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Bavachinin (BVC), one of the main bioactive prenylated flavonoids derived from Psoralea corylifolia Linn, has a wide variety of pharmacological effects, such as antiangiogenic, antitumor, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities, especially as a pan-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors agonist. A rapid and sensitive method for quantifying BVC in rat plasma was developed and validated through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, a complete metabolic investigation of BVC was performed through ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In the pharmacokinetic analysis, BVC exhibited rapid oral absorption (T max  = 0.68 ± 0.21 h), good elimination (T 1/2  = 2.27 ± 1.63 h) following oral administration and poor absolute bioavailability (5.27%). Moreover, 11 metabolites of BVC in plasma, urine, bile and feces were characterized. The main metabolic pathways of BVC involved isomeriszation, glucuronidation, sulfonation, hydroxylation, methoxylation and reduction. In conclusion, the present study provides a sensitive quantitative method with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL and an improved comprehension of the physiological disposition of BVC., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Zhi-Zi-Da-Huang decoction (ZZDHD), a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription composed of four herbal medicines, has been widely used in treating various hepatobiliary disorders for a long time. The objective of this study was to develop a sensitive and efficient liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for quantitative determination of 20 active constituents, including three iridoid glycosides, 11 flavonoids, three anthraquinones and three tannins in ZZDHD. Separation was achieved on a phenomenex kinetex C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm, 2.6 µm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water. Detection was performed with electrospray ionization source in the negative ionization and selected ion monitoring mode. The established method was validated by determining the linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.9983), limit of quantification (0.16-300 ng/mL), precision (RSD ≤ 4.6%), average recovery (96.0-105.6%), repeatability (RSD ≤ 3.2%) and stability (RSD ≤ 4.5%). Then, the method was successfully applied to investigate the chemical composition variations owing to the interaction between the four component herbs of ZZDHD during the extraction process. It was found that different combinations of the herbs affect the extraction efficiency of chemical constituents in different ways. The validated LC-MS method provides a meaningful basis for quality control and further research on ZZDHD., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)