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Comparative Study on the Pharmacokinetics of Paeoniflorin, White Peony Root Water Extract, and Taohong Siwu Decoction After Oral Administration in Rats

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Abstract

Background and Objective

Taohong Siwu Decoction (TSD) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound with pharmacological effects such as vasodilation and hypolipidemia. Paeoniflorin (PF) is one of the active ingredients of TSD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of PF in herbal extracts and their purified forms in rats.

Method

A sensitive and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS-MS) method for the determination of PF in rat plasma was developed. Rats were divided into three groups, and given PF solution, water extract of white peony root (WPR), or TSD by gavage. At different predetermined timepoints after gavage, blood was collected from the orbital vein. The pharmacokinetic parameters of PF in the plasma of rats in the three groups was determined.

Results

The pharmacokinetic studies showed that the time to reach maximum concentration (Tmax) of PF in the purified forms group was relatively high, while the half-lives (T½) of PF in the TSD and WPR groups were longer. Among the three groups, PF in the purified forms group had the maximum area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0-t = 732.997 µg/L·h) and the largest maximum concentration (Cmax = 313.460 µg/L), which showed a significant difference compared with the TSD group (P < 0.05). Compared with the purified group, the clearance (CLz/F = 86.004 L/h/kg) and the apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F = 254.787 L/kg) of PF in the TSD group increased significantly (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

A highly specific, sensitive, and rapid HPLC–MS-MS method was developed and applied for the determination of PF in rat plasma. It was found that TSD and WPR can prolong the action time of paeoniflorin in the body.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Wei-chun Chen, Xiao-yi Liang, and Li-yuan Xie contributed equally to this work and should be considered as co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Jichang Road, Guangzhou, 510405, Guangdong Province, China

    Wei-chun Chen, Xiao-yi Liang, Li-yuan Xie, Ming-an Wu, Qi Shen, Wei Zhao, Qi Wang, Yong Liang & Wei-rong Li

  2. School of TCM Healthcare, Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College, Guangzhou, 510520, China

    Li-mei Yao

  3. Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510120, China

    Shi-Jie Zhang

  4. Department of Neurology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510120, China

    Shi-Jie Zhang

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  1. Wei-chun Chen
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yong Liang or Wei-rong Li.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 82074505, 82004430, 81973919), The Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (no. 2023A1515011835), special projects in key fields of ordinary colleges and universities in Guangdong Province (no. 2022ZDZX2078), and general scientific research project of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine (no. 20231246).

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

The experimental design was approved by Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Committee on Animal Care and Use and the study was performed in accordance with the Internal Charter on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animal.

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Not applicable.

Availability of Data and Materials

Data for this study are available on request.

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Authors’ Contributions

WL, YL, QW, SZ, WZ, and LY conceived the idea and designed the study. XL, MW, and QS participated in the experimental study and statistical analysis. WC and YX wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Chen, Wc., Liang, Xy., Xie, Ly. et al. Comparative Study on the Pharmacokinetics of Paeoniflorin, White Peony Root Water Extract, and Taohong Siwu Decoction After Oral Administration in Rats. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 48, 301–310 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13318-023-00825-9

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