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1. In traditional Chinese medicine, Angelica sinensis is often coprescribed with Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is one of the most important active ingredients isolated from Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort; ferulic acid (FA) is the main water-soluble component of Angelica sinensis. 2. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible effect of FA on the brain pharmacokinetics of TMP in conscious Sprague-Dawley rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters of TMP were investigated in brain microdialysates after oral and intravenous administration of TMP (4 mg/kg) to rats in the absence and presence of FA (5 mg/kg). Samples were collected at timed intervals for the measurement of TMP by a rapid and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method. 3. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental analysis for brain microdialysates. The brain pharmacokinetic data for TMP showed significant increases in C t AUC and MRT after combination with FA. After intragastric administration with FA, there were significant decreases in the T (from 38.33 ± 5.77 to 21 ± 5.48 min; p < 0.01) of TMP. This study indicated that potential drug-drug interaction between TMP and FA should be taken into consideration and the combined administration is beneficial in improving the bioavailability of TMP in the brain.

decoction (BHD) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that has long been used to treat ischemic brain damage which is associated with hemorheology. To screen active ingredients in BHD responsible for reducing blood viscosity by reducing red blood cell (RBC) lesions to treat ischemic stroke, a method involving RBC membrane binding and solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed in this study.The components of BHD interacting with RBC were analyzed by mass spectrometry and four compounds, calycosin, paeoniflorin, 6-hydroxy behenol-3,6-di-O-glucoside and calycosin-7-O-b-D-glucoside, showed binding affinity to RBCs. An erythrocyte activity assay revealed that the identified ingredients promoted the activities of Na + -K + -ATPase, sialic acid and superoxide dismutase and reduced the content of cholesterol on the RBC membrane, suggesting a mechanism underlying their anti-erythrocyte aggregation activity. Based on these results, the RBC membrane binding assay combined with SPE and mass spectrometry is a novel and effective approach for screening potentially anti-erythrocyte lesion constituents in traditional Chinese medicines.