Determination of multicomponents from Zhuanggu Guanjie capsule in rat plasma by UHPLC–MS/MS and pharmacokinetic study

Abstract

Aim: To develop a UHPLC–MS/MS method for the quantification of 12 constituents in rat plasma after oral administration of Zhuanggu Guanjie. Methods: Constituent separation was performed on a C18 column, and the mass spectrometric detection was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode with a positive–negative ionization mode. Results: The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of these 12 constituents after rats taking Zhuanggu Guanjie capsules. The results showed that psoralen, isopsoralen and aspersaponin VI were the key effective components and had high exposure. Conclusion: A rapid, simple and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for the detection of 12 components in rat plasma after taking Zhuanggu Guanjie was developed and applied in this pharmacokinetics study.