Metabolic profiles of corydaline in rats by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

1.Corydaline, an isoquinoline alkaloid obtained from the rhizomes of Corydalis yanhusuo, exhibits anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-angiogenic, anti-allergic and gastric-emptying activities. In this study, a rapid and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) method was developed and employed for the comprehensive study of the metabolites of corydaline in rats. 2.Altogether, 43 metabolites were identified in the plasma (11), bile (9), urine (34) and feces (21) of rats after oral administration of corydaline at a dose of 4.5mg/kg. 3.It was demonstrated that demethylation, hydroxylation, sulfation and glucuronidation were the major metabolic transformation pathways. Among these, two metabolites were identified as tetrahydropalmatine and isocorybulbine, and 33 phase I and phase II products were inferred to be new metabolites arising from the in vivo metabolism of corydaline. 4.Importantly, this research provides scientific and reliable support for full understanding of the metabolic profiles of corydaline and the results could help to elucidate its safety and efficacy.