LC–MS/MS method for quantification of raspberry ketone in rat plasma: application to preclinical pharmacokinetic studies

Raspberry ketone (RK), derived from red raspberry fruit ( , family Rosaceae), is a reported potent antiobesity agent. This study aims to investigate method development, validation, and and pharmacokinetics in rats. LC–MS/MS was used to conduct method development, validation, stability, and oral PK samples of RK in plasma analyses. RK was highly soluble in Tris buffer and stable in gastrointestinal fluids as well as plasma. Rat liver microsomal stability of RK in phase I and II studies was 84.96 ± 2.39 and 69.98 ± 8.69%, respectively, after 60 min. Intestinal permeability was 4.39 ± 1.37 × 10 cm/s. Maximal concentration was 1591.02 ± 64.76 ng/ml, which was achieved after 1 h (time to maximal concentration), and absolute oral bioavailability was 86.28%. Pharmacokinetic data serve as a keystone for preclinical and clinical adjuvant therapy. Using LC–MS/MS, a method was developed and validated for RK, and investigated the preclinical pharmacokinetics and bioavailability in Sprague Dawley rats.