Purpose: To develop a simple, rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography - electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–MS/MS) method was developed and fully validated for the simultaneous determination of galangin, kaempferide, galangin-3-methylether, kaempferol and quercetin in rat plasma after oral administration of Mongolian Medicine, Shudage-4 extracts.
Methods: The galangin, kaempferide, galangin-3-methylether, kaempferol and quercetin were separated on a C18 column using 0.1 % formic acid at a flow rate of 0.4 mL / min and detected by a mass spectrometer in negative-ion mode with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. Plasma samples were processed with a simple deproteinization technique using ethyl acetate and acetonitrile. Following the protein precipitation, the plasma samples were evaporated under gentle stream of nitrogen and analyzed by above method. Naringin was used as an internal standard (IS). Method validation was performed according to the Chinese Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
Results: A good linearity (r2 ≥ 0.9990) was showed by the UPLC – ESI – MS / MS method, the low limits of quantification for galangin, kaempferide, galangin-3-methylether, kaempferol and quercetin were 229.8, 78.8, 32.0, 123.7 and 137.8 ng / mL, respectively. The results of inter-day and intra-day precisions met the experimental requirement (< 7.8 %). The matrix effect and recovery efficiency of the five analytes were more than 72.9 and 88.7 % respectively. The stability of the analytes were satisfactory. The UPLC – ESI – MS / MS method has been used for the five analytes’ pharmacokinetics study successfully after gastrointestinal route of the Mongolian Medicine Shudage-4. The pharmacokinetic parameters showed significant differences (P < 0.05) between the normal and gastric ulcer groups. The metabolism and transport of the five analytes in gastric ulcer rates were faster than in normal rats after administration of Shudage - 4 extract. Double-peak phenomenon appeared in galangin, galangin – 3 - methylether and quercetin.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the metabolism and transport of Mongolian Medicine Shudage-4 in gastric ulcer rats is faster than in normal rats and may be enriched and acted on at the lesion site.
Keywords: UPLC – ESI – MS / MS; Mongolian medicine; Shudage - 4; pharmacokinetics; gastric ulcer
A UPLC-ESI-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Quantitation of Chlorogenic Acid, Scutellarin, and Scutellarein in Rat Plasma: Application to a Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study in Sham-Operated and MCAO Rats after Oral Administration of Erigeron breviscapus Extract