Stereoselective pharmacokinetic study of rhynchophylline and isorhynchophylline epimers in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

1. In this study, the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of rhynchophylline (RIN) and isorhynchophylline (IRN) in rat plasma were investigated using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS).2. A rapid, robust and sensitive LC–MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of RIN and IRN in rat plasma was established and validated. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column under a gradient elution with methanol and water containing 0.01% ammonia as mobile phase. Calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 1–2000 ng/mL for both epimers.3. After intravenous administration, there was no apparent difference in pharmacokinetic parameters between two epimers. However, after oral administration, RIN showed remarkable higher plasma exposure than IRN. The bioavailability, Cmax and AUC0–t of RIN were about 9.2-fold, 6.4-fold and 9.1-fold higher than those of IRN at 10 mg/kg, and 7.8-fold, 4.3-fold and 7.7-fold at 20 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, with dosage enhanced from 10 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg, the plasma concentrations of RIN or IRN increased significantly and the bioavailability enhanced about three times.4. In conclusion, the results of this work demonstrated for the first time that the pharmacokinetics of RIN and IRN have stereoselectivity.