Pharmacokinetic characteristics of Bletilla Striata active components in rats and ¹H NMR metabolomics study on...

This study aimed to systematically investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of Bletilla striata extract (BSE) in rats, and its metabolomic regulatory mechanism in ulcerative colitis (UC) model rats, so as to provide a scientific basis for its clinical application and further development. An HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of six small-molecule components in rat plasma. Following methodological validation in accordance with the requirements for biological sample analysis, this method was applied in pharmacokinetic studies.¹H NMR-based untargeted metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate metabolic changes in UC model rats after BSE treatment. Core regulatory targets and potential multi-disease associations were identified using pathway enrichment and network analysis. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that the plasma concentration-time profiles of six components fitted a two-compartment model (R² > 0.999). All compounds were efficiently absorbed into the systemic circulation after intragastric gavage. Untargeted metabolomic analysis demonstrated that BSE exerted a prominent regulatory effect on UC progression. Among these, the core differential metabolites common to colon and feces show strong potential as diagnostic biomarkers for UC. BSE mainly improves intestinal metabolic disorders by regulating the biosynthesis and catabolism of valine, leucine, and isoleucine.Multi-organ metabolic network analysis showed that BSE acts on multiple targets to affect related diseases.Our findings clarify the in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles of Bletilla striata(BS) and its metabolic regulatory mechanism against ulcerative colitis, providing experimental and theoretical support for elucidating the material basis and underlying mechanisms of BS in the treatment of UC.