Identification of Chemical Constituents and Blood-absorbed Components of Shenqi Fuzheng Extract Based on UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS Technology

Abstract

Background and objectives Shenqi Fuzheng (SQ) is a widely used Chinese medicine formula known for its immune-enhancing and Qi-supplementing properties. However, the blood-absorbed components of SQ and their pharmacokinetics remain underexplored. This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the chemical constituents of SQ and investigate their absorption and pharmacokinetic behavior in rat plasma.

Methods Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (hereinafter referred to as UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS) is employed to identify the chemical components in SQ extract and quantify the components absorbed into the blood after oral administration in rats. This method provides fragmentation patterns of compounds and key pharmacokinetic profiles of blood-absorbed compounds.

Results A total of 105 compounds are identified from the SQ extract, and 40 are detected in the blood following oral administration. Organic acids and amino acids are found at higher concentrations in the bloodstream. Compounds such as Astragalosides promptly enter the bloodstream within 5 m after administration, with levels declining after 15 m. Flavonoids are absorbed within 15-30 m, and the peak of alkaloids occurs approximately 1 h after administration.

Conclusions This study provides new insights into the chemical composition and pharmacokinetics of SQ, highlighting the dynamic changes in the content of absorbed compounds in the blood. It further promotes the comprehensive characterization of traditional Chinese medicine formulations through UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS. Future research should focus on elucidating the pharmacological activities of the identified compounds and investigating their potential synergistic effects within the formulation.

Keywords

Traditional Chinese medicine / Ultra-performance liquid chromatogra-phy-triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry / UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS / Chemical composition / Blood-absorbed components / Chinese medicine compound / Shenqi Fuzheng

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the High-Performance Computing Cluster of the Zhejiang University Innovation Center of the Yangtze River Delta for their technical support.

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82204772).

Conflict of interest

XHF and JL have been editorial board members of Future Integra-tive Medicine since March 2024. LFL and WHH are employees of Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc. This company has no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper. The other au-thors report no conflict of interest in this work.

Author contributions

Research design, material preparation, writing and revision of the manuscript (MLW, MG, YNH, LFL, WHH), data collec-tion (XL, ZWG, BJZ), conceptualization and supervision of the project (JL, XHF). All authors approve the final version of the manuscript.

Ethical statement

This study was carried out in accordance with the recommenda-tions in the Regulations for the Administration of Affairs Concern-ing Experimental Animals and Guidelines for the Ethical Review of Laboratory Animal Welfare. The Animal Care and Use Com-mittee of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine approved the animal experiments (Protocol Number: 22768). All surgery was performed under tribromoethanol, and all efforts were made to minimize suffering.

Data sharing statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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