OBJECTIVETo develop a sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method for simultaneous determination of jatrorrhizine, palmatine and berberine in rat serum, and study the pharmacokinetics of the three alkaloids in rat serum after an intragastrical (ig) administration of Huanglianjiedu decoction to rat.

METHODThe optimal ionization and fragmentation conditions, as well as HPLC ones, to detect jatrorrhozine, palmatine and berberine were developed and validated. After the Huanglianjiedu decoction were administered to rats through ig route, LC-MS-MS method has been applied to the pharmacokinetic study of the three alkaloids in rat serum. DAS procedure was used to process concentration-time data.

RESULTThe detection was performed by MRM mode via electrospray ionization (ESI) source operating in the positive ionization mode. The precursor-to-product ion transitions were at m/z 338-322 for jatrorrhozine, m/z 351.9-308 for palmatine, m/z 336-319.8 for berberine and m/z 356.1-192.1 for tetrahydropalmatine (IS) respectively. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.2-25 microg x L(-1) for jatrorrhozine, 0.4-50 microg x L(-1) for palmatine and berberine. The method was validated according to the requirements. The pharmacokinetic process of the three alkaloids after oral administration of Huanglianjiedu decoction was fitted to be a one-compartment model.

CONCLUSIONThe fully validated LC-MS-MS method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of the three alkaloids in rat serum after oral administration of Huanglianjiedu decoction.