Pharmacokinetic study of five components of Fuzheng Huayu tablets in healthy human plasma

Natural medicines play a crucial role in clinical drug applications, serving as a primary traditional Chinese medicine for the clinical treatment of liver fibrosis. Understanding the in vivo metabolic process of the Fuzheng Huayu (FZHY) formula is essential for delving into its material basis and mechanism. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research focused on the mechanisms and component analysis of FZHY. This study aimed to examine the pharmacokinetics of FZHY in healthy volunteers following oral administration. Blood samples were collected at designated time intervals after the oral intake of 9.6-g FZHY tablets. A UHPLC-Q/Exactive method was developed to assess the plasma concentrations of five components post-FZHY ingestion. The peak time for all components occurred within 10 min. The peak concentration (Cmax) values for amygdalin, schisandrin, and schisandrin A ranged from 3.47 to 28.80 ng/mL, with corresponding AUC(0-t) values ranging from 10.63 to 103.20 ng h/mL. For schisandrin B and prunasin, Cmax values were in the range of 86.52 to 229.10 ng/mL, and their AUC(0-t) values ranged from 375.26 to 1875.54 ng h/mL, indicating significant exposure within the body. These findings demonstrate that the developed method enables rapid and accurate detection and quantification of the five components in FZHY, offering a valuable reference for its clinical study.