Screening and identification of the metabolites in rat urine and feces after oral administration of Lycopus lucidus Turcz extract by UHPLC−Q-TOF-MS mass spectrometry

•UHPLC−Q-TOF-MS method was developed to identify the metabolites.•A total of 17 metabolites in feces and 19 metabolites in urine were identified.•The metabolic pathways of L. lucidus Turcz extract were firstly proposed.•This is the first report for the metabolism of L. lucidus Turcz extract in rats.

Lycopus lucidus Turcz has been used as a kind of edible and medicinal material in eastern Asian countries. It has various bioactivities, including treatment of menstrual disorder, amenorrhea, menstrual cramps, inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases. However, the in vivo metabolism of L. lucidus Turcz extract is still not well described. In this study, L. lucidus Turcz extracts were administered to rats. Urine and fecal samples were collected at the difference periods (0–12 h, 12–24 h, and 24–36 h). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC−Q-TOF-MS) method was developed to characterize and identify the metabolites. A total of 17 metabolites in feces and 19 metabolites in urine were tentatively identified by means of accurate mass and characteristic fragment ions. The results show that glucuronidation and sulfation are the major metabolic reactions. This study is the first reported analysis and characterization of the metabolites and the proposed metabolic pathways of bioactive components might provide further understanding of the metabolic fate of the chemical constituents after oral administration of L. lucidus Turcz extract in rats.