic acid, chrysin, schisandrin, gomisin B, nootkatone, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B and schisandrin C in vivo and slow down part of these components’ elimination. In addition, compared with normal rats, the pharmacokinetic parameters changed significantly in AD model rats’ plasma after oral administration of ASHP. Hence, these may be the pharmacokinetic mechanism of ASHP, in addition to serving as a potential agent in the treatment of AD.