Simultaneous determination of atractylenolide II and atractylenolide III by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in rat plasma and its application in a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizoma extract

Atractylenolide II (AII) and atractylenolide III (AIII) are the major active components in Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizoma (AMR). In this study, a sensitive, rapid and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of AII and AIII in rat plasma using loliolide as internal standard (IS). After protein precipitation with ethyl acetate, the analytes were injected into an LC-MS/MS system for quantification. Chromatography was performed using a C18 column, eluting with water and acetonitrile (45:55, v/v) at 0.2 mL/min. All analytes including IS were monitored under positive ionization conditions by multiple reaction monitoring with an electrospray ionization source. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of AII and AIII in rat plasma after oral administration of AMR extract. The results provided a meaningful basis for evaluating the clinical applications of traditional Chinese medicine. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.