Comparative study on the stability/intestinal absorption kinetics of 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside derived from Polygoni Multiflori Radix and its herb pairs

Abstract

The 2,3,5,4’-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (THSG) is a main active ingredient of Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR). In this study, THSG was found to be a differential chemical composition between PMR and its compatible herb pairs through chemometrics techniques. The effects of the herb pairs Codonopsis Radix-PMR, Astragali Radix-PMR, and Ophiopogonis Radix (OR)-PMR on the stability and absorption behavior of THSG were investigated by simulating the digestive environment in vitro and using an everted gut sac model. The results indicated that the compatible pairs were able to significantly increase the stability of THSG in the gastrointestinal tract and delay the absorption of THSG in the small intestine. OR had the most obvious influence on THSG as the t0.9 values of THSG increased by 14.74- and 6.68-fold in simulated gastric juice and small intestinal fluid, and the apparent permeability coefficient of THSG were 2.07- and 1.97-fold lower for OR-PMR in the ileum and duodenum, respectively. Thus, the compatibility could potentially be used to change the biopharmaceutical properties of THSG. Moreover, the present study established a research method for describing the compatibilities of traditional Chinese medicine based on stability-intestinal absorption, which may provide important reference values for the compatibilities of traditional Chinese medicine.