Identification of major alkaloids and steroidal saponins in rat serum by HPLC-diode array detection-MS/MS following oral administration of Huangbai-Zhimu herb-pair Extract.

Huangbai-Zhimu herb-pair (HBZMHP) is a widely used Chinese traditional medicine formula in treating various diseases; however, its active components have remained unknown. In this paper, serum chemistry and combined high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), diode-array detection and mass-spectrometry (MS) techniques were used to study the constituents of HBZMHP extract absorbed into rat serum after oral administration. A total of nine characteristic HPLC peaks in the TIC chromatograms were identified as magnoflorine (1), menisperine (2), palmatine (3), berberine (4), timosaponin N or timosaponin E1 (5), timosaponin D (6), timosaponin BIII, anemarsaponin C or xilingsaponin B (7) timosaponin BII (8) and timosaponin AIII (9). All of the identified peaks were constituents of HBZMHP extract. The results narrow the range of active compounds to be found in HBZMHP extract, and pave the way for the follow-up action mechanism research.