LC-DAD-APCI-MS-based screening and analysis of the absorption and metabolite components in plasma from a rabbit administered an oral solution of danggui

A valid chromatographic fingerprint method using liquid chromatography-diode array detection-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry in negative mode (LC-DAD-APCI-MS) is proposed for studying the absorption and metabolites of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Angelica sinensis (danggui) in rabbit plasma, after the rabbit is administered with danggui oral solution (DOS). More than thirty-two common components were detected in both DOS and rabbit plasma, which shows that the components in the DOS were absorbed into the body of the rabbit. Of these, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H, Z-6,7-epoxyligustilide, 3-butylidene-7-hydroxyphthalide, Z-ligustilide, Z-butylidenephthalide, Diels-Alder dimers of ligustilide, linolenic acid, linoleic acid and falcarindiol were tentatively identified from their MS, UV spectra and retention behavior by comparing the results with the published literature. At least ten components were found in rabbit plasma but not in DOS, indicating that these components must be metabolites of some of the components in the original extract. The results prove that the proposed method can be used to rapidly analyze multiple constituents in TCMs, and to screen for bioactive compounds by comparing and contrasting the chromatographic fingerprints of DOS and plasma samples.