Comparative pharmacokinetics of three triterpene acids in rat plasma after oral administration of Poria extract and its formulated herbal preparation: GuiZhi-FuLing capsule.

A sensitive liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric technique coupled with liquid-liquid extraction method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of dehydro-tumulosic acid, tumulosic acid and polyporic acid C in rat plasma. The analytes were separated on a Kromasil C(18) column with a total running time of 12.5 min. Author had compared the pharmacokinetics of dehydro-tumulosic acid, tumulosic acid and polyporic acid C after oral administration of the extract of Poria and its formulated herbal preparation (GuiZhi-FuLing capsule). The improved pharmacokinetic profiles of the three compounds were found in the GuiZhi-FuLing capsule, indicating the more effective absorption and the slower elimination, compared with the Poria extract. Furthermore, this study revealed that as far as the Poria extract was concerned, it is very valuable to be used as a clinical instruction of GF capsule.