Determination of 8-methoxypsoralen in plasma by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry using selected-ion monitoring

A sensitive and accurate assay was developed for the measurement of 8-methoxypsoralen in plasma using electron-impact positive-ion mass fragmentography. 4,5,8-Trimethylpsoralen was used as an internal standard. Sample preparation consisted of a two-step liquid phase extraction using acetonitrile and methylene chloride. The calibration curve showed a linear relationship between the peak areas of 8-methoxypsoralen and 4,5,8-trimethylpsoralen over a wide range of 8-methoxypsoralen concentrations (1–500 ng/ml). Within- and between-run precisions, measured at five different drug concentrations, varied from 0.82 to 1.41% and from 0.82 to 1.86%, respectively.