Abstract
Eucommiae Cortex (EC), a rare, nourishing medicinal herb that is native in China, has good effect in the treatment of hypertension. In this study, we compared tissue distribution of six representative active components of EC extract—genipinic acid (GA), protocatechuic acid (PCA), neochlorogenic acid (NCA), chlorogenic acid (CA), (+)-pinoresinol di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PDG), and (+)-pinoresinol 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PG)—between normal rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Each rat was intragastrically given EC extract at a dose of 5.4 g/kg. Rats were sacrificed at 10 min, 30 min, 2 h, and 8 h after administration; six rats were sacrificed at each time point. Then, we quickly harvested their major organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and brain. Using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), we determined the levels of the above mentioned six components in the organs of both types of rats and then analyzed differences in the tissue distribution. The results showed that levels of each component differed between SHRs and the normal group at each time point. As time progressed, the number of organs in which GA distribution in each tissue of SHRs differed from that of the normal group gradually increased: SHRs showed lower GA levels than normal rats. Levels of PG and PDG in both groups at 10 and 30 min were similar. NCA and CA in the SHR group and the normal group at 10 min, 30 min, and 2 h were also similar to some extent. The results indicated that the pathological state of spontaneous hypertension could affect tissue distribution of EC active components in rats.
Highlights
Hypertension, known as the “silent killer” [1, 2], is a chronic systemic disease characterized by a continuous increase in systemic arterial blood pressure; it is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in the world
We administered Eucommiae Cortex (EC) extract to both normal rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) to investigate the distribution of the herb’s active components including genipinic acid (GA), protocatechuic acid (PCA), neochlorogenic acid (NCA), chlorogenic acid (CA), pinoresinol di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PDG), and pinoresinol 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PG) in important tissue organs of rats in the physiological state and in the pathological state of spontaneous hypertension that were administered with EC extract
We have described the preparation of EC extract in our previous study [14]. e amounts of GA, PDG, PG, PCA, CA, and NCA in the EC extracts were 4.67, 10.39, 6.0, 0.78, 3.11, and 0.27 mg/g, respectively
Summary
Hypertension, known as the “silent killer” [1, 2], is a chronic systemic disease characterized by a continuous increase in systemic arterial blood pressure; it is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in the world. The tissue distribution of the active antihypertensive components of EC in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) has not been reported, which to some extent precludes a deep understanding of this herb’s therapeutic properties. E main factors affecting drug distribution include the physicochemical properties of drugs and the physiological and pathological features of the various organs of the body. Us, research on drug distribution is crucial, especially in chronic diseases that require multiple long-term medications and typically raise safety issues (such as drug accumulation and toxic side effects). We administered EC extract to both normal rats and SHRs to investigate the distribution of the herb’s active components including GA, PCA, NCA, CA, PDG, and PG in important tissue organs of rats in the physiological state and in the pathological state of spontaneous hypertension that were administered with EC extract. Our data will provide a reference for the design of a long-term, rational, and safe drug dosing regimen for EC
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