Research Article Serum Pharmacochemistry Analysis Using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS after Oral Administration to Rats of Shenfu Decoction

Copyright © 2015 Jia-le He et al.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The purpose of this study was to study the serum pharmacochemistry of SFD as well as the material basis through analyzing the constituents absorbed in blood. The SFD was orally administrated to Wistar rats at 20 g⋅kg−1, and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) fingerprints of SFD were created. Serum samples were collected for analysis, and further data processing usedMarkerLynxXS software. 19 ginsenosides and 16 alkaloidswere detected in SFD.Theabsorption of alkaloids (mainlymonoester diterpenoid alkaloids) increased when Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. was combined with Panax ginseng, while the ginsenosides remained stable.Diester diterpenoid alkaloidswere not present in the serum samples. A suitable serumpharmacochemistrymethod was successfully established to study pharmacological effects and potential improvements in formulation. This may also be useful for toxicity reduction. We suspect that the increased absorption of the monoester diterpenoid alkaloids from the mixture of Panax and Radix, compared to the Panax only extract, may be the reason for the combination of the two herbs in popular medicine formulas in China. 1