Pharmacokinetics of Astragaloside IV in rats by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Pharmacokinetics of Astragaloside IV (AGS-IV) in rats was studied by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The concentration in plasma was determined after iv administration of 1, 2, 4mg/kg and po administration of 20mg/kg of AGS-IV. The AUC were linearly correlated to doses. Recoveries of AGS-IV in bile, urine and feces were also analyzed following iv dose of 2 mg/kg. Cumulative recovery of AGS-IV in bile reached 30.8% in 24h. Cumulative recovery of AGS-IV in urine and feces was 52.14%, which indicates that about 50% of AGS-IV was metabolized in vivo. The bioavailability of AGS-IV after po administration was found to be 3.66%. These findings provide useful information for the research and development of AGS-IV and other potential agents.