Simultaneous Analysis of Quercetin and Naringenin in Rat Plasma by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study After Oral Administration

A rapid and specific LC-MS-MS method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of quercetin and naringenin in rat plasma. The method was applied to the pharmacokinetics studies of quercetin and naringenin after oral administration of Pollen Typhae extract. The samples were prepared by the protein precipitation method. The analysis was carried out on an ACQUITY UPLC™ BEH C18 column with gradient elution using mobile phase, which included acetonitrile and water (containing 0.1% formic acid). The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min. All analytes including internal standard (IS) were monitored by selected reaction monitoring with an electrospray ionization source. Linear responses were obtained for quercetin ranging from 0.5 to 100 ng/mL and naringenin ranging from 5 to 1000 ng/mL. The intra- and interday precisions (RSD) were less than 10.78 and 11.20%. The extraction recovery of the analytes was acceptable. Stability studies showed that quercetin and naringenin were stable in the preparation and analytical process. The validated method was successfully used to determine the concentration-time profiles of quercetin and naringenin.