OBJECTIVETo study the changes of the in vitro and in vivo material base of Shaoyao Gancao decoction (SGD) based on HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS, and confirm the migrational constituents in plasma.

METHODKormasil C18, (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm with protection column) was employed; acetonitrile and 0.5% acetic acid/water was used as mobile phase for gradient elution, flow rate was set at 0.8 mL x m min(-1), column temperature was 25 degrees C, and methanol was used to remove the protein. A LCQdeca mass spectrometer system equipped with an electrospray ionization iontrap source was used as the detector and operated in the positive ion mode. Ions was scanned from the m/z 100 to m/z 1000, and characteristic ion were secondary schizolysised to obtain data of second order MS.

RESULTThe main constitutes of SGD were peoniflorin, Catechin-5-O-glucoside, albiflorin, liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid etc, and glucosides were found in the plasma samples of rats administered with SGD, which were glucuronide conjunctions of liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin.

CONCLUSIONLiquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology provides a convenient and high speed method to analyze the migrational constituents of plasma of rats administered with SGD, therefore, it has a good value in studies on the changes in the material base of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).