The roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. show excellent effects against rheumatism and cardiovascular diseases, but the effective compounds, C 19 -diester and monoester diterpenoid alkaloids (DDAs and MDAs) are toxic for their narrow therapeutic windows. It is noteworthy to investigate intestinal metabolism of these toxic compounds mainly by oral administration, because gut also express drug-metabolizing enzymes as well as liver. This study initially focused on phase I and phase II metabolism of DDAs (including aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine) and MDAs (including benzoylaconine, benzoylmesaconine and benzoylhypaconine) in human intestine microsomes (HIM), with comparison of metabolism in human liver microsomes (HLM). CYP3A in HIM mainly catalyzed phase I metabolism of DDAs and MDAs, with polarity increased. The intestinal metabolic profiles of DDAs were more various than MDAs. No glucuronide metabolites were detected, which was in agreement with HLM metabolism. The results showed that gut played an important role in detoxification of DDAs and MDAs by oral administration. Moreover, eight new metabolites from DDAs were identified in microsomes incubations by UPLC-Q-TOF-HRMS/MS. Our findings provided reference to the detoxification of DDAs and MDAs in the intestine in vivo and supplemented the phase I metabolic pathways for DDAs.
Yang Yu,Changliang Yao,Jianqing Zhang,Yong Huang,Shuai Yao,Hua Qu,Tong Zhang,Dean Guo
Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi) represents a significant traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that exhibits both notable pharmacological effects and toxicity. Various processing methods are implemented to reduce the toxicity of raw Fuzi by modifying its toxic and effective components, primarily diterpenoid alkaloids. To comprehensively analyze the chemical variations between different Fuzi products, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was employed to systematically characterize Shengfuzi, Heishunpian and Baifupian. A total of 249 diterpenoid alkaloids present in Shengfuzi were identified, while only 111 and 61 in Heishunpian and Baifupian were detected respectively, indicating substantial differences among these products. An untargeted metabolomics approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis revealed 42 potential chemical markers. Through subsequent validation using 52 batches of commercial Heishunpian and Baifupian samples, 8 robust markers distinguishing these products were identified, including AC1-propanoic acid-3OH, HE-glucoside, HE-hydroxyvaleric acid-2OH, dihydrosphingosine, N -dodecoxycarbonylvaline and three unknown compounds. Additionally, the MS imaging (MSI) technique was utilized to visualize the spatial distribution of chemical constituents in raw Fuzi, revealing how different processing procedures affect the chemical variations between Heishunpian and Baifupian. The distribution patterns of different diterpenoid alkaloid subtypes partially explained the chemical differences among products. This research provides valuable insights into the material basis for future investigations of different Fuzi products.
Min Zhang,Ying Peng,Mengyue Wang,Beibei Gao,Lijuan Zhao,Xiaobo Li
Ethnopharmacological relevance In traditional Chinese medicine , processed aconite root (lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.) is used as the principle herb of the Si-Ni decoction (SND) formula due to its cardiotonic effect, while its cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity caused by diester and monoester diterpenoid alkaloids are reduced by compatibility of dried ginger and honey-processed liquorice in SND. Aim of the study To investigate the detoxification of processed aconite root by compatibility of SND from the perspective of intestinal absorption with metabolism in intestinal bacteria . Materials and methods Decoctions of processed aconite root (AD), processed aconite root and honey-processed liquorice (ALD), and SND with the same amount of each herb were prepared, then were incubated in human intestinal bacteria juice (IBJ) in vitro for different durations. Bidirectional transmembrane transports of these decoctions and their IBJ-incubated decoctions were conducted on Caco-2 monolayers. Correlation between efflux ratios changes of benzoylmesaconine, benzoylaconine, benzoylhypaconine (monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids, MDAs) and hypaconitine (diester-diterpenoid alkaloids) from processed aconite root, and metabolic trends of compounds from honey-processed liquorice and dried ginger were also performed. Results The absorption of MDAs from processed aconite root was increased by combination with honey-processed liquorice in ALD, but they were decreased significantly by the addition of dried ginger in SND. Take benzoylhypaconine for example, the P app, AP to BL soared from ( 3.13 ± 0.18) × 10 −7 cm/s in AD to (23.32 ± 3.51) × 10 −7 cm/s in ALD, while it dropped to (1.12 ± 0.17) × 10 −7 cm/s in SND. When herb combined decoctions metabolised by intestinal bacteria for 12 h, the efflux ratio of benzoylhypaconine were both increased from 0.56 to 1.21 in ALD and from 1.10 to 2.61 in SND, which was correlative with the generation of davidigenin and glycyrrhetic acid (the metabolites of chalcones and pentacyclic triterpenoids from liquorice) in ALD and with the metabolism of [6]-gingerol (the major compound from dried ginger) in SND, respectively. Conclusions Compatibility of SND altered the intestinal absorption of toxic MDAs and hypaconitine from processed aconite root. In SND, dried ginger rather than honey-processed liquorice played the role of detoxification of these toxic compounds in the intestinal absorption. The intestinal detoxification of SND was significantly and strongly correlative with metabolism of dried ginger and honey-processed liquorice by intestinal bacteria, simultaneously.