ESI‐MS/MS analysis of protonated N‐methyl amino acids and their immonium ions

Methylation is one of the important posttranslational modifications of biological systems. At the metabolite level, the methylation process is expected to convert bioactive compounds such as amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, sugars, and other organic acids into their methylated forms. A few of the methylated amino acids are identified and have been proved as potential biomarkers for several metabolic disorders by using mass spectrometry–based metabolomics workstation. As it is possible to encounter all the N‐methyl forms of the proteinogenic amino acids in plant/biological systems, it is essential to have analytical data of all N‐methyl amino acids for their detection and identification. In earlier studies, we have reported the ESI‐MS/MS data of all methylated proteinogenic amino acids, except that of mono‐N‐methyl amino acids. In this study, the N‐methyl amino acids of all the amino acids ( 1 ‐ 21 ; including one isomeric pair) were synthesized and characterized by ESI‐MS/MS, LC/MS/MS, and HRMS. These data could be useful for detection and identification of N‐methyl amino acids in biological systems for future metabolomics studies. The MS/MS spectra of [M + H]⁺ ions of most N‐methyl amino acids showed respective immonium ions by the loss of (H₂O, CO). The other most common product ions detected were [MH‐(NH₂CH₃]⁺, [MH‐(RH)]⁺ (where R = side chain group) ions, and the selective structure indicative product ions due to side chain and N‐methyl group. The isomeric/isobaric N‐methyl amino acids could easily be differentiated by their distinct MS/MS spectra. Further, the MS/MS of immonium ions inferred side chain structure and methyl group on α‐nitrogen of the N‐methyl amino acids.     

Quantitation of melatonin and n‐acetylserotonin in human plasma by nanoflow LC‐MS/MS and electrospray LC‐MS/MS

Melatonin (MEL) and its chemical precursor N‐acetylserotonin (NAS) are believed to be potential biomarkers for sleep‐related disorders. Measurement of these compounds, however, has proven to be difficult due to their low circulating levels, especially that of NAS. Few methods offer the sensitivity, specificity and dynamic range needed to monitor MEL and its precursors and metabolites in small blood samples, such as those obtained from pediatric patients. In support of our ongoing study to determine the safety, tolerability and PK dosing strategies for MEL in treating insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorder, two highly sensitive LC‐MS/MS assays were developed for the quantitation of MEL and precursor NAS at pg/mL levels in small volumes of human plasma. A validated electrospray ionization (ESI) method was used to quantitate high levels of MEL in PK studies, and a validated nanospray (nESI) method was developed for quantitation of MEL and NAS at endogenous levels. In both assays, plasma samples were processed by centrifugal membrane dialysis after addition of stable isotopic internal standards, and the components were separated by either conventional LC using a Waters SymmetryShield RP18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 µm) or on a polyimide‐coated, fused‐silica capillary self‐packed with 17 cm AquaC18 (3 µm, 125 Å). Quantitation was done using the SRM transitions m/z 233 → 174 and m/z 219 → 160 for MEL and NAS, respectively. The analytical response ratio versus concentration curves were linear for MEL (nanoflow LC: 11.7–1165 pg/mL, LC: 1165–116500 pg/mL) and for NAS (nanoflow LC: 11.0–1095 pg/mL). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of benzofurazan derivatization reagents for short chain carboxylic acids in liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS)

Benzofurazan derivatization reagents, 4‐[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethylaminosulfonyl]‐7‐(2‐aminopentylamino)‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DAABD‐AP) and 4‐[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino) ethylaminosulfonyl]‐7‐(2‐aminobutylamino)‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DAABD‐AB), for short‐chain carboxylic acids in liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS) were synthesized. These reagents reacted with short chain carboxylic acids in the presence of the condensation reagents at 60°C for 60 min. The generated derivatives were separated on the reversed‐phase column and detected by ESI‐MS/MS with the detection limits of 0.1–0.12 pmol on column. Upon collision‐induced dissociation, a single and intense product ion at m/z 151 was observed. These results indicated that DAABD‐AP and DAABD‐AB are suitable as the derivatization reagents in LC/ESI‐MS/MS analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of quetiapine and four quetiapine metabolites in human plasma by LC-MS/MS

There is interest in monitoring plasma concentrations of N‐desalkylquetiapine in relation to antidepressant effect. A simple LC‐MS/MS method for quetiapine and four metabolites in human plasma (50 μL) has been developed to measure concentrations of these compounds attained during therapy. Analytes and internal standard (quetiapine‐d8) were extracted into butyl acetate–butanol (10:1, v/v) and a portion of the extract analysed by LC‐MS/MS (100 × 2.1 mm i.d. Waters Spherisorb S5SCX; eluent: 50 mmol/L methanolic ammonium acetate, pH* 6.0; flow‐rate 0.5 mL/min; positive ion APCI‐SRM, two transitions per analyte). Assay calibration (human plasma calibrators) was linear across the ranges studied (quetiapine and N‐desalkylquetiapine 5–800, quetiapine sulfoxide 100–15,000, others 2–100 µg/L). Assay validation was as per FDA guidelines. Quetiapine sulfone was found to be unstable and to degrade to quetiapine sulfoxide. In 47 plasma samples from patients prescribed quetiapine (prescribed dose 200–950 mg/day), the (median, range) concentrations found (µg/L) were: quetiapine 83 (7–748), N‐desalkylquetiapine, 127 (7–329), O‐desalkylquetiapine 12 (2–37), 7‐hydroxyquetiapine 3 (<1–48), and quetiapine sulfoxide 3,379 (343–21,704). The analyte concentrations found were comparable to those reported by others except that the concentrations of the sulfoxide were markedly higher. The reason for this discrepancy in unclear. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous analysis of 35 specific antihypertensive adulterants in dietary supplements using LC/MS/MS

A sensitive and specific LC/MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 35 compounds used for treating hypertension as adulterants in dietary supplements. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, stability and recovery. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation ranged from 0.20 to 20.0 and 0.50 to 60.0 ng/g, respectively. The linearity was good (r ² > 0.999), with intra‐ and interday precision levels of 0.43–7.87% and 0.65–9.95% and the intra‐ and interday accuracies of 84.36–115.82% and 83.78–118.69%, respectively. The stability (relative standard deviation) was <14.75%. The mean recovery was 80.81–117.86% (relative standard deviation <10.00%). Ninety‐seven commercial dietary supplements available in South Korea were analyzed. While none contained detectable amounts of the 35 antihypertensive compounds, the developed LC/MS/MS procedure can be used for routine analysis to monitor illegal adulteration in various forms of dietary supplements.     

LC‐ESI‐MS/MS analysis and pharmacokinetics of heterophyllin B,a cyclic octapeptide from Pseudostellaria heterophylla in rat plasma

Heterophyllin B (HB) is a cyclic octapeptide isolated from Pseudostellaria heterophylla. HB is used as the quality control index for evaluating P. heterophylla in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. A rapid and sensitive LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method was developed and validated for the analysis of HB in rat plasma. Sample preparation consisted of a solid‐phase extraction step for the removal of interference and preconcentration of the target analyte HB and the internal standard N‐acetylcysteine before chromatographic analysis by MS/MS detection. The separation of HB and N‐acetylcysteine was performed using a Hypersil GOLD^TM C₁₈ column and a mixture of methanol–water (60:40, v/v) containing 10 mmol/L ammonium formate and 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase. The determination step was optimized in the selected reaction monitoring mode for the highly selective and sensitive quantitation of HB in rat plasma. Intra‐ and inter‐assay precision (as relative standard deviation) was ≤9.1%, and accuracy was between 92.6 and 102.7%. The validated method was successfully applied to quantify HB concentrations up to 7 h after tail intravenous injections of 2.08, 4.16 and 8.32 mg/kg HB in rats. The LC‐MS/MS method identified the relevant pharmacokinetic parameters of HB and its studied analog. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

UHPLC‐MS/MS quantification of buprenorphine,norbuprenorphine, methadone,and glucuronide conjugates in umbilical cord plasma

Opioid use during pregnancy can result in the newborn being physically dependent on the substance, thus experiencing drug withdrawal, termed neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Buprenorphine and methadone are two drugs used to treat opioid withdrawal and are approved for use in pregnancy. Quantification of these compounds in umbilical cord plasma would help assess in utero exposure of neonates in cases of buprenorphine or methadone use during pregnancy. An LC‐MS/MS method using solid‐phase extraction sample preparation was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of methadone, buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, and glucuronide metabolites in umbilical cord plasma. The average accuracy (percentage error) and precision (relative standard deviation) were <15% for each validated concentration. Our data establishes a 2 week maximum freezer storage window in order to achieve the most accurate cord plasma concentrations of these analytes. Additionally, we found that the umbilical cord tissue analysis was less sensitive compared with analysis with umbilical cord blood plasma, indicating that this may be a more appropriate matrix for determination of buprenorphine and metabolite concentrations. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of cord blood from women with known buprenorphine or methadone use during pregnancy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz by HPLC and LC‐qTOF‐MS/MS

Oroxylum indicum, as a popular functional Chinese herbal medicine for reducing hyperactivity, relieving sore throat, smoothing the liver and adjusting stomach, mainly contains flavonoids. In this study, we aimed to establish a fast and sensitive method that enables to analyze the chemical components in O. indicum qualitatively and quantitatively. First, a total of 42 components were characterized by LC‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight (qTOF)‐tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), including 23 flavonoid glycosides, 13 flavonoids and six other types of compounds. Then, 17 characteristic components of the 19 common peaks in the chromatographic fingerprints of O. indicum were confirmed. Fifty samples were classified into two groups by hierarchical clustering analysis and orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis, which also identified the 10 main chemical markers responsible for differences between samples. Last, the quantitative analysis of multiple components with a single marker method was established for simultaneous determination of six main active components in O. indicum by LC‐UV with oroxin B was chosen as internal reference substance. Finally, a rapid and efficient method integrating HPLC with LC‐electrospray ionization‐qTOF‐MS/MS analysis was established to comprehensively discriminate and assess the quality of O. indicum samples.     

Application of a LC–MS/MS method developed for the determination of p‐phenylenediamine,N‐acetyl‐p‐phenylenediamine and N,N‐diacetyl‐p‐phenylenediamine in human urine specimens

Cases of poisoning by p‐phenylenediamine (PPD) are detected sporadically. Recently an article on the development and validation of an LC–MS/MS method for the detection of PPD and its metabolites, N‐acetyl‐p‐phenylenediamine (MAPPD) and N,N‐diacetyl‐p‐phenylenediamine (DAPPD) in blood was published. In the current study this method for detection of these compounds was validated and applied to urine samples. The analytes were extracted from urine samples with methylene chloride and ammonium hydroxide as alkaline medium. Detection was performed by LC–MS/MS using electrospray positive ionization under multiple reaction‐monitoring mode. Calibration curves were linear in the range 5–2000 ng/mL for all analytes. Intra‐ and inter‐assay imprecisions were within 1.58–9.52 and 5.43–9.45%, respectively, for PPD, MAPPD and DAPPD. Inter‐assay accuracies were within ?7.43 and 7.36 for all compounds. The lower limit of quantification was 5 ng/mL for all analytes. The method, which complies with the validation criteria, was successfully applied to the analysis of PPD, MAPPD and DAPPD in human urine samples collected from clinical and postmortem cases.     

Validation and application of a novel LC/MS/MS method for the determination of isoginkgetin in rat plasma

Isoginkgetin is a biflavonoid compound isolated from the leaf extracts of Ginkgo biloba. In this study, an liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with liquid–liquid extraction was developed and validated for the analysis of isoginkgetin in rat plasma. In the process of chromatographic separation, selected reaction monitoring transitions for isoginkgetin and IS were m/z 566.8 → 134.7 and m/z 430.8 → 269.3, respectively. The validation parameters including selectivity, linearity, LLOQ, accuracy, precision, matrix effect, stability and recovery were satisfactory. The intra‐ and inter‐batch precision (RSD) were <12.1% in plasma, while the accuracy (RE) was within ±14.3%. This method was employed in a pharmacokinetic study on rats after the intravenous administration of isoginkgetin.     

Simultaneous determination of 103 pesticide residues in tea samples by LC‐MS/MS

A simple and sensitive method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 103 pesticide residues in tea by LC‐MS/MS. For the analysis of the pesticide with polarity, thermal lability or low volatility, this LC‐MS/MS method has an advantage over GC. In this work, residual pesticides were extracted from the tea sample with ACN and then purified using Carb‐NH₂ SPE cartridges. Using the multiple reaction monitoring mode, the pesticides were quantified and identified by the most abundant and characteristic fragment ions. The recoveries obtained for each pesticide ranged between 65 and 114% at three spiked concentration levels. The intra‐day precisions were lower than 19.6%. Good linear relationships were observed with the correlation coefficients r² >0.996 for all analytes. The established method was successfully applied to the determination of pesticide residues in real tea samples.     

Simultaneous quantification of antofloxacin and its major metabolite in human urine by HPLC–MS/MS,and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

This study presents a high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of antofloxacinin and its main metabolite – N ‐demethylated metabolite (N‐ DM) – in human urine. Ornidazole was used as the internal standard. This was a clinical urine recovery study, in which 10 healthy Chinese volunteers were intravenously administered a single 200 mg dose of antofloxacin hydrochloride. Compounds were extracted by albumen precipitation, after which samples were isocratically eluted using a Poroshell 120 SB‐C₁₈ column, and were analysed using HPLC–MS/MS under electronic spray ionization positive ion mode. The method was successfully applied in a urine pharmacokinetic study of antofloxacinin, with a detection range of 0.02/0.01 to 200/100 μg/mL (for antofioxacin/N‐ DM).The average percentages of antofioxacin/N‐ DM measured in urinary excretion frp, 10 volunteers were 54.9 ± 5.7/8.2 ± 2.5% in 120 h duration.     

A sensitive LC–MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of cabozantinib and its metabolite cabozantinib N‐oxide in rat plasma and its application in a pharmacokinetic study

Cabozantinib (CBZ) is used for the treatment of progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. Its major oxidative metabolite is cabozantinib N‐oxide (CBN), which contains a structural alert associated with mutagenicity, yet the pharmacokinetics studies lack the simultaneous investigation of CBN and dose proportionality. In the current study a simple LC–MS/MS method was developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation and pharmacokinetic investigation of CBZ and CBN in rat plasma. The analytes were separated on a Waters Atlantics C₁₈ column (2.1 × 150 mm, 3 μm). The mass spectrometry analysis was conducted in positive ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring. Good linearity was observed over the concentration ranges of 0.500–5000 ng/mL for CBZ and 0.525–2100 ng/mL for CBN. The extraction recoveries were constant and the intra‐ and inter‐batch precision and accuracy were acceptable for the analysis of biological samples. The method was successfully applied for the simultaneous estimation of CBZ and CBN in a pharmacokinetic study in Sprague–Dawley rats. After oral administration of CBZ (1, 5 and 12.6 mg/kg), although CBZ showed dose proportionality, the metabolite CBN showed obvious nonlinear elimination pharmacokinetics with greater than dose‐proportional increases in exposure.     

Simultaneous determination of wogonin,oroxylin a,schisandrin, paeoniflorin and emodin in rat serum by HPLC–MS/MS and application to pharmacokinetic studies

Wogonin and oroxylin A in Scutellariae Radix, schisandrin in Chinensis Fructus, paeoniflorin in Moutan Cortex and emodin in Polygoni Cuspidate Rhizome et Radix are anti‐inflammatory active compounds. A method for simultaneous determination of the five compounds in rat was developed and validated using high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). The separation was performed on a Symmetry C₁₈ column (4.6 × 50 mm, 3.5 μm) with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phases. The detection was performed using multiple‐reaction monitoring with electrospray ionization source in positive–negative ion mode. The calibration curves showed good linearity (r ≥ 0.9955). The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng/mL for wogonin and schisandrin, 10 ng/mL for oroxylin A and emodin, and 15 ng/mL for paeoniflorin, respectively. The relative standard deviations of intraday and interday precisions were <11.49 and 14.28%, respectively. The extraction recoveries and matrix effects were acceptable. The analytes were stable under the experiment conditions. The validated method has been successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of the five compounds in rats after oral administration of Hu‐gan‐kan‐kang‐yuan capsule. This paper would be a valuable reference for pharmacokinetic studies of Chinese medicine preparations containing the five compounds.     

Fast quantitative determination of methylphenidate levels in rat plasma and brain ex vivo by MALDI‐MS/MS

This study presents a simple and sensitive high‐throughput matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS/MS) method for ex vivo quantification of methylphenidate (MPH) in rat plasma and brain. The common MALDI matrix alpha‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid was used to obtain an optimal dried droplet preparation. For method validation, standards diluted in plasma and brain homogenate prepared from untreated (control) rats were used. MPH was quantified within a concentration range of 0.1–40 ng/ml in plasma and 0.4–40 ng/ml in brain homogenate with an excellent linearity (R² ≥ 0.9997) and good precision. The intra‐day and inter‐day accuracies fulfilled the FDA's ±15/20 critera. The recovery of MPH ranged from 93.8 to 98.5% and 87.2 to 99.8% in plasma and homogenate, respectively. We show that MPH is successfully quantified in plasma and brain homogenate of rats pre‐treated with this drug using the internal standard calibration method. By means of this method, a linear correlation between plasma and brain concentration of MPH in rodents pre‐treated with MPH was detected. The simple sample preparation based on liquid‐liquid extraction and MALDI‐MS/MS measurement requires approximately 10 s per sample, and this significantly reduces analysis time compared with other analytical methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first MALDI‐MS/MS method for quantification of MPH in rat plasma and brain. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A UPLC‐MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of five flavonoids from Stellera chamaejasme L. in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Stellera chamaejasme L. has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of scabies, tinea, stubborn skin ulcers, chronic tracheitis, cancer and tuberculosis. A sensitive and selective ultra‐high liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of five flavonoids (stelleranol, chamaechromone, neochamaejasmin A, chamaejasmine and isochamaejasmin) of S. chamaejasme L. in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was accomplished on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 2.7 μm) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min and the total analysis time was 7 min. The analytes were detected using multiple reaction monitoring in positive ionization mode. The samples were prepared by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The UPLC‐MS/MS method was validated for specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability. The validated method exhibited good linearity (r ≥ 0.9956), and the lower limits of quantification ranged from 0.51 to 0.64 ng/mL for five flavonoids. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision were both <10.2%, and the accuracy ranged from −11.79 to 9.21%. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of five flavonoids in rats after oral administration of ethyl acetate extract of S. chamaejasme L.     

A quantitative determination of fluorochloridone in rat plasma by UPLC‐MS/MS method: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A precise, high‐throughput and sensitive ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method has been developed for the determination of fluorochloridone (FLC) in rat plasma. The extraction of analytes from plasma samples was carried out by protein precipitation procedure using acetonitrile prior to UPLC‐MS/MS analysis. Verapamil was proved as a proper internal standard (IS) among many candidates. The chromatographic separation based on UPLC was well optimized. Multiple reaction monitoring in positive electrospray ionization was used with the optimized MS transitions at: m/z 312.0 → 292.0 for FLC and m/z 456.4 → 165.2 for IS. This method was well validated with good linear response (r² > 0.998) observed over the investigated range of 3–3000 ng/mL and with satisfactory stability. This method was also characterized with adequate intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy (within 12%) in the quality control samples, and with high selectivity and less matrix effect observed. Total running time was only 1.5 min. This method has been successfully applied to a pilot FLC pharmacokinetic study after oral administration. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LC/MS/MS determination and pharmacokinetic study of iridoid glycosides monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid isomers in rat plasma after oral administration of Morinda officinalis extract

Morinda officinalis is a famous traditional Chinese medicine containing iridoid glycoside compounds, such as monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid. The aim of the study was to develop a novel and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of the two isomeric iridoid glycosides and then evaluate their pharmacokinetic properties in rats. Selected‐reaction monitoring mode was employed for quantification of two analytes in rat plasma. The calibration curves were linear over their respective concentration range with correlation coefficient >0.995 for both analytes. Precision for monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid ranged from 2.5 to 11.9% relative standard deviation, and the accuracy of two analytes was ?2.0–3.7 and ?6.4–10.7% relative error, respectively. This method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of M. officinalis extract in rats. The results provided a basis for further research on the bioactivity of M. officinalis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stereoselective determination of ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2 epimers in rat plasma by LC‐MS/MS: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

We developed and validated an accurate and sensitive LC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of ginsenoside Rg3 and Rh2 epimers (R‐Rg3, S‐Rg3, R‐Rh2, and S‐Rh2) in rat plasma. Analytes were extracted from 0.1 mL aliquots of rat plasma by liquid–liquid extraction, using 2 mL of ethyl acetate. In this assay, dioscin (500 ng/mL) was used as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was conducted using an Acclaim RSLC C₁₈ column (150 × 2.1 mm, 2.2 μm) at 40°C, with a gradient mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in distilled water and in acetonitrile, a flow rate of 0.35 mL/min, and a total run time of 20 min. Detection and quantification were performed using a mass spectrometer in selected reaction‐monitoring mode with negative electrospray ionization at m/z 783.4 → 161.1 for R‐Rg3 and S‐Rg3, m/z 621.3 → 161.1 for R‐Rh2 and S‐Rh2, and m/z 867.2 → 761.5 for the internal standard. For R‐Rg3 and S‐Rg3, the lower limit of quantification was 5 ng/mL, with a linear range up to 500 ng/mL; for R‐Rh2 and S‐Rh2, the lower limit of quantification was 150 ng/mL, with a linear range up to 6000 ng/mL. The coefficient of variation for assay precision was less than 10.5%, with an accuracy of 86.4–112%. No relevant cross‐talk or matrix effect was observed. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of 400 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg of BST204, a fermented ginseng extract, to rats. We found that the S epimers exhibited significantly higher plasma concentrations and area under curve values for both Rg3 and Rh2. This is the first report on the separation and simultaneous quantification of R‐Rg3, S‐Rg3, R‐Rh2, and S‐Rh2 in rat plasma by LC‐MS/MS. The method should be useful in the clinical use of ginseng or its derivatives.     

A UFLC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of eight bioactive constituents from red wine and dealcoholized red wine in rat plasma: Application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study

To explore whether alcohol has an effect on the pharmacokinetic behavior of phenolic acids, the main bioactive constituents in red wine, a highly sensitive and simple ultra‐fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC–MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of eight phenolic acids in plasma samples. Plasma samples were extracted by liquid–liquid extraction and the chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax SB‐C₁₈ column within 7.0 min. Results of the validated method revealed that all of the calibration curves displayed good linear regression (r > 0.99). The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions of the analytes were <14.0% and accuracies ranged from ?8.5 to 7.3%. The extraction recoveries of the analytes were from 71.2 to 110.2% and the matrix effects ranged from 86.2 to 105.5%. The stability of these compounds under various conditions satisfied the requirements of biological sample measurement. The method was successfully applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study of phenolic acids in rat plasma. For gallic acid and gentisic acid, the parameters AUC_0–t and AUC_0–∞ increased remarkably (p < 0.05) after oral administration of red wine, which suggested that alcohol might enhance their absorption. This is the first report to compare the pharmacokinetic behavior of phenolic acids in red wine and dealcoholized red wine.