Comparative pharmacokinetics study of leonurine and stachydrine in normal rats and rats with cold‐stagnation and blood‐stasis primary dysmenorrhoea after the administration of Leonurus japonicus houtt electuary

Leonurus japonicus houtt, a well‐known herb of traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used to treat gynaecological diseases. In this study, a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneously quantifying leonurine and stachydrine, the two main bioactive components in Leonurus japonicus houtt, was developed and validated. Plasma samples were prepared by protein precipitation with acetonitrile and separation by a Hewlett Packard XDB‐C8 column (150 × 4.6 mm, id, 5 μm) equipped with a gradient elution system containing methanol‐water and 0.1% formic acid at a flow‐rate of 0.4 mL/min. Components were then detected by a mass spectrometer in positive electrospray ionization mode. This method showed good linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, stability, and negligible matrix effects, which were within acceptable ranges. The method was successfully applied to compare the pharmacokinetics in normal rats and rats with cold‐stagnation and blood‐stasis primary dysmenorrhoea treated with Leonurus japonicus houtt electuary. The result showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the pharmacokinetic parameters between the primary dysmenorrhoea and normal groups. This result implied that Leonurus japonicus houtt electuary remained longer and was absorbed slower in rats with primary dysmenorrhoea and exhibited higher bioavailability and peak concentration.     

Dried and Fermented Powders of Edible Algae (Neopyropia yezoensis) Attenuate Hepatic Steatosis in Obese Mice

Edible algae Neopyropia yezoensis is used as “Nori”, its dried sheet product, in Japanese cuisine. Its lipid components reportedly improve hepatic steatosis in obese db/db mice. In this study, we prepared “Nori powder (NP)” and “fermented Nori powder (FNP)” to utilize the functional lipids contained in “Nori” and examined their nutraceutical effects in vivo. Male db/db mice were fed a basal AIN-76 diet, a 10% NP-supplemented diet, or a 10% FNP-supplemented diet for 4 weeks. We detected eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) present in both NP and FNP in the serum and liver of db/db mice in a dose-dependent manner. The NP diet reduced hepatic triglyceride accumulation (by 58%) in db/db mice by modulating gene expression, which resulted in the inhibition of lipogenic enzyme activity. Additionally, NP intake significantly suppressed the expression of inflammatory genes in the liver and hepatic injury marker levels in the sera (by 26%) of db/db mice. The FNP diet also led to a marked reduction in hepatic triglyceride accumulation (by 50%) and hepatic injury (by 28%) in db/db mice, and the mechanism of these alleviative actions was similar to that of the NP diet. Although the EPA content of FNP was one-third that of NP, metabolomic analysis revealed that bioactive betaine analogs, such as stachydrine, betaine, and carnitine, were detected only in FNP. In conclusion, we suggest that (1) mechanical processing of “Nori” makes its lipid components readily absorbable by the body to exert their lipid-lowering effects, and (2) fermentation of “Nori” produces anti-inflammatory molecules and lipid-lowering molecules, which together with the lipid components, can exert hepatic steatosis-alleviating effects.     

前列泰片在家兔体内的药代动力学研究

应用柱前衍生化HPLC法测定了以 4 %前列泰片悬浮液灌饲 (31mL/kg)家兔后 ,兔血浆中水苏碱 (Stachy drine)浓度 .结果表明水苏碱在家兔血中的经时变化符合二室模型 :峰浓度 (Cmax) 6 .2 9± 0 .84 μg/mL ;达峰时间(Tmax) 3.36± 0 .6 4h ;分布相半衰期 (T1/ 2α) 5 .35± 3.79h ;消除相半衰期 (T1/ 2 β) 32 .38± 2 4 .33h ;药时曲线下面积 (AUC)2 0 8.15± 118.4 μg/ (mL·h)