Title:Quantification and Pharmacokinetics Study of Pedunculoside in Rats by Using UPLC-MS/MS
Volume: 17
Issue: 6
Author(s): Aiping Yang, Jiajia Dong, Huimin Zhao, Qichun Zhang, Xuyu Zhu, Lina Gao, Ning Ding, Caihong Li, Ren Peng, Tulin Lu, Lihong Hu*Xiachang Wang*
Affiliation:
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Functional Substances of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023,China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Functional Substances of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023,China
Keywords:
Pedunculoside, triterpene, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, UPLC-MS/MS, methodology validation.
Abstract:
Background: Pedunculoside (PE) is a triterpene saponin from the barks of Ilex rotunda, a
Traditional Chinese Medicine called Jiubiying, which is used for the treatment of cold and fever, tonsillitis,
sore throat, acute and chronic hepatitis. Previous studies have confirmed that crude extract orally
has a significant therapeutic effect on myocardial infarction.
Methods: A simple, sensitive, and specific method by using UPLC-MS/MS to study the pharmacokinetics
of PE in rats was developed and validated, with ilexsaponin A as an internal standard. Methanol
was used as a protein precipitation reagent for blood sample extraction. A Waters Acquity C18 column
(2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) was used for chromatographic separation with a gradient elution of
CH3CN: 0.1% formic acid (0.3 mL·min-1). Negative ion electrospray ionization was used for detection
in multiple reaction monitoring mode.
Results: PE was linear within the concentration range of 0.14-1118.00 ng/mL. The LLOQ was 0.14
ng/mL for the plasma samples. The intra-day and inter-day precision were ranged from 1.18% to
10.48%, while the accuracy ranged from -1.32% to 1.68%, indicating satisfactory precision and accuracy
of the assay. The extraction recoveries for PE and IS were ranged from 81.40% to 86.65%, with
no significant variation among the three concentrations, respectively. PE remained stable at room
temperature (25°C) for 3 h, in auto-sampler (4°C) for 24 h, after three freeze-thaw cycles, and in
long-term storage at ‒20°C for 30 days. The PK results of PE indicated its poor oral bioavailability
(3.37%).
Conclusion: Non-compartmental pharmacokinetics parameters indicated that PE was rapidly distributed
to the tissues and metabolized. The pharmacokinetic data of this paper highlighted the first-time
report of PE oral bioavailability with two different administration manners, which will help to better
understand how PE metabolized in rats and exerted its pharmacological effect in vivo.
