A sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination in plasma of pentacyclic triterpenes of Olea europaea L

•Pentacyclic triterpenic alcohols and acids are detected in plasma by LC-QqQ-MS.•Bioactive compounds are determined with high precision, accuracy and sensitivity.•Methodology fit for pharmacokinetic studies after intake of pentacyclic triterpenes. Table olives are especially rich in pentacyclic triterpenic compounds, which exert several biological activities. A crucial step in order to know if these compounds could contribute to the beneficial and healthy properties of this food is their measurement in blood. Therefore, the present study describes a simple and accurate liquid-liquid extraction followed by LC-QqQ-MS analysis for the simultaneous determination of the main pentacyclic triterpenes from Olea europaea L. in rat plasma. The method was validated by the analysis of blank plasma samples spiked with pure compounds, obtaining a linear correlation, adequate sensitivity with a limit of quantification ranging from 1nM for maslinic acid to 10nM for uvaol. Precision and accuracy were lower than 10% in all cases and recoveries were between 95 and 104%. The oral administration of olives to rats and its determination in plasma verified that the established methodology is appropriate for bioavailability studies.