Identification of Absorbed Constituents and their Metabolites Related to Estrogen-Like Activity of Total Glycosides of Cistanche deserticola in Rat Serum

Abstract

Total glycosides of C. deserticola, Estrogen-like activity, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, in vivo active compounds, Absorbed constituentsCistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine and food raw material with estrogen-like effect; its active ingredients are glycosides. To explore the absorbed constituents of total glycosides (TGs) in vivo and its estrogen-like activity, and reveal its direct acting substances in the body, in this study, 30 female Wistar rats were orally administered with TGs, and serum fingerprints of blood samples collected at 10 different times were established by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. The estrogen-like activity of TGs was evaluated by determining the proliferation rate of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 cells. The spectrum-effect relationship was analyzed by serum fingerprint of TGs to characterize the activity in vivo and identify the active compounds of TGs. In the results, a total of 75 chemical compounds of TGs were identified in serum, including 11 parent molecules and 64 metabolites. The serum fingerprint of TGs were established, and 36 common peaks were identified. The correlation coefficient and the Grey relational degree between the relative area of the common peaks and the estrogen-like activity of TGs were determined through bivariate analysis and Grey relational analysis, respectively. Total 32 chemical components were identified, including methylated cistantubuloside B, acetylated tubuloside B, and acteoside, which are the active compounds leading to the estrogen-like activity of TGs in vivo. In conclusion, this study is expected to provide a theoretical reference for subsequent in-depth studies on the estrogen-like pharmacodynamic material basis of TGs.