Abstract
Polygonum capitatum has unique curative effects on the urinary system. In fact, many Polygonum capitatum-based preparations are currently used in the clinic. In China, the combination of levofloxacin (LVFX) with a Chinese herbal preparation derived from Polygonum capitatum has been used for the clinical treatment of urinary system diseases, which can improve the curative effects and reduce the side effects of LVFX. However, the herb-drug interaction (HDI) between these drugs has not been reported and the effect of Polygonum capitatum on the in vivo process of LVFX is unclear. In this article, a sensitive ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to evaluate the effects of the combined application of LVFX and the Polygonum capitatum extract on tissue distribution and excretion. Thereafter, the method was validated for selectivity, accuracy, precision, linearity, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), dilution integrity, recovery, and matrix effect. Based on tissue distribution, LVFX could diffuse into all of the tested tissues, with significant differences in the content of each tissue between the coadministration group and single administration group. At 48 h after the combination was orally administered, the urinary cumulative excretion of LVFX decreased from 20.69% to 11.84% while its fecal cumulative excretion decreased from 26.08% to 13.28%. Our results suggest that a drug interaction exists between the two drugs in the process of distribution and excretion. This study provides important experimental evidence for further studies on the clinical efficacy and mechanism of the Polygonum capitatum extract and LVFX.
Highlights
IntroductionTraditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in China to treat diseases
For thousands of years, traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in China to treat diseases
We investigated the distribution of LVFX in rats for 0.25, 0.5, 2, and 6 h using two drug delivery modes including the absorption phase, equilibrium phase, and elimination phase, which were selected according to the preliminary experimental results. e tissue distribution of LVFX is shown in Figure 2. e drug could be detected in 15 min within the single administration group and the combination group
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in China to treat diseases. With the development of modern medicine, more and more people are trying to combine herbs and western medicines clinically to explore new medication options [1,2,3]. The combination of Eugenia jambolana extract and sitagliptin caused significant improvement in the comorbidities associated with diabetes mellitus compared to sitagliptin treatment alone [5]. Extracts potentiated the activity of conventional antibiotics, without significantly affecting the toxicity of the combination [6]. The composition of Chinese herbal medicine is complex, and there is little information about the pharmacokinetics of many phytochemicals present in herbal medicine. When used with western medicine especially, coadministration of herbs and conventional medicines will lead to increased potential risks of herbs interacting with the medicine; for example, combining ginseng with warfarin could increase
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
