Toxicokinetics of 11 Gelsemium Alkaloids in Rats by UPLC-MS/MS

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Gelsemium elegans is a toxic traditional Chinese medicine containing numerous alkaloids.
• No method exists for simultaneous detection of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids in rat plasma.
• Toxicokinetic data for these alkaloids after intravenous administration is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop a sensitive and rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous detection of 11 Gelsemium alkaloids in rat plasma.
• Investigate the toxicokinetic behavior of these alkaloids following intravenous administration.
• Provide scientific data to improve the efficacy and safety of Gelsemium-based drugs.

Main Methods:

• Developed a UPLC-MS/MS method using a Waters UPLC BEH C18 column.
• Employed gradient elution with methanol and water (0.1% formic acid) as the mobile phase.
• Utilized positive electrospray ionization for quantitative analysis with multiple reaction monitoring.

Main Results:

• The method demonstrated high sensitivity and rapidity for detecting 11 Gelsemium alkaloids.
• Precision was <16%, accuracy ranged from 86.9% to 113.2%, extraction efficiency >75.8%, and matrix effects 88.5%-107.8%.
• Calibration curves showed excellent linearity (R² > 0.995) in the range of 0.1-200 ng/mL.

Conclusions:

• The developed UPLC-MS/MS method is suitable for toxicokinetic studies of Gelsemium alkaloids.
• The toxicokinetic data provides a foundation for understanding the pharmacology and toxicology of Gelsemium alkaloids.
• This research offers scientific evidence supporting the clinical application of Gelsemium alkaloids.