[Study on Effects of Incompatible Herbal Medicine on Intestinal Bacterial Metabolism of Wu-Tou-Tang by ESI-MS].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to detect samples of Wu-Tou-Tang as well as the co-decoction of it with Pinelliae Rhizoma, Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus and Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus before and after intestinal bacterial metabolism. METHODS: Semi-quantitative method of mass spectrometry was established for analyzing the biotransformation of major chemical constituents in Chinese medicine formula. Based on the changes of relative abundance ratio of alkaloids to internal standard for each decoction before and after intestinal bacterial metabolism, effects of incompatible herbal medicine on the intestinal bacterial metabolism of aconite alkaloids from Wu-Tou-Tang were analyzed. RESULTS: Pinelliae Rhizoma, Fritillariae Thunbergii and Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus inhibited the intestinal bacterial biotransformation of diester-alkaloids, which could be considered that the above three Chinese herbal medicines increased the toxicity of Wu-Tou-Tang. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine "eighteen incompatible medicaments" theory from the point of intestinal bacterial metabolism.