HPLC–MS/MS Analysis of a Traditional Chinese Medical Formulation of Bu-Yang-Huan-Wu-Tang and Its Pharmacokinetics after Oral Administration to Rats

Abstract

Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang (BYHWT) is one of the most popular formulated traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, and is widely for prevention of ischemic cardio-cerebral vascular diseases and stroke-induced disability. A specific high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of the nine main bioactive components, i.e., astragaloside I, astragaloside II, astragaloside IV, formononetin, ononin, calycosin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, ligustilide and paeoniflorin in rat plasma after oral administration of BYHWT extract. This method was applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics in conscious and freely moving rats. No significant matrix effects were observed. The overall analytical procedure was rapid and reproducible, which makes it suitable for quantitative analysis of a large number of samples. Among them, three astragalosides and four isoflavones in A. membranaceus, ligustilide in Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong and paeoniflorin in Radix Paeoniae Rubra were identified. This developed method was then successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of the nine bioactive constituents after oral administration of BYHWT extracts in rats. The pharmacokinetic data demonstrated that astragaloside I, astragaloside II, astragaloside IV and ligustilide presented the phenomenon of double peaks. The other herbal ingredients of formononetin, ononin, calycosin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside and paeoniflorin appeared together in a single and plateau absorption phase. These phenomenona suggest that these components may have multiple absorption sites, regulation of enterohepatic circulation or the gastric emptying rate, or there is ingredient-ingredient interaction. These pharmacokinetic results provide a constructive contribution to better understand the absorption mechanism of BYHWT and to support additional clinical evaluation.

Comparative oral bioavailability of geniposide following oral administration of geniposide, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis fruits extracts and Gardenia herbal formulation in rats

“…As every formulation is composed with multiple herbs, herbs and ingredients may affect and interact with each other because of different physical and chemical characteristics . A previous in vitro study indicated that berberine content (8.15 ± 0.39 mg/g) in herbal formulation of Huang‐Lian‐Jiee‐Dwu‐Tang appeared to be less in the single herb Coptidis Radix (53.63 + 2.45 mg/g) but higher in Phellodendri Cortex (3.02 + 0.22 mg/g) when extracted with water.…”

A narrative review of non-operative treatment, especially traditional Chinese medicine therapy, for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

“…There are nine main bioactive components, i.e., astragaloside I, astragaloside II, astragaloside IV, formononetin, ononin, calycosin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, ligustilide and paeoniflorin in Buyanghuanwu Tang extract (56). This traditional herbal formulation has been widely used in Chinese clinical practice for treatment and prevention of ischemic cardio-cerebral vascular diseases and strokeinduced disability for thousands of years.…”

Upregulation of glutamate metabolism by BYHWD in cultured astrocytes following oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation in part depends on the activation of p38 MAPK

“…At 1 h after the last administration, blood was obtained via cardiac puncture from each group, and defined as the BYHWD-containing serum (BYHWD-CS) and vehicle containing serum (vehicle-CS) samples, respectively. All samples were heated at 56˚C for 30 min to be inactivated, then filtered and kept at -20˚C until further use (16).…”

“…Whether BYHWD directly influences the astrocytic GLT-1/GS levels (through neurons or other types of cells) is not fully understood, and the potential mechanisms remain unknown. Nine bioactive components (including astragaloside I, astragaloside II, astragaloside IV, formononetin, ononin, calycosin, calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, ligustilide and paeoniflorin) have been identified in the plasma subsequent to BYHWD treatment (16). Therefore, it is difficult to use only specific components of the formula to investigate the protective role of BYHWD.…”