Characterization of isochlorogenic acid A metabolites in rats using high‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Isochlorogenic acid A is widely presented in fruits, vegetables, and herbal medicines, and is characterized with anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antiviral properties. However, little is known about its metabolic fate and pharmacokinetic properties. This study is thus designed to investigate the metabolic fate of isochlorogenic acid A. An analytical method based on high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/Q–TOF MS) was established to characterize the metabolites of isochlorogenic acid A in the plasma, urine and feces of rats. A total of 32 metabolites were identified. The metabolic pathways mainly include hydrolyzation, dehydroxylation, hydrogenation, and the conjugation with methyl, glucuronic acid, glycine, sulfate, glutathione, and cysteine. Moreover, the pharmacokinetic profiles of all the circulating metabolites were investigated. M11 resulting from hydrolyzation, dehydroxylation and hydrogenation was the dominant circulating metabolite after the intragastric administration of isochlorogenic acid A. The results obtained would be useful for further study on elucidating potential bioactive metabolites which can provide better explanation of the pharmacological and/or toxicological effects of this compound. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.