Abstract: AIM: To develop an UPLC method for the determination of plasma concentration of glyco-gambogic acid (Glyco-GA) and study the pharmacokinetics of Glyco-GA in rat plasma.METHODS: An UPLC method was established for the determination of Glyco-GA in rat plasma and using Gambogenic acid as the internal standard. The plasma concentration of Glyco-GA in rats was determined by UPLC after intravenous administration of Glyco-GA at a does of 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by DAS 2.1.RESULTS: Calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.05-14.0 mg/L(r=0.9999). The lower limit of quantification was 0.05 mg/L. The extraction recoveries were higher than 87%. The intra-day and inter-day precision(RSD%) was lower than 10%, respectively. This method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study after i.v. administration of Glyco-GA in rats at a does of 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg. The T_1/2 of Glyco-GA was (16.66±1.56), (16.81±2.21) and (17.88±2.05) min, the AUC_0-t was (12.92±13.14), (37.3±18.58) and (68.22±20.91) min·mg·L^-1, respectively.CONCLUSION: A simple,rapid and specific UPLC method for the analysis of Glyco-GA was successfully developed and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of Glyco-GA in rat plasma.

Key words: glyco-gambogic acid, UPLC, rat, plasma concentration, pharmacokinetics