Wang Lu, Li Sen, Li Jiaxin, Cheng Zhongzhe, Feng Yulin, Ouyang Hui, Du Zhifeng, Jiang Hongliang
Tongji School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Department of Pharmacy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
J Pharm Anal. 2021 Feb;11(1):96-107. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.03.010. Epub 2020 Mar 23.
(AR) is widely used in Chinese medicine, and its major bioactive components, triterpenes, reportedly possess various pharmacological activities. Therefore, it is very important to study the metabolism of triterpenes in vivo. However, the metabolism of AR triterpene extract has not been comprehensively elucidated due to its complex chemical components and metabolic pathways. In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, which was based on the characteristic ions from an established database of known triterpenes, was used to analyze the major metabolites in rats following the oral administration of extracts (ARE). As a result, a total of 233 constituents, with 85 prototype compounds and 148 metabolites, were identified for the first time. Hydrogenation, oxidation, sulfate and glucuronidation conjugation were the major metabolic pathways for triterpenes in AR. In addition, the mutual in vivo transformation of known ARE triterpenes was discovered and confirmed for the first time. Those results provide comprehensive insights into the metabolism of AR in vivo, which will be useful for future studies on its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Moreover, this established strategy may be useful in metabolic studies of similar compounds.
积雪草苷（AR）在中药中广泛应用，其主要生物活性成分三萜类化合物据报道具有多种药理活性。因此，研究三萜类化合物在体内的代谢非常重要。然而，由于积雪草苷三萜提取物化学成分和代谢途径复杂，其代谢尚未得到全面阐明。在本研究中，基于已知三萜类化合物数据库中的特征离子，采用超高效液相色谱四极杆飞行时间质谱法分析大鼠口服积雪草苷提取物（ARE）后的主要代谢产物。结果，首次鉴定出总共233种成分，其中包括85种原型化合物和148种代谢产物。氢化、氧化、硫酸化和葡萄糖醛酸化结合是积雪草苷中三萜类化合物的主要代谢途径。此外，首次发现并证实了已知积雪草苷三萜类化合物在体内的相互转化。这些结果为积雪草苷在体内的代谢提供了全面的见解，这将有助于其未来药效学和药代动力学的研究。此外，所建立的策略可能对类似化合物的代谢研究有用。
