Plasma metabolomics analysis of endogenous and exogenous metabolites in the rat after administration of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) is a typical herbal medicine and is used as a functional food. LJF, which has complex chemical compounds, has various biological effects. The global metabolomics, focusing on both the endogenous and exogenous metabolites, have not yet been investigated for LJF in normal healthy rats using LC–MS. In this study, plasma metabolomics was analyzed after the administration of LJF at different time intervals, and the exogenous metabolites were identified. Partial least squares discriminant analysis showed significant differences in chemical content in the dosed rats. Cholic acid, indoleacrylic acid, indolelactic acid, hippuric acid, N-acetyl-phenylalanine, and N-acetyl-serotonin significantly accumulated in the dosed rats. Lysophosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylcholine content, including plasmalogen, increased. There were 25 components of LJF, including 15 prototypes and 10 metabolites, that were identified. The 15 prototypes included phenolic acids, flavonoids, and iridoids, and their contents decreased with an increase in the administration time. Glucuronidation and sulfation of polyphenols were found for LJF. The exogenous glucuronide and sulfate metabolites—including dihydrocoumaric acid-sulfate, dihydrocaffeic acid-sulfate, dihydroferulic acid-sulfate, apigenin-glucuronide, apigenin-glucuronide-sulfate, isorhamnetin-glucuronide-sulfate, and others—were identified with a neutral loss of 176 and 80, respectively. The metabolic differences found in the study may serve as biomarkers of LJF consumption and promote the understanding of the mechanism of action of LJF.