[Metabolic profiling and pharmacokinetic studies of Gardeniae Fructus aqueous extracts by UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS and UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS].

Gardeniae Fructus(GF) is one of the most commonly used medicinal and edible resources in China, renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects. However, studies of the chemical characteristics, metabolic transformation and pharmacokinetic behavior of GF in vivo remain incomplete. This study utilized mass defect filtering(MDF) combined with UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS to analyze the in vitro chemical constituents of GF aqueous extracts and its metabolites in vivo in rats, comprehensively characterizing 114 chemical constituents and 181 endogenous substances, including 18 prototype constituents and 163 metabolites(21 phase Ⅰ and 142 phase Ⅱ metabolites). Additionally, a quantitative method using UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS was developed to analyze the in vivo dynamics of seven bioactive compounds, and the pharmacokinetic parameters of the main active components in the GF aqueous extracts, namely geniposidic acid, deacetyl asperulosidic acid methyl ester, gardenoside, genipin,genipin 1-β-D-gentiobioside, geniposide, and crocetin, were obtained. This study conducted a comprehensive and systematic investigation into the potential material basis and the in vivo biotransformation profile of GF aqueous extracts based on UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS coupled with MDF technology and UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS, providing crucial evidence for further elucidating its pharmacological mechanisms.