HPLC with Column Switching Coupled to APCI–MS for Pharmacokinetic Study of Amygdalin in Rabbit Plasma

A fast and validated assay was established for the pharmacokinetic study of amygdalin in Armeniacae Semen in rabbit. The method involved column switching (CS) enrichment, separation, post-column derivatization, and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometric detection. Plasma sample was enriched by CS using a MAYI-ODS as the first column. Analytes of interest were isolated and analyzed on a second column of Zorbax SB-C₁₈. To detect amygdalin in plasma samples, a T-piece was connected between the HPLC outlet and the APCI source to add a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol to the eluent by an isocratic pump. Calibration graphs showed good linearity over a range of 1.0–1,280 ng mL⁻¹. The detection limit was 0.2 ng mL⁻¹. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were within 3.9%. The method was successfully applied to a study of the pharmacokinetics of amygdalin after an intravenous injection of amygdalin extracts to rabbits with a dose of 400 mg kg⁻¹. The results indicate that amygdalin is a one-compartment open model with a first order absorption phase.