Screening and analysis of metabolic components in rat plasma, urine, and feces after oral administration of Baihe Zhimu Tang by HPLC-ESI-MS methods

Summary

Baihe Zhimu Tang (BZT) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicinal formula for the treatment of various diseases; however, its active components have remained unknown. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) methods were developed for the analysis of metabolic components of BZT. The HPLC experiments used a reversed-phase Shim-Pack VP-ODS C18 column with the column temperature at 35°C and a mobile phase system consisting of aqueous formic acid (0.05%, υ/υ) and acetonitrile using a gradient elution at the flow rate of 0.2 mL/min ⁻¹. The ESI-MS was operated with a single-quadrupole mass spectrometer in both negative and positive ion modes. After oral administration of extraction of BZT, the rat's plasma, urine, and feces were also analyzed; 37 metabolic components including 23 original components and 14 transformative components of BZT were detected. The analysis of metabolic components in BZT by HPLC-ESI-MS methods could be a useful means of identifying the multi-components of BZT and understanding their possible metabolic mechanism of action in the body. The results also narrow the range of active compounds to be found in BZT, and pave the way for further pharmacology and active mechanism research.