The UHPLC-MS/MS determination and pharmacokinetic study of three active compounds in male rats after oral administration of Saxifraga stolonifera (L.) Meerb extract

Abstract

Saxifraga stolonifera (S. stolonifera) has been used to cure various diseases effectively while little is known about the pharmacokinetic properties of the bioactive components of S. stolonifera. The aim of this study is to develop an UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of gallic acid (GA), bergenin (BG) and quercetin-3-O-β-L-rhamnopyranoside (QR), three bioactive compounds of S. stolonifera, and to apply the method for a pharmacokinetic study to learn how dosage variations of S. stolonifera alters the pharmacokinetics of GA, BG and QR in treated rats. The decoctions at low dose, middle dose, and high dose of S. stolonifera extract were administered orally to rats. The results showed that variations of S. stolonifera extract doses altered the contents of GA, BG and QR in rat blood. GA, BG and QR could be rapidly absorbed into the circulation. T_max of GA was 40–100 min. T_max of BG was 80–100 min. T_max of QR was 20 min. The AUC_0–t of the three compounds increased with the dose of S. stolonifera extract. The pharmacokinetics parameters obtained in this study provide a meaningful basis for evaluation of the interactions between the components in a complex prescription on the pharmacokinetics of the three bioactive compounds extracted from S. stolonifera.