Identification and determination of the major constituents in Traditional Chinese Medicinal formula Danggui-Shaoyao-San by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS.

J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2009 Apr 8; Chen L, Qi J, Chang YX, Zhu D, Yu BDanggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS), a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula consisting of six herbal medicines (Paeonia lactiflora, Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Poria cocos, Atractylodis macrocephalae and Rhizoma Alismatis), has been used as a classical gynecological remedy in China for centuries. However, its active substances have remained unknown. In this paper, an HPLC/DAD/ESI-MS/MS method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents in DSS. The ESI-MS/MS fragmentation behavior of the reference compounds was proposed for aiding the structural identification of components in DSS extract. Forty-one compounds including monoterpene glycosides, phenolic acids, phathalides, sesquiterpenoids and triterpenes were identified or tentatively characterized by comparing their retention times, UV and MS spectra with those of authentic compounds or literature data, and 14 of them (gallic acid, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, senkyunolide I, coniferyl ferulate, senkyunolide A, 3-butylphthalide, Z-ligustilide, Z-butylidenephthalide, atractylcnolide II, atractylcnolide I and levistolide A) were determined by HPLC-DAD using a C(18) column and gradient elution of acetonitrile/water-formic acid (100:0.1, v/v). The linearity, precision, accuracy, LOD and LOQ were validated for the quantification method, which proved sensitive, accurate and reproducible. The study might provide a basis for the quality control of DSS extracts and preparations.

The analysis of heavy metals in Chinese herbal medicine by flow injection-mercury hydride system and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

Phytochem Anal. 2009 Apr 29; Yuan X, Ling KH, Keung CWINTRODUCTION: Simple and robust atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) analytical methods were developed to determine the contents of arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) contained in Chinese herbal medicine products or Chinese proprietary medicine. OBJECTIVE: To develop AAS analytical methods to determine the contents of the toxic heavy metals in herbal medicine, and thus monitor them according to the regulated content limits to ensure the quality and safety of herbal products. METHODOLOGY: A flow injection-mercury hydride system technique was used for the quantitation of As and Hg, and a graphite furnace technique was used for the analysis of Pb. Limits of detection (LOD) for the three toxic heavy metals were found to be 0.3 ppb for As, 0.1 ppb for Pb and 0.5 ppb for Hg. Eight samples of 'Yin Qiao Jie Du' tablets available on the market were selected as the model herbal medicine for analysis. CONCLUSION: The developed analytical methods are sensitive enough to detect these heavy metals to meet regulated guidelines. No trace amounts of Hg were found in the test samples due to the fact that the Hg level is less than the LOD. However, variable amounts of As (135.0-5349.3 ppb) and Pb (22.5-968.3 ppb) were found in all products. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hachimijiogan (Ba-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan), a herbal medicine, improves unbalance of calcium metabolism in aged rats.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Apr 28; Ikeda R, Mizoguchi KAged animals as well as elderly humans commonly exhibit calcium (Ca) shortage because of increased Ca excretion into urine and decreased intestinal Ca absorption, which induce elevation of serum PTH levels to maintain serum Ca levels between a normal physiological range. The most important organ that regulates this Ca homeostasis is the kidney. Hachimijiogan (HJG), a traditional herbal medicine in Japan and China, has been used for treating clinical diseases associated with kidney dysfunctions in elderly humans. However, the mechanisms of its pharmacological actions remain to be understood poorly. The present study was designed to examine whether HJG improves age-related unbalance of Ca metabolism at the systemic level using aged rats. For this purpose, this drug was administered to 21-month-old aged rats for 3 months, and several parameters associated with Ca metabolism in serum and urine were measured. Although HJG as well as aging itself did not affect serum Ca levels compared to young (11-week-old) rats, HJG improved increase in urinary Ca excretion and elevation of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in aged rats. However, HJG did not improve marked reduction of intestinal Ca absorption in aged rats. Thus, HJG showed regulating action for age-related unbalance of Ca metabolism at the systemic level. This finding would provide useful information for treating age-related several disorders associated with Ca unbalance.

Effects of Ginkgo biloba Extract Ingestion on the Pharmacokinetics of Talinolol in Healthy Chinese Volunteers (May).

Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Apr 28; Fan L, Tao GY, Wang G, Chen Y, Zhang W, He YJ, Li Q, Lei HP, Jiang F, Hu DL, Huang YF, Zhou HHBACKGROUND: Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), the best selling herbal medicine in the world, has been reported to inhibit P-glycoprotein in vitro. However, the effects of GBE on P-glycoprotein activity in humans have not been clarified. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of single and repeated GBE ingestion on the oral pharmacokinetics of talinolol, a substrate drug for P-glycoprotein in humans. METHODS: Ten unrelated healthy male volunteers were selected to participate in a 3-stage sequential study. Plasma concentrations of talinolol from 0 to 24 hours were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography after talinolol 100 mg was administrated alone, with a single oral dose of GBE (120 mg), and after 14 days of repeated GBE ingestion (360 mg/day). RESULTS: A single oral dose of GBE did not affect the pharmacokinetics of talinolol. Repeated ingestion of GBE increased the talinolol maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) by 36% (90% CI 10 to 68; p = 0.025), the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) 0-24 by 26% (90% CI 11 to 43; p = 0.008) and AUC0-infinity by 22% (90% CI 8 to 37; p = 0.014), respectively, without significant changes in elimination half-life and the time to Cmax. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that long-term use of GBE significantly influenced talinolol disposition in humans, likely by affecting the activity of P-glycoprotein and/or other drug transporters.