Determination and comparison of alkaloids and triterpenes among tissues after oral administration of crude and processed <i>Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex</i> by UPLC-QqQ-MS

Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex is widely used in the clinic of traditional Chinese medicine. In order to enlarge the range of application, it is necessary to processed with honey, salt-water, and rice-wine, respectively. We hope to elucidate the connotation of processing, an UPLC-QqQ-MS method was used for determination and comparison the tissue distribution of alkaloids and triterpenes after oral administration water-extracts of crude and processed products. The results showed that the berberine, phellodendrine, magnoflorine, limonin, and obacunone in crude and processed products were distributed in all tissues, especially in the small intestine and stomach. In this study, we can provide a scientific basis for explaining the processing connotation of Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex processed with salt-water and rice-wine, respectively.