Objective: Our previous studies substantiated that the biological activity of Schisandra chinensis lignans during the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was mediated by neurotransmitter levels, and 15 of its active components were identified. However, the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationship of Schisandra chinensis lignans has been less studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Schisandra chinensis lignans in the treatment of AD, and to establish a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model.Methods and Results: Herein, we established a microdialysis-ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry (MD-LC-TQ-MS) technique that could simultaneously and continuously collect and quantitatively analyze the active compounds and neurotransmitters related to the therapeutic effects of Schisandra chinensis in awake AD rats. Eight lignans were detected in the hippocampus, and a PK-PD model was established. The fitted curves highlighted a temporal lag between the maximum drug concentration and the peak drug effect. Following treatment, the levels of four neurotransmitters tended to converge with those observed in the sham operation group.Conclusion: By establishing a comprehensive concentration-time-effect relationship for Schisandra chinensis lignans in AD treatment, our study provides novel insights into the in vivo effects of these lignans in AD rats.
A significant quantity of residues will produce when volatile oil in Schisandra chinensis fruit is extracted by steam distillation. It is important to investigate the residues for potential use. Currently, there is an increasing demand for anti-photoaging products due to the skin damage caused by UV radiation. In this paper, the ingredients of the residues were investigated, and the anti-photoaging activities of residues extracts were studied. The results showed that the residues still contained notable amounts of lignans, flavonoids, and organic acids. In the extracted fraction of dichloromethane (DE), the residues contained higher amounts of schizandrol B and schisantherin A compared to the fresh fruit. The levels were particularly high at 17.39 ± 0.02 and 52.58 ± 0.04 mg/ml, respectively. By lowering the amount of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and type I collagen (COL-I) loss in fibroblasts, the residues showed targeted benefits in the fight against skin photoaging. In particular, the DE-R phase of residues was very successful in raising the level of COL-I, matching or even exceeding that of retinol (ROL) and undistilled fresh fruits. Protocatechuic acid, schizandrol A, schizandrol B, schisantherinA, schisandrin A and schizandrin B were found to have a significant correlation with the anti-photoaging ability of residues. Particularly, there was a strong and significant correlation between an increase in COL-I and schizandrol B (|ρ| = 0.829*) and schisantherin A (|ρ| = 0.928**), and the distillation procedure has the potential to increase the amount of schizandrol B and schisantherin A in the residues. Graphical