This study aims to analyze the components absorbed into the blood and brain after intragastric administration of Paeonia rockii pollen in rats, and to explore the pharmacodynamic material basis. The chemical constituents of Paeonia rockii pollen, as well as those in medicated serum and brain tissue, were investigated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TRAP-MS/MS) based on widely targeted metabolomics technology. Differential components were screened using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, followed by functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis, and the mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns of blood-brain barrier-penetrating components were deduced. A total of 340 components were identified from Paeonia rockii pollen, primarily including flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids. In the medicated serum, 38 prototype absorbed components such as methyl gallate, myricetin, trachelogenin, tyrosol, and albiflorin, along with two metabolites (inosine and hypoxanthine) were identified. In the brain tissue, 15 prototype components such as gallic acid, isorhamnetin, 4-hydroxycoumarin, resveratrol, and paeoniflorin were detected, and the plasma concentration was the highest after 2 h of intragastric administration. These components were mainly enriched in pathways such as longevity regulation, microbial metabolism in different environments, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoid degradation, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and purine metabolism. The animal experiment protocol was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Review Committee of Lanzhou Institute of Food and Drug Control, Gansu Province (Approval No. 2023-010).
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |