title: Determination of dioscin in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assay for dioscin in rat plasma was developed. Ginsenoside Rh2 was employed as an internal standard. Dioscin is a naturally occurring saponin present in many traditional Chinese medicinal plants. Dioscin was determined after the acetonitrile-mediated plasma protein precipitation. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile:10 mmol/l aqueous ammonium acetate (95:5, v:v), which was pumped at 0.8 ml/min. The analytical column (100 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) was packed with Hypersil ODS material (5 microm). The standard curve was linear from 1 to 100 ng/ml. The assay was specific, accurate (percentage deviations from nominal concentrations were <10%), precise and reproducible (within- and between-day coefficients of variation <10%). Dioscin in rat plasma was stable over three freeze-thaw cycles and at ambient temperatures for 24 h. The utility of the assay was demonstrated by determining dioscin plasma concentrations in five rats for 120 h following a single oral gavage dose of 90 mg/kg.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yingwu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jingkai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dafang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004144:Diosgenin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: C019357:dioscin; D004144:Diosgenin