Comparative Tissue Distribution of 11 Components in Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba in Normal and Asthmatic Mice Using an Ultra‐High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography‐Electrospray Ionization‐Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method

ABSTRACT We developed an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS) system for the analysis of tissue distribution of 11 components between normal and asthmatic mice after gavage of Gerberae Piloselloidis Herba (GPH) extract. Chromatographic separation was performed on an ACQUITY UHPLC BEH C18 analytical column with a gradient elution using acetonitrile and water, both acidified with formic acid 0.1%. Detection and quantification were performed using a triple‐quad mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface. The proposed method showed a linear response ( r > 0.99), and the accuracy was between −15.0% and 15.0%. The precision data showed a relative standard deviation of <15.0%. The linearity, precision, and accuracy over this range were acceptable. The extraction recovery was between 95.25% and 106.12% and no matrix effect was observed. It was found that the 11 components could be rapidly distributed to such tissues as heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney after oral administration, among which the concentration of marmesin was higher in liver, lung, and spleen, while for the remaining 10 components, their concentration was higher in lung, spleen, and kidney, but lower in liver. Under normal and pathological conditions, tissue distribution of these 11 components varies significantly, where there appeared the most obvious difference appearing for compounds arbutin, marmesin, and luteolin, suggesting that these three compounds might be the main pharmacological substances of GPH for the treatment of allergic asthma. This provides a reference basis for the in‐depth development and utilization of GPH.