Effects of berberine and pomegranate seed oil on plasma phospholipid metabolites associated with risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus by U-HPLC/Q-TOF-MS

• Alteration of plasma phospholipids of T2DM mice were analyzed using U-HPLC/Q-TOF-MS.
• Berberine and PSO could affect plasma phospholipid metabolites of T2DM mice.
• Potential biomarkers under drugs intervention were discovered and discussed.

A rapid and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (U-HPLC/Q-TOF-MS) has been firstly used to analyze the changes of plasma phospholipids, in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice after administration of berberine and pomegranate seed oil (PSO). The separation of plasma phospholipids was carried out on an Acquity U-HPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm, Waters) by linear gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of 10 mM ammonium formate in water and acetonitrile: isopropanol (1:1, v/v) mixed solution added by 0.25% water and 10 mM ammonium formate. The method demonstrated a good precision and reproducibility. Linear regression analysis showed a good linearity. And potential biomarkers were discovered based on their mass spectra and chemometrics methods. The results demonstrated that the proposed U-HPLC/Q-TOF-MS method was successfully applied to analyze the dynamic changes of phospholipids components in plasma of T2DM mice after drug treatment and could provide a useful data base for meriting further study in humans and investigating pharmacological actions of drugs.