Simultaneous measurement of tadehaginoside and its principal metabolite in rats by HPLC–MS/MS and its application in pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study

Abstract Background Tadehaginoside, an active ingredient isolated from Tadehagi triquetrum L., exhibited various biological activities. However, the pharmacokinetics and tissue-distribution which affects tadehaginoside’s therapeutic actions and application remain elusive.MethodsTo clarify the metabolism of tadehaginoside in vivo, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was established to detect the level of tadehaginoside in plasma and eleven tat tissues (brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, body fat, and testes). Besides, this validated method was also successfully applied to the quantitative determination of its metabolite, p-hydroxycinnamic acid (HYD) in plasma. The pharmacokinetic and tissue-distribution of tadehaginoside were investigated by this developed method. ResultsThe pharmacokinetic study indicated that tadehaginoside in plasma of rats with intragastric administration showed relatively low concentration may be due to the formation of its metabolite, and the quick absorption of tadehaginoside was detected following intravenous administration. Tissue-distribution study indicated that kidney and spleen were the major distribution organs for tadehaginoside in rats. ConclusionsThese results could provide clues for exploring the bioactivity of tadehaginoside based on its pharmacokinetic characteristics.