Liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry of terpene lactones in plasma of volunteers dosed with Ginkgo biloba L. extracts

• Published in: Rapid communications in mass spectrometry Vol. 15; no. 12; pp. 929 - 934
• Main Authors: Mauri, Pierluigi, Simonetti, Paolo, Gardana, Claudio, Minoggio, Markus, Morazzoni, Paolo, Bombardelli, Ezio, Pietta, Piergiorgio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-01-2001
• Subjects: Adult; Area Under Curve; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Cyclopentanes - blood; Diterpenes; Food Deprivation; Furans - blood; Ginkgo biloba; Ginkgolides; Half-Life; Humans; Lactones - blood; Male; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Plant Extracts - pharmacokinetics; Plants, Medicinal
• ISSN: 0951-4198; 1097-0231
• DOI: 10.1002/rcm.316

Liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC/APCI‐ITMS) was applied to evaluate the levels of ginkgolides A and B and bilobalide in plasma of volunteers after administration of Ginkgo biloba extracts in free (Ginkgoselect®) or phospholipid complex (Ginkgoselect® Phytosome®) forms, providing 9.6 mg of total terpene lactones. The maximum plasma concentrations, Cmax, of total ginkgolides A, B and bilobalide were 85.0 and 181.8 µg/mL for Ginkgoselect and Ginkgoselect Phytosome, respectively. The Cmax values were reached at 120 min for the free form and at 180–240 min for the phospholipid complex form. In both cases, the mean elimination half‐life of each terpene lactone was in the range 120–180 min. Due to its sensitivity (about 1 ng/mL) and specificity, LC/APCI‐ITMS proved to be a very powerful tool for pharmacokinetic studies of these phytochemicals. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.