Abstract
Herba Epimedii (Epimedium) is a kind of tonic herb, widely used in China. Epimedin A is a major component of Herba Epimedii with bioactivities. Analysis of the metabolic profile in vivo plays a pivotal role in understanding how traditional Chinese medicine works. And the metabolites of epimedin A might influence the effects of Herba Epimedii. Moreover, the metabolic routes of epimedin A provide an important basis for safety evaluation. Until now, little has been known about the metabolism of epimedin A. The current study was designed to characterize the metabolic pathways of epimedin A in vivo. The metabolites in rat plasma, bile, feces, and urine were identified by UPLC/Q–TOF–MS analysis. A total of 27 metabolites from epimedin A were detected or tentatively identified. The major metabolic processes were hydrolysis, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, demethylation, and conjugation with glucuronic acid and different sugars. The present study revealed the metabolic pathways of epimedin A in rat for the first time, and epimedin A could undergo extensive phase I and phase II metabolism in rat. These findings would provide an important basis for the further study and clinical application of epimedin A. In addition, the results of this work have shown the feasibility of the UPLC/Q–TOF–MS approach for rapid and reliable characterization of metabolites.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81274088 and 30973978), and the Foundation for High-Level Talent in Six Areas of Jiangsu Province (2013-YY006).
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Cui, L., Xu, F., Jiang, J. et al. Identification of Metabolites of Epimedin A in Rats Using UPLC/Q–TOF–MS. Chromatographia 77, 1223–1234 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-014-2717-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10337-014-2717-6