DETERMINATION OF PHLOROGLUCINOL IN HUMAN PLASMA BY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHYMASS-SPECTROMETRY

A specific and sensitive method has been developed for the determinati on of phloroglucinol in plasma; it involves an optimized procedure for blood sampling designed to minimize the in vitro oxidation of the mol ecule, and ps chromatography-mass spectrometry after silylation of the compound. The method allowed a reliable determination of phloroglucin ol in plasma. The precision and accuracy of the assay, reported as coe fficients of variation, were below 15%. Using a plasma sample of 0.25 ml, the limit of quantitation was 5 ng/ml with a precision of 17.4%, w hich is sensitive enough for pharmacokinetic studies. Stability studie s under different conditions revealed that ascorbic acid limits the de gradation of phloroglucinol in plasma during storage at freezer temper atures.