Pharmacokinetics and Bioavailability of Kaempferol In Rat Plasma by UPLC-MS/MS

Kaempferol is a kind of flavonoid compound widely found in vegetables, fruits and Chinese medicinal materials. It has many biological functions such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, and it is safe and non-toxic, and has good development and application prospects. In this study, we used UPLC-MS/MS to detect kaempferol in rat plasma, and investigated its pharmacokinetics in rats. Neohesperidin was utilized as an internal standard (IS), and acetonitrile precipitation method was used to process the plasma samples. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a UPLC BEH C18 column using mobile phase of acetonitrile- 0.1 % formic acid with gradient elution. Electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with negative ionization was applied, m/z 285.0 -> 92.9 and 609.0 -> 300.9 for kaempferol and IS, respectively. The results indicated that within the range of 1-500 ng/mL, linearity of kaempferol in rat plasma was acceptable (r>0.995), and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day precision RSD of kaempferol in rat plasma were lower than 14%. Accuracy range was between 93.0 and 112.7%, and matrix effect was between 87.0 and 95.6%. The method was successfully applied in the pharmacokinetics of kaempferol in rats after oral and intravenous administration. The absolute bioavailability of the kaempferol was 11.0% in rats.