Lulu Li, Zhiqiang Luo, Yang Liu, Hao Wang, Aoxue Liu, Guohua Yu, Mengwei Li, Ruirui Yang, Xinjing Chen, Jialian Zhu, and Baosheng Zhao
Areca catechu L. nut, a well-known toxic traditional herbal medicine, has been widely used to treat various diseases in China and many other Asian countries for centuries. However, to date the in vivo absorption and metabolism of its multiple bioactive or toxic components still remain unclear. In this study, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the major components and their metabolites in rat plasma and urine after oral administration of Areca catechu L. nut extract (ACNE). A total of 12 compounds, including 6 alkaloids, 3 tannins and 3 amino acids, were confirmed or tentatively identified from ACNE. In vivo, 40 constituents, including 8 prototypes and 32 metabolites were identified in rat plasma and urine samples. In summary, this study showed an insight into the metabolism of ACNE in vivo, which may provide helpful chemical information for better understanding of the toxicological and pharmacological profiles of ACNE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]