OBJECTIVETo study on the differences of metabolites in the blood of rats after injection or oral administration of volatile oil in Houttuyniae Herba and of 2-undecanone in order to validate hypothesis of network compatability and to establish the theoretical foundation of elucidating metabolic mechanism for multiple constituents in Chinese Material.

METHODA gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was employed for qualitative determination of the metabolites in blood of rats by injection or oral administration of volatile oil in Houttuyniae Herba and of 2-undecanone, which were compared with the differences between binary two drugs as well as two administration.

RESULTThere were 45 kinds of ingredients in volatile oil for original materials for Houttuyniae Herba, and 53, 69 kinds of metabolites were detected in blood of rats for oral administration of volatile oil in Houttuyniae Herba, and 2-undecanone, respectively, whereas 52, 42 kinds of metabolites were detected for injection administration. Although there were various constitutes, i. e. single versus multiple ingredients, administrated by various ways, i. e. oral versus injection, the metabolites were so similar with each manners, in which alpha-pinene and beta-myrcene occurred in two constitute forms and two administrations, while there were 18, 13 kinds of ingredients for oral or injection administration of volatile oil in Houttuyniae Herba, i. e. 34%, 25% of total ingredients, respectively, and 17, 15 kinds of ingredients, i. e. 24.6%, 35.7% for that of, 2-undecanone, respectively, on average of 29.8% that suggested one of third as co-metabolites.

CONCLUSIONThere are network compatibility existed in metabolism of the houttuynia volatile oil in rats, and similar metabolic pathways in accordance with original plant, among their ingredients no matter alone or multiple constitute forms and oral or injection administration.