Profiling and identification of the metabolites of ginsenoside Ro in rat faeces and urine after oral administration

Ginsenoside Ro is one of the high-abundance saponins in ginseng, which is the most widely used dietary supplement and has many health-promoting effects. However, knowledge regarding the metabolism of ginsenoside Ro is notably limited. The profiling and identification of metabolites of ginsenoside Ro using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC MS/MS) was described in this work. There were finally 14 metabolites in addition to the parent drug that were identified in both faeces and urine of rats after oral administration of pure ginsenoside Ro (200 mg/kg). Quantitative analyses of six of the most abundant metabolites were then performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC MS/MS). Total recovery of ginsenosides over 72 h was approximately 60 %. There was approximately 0.07 % of ginsenoside Ro observed as excreted in the urine. The hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond on the aglycone was the primary pathway for ginsenoside Ro. These hydrolysis processes are nonselective.