Enhanced one-step sample pretreatment method for extraction of ginsenosides from rat plasma using tailor-made deep eutectic mixture solvents

Abstract

Enriching trace amounts of traditional Chinese medicine active components from plasma samples using green and efficient solvents is still challenging. Herein, a one-step, relatively green and efficient pretreatment method based on a deep eutectic solvent (DES) system combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed and applied for extracting and enriching ginsenosides from plasma samples of rats treated with white ginseng (WG). The tailor-made DES2 was synthesized from choline chloride and glycol (1 : 4 v/v). Moreover, a 2 : 3 mixture of extraction solvents DES2 and acetonitrile (DES–ACN) can integrate the extraction of ginsenosides and precipitation of protein into one step, so the extraction efficiency and detection sensitivity have been significantly improved. In pharmacokinetics studies, in addition to the plasma concentration–time profiles of 8 ginsenosides that can be detected by conventional methods, the plasma concentration–time profiles of Re and Rf were uniquely detected by the established method with lower limits of quantification (LOQs). This established approach would have potential for extraction of the active ingredients from food and biological samples.