A simple liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry approach for the simultaneous quantification of thirteen compounds in rats following oral administration of raw and processed Fructus Xanthii: Application in a comparative pharmacokinetic study.

A simple and sensitive analysis using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with a tandem mass spectrometric system operated in selected reaction monitoring mode was developed for the determination of 11 phenolic acids, atractyloside, and carboxyatractyloside in rat plasma. The two classes of analytes were then separated on a Waters ACQUITY™ UPLC HSS T3 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 µm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase of 0.2% formic acid in water containing 10 mM ammonium acetate and methanol. Detection was accomplished by selected reaction monitoring scanning via an electrospray source operating in negative ionization mode. The calibration curve was linear (R2  = 0.990) over a concentration range of 1.20-3500 ng/mL, while the validated lower limit of quantification was 1.20 ng/mL. The precision varied from 0.84 to 4.62%, and the accuracy varied within ±5%. The method proved robust with sample freezing and thawing and with short- and long-term sample storage. The established method was used for simultaneous quantification and was successfully used for the first time for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of 13 compounds after the intragastric administration of raw and processed Fructus Xanthii in rats. The results indicated that processing affects the absorption and metabolism of Fructus Xanthii extract. Importantly, the results also indicated the importance of processing for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine.