Metabolite Profiling of Tartary Buckwheat Extracts in Rats Following Co-Administration of Ethanol Using UFLC-Q-Orbitrap High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Tartary buckwheat, a gluten-free pseudocereal, has received considerable attention owing to its unique nutritional ingredients and beneficial health effects such as anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation and hepatoprotective activities. Pharmacokinetic and metabolite profiling have been preliminarily assessed for Tartary buckwheat extracts. However, its metabolites have not yet been characterized in vivo after co-administration with ethanol when Tartary buckwheat extracts are used for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease. In this paper, a Q-Exactive orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer was employed to identify the metabolites of Tartary buckwheat extracts in rat biological samples. Compared with previous metabolite profiling results, a total of 26 novel metabolites were found in rat biological samples, including 11, 10, 2 and 5 novel metabolites in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces, respectively, after oral co-administration of 240 mg/kg Tartary buckwheat extracts with ethanol (42%, v/v). The major metabolic pathways of the constituents in Tartary buckwheat extracts involved hydroxylation, methylation, glucuronidation, acetylation and sulfation. Quercetin and its metabolites may be the pharmacological material basis of Tartary buckwheat for the protective effect against alcoholic liver injury. The research enriched in vivo metabolite profiling of Tartary buckwheat extracts, which provided experimental data for a comprehensive understanding and rational use of Tartary buckwheat against alcoholic liver disease.