Quantification of artesunate and its metabolite,dihydroartemisinin, in animal products using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

An analytical approach using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method followed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed herein for the determination of artesunate and its metabolite, dihydroarteminsinin in porcine muscle, egg, eel, flatfish, and shrimp. 10% trichloroacetic acid in acetonitrile mixed with ethyl acetate was used as an extraction solvent. To obtain a good separation, a Phenomenex Kinetex reversed‐phase analytical column was selected with mobile phase consisting of distilled water (A) and acetonitrile (B), both containing 0.05% formic acid. Good linearity was achieved using matrix‐matched calibrations constructed from six concentrations (5–50 μg/kg) with determinant coefficients ≥0.9918. Recoveries estimated from three spiking concentrations (5, 10, and 20 μg/kg) ranged between 71.3 and 104.7% in all matrixes with relative standard deviations ≤8.3%. A variety of samples purchased from markets in Seoul were tested following the protocol described herein. The artesunate and dihydroarteminsinin were not detected in any matrix. The methodology proposed could be used for routine determination of artesunate and its metabolite, dihydroartemisinin in various animal products having variable percentages of fat and protein.