Determination of Ferulic Acid in Rat Plasma by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

Abstract A rapid, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for quantification of ferulic acid in rat plasma. The analyte and docetaxel (internal standard) were extracted from plasma samples with diethyl ether and analyzed on a C18 column. The chromatographic separation was achieved within 3.5 min by using acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase and the flow rate was 0.2 mL · min−1. The method was linear within the range of 0.5 − 800 ng · mL−1. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.5 ng · mL−1. Finally, the method is successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic study of ferulic acid in rats following intravenous administration. Keywords: Ferulic acidHPLC-MS/MSpharmacokineticsplasma concentrationrat