Pharmacokinetic parameters of three active ingredients hederacoside C, hederacoside D, and ɑ‐hederin in Hedera helix in rats

In Hedera helix hederacoside C, hederacoside D, and ɑ ‐hederin are three major bioactive saponins and play pivotal roles in the overall biological activity. In this study, a specific and sensitive ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the quantification of three major bioactive saponins in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed‐phase Thermo Hypersil GOLD C 18 column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.9 μm) using a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile‐water containing 0.1% formic acid. The assay was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic behavior of the three analytes in rats after oral and intravenous administration of a mixture of saponins (hederacoside C, hederacoside D, and ɑ ‐hederin). Further research was performed to compare the pharmacokinetic behavior of the three analytes after the oral administration of a mixture of saponins and an extract of saponins from Hedera helix , and results showed that double peaks were evident on concentration–time profile for each of the three saponins. The difference in the pharmacokinetic characteristics of three saponins between a mixture of saponins and an extract of saponins from Hedera helix was found in rat, which would be beneficial for the preclinical research and clinical use of Hedera helix .