Pharmacokinetic Studies of the Significance of Herbaceous Compatibility of Peony Liquorice Decoction

This study aimed to explore the rationality of herbaceous compatibility of peony liquorice decoction by analyzing the pharmacokinetic parameters of peoniflorin and glycyrrhetinic acid in SD rats' plasma. A HPLC/MS/MS method was used to detect the concentrations of peoniflorin and glycyrrhetinic acid in plasma of SD rats which were administrated with peony, liquorice and peony liquorice decoction, respecttively. Compared with the rats having single administration of either peony or liquorice, it took less time for the glycyrrhetinic acid in the plasma of rats administered with peony liquorice decoction to reach the peak concentration and its maximum concentration level was also increased. Moreover, the peoniflorin's peak concentration was increased, and the relative bioavailability was also enhanced. The half-life reduction happened to both peoniflorin and glycyrrhetinic acid. The liquorice promoted the absorption of peoniflorin in peony and enhanced its in vitro concentration, which in turn induced stronger and more powerful functions from the peoniflorin, such as spasmolysis, pain relief and calmness. The peony had shortened the time for glycyrrhetinic acid in liquorice to appear in intracorporal and had increased the quantity of glycyrrhetinic acid in intracorporal, bringing out the effects of anti-ulcer, spasmolysis, and anti-inflammation. This experiment had proven the rationality of the peony liquorice decoction compatibility in terms of pharmacokinetics.