Simultaneous determination of catechin, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate in rat plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS for pharmacokinetic studies after oral administration of Cynomorium songaricum extract

► A sensitive LC-MS/MS method with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of about 2 ng mL−1 was firstly developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of three catechins (catechin, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate) in rat plasma. ► After single oral administration of 15.25 g kg−1Cynomorium songaricum extract, Cmax of catechin, epicatechin and epicatechin gallate in rat plasma were respectively 86.69 ± 38.65, 32.57 ± 15.00 and 36.93 ± 12.62 ng mL−1 while Tmax values were respectively 0.15 ± 0.09, 0.20 ± 0.10 and 0.20 ± 0.13 h. ► The developed LC-MS/MS method was sensitive enough for pharmacokinetic study of catechins following oral administration of C. songaricum extract.