Characterization of multiple constituents in rat plasma after oral administration of Shengmai San using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry

Abstract

Shengmai San (SMS), a well-known traditional Chinese medical formula containing seven herbal medicines, has been used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease in Asian countries, however, so far its active chemical constituents remain unclear. To quickly identify the chemical constituents of SMS and to understand the chemical profiles related to the in vivo activity of SMS, a rapid and robust ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-HDMS) approach has been applied for the online identification of multiple components in rat plasma after the oral administration of SMS. MetaboLynx software, which is a novel post-acquisition data processing software to detect components, was also conducted to discover bioactive components in vivo. A total of 30 compounds were detected in dosed rat plasma compared with blank rat plasma and tentatively characterized by comparing their retention times and MS spectra with those of authentic compounds or literature data. Furthermore, this work demonstrated the possibilities of using the UPLC-Q-TOF-HDMS approach for the identification of bioactive compounds from herbal medicines in vivo. Our present results also proved that the established method could provide helpful chemical information for further pharmacological studies of SMS.