Chemical Profiling and Quantification of Potential Bioactive Components in Gandouling Pill by Ultra-High Performance...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Phytochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background:

• Gandouling (GDL) Pill is a novel Traditional Chinese medicinal drug used clinically for treating Wilson's disease.
• It is a complex formulation comprising six distinct herbal medicines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the chemical constituents of GDL Pill.
• To quantify potential bioactive components and establish a quality control strategy.

Main Methods:

• Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) was employed for compound characterization.
• Rat plasma absorption components were analyzed using target-Selected Ion Monitoring (t-SIM) scan mode.
• UPLC/diode array detector (DAD) was used for simultaneous determination of major absorption components.

Main Results:

• A total of 69 compounds were characterized, including alkaloids, ketones, phenolic compounds, organic acids, and tanshinones.
• 18 components were detected in rat plasma, identified as potential bioactive compounds.
• Alkaloids, specifically coptisine, berberine, and palmatine from Coptidis Rhizoma, were the most abundant bioactive compounds.

Conclusions:

• The proposed strategy is effective for elucidating the material basis of GDL Pill.
• The identified abundant alkaloids can serve as quality markers for GDL Pill.
• A simple and accurate method for GDL Pill quality control was established.