Development and Validation of a Sensitive UFLC–MS/MS Method for Quantification of Quercitrin in Plasma: Application to a Tissue Distribution Study

Quercitrin, a glycosylated form of the flavonoid quercetin, is one of the major constituents of Copaifera langsdorffii leaves and potentially contributes to the medicinal properties reported for this plant species, including the treatment and prevention of kidney stones. To better understand the pharmacokinetics of quercitrin, a simple, rapid, and sensitive ultra fast liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of quercitrin in rat plasma and applied to a tissue distribution study. Sample preparation involved simple liquid–liquid extraction by ethyl acetate with high efficiency, using afzelin as internal standard. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex Synergi Polar-RP (100 × 3.0 mm2, 2.5 μm), with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.5% formic acid in water. The mass spectrometry analysis was conducted in negative ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring transitions at m/z 447 → 300 for quercitrin and m/z 431 ...