Simultaneous Determination of Active Components of Shuangdan Decoction in Rat Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric (HPLC/MS) method was developed for simultaneous determination of danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, paeoniflorin, and paeonol in rat plasma. Agilent XDB-C8 column was used and the column temperature was maintained at 35°C. The mobile phase was CH3CN-0.1%CH3COOH-H2O at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min. The separation was finished within 26 min using linear gradient elution. Electrospray ionization (ESI) selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode was used. Negative SIM mode was applied to the analysis of danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, and paeoniflorin, whereas positive SIM mode was used for paeonol. The method was simple, accurate, and specific. The intra-day and inter-day precisions (RSD) were less than 5.2% and 9.9%, respectively. Danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, paeoniflorin, and paeonol in rat plasma after intragastric administration of Shuangdan decoction were determined using the proposed method. The results indicated that the tmax of danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, paeoniflorin, and paeonol was 30, 30, 60, and 20 min, respectively.