Comparative study on the excretion of vitexin‐4′′‐O‐glucoside in mice after oral and intravenous administration by using HPLC

The aim of the present study was to characterize the excretion of pure vitexin‐4”‐O‐glucoside (VOG) in mice following oral and intravenous administration at a dose of 30 mg/kg. A sensitive and specific HPLC method with hespridin as internal standard, a Diamonsil C₁₈ column protected with a KR C₁₈ guard column and a mixture consisting of methanol–acetonitrile–tetrahydrofuran–0.1% glacial acetic acid (6:2:18:74, v/v/v/v) as mobile phase was developed and validated for quantitative analysis in biological samples. VOG could be excreted as prototype in excreta including urine and feces after both routes of administration, and the cumulative excretion of VOG was 24.31 ± 11.10% (17.97 ± 5.59% in urinary excretion; 6.34 ± 5.51% in fecal excretion) following oral dosing and 5.66 ± 3.94% (4.78 ± 3.13% in urinary excretion; 0.88 ± 0.81% in fecal excretion) following intravenous dosing. The results showed that the elimination of VOG after the two routes was fairly low, which meant that VOG was metabolized as other forms and the elimination after oral dosing was almost 4.3‐fold that after intravenous dosing. For both routes of administration, VOG excreted as prototype in urine was much more than that in feces, nearly 2.83‐fold for oral administration and 5.43‐fold for intravenous administration, which should be attributed to enterohepatic circulation. Taken together, renal excretion was the dominant path of elimination of VOG for oral and intravenous administration in mice and biliary excretion contributed less. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tissue distribution and excretion study of neopanaxadiol in rats by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Neopanaxadiol (NPD), a major ginsenoside in Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Araliaceae), was reported to have neuroprotective effect. In this study, a method of ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/QTOF‐MS) was developed and validated for quantitative analysis of NPD in tissues, urine and feces, using liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) to isolate NPD from different biological samples, and chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax Stable Bond C₁₈ (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.8 µm) column with 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. All standard calibration curves were linear (all r² > 0.995) within the test range. After oral administration, NPD was extensively distributed to most of the tissues without long‐term accumulation. The higher levels were observed in stomach and intestine, followed by kidney and liver. Approximately 64.56 ± 20.32% of administered dose in feces and 0.0233 ± 0.0356% in urine were found within 96 h, which indicated that the major elimination route was fecal excretion. This analytical method was applied to the study of NPD distribution and excretion in rats after oral intake for the first time. The results we found here are helpful for us to understand the pharmacological effects of NPD, as well as its toxicity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmacokinetics,bioavailability and metabolism of scopoletin in dog by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with linear ion trap–Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and selective method based on ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with linear ion trap–Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–LTQ–Orbitrap–MS) has been developed and validated for the determination of scopoletin in dog plasma. The analyte was extracted from plasma samples using acetonitrile and separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with 0.05% ammonium hydroxide and acetonitrile as mobile phase. The developed method was linear over the concentration range of 1–500 ng/mL, with a correlation coefficient >0.9988. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (RSD) were <8.93% while the accuracy (RE) ranged from ?6.50 to 8.12%. Extraction recovery, matrix effect and stability for dog plasma samples were within the required limits. The validated method has been successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of scopoletin in dog plasma after intravenous (1 mg/kg) and oral (10, 25, 50 mg/kg) administration. The results revealed that (a) scopoletin showed short elimination half‐life in dog; (b) its oral bioavailability was low (within the range of 5.69–7.08%); (c) scopoletin showed dose‐independent pharmacokinetic profiles in dog plasma over the dose range of 10–50 mg/kg; and (d) glucuronidation was the predominant metabolic pathway in dog.     

Identification and quantitative analysis of physalin D and its metabolites in rat urine and feces by liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Physalin D is known to show extensive bioactivities. However, no excretion study has elucidated the excretion of physalin D and its metabolites. This study investigates the excretion of physalin D and its metabolites in rats. Metabolites in rat urine and feces were separated and identified by liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Furthermore, a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to quantify physalin D, physalin D glucuronide, and physalin D sulfate in rat feces and urine after the intragastric administration of physalin D. The analyte showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r  > 0.995), and the lower limit of quantification was 0.0532 μg/mL and 0.226 μg/g for urine and feces, respectively. Nine metabolites, including five phase I and four phase II metabolites, were identified and clarified after dosing in vivo. Only 4.0% of the gavaged dose, including physalin D and its phase II metabolites, was excreted in urine, whereas 10.8% was found in feces in the unchanged form. The results indicate that the extensive and rapid metabolism may be the main factors leading to the short half‐life of physalin D. These results can provide a basis for further studies on the structural modification and pharmacology of physalin D.     

Pharmacokinetics of 2,3,5,4′‐tetrahydroxystilbene‐2‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside in rat using ultra‐performance LC‐quadrupole TOF‐MS

2,3,5,4′‐Tetrahydroxystilbene‐2‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside (THSG) from Polygoni multiflori has been demonstrated to possess a variety of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities. Ultra‐performance LC‐quadrupole TOF‐MS with MS Elevated Energy data collection technique and rapid resolution LC with diode array detection and ESI multistage MSⁿ methods were developed for the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, metabolism, and excretion studies of THSG in rats following a single intravenous or oral dose. The three metabolites were identified by rapid resolution LC‐MSⁿ. The concentrations of the THSG in rat plasma, bile, urine, feces, or tissue samples were determined by ultra‐performance LC‐MS. The results showed that THSG was rapidly distributed and eliminated from rat plasma. After the intravenous administration, THSG was mainly distributing in the liver, heart, and lung. For the rat, the major distribution tissues after oral administration were heart, kidney, liver, and lung. There was no long‐term storage of THSG in rat tissues. Total recoveries of THSG within 24 h were low (0.1% in bile, 0.007% in urine, and 0.063% in feces) and THSG was excreted mainly in the forms of metabolites, which may resulted from biotransformation in the liver.     

Acute toxicity and rapid excretion in urine of tetramethylarsonium salts found in some marine animals

Acute toxicity in mice, and excretion in their urine, of tetramethylarsonium salts which are arsenic compounds found in some marine animals, were examined using synthetic tetramethylarsonium iodide. The oral, intraperitoneal and intravenous LD₅₀ values of tetramethylarsonium iodide [(CH₃)₄As⁺I^?] were determined to be 890, 175 and 82 mg kg^?1, respectively. When sublethal doses of tetramethylarsonium iodide were orally administered to mice, 53–58% of the arsenic administered was recovered in urine after 6 h and 65–81% after 72 h. High-performance liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma (HPLC–ICP) and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric (FAB MS) analyses revealed that a tetramethylarsonium salt was the only arsenic compound excreted in urine. These results suggested that the major part of orally administered tetramethylarsonium iodide was absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in mice and then rapidly excreted in urine without biotransformation.     

Pharmacokinetics,protein binding and metabolism of a quinoxaline urea analog as an NF‐κB inhibitor in mice and rats by LC‐MS/MS

13–197 is a novel NF‐κB inhibitor that shows promising in vitro efficacy data against pancreatic cancer. In this study, we characterized the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, protein binding and metabolism of 13–197 in mice and rats. A valid, sensitive and selective LC‐MS/MS method was developed. This method was validated for the quantification of 13–197, in the range of 0.1 or 0.2‐500 ng/mL in mouse plasma, liver, kidney, lung, heart, spleen, brain, urine and feces. 13–197 has low bioavailability of 3 and 16% in mice and rats, respectively. It has faster absorption in mice with 12‐fold shorter T_max than in rats. Tissue concentrations were 1.3–69.2‐fold higher in mice than in rats at 72 h after intravenous administration. 13–197 is well distributed to the peripheral tissues and has relatively high tissue–plasma concentration ratios, ranging from 1.8 to 3634, in both mice and rats. It also demonstrated more than 99% binding to plasma proteins in both mice and rats. Finally, <1% of 13–197 is excreted unchanged in urine and feces, and metabolite profiling studies detected more than 20 metabolites in mouse and rat plasma, urine and feces, which indicates that 13–197 is extensively metabolized and primarily eliminated by metabolism rather than by excretion. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vivo metabolite identification of acotiamide in rats using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Acotiamide hydrochloride (ACT) is a drug used for the treatment of functional dyspepsia. Understanding which metabolites are likely to be formed in vivo is essential for interpreting pharmacology, pharmacokinetic and toxicology data. The metabolism of ACT has been investigated using a specific and sensitive liquid chromatography positive ion electrospray ionization high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry method. In vivo samples including rat plasma, urine and feces were collected separately after dosing healthy Sprague–Dawley rats at a dose of 20 mg kg ⁻¹ ACT at different time points up to 24 h. The metabolites were enriched by optimized sample preparation involving protein precipitation using acetonitrile followed by solid‐phase extraction. The mass defect filter technique was used for better detection of both predicted and unexpected drug metabolites with the majority of interference ions removed. The structural elucidation of the metabolites was performed by comparing their [M + H]⁺ ions and their product ions with those of the parent drug. As a result, a total of seven hitherto unknown metabolites were characterized from the biosamples. The only phase I metabolite detected was N‐ despropyl acotiamide, whereas six phase II glucuronide conjugate metabolites were identified.     

Determination and pharmacokinetic properties of arsenic speciation in Xiao‐Er‐Zhi‐Bao‐Wan by high‐performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method of high performance liquid chromatography with a Hamilton PRP‐X100 ion‐exchange column (250 × 4.1 mm id, 10 μm) coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was employed to generate a full concentration–time profile of arsenic speciation after oral administration. The results exhibited good linearity and revealed that, in the pills, the average arsenic concentration was 10105.4 ± 380.7 mg/kg, and in the water extraction solution, the inorganic As(III) and As(V) concentrations were 220.1 ± 12.6 and 45.5 ± 2.3 mg/kg, respectively. No trace of monomethyl arsenic acid was detected in any of the plasma samples. We then successfully applied the established methodology to examine the pharmacokinetics of arsenic speciation. The resulting data revealed that, after oral administration in rats, the plasma concentration of each arsenic species reached C_max shortly after initial dosing, and that the distribution and elimination of As(V) was faster than that of As(III) and dimethyl arsenic acid. Additionally, the t_1/2 values of As(V), As(III), and dimethyl arsenic acid were 3.4 ± 1.6, 14.3 ± 4.0, and 19.9 ± 1.6 h, respectively. This study provides references for the determination of arsenic speciation in mineral‐containing medicines and could serve as a useful tool in measuring the true toxicity in traditional medicines that contain them.     

Simultaneous quantification of total eicosapentaenoic acid,docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A method for the simultaneous quantification of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) in human plasma by HPLC–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS) was developed and validated. Free and esterified forms of fatty acids were hydrolysed from plasma samples in the presence of an internal standard and subjected to liquid–liquid extraction. The chromatographic run time was 3.5 min per sample. The assay was linear from 0.5 to 300 mg/L (r² > 0.997, n = 18). Based on matrix addition, accuracy deviation was <15%, except for AA at 10 mg/L (30–90%), whereas precision was <8% for all fatty acids studied. The method was applied to the measurement of these omega‐3 fatty acids in a fish oil supplement study with healthy volunteers. Healthy males (n = 4) were administered a supplement containing 465 mg EPA and 375 mg DHA per capsule (Omacor®). A dose of two capsules was given daily over a 4 week period. Pre‐treatment concentrations varied between subjects for EPA (17–68 mg/L), DHA (36–63 mg/L) and AA (121–248 mg/L). During the dosing period EPA increased 460–480% from the baseline concentration, while DHA increased 150–160%. The EPA–AA ratio increased from 0.07–0.56 to 0.3–3.1 after 4 weeks of dosing. In conclusion, the method described could be suitable for monitoring EPA, DHA and AA in clinical studies that may aid in achieving optimal concentrations of these fatty acids in patients who could be at risk of sudden cardiac death. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High‐performance liquid chromatography assay using ultraviolet detection for urinary quantification of milrinone concentrations in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass

An analytical assay using liquid–liquid extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection was developed for the quantification of total (conjugated and unconjugated) urinary concentrations of milrinone after the inhalation of a 5 mg dose in 15 cardiac patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Urine samples (700 μL) were extracted with ethyl‐acetate and subsequently underwent acid back‐extraction before and after deconjugation by mild acid hydrolysis. Milrinone was separated on a strong cation exchange analytical column. The mobile phase consisted of a constant mixture of acetonitrile:tetrahydrofurane–NaH₂PO₄ buffer (40:60 v/v, pH 3.0). Thirteen calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 31.25–4000 ng/mL, using olprinone as the internal standard (r² range 0.9911–0.9999, n = 13). Mean milrinone recovery and accuracy were respectively 85.2 ± 3.1% and ≥93%. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (coefficients of variation) were ≤5% and ≤8%, respectively. Over a 24 h collection period, the cumulative urinary milrinone recovered from 15 patients was 26.1 ± 7.7% of the nominal 5 mg dose administered. The relative amount of milrinone glucuronic acid conjugate was negligible in the urine of patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass This method proved to be reliable, specific and accurate to determine the cumulative amount of total milrinone recovered in urine after inhalation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LC‐MS/MS determination of bakkenolide D in rats plasma and its application in pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for determination of bakkenolide D (BD), which was further applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of BD. In the LC‐MS/MS method, the multiple reaction monitoring mode was used and columbianadin was chosen as internal standard. The method was validated over the range of 1–800 ng/mL with a determination coefficient >0.999. The lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL in plasma. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracies for BD were 91–113 and 100–104%, respectively, and the inter‐day precision was <15%. After a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg of BD, the mean peak plasma concentration of BD was 10.1 ± 9.8 ng/mL at 2 h. The area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC_{0–24 h}) was 72.1 ± 8.59 h ng/mL, and the elimination half‐life (T_1/2) was 11.8 ± 1.9 h. In case of intravenous administration of BD at a dosage of 1 mg/kg, the AUC_{0–24 h} was 281 ± 98.4 h?ng/mL, and the T_1/2 was 8.79 ± 0.63 h. Based on these results, the oral bioavailability of BD in rats at 10 mg/kg is 2.57%. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmacokinetics of honokiol after intravenous guttae in beagle dogs assessed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and sensitive ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of honokiol in beagle dog plasma after intravenous guttae. With addition of the internal standard magnolol, plasma samples were precipitated with methanol and separated on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODS II (2.0 × 100 mm, 2.2 µm) with isocratic elution of methanol and water (80:20) solution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. A good separation of honokiol was achieved within 3.5 min. Quantification was performed on a Waters Quattro Premier XE triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization inlet in the negative multiple reaction monitoring mode. Good linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 5.12–15580 ng/mL (r² > 0.998). Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <13.10%, and accuracy ranged from 89.21 to 99.92%. The lower limit of quantification for honokiol was 5.12 ng/mL, and honokiol was stable under various conditions (three freeze–thaw cycles, short‐term temperature, post‐preparative and long‐term temperature conditions.). This validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of honokiol in dogs by intravenous guttae. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a UPLC–MS/MS method for determination of Sarsasapogenin‐AA22 in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sarsasapogenin derivative, sarsasapogenin‐AA22 (AA22), with cyclobutylamine at the 3‐hydroxyl position of sarsasapogenin, has great neuroprotective activity in PC12 cells and NO production inhibitory activity in RAW264.7 cell lines. A method was developed to determine AA22 in rat plasma which was further applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of AA22 after taking a single dose of AA22. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used in the method, while diosgenin was used as internal standard. A simple protein precipitation based on acetonitrile was utilized. A simple sample cleanup promoted the throughput of the method considerably. The method was validated over the range of 1–1000 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient > 0.99. The lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL for AA22 in plasma. Intra‐ and inter‐day accuracies for AA22 were 92–111 and 100–103%, respectively, and the inter‐day precision was <15%. After a single oral dose of 25 mg/kg of AA22, the mean peak plasma concentration of AA22 was 2114 ± 362 ng/mL at 6 h. The area under the plasma concentration–time curve was 196,098 ± 69,375 h ng/mL, and the elimination half‐life was 8.7 ± 2.2 h.     

A simple high‐performance liquid chromatography for the determination of linezolid in human plasma and saliva

Linezolid is an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of multiresistant Gram‐positive infections. A practical high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of linezolid in human plasma and saliva. Linezolid and an internal standard (o‐ethoxybenzamide) were extracted from plasma and saliva with ethyl acetate and analyzed on a Capcell Pak C₁₈ MG column with UV detection at 254 nm. The calibration curve was linear through the range 0.5–50 µg/mL using a 200 μL sample volume. The intra‐ and interday precisions were all <6.44% for plasma and 5.60% for saliva. The accuracies ranged from 98.8 to 110% for both matrices. The mean recoveries of linezolid were 80.8% for plasma and 79.0% for saliva. This method was used to determine the plasma and saliva concentrations of linezolid in healthy volunteers who were orally administered a 600 mg dose of linezolid. Our liquid–liquid extraction procedure is easy and requires a small volume of plasma or saliva (200 μL). This small volume can be advantageous in clinical pharmacokinetic studies, especially if children participate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a simple and sensitive high‐resolution LC/MS method for determination of PF‐04620110 in dog plasma: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

In this study, a more sensitive and reliable quantitative method based on ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q‐Exactive‐Orbitrap‐MS in full‐mass scan was developed and validated for the determination of PF‐04620110 in dog plasma. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile, the sample separations were carried out on an Acquity BEH C₁₈ column with 1 mm ammonium acetate in water and acetonitrile containing 0.1% acetic acid as mobile phase, at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The assay showed excellent linearity over the concentration range of 1–2000 ng/mL with correlation coefficient >0.9980 (r > 0.9980). The LLOQ was 1 ng/mL. The inter‐ and intra‐day precision (RSD, %) was within 9.69% while the accuracy (RE, %) was in the range of ?8.59–11.24%. The extraction recovery was >85.37% and the assay was free of matrix effects. PF‐04620110 was demonstrated to be stable under various processing and handing conditions. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of PF‐04620110 in dogs and the results revealed that PF‐04620110 was slowly eliminated from plasma with a clearance of 60.81 ± 7.11 mL/h/kg for intravenous administration and 81.44 ± 25.79 mL/h/kg for oral administration. The oral bioavailability was determined to be 77.89% in dogs.     

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.     

Bioavailability of fluoride administered as sodium fluoride or monofluorophosphate to humans

A double-bind cross-over study was conducted on four healthy subjects, aged 19-29 years, in order to determine the relative bioavailability and other pharmacokinetics features of fluoride (F) after single oral administration in fasting conditions of 2 mg F as sodium F (NaF) or sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP). The bioavailability was evaluated on the basis of the plasma levels and of the urinary excretion of F. Blood was sampled before and during the 8 h after the administration of the test solutions. For F excretion urine was sampled 12 h before the study and over the 8 h after the administration. Data were tested for statistically significant differences by ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests, and also by Student's t-test (p < 0.05). For the two formulations, the pharmacokinetics of F in plasma was characterized by a rapid absorption and by a peak (C_max = 0.1 μg/mL) which was reached 20 min after administration, followed by a biphasic elimination. In the 8 h following the administration the urinary excretion of F accounted for 35-41% of the administered dose, without significant differences between the two formulations. The AUCs (±S.D.) for NaF and MFP were 21.15 (±0.58) and 19.04 (±1.75) min μg mL⁻¹, respectively, and were not significantly different (p = 0.079). Based on the AUC and C_max of F in plasma and on the urinary excretion of F during the 8 h following administration, the relative bioavailabilities of the two F formulations were equivalent.     

Comparative pharmacokinetic studies of andrographolide and its metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide in rat by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Andrographolide (AND), one of the major diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees, can be metabolized as a phase two metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide‐19‐O‐β‐d ‐glucuronide in human. The aim of this study is to characterize and synthesize the phase one metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide (DEO‐AND) after gavage feeding of AND in rats, and to compare the pharmacokinetics of AND and DEO‐AND after intravenous administration. DEO‐AND was first discovered existing in rat serum by HPLC‐MSⁿ after administration of AND. Furthermore, the target metabolite was synthesized and elucidated by NMR. In addition, a rapid, selective and sensitive UPLC‐ESI/MS method was developed for the first time to determine the content of AND and DEO‐AND in rats serum. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after a single intravenous dose of 5 mg/kg AND and DEO‐AND, respectively. In comparison, the pharmacokinetic parameters of metabolite DEO‐AND, including distribution rate constant, elimination rate constant, half‐life and mean residence time, were significantly less than those of AND (p < 0.05). However, the AUC_{0→720 min} value after intravenous administration of DEO‐AND was 781.59 ± 81.46 µg min/mL, which was 17.71 times higher than that of AND (44.13 ± 10.45 µg min/mL; p < 0.05). These results show the pharmacokinetic profile of AND to be significantly different from that of DEO‐AND by intravenous administration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.