Determination of Epimedin B in Rat Plasma and Tissue by LC-MS/MS: Application in Pharmacokinetic and Tissue Distribution Studies

Abstract

A simple, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometric method was developed and validated for the determination of epimedin B in rat plasma and tissue samples. After being processed with a protein precipitation method, these samples were separated on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (32 : 68, v/v). The calibration curve of epimedin B was linear over the concentration range from 1 to 500 ng/mL in plasma and tissue homogenate. The method was then applied to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies after a single oral administration of Herba Epimedii extract to SD rats. Results showed that epimedin B reached the plasma peak concentration at 0.4 h and the terminal elimination half-life was 1.6 h in rat plasma, and the plasma area under the curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0–∞) was 14.35 μg/L·h. The concentration distribution of epimedin B in rat tissue was in the following order: liver > ovary > womb > lung > kidney > spleen > heart > brain, indicating that the compound could be widely distributed in rat, and the reproductive system may be the principal target of epimedin B for female rat.

Quality differentiation of Epimedium from different harvesting periods based on LC-MS and network pharmacology

“…To further clarify the differences in Epimedium with different harvesting periods, LC-MS analysis was used to identify 14 major compounds. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Due to different signal intensities displayed by the different compounds in the positive and negative ion modes, both the modes were analyzed in this study. The total ion chromatograms in the positive and negative ion modes were shown in Fig.…”

Combination Therapy for Cerebral Ischemia: Do Progesterone and Noscapine Provide Better Neuroprotection Than Either Alone in the Treatment ?

“…The brain tissue was homogenated with isotonic buffer solution (pH 7.4) and centrifuge at 10,000 rpm2-4°C, the supernatant was collected in an Eppendorf tube. 100 µl of brain homogenate was mixed with 300 µl of methanol and further centrifuged at 10,000 rpm; 2-4°C, the supernatant was collected and stored in -20°C for HPLC analysis (Wang et al 2011;Feng et al 2017;Liao et al 2018).…”

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of oroxin B in rats using a validated LC–MS/MS assay

“…However, these methods have their own disadvantages, such as low specificity, poor sensitivity and long chromatographic run times, and so are not suitable for the analysis of oroxin B in biological samples. Nowadays, LC–MS/MS has gained importance for the quantification of drugs in various biological matrices, owing to its high selectivity, reproducibility and analysis throughput (Feng, Xu, Yu, Sun, & Yang, ). Recently, an LC–MS/MS method was developed in our group for simultaneous determination of oroxin B, together with oroxin A, baicalin and chrysin to elucidate their pharmacokinetics (Zhang, Zhang, Teng, & Zhai, ).…”