Naringenin as a Novel Stabilizer for Improving the Stability of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate

This study discovered a natural flavonoid stabilizer for stabilizing 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) since the instability of 5-MTHF affects the accurate determination of 5-MTHF. The optimal stabilizer was selected from six flavonoid compounds, comparing the differences between natural stabilizers and traditional stabilizers and studying the parameters of the stabilizing 5-MTHF solution. In addition, the stabilizing effect of the stabilizer on 5-MTHF was evaluated under optimal parameters under various environmental conditions. Differences in the methods with and without naringenin were compared. The concentrations of 5-MTHF were analyzed using validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and percentage deviation characterized the stability. The results indicated that naringenin had a better stabilizing effect on 5-MTHF compared to dithiothreitol, similar to l-ascorbic acid, maintaining the stability of 5-MTHF under different conditions. Naringenin had no adverse effect on the stability of other metabolites. In conclusion, naringenin improved the stability of 5-MTHF, ensuring its stability during the storage and detection processes.