Application of a sensitive and accurate LC-MS/MS method for determination of dryocrassin ABBA in rat plasma for a bioavailability study

A sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of dryocrassin ABBA, a potential active component isolated from Dryopteris crassirhizoma, in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax SB-C18 column (50 x 2.1mm, 1.8 mu m), with elution consisting of eluent (A) 10mM ammonium acetate in methanol containing 0.1% formic acid and (B) 10mM ammonium acetate in water containing 0.1% formic acid (A:B=99:1, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.3mL/min. Multiple reaction monitoring mode was used to monitor the precursor-product ion transitions of m/z 819.3 -> 403.4 for dryocrassin ABBA and m/z 426.2 -> 409.2 for internal standard. This assay exhibited a good linearity with a correlation coefficient >0.99 and showed no endogenous interference with the analyte and internal standard. The lower limit of quantification of dryocrassin ABBA was 4 ng/mL in 50 mu L of rat plasma. The method was successfully applied in the pharmacokinetic study of dryocrassin ABBA in rats after intravenous (2.35 mg/kg) and oral (23.5 mg/kg) doses of dryocrassin ABBA. The oral bioavailability (F) of dryocrassin ABBA was estimated to be 50.1%. Our study is the first to clarify the pharmacokinetic behaviors of dryocrassin ABBA in animals. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.