Determination of the concentration of diallyl trisulfide in rat whole blood using gas chromatography with electron-capture detection and identification of its major metabolite with gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

A simple, rapid, and sensitive procedure has been developed using gas chromatography with electron-capture detection to measure diallyl trisulfide levels in rat blood. Blood samples were acidified, and the analyte was extracted with hexane, and then degradation was stopped with acetonitrile before gas chromatographic separation. Two calibration curves were linear over the range of 10-500 ng/ml and 0.2-20 microg/ml, with typical r values of 0.9986 and 0.9993, respectively. The structure of its major metabolite was confirmed using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was less than 10 ng/ml, and the assay was highly reproducible, giving peaks with excellent chromatographic properties. The method is suitable for pharmacokinetic and therapeutic purposes.