Pharmacokinetic Study of Eight Bioactive Components of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in LPS Induced Chronic Inflammatory and Control Rats Using UPLC-MS/MS

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Buyang Huanwu decoction (BYHWD) is widely employed to treat chronic inflammation and related disorders. However, the pharmacokinetics of BYHWD's active compounds under inflammatory conditions remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the comparative pharmacokinetics of eight bioactive components in control and LPS-induced chronic inflammatory rats following oral administration of BYHWD. A chronic inflammatory rat model was established by administering low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 200 μg/kg) via tail vein injection. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantification of eight major bioactive components of BYHWD in rat plasma. Subsequently, the pharmacokinetic profiles of these analytes were characterized in both control and inflammatory rats. Excellent linearity (R² > 0.9958) was observed for all analytes in rat plasma samples. Absolute recoveries ranged from 50.84% to 111.86%, and matrix effects varied between 85.04% and 110.14%. The method met the criteria for intra- and inter-day precision, accuracy, and stability. In conclusion, the established UPLC-MS/MS method reliably investigated the pharmacokinetic characteristics of BYHWD's bioactive components and indicate that chronic inflammation may reduce the absorption of these compounds, providing valuable insights into BYHWD's clinical applications.