Quantification of oxcarbazeipine and its active metabolite 10-hydroxycarbazepine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection (230 nm) was developed and validated for the quantification of oxcarbazepine (CAS 28721-07-5), a new antiepileptic drug, and its active metabolite 10-hydroxycarbazepine (CAS 29331-92-8) in human plasma. Following solid-phase extraction, the analytes and internal standard (zaleplon, CAS 151319-34-5) were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse phase C18 column. The lower limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL for oxcarbazepine and 100 ng/mL for 10-hydroxycarbazepine with a relative standard deviation of less than 10%. A linear dynamic range of 50 to 5000 ng/mL for oxcarbazepine and of 100 to 10000 ng/mL for 10-hydroxycarbazepine was established. This HPLC method was validated with between-batch precision of 0.8 to 8.6% and 3.2 to 7.5% for oxcarbazepine and 10-hydroxycarbazepine respectively. The between-batch accuracy was 94.0 to 102.4% and 95.4 to 105.6%, respectively. Stability of oxcarbazepine and 10-hydroxycarbazepine in plasma was excellent, with no evidence of degradation during sample processing (autosampler) and 30 days storage in a freezer. This validated method is sensitive, simple and repeatable enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Simultaneous determination of niacin, niacinamide and nicotinuric acid in human plasma

A sensitive, specific, accurate, and reproducible HPLC/MS-method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of niacin (NA) and its main metabolites niacinamide (NAM) and nicotinuric acid (NUR) in human plasma using chinolin-3-carboxylic acid as an internal standard was developed and validated according to international guidelines for method validation.

All analytes and the internal standard were separated from acidified plasma by solid phase extraction. Afterwards the extracted samples were analyzed by HPLC/MS in the positive electrospray ionization mode (ESI) and selected ion monitoring (SIM). The total run time was 7 min between injections. The assay had a lower limit of quantification of 50.0 ng/mL for each analyte using 1 mL of plasma. The calibration curves were linear in the measured range between 50.0 and 750 ng/mL plasma. The overall precision and accuracy for all concentrations of quality controls and standards was better than 15%. No indications were found for possible instabilities of niacin, niacinamide and nicotinuric acid in plasma at −20 °C, in the extraction solvent or after repeated thawing/freezing cycles. In stabilities were observed in whole blood and in plasma at room temperature. The recovery of the extraction method ranged from 86 to 89% for the three analytes.     

An improved HPLC method for therapeutic drug monitoring of daunorubicin, idarubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, and their 13-dihydro metabolites in human plasma.

A single high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, suitable for the analysis of daunorubicin, idarubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, and their 13-dihydro metabolites is validated in the present study. Preparation of plasma samples was performed by a first extraction of analytes with a chloroform/1-heptanol mixture (9:1) and reextraction with ortophosphoric acid 0.1 M. The chromatographic analysis was carried out by reversed-phase isocratic elution of anthracyclines with a Supelcosil LC-CN 5 mm column (25 cm x 4.6 mm internal diameter; Supelco) and detection was accomplished by spectrofluorimetry at excitation and emission wavelengths of 480 and 560 nm, respectively. All anthracyclines eluted within 15 minutes of injection and the method appeared to be specific, because the chromatographic assay did not show interferences at the retention time of analytes. The linearity, evaluated over a concentration range of 0.4-10,000 ng/mL, gave regression coefficients better than 0.999, with recoveries of doxorubicin-doxorubicinol and epirubicin-epirubicinol of 67%-109% and 61%-109% respectively, and 93%-109% for the other compounds. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.4 ng/mL in a 50-mL sample (40 pg/injection) for all anthracyclines tested. The method proved to be precise and accurate, as the within-day and between-day coefficients of variation were less than 10% and the accuracy of the assay was in the range of 91%-107%. Overall results indicate that it is feasible to analyze all the anthracyclines used in clinical practice and their major metabolites with a single optimized method, thereby simplifying their monitoring in chemotherapeutic regimens of cancer patients.     

Simultaneous determination of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone enantiomers in human blood plasma by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Risperidone is a commonly prescribed antipsychotic drug. An enantioselective HPLC method with electrochemical detection was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of plasma concentrations of risperidone and its active metabolites, 9-hydroxyrisperidone enantiomers. Following solid phase extraction of 1.0 mL blood plasma, a baseline separation of the analytes was achieved on an AGP (α₁ acid glycoprotein) column using isocratic mobile phase consisting of methanol–phosphate buffer (pH 6.2; 0.1 M) (15:85, v/v). Total analysis run time was 11 min. For the detection of the analytes analytical cell potentials were set at 500, 650, 950, and 950 mV. The method linearity was attained in the range from 1.0 to 100 ng/mL for risperidone and both 9-hydroxyrisperidone enantiomers. The limit of detection was 0.5 ng/mL for all three analytes. The method was precise and accurate and was successfully applied in a clinical study investigating the stereoselectivity of risperidone 9-hydroxylation.     

Quantification of faropenem in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection (315 nm) was developed and validated for quantitation of faropenem (CAS 106560-14-9), the newest addition to the group of beta-lactam antimicrobials, in human plasma. Following solid-phase extraction using Waters Oasis SPE cartridges, the analyte and internal standard (hydrochlorothiazide, CAS 58-93-5) were separated using an isocratic mobile phase of 10 mmol/L acetate buffer (pH adjusted to 7.0 with dilute acetic acid) / methanol / triethyl amine (70/30/0.03, v/v/v) on reverse phase Waters symmetry C18 column. The lower limit of quantitation was 200 ng/mL, with a relative standard deviation of less than 2 %. A linear range of 200 to 25000 ng/mL was established. This HPLC method was validated with between-batch and within-batch precision of 1.6 to 2.3 % and 0.4 to 1.6 %, respectively. The between-batch and within-batch bias was -3.1 to 5.3 % and -6.0 to 1.5 %, respectively. Frequently coadministered drugs did not interfere with the described methodology. The stability of faropenem in plasma was excellent, with no evidence of degradation during sample processing (autosampler) and 30 days storage in a freezer. This validated method is sensitive, simple and repeatable enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Determination of oxycodone, noroxycodone, oxymorphone, and noroxymorphone in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of oxycodone, noroxycodone, oxymorphone, and noroxymorphone. Following solid-phase extraction, the analytes were separated on a reverse-phase column by gradient elution and analyzed by MS/MS. The analytes were found to be stable in plasma for at least three freeze-thaw cycles and 5 hours at room temperature, and also in the reconstitution solution at 8 degrees C for at least 48 hours. The lower limits of quantification were 0.1 ng/mL for oxycodone and oxymorphone and 0.25 ng/mL for noroxycodone and noroxymorphone. All calibration curves were linear up to 100 ng/mL. The extraction recoveries were more than 85%, the intraday and interday coefficients of variation were <15%, and the accuracy was >90% for all analytes at relevant plasma concentrations. The method has been used in the therapeutic drug monitoring of more than 1000 clinical plasma samples. About 50 concomitantly used drugs were tested for possible ion suppression and found not to interfere with the method. In conclusion, this method is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in patients and healthy volunteers, and it can be applied to therapeutic monitoring of oxycodone.     

HPLC determination of telmisartan in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive, simple, and accurate HPLC method was developed for the assay of telmisartan in human plasma. Using naproxen as internal standard, the assay involved liquid-liquid extraction of the compound from acidified plasma into organic solvent and reversed-phase chromatography with fluorescence detection. The assay was shown to be linear from 0.5 to 1000 ng/mL. In 24 healthy volunteers, the plasma concentrations of the drug were determined after a single oral dose of 160 mg.     

Studies on antiretroviral drug concentrations in breast milk: validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of 7 anti-human immunodeficiency virus medications

Studying the pharmacokinetics of antiretroviral drugs in breast milk has important implications for the health of both the mother and the infant, particularly in resource-poor countries. Breast milk is a highly complex biological matrix, yet it is necessary to develop and validate methods in this matrix, which simultaneously measure multiple analytes, as women may be taking any number of drug combinations to combat human immunodeficiency virus infection. Here, we report a novel extraction method coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for the accurate, precise, and specific measurement of 7 antiretroviral drugs currently prescribed to infected mothers. Using 200 microL of human breast milk, simultaneous quantification of lamivudine (3TC), stavudine (d4T), zidovudine (ZDV), nevirapine (NVP), nelfinavir (NFV), ritonavir, and lopinavir was validated over the range of 10-10,000 ng/mL. Intraday accuracy and precision for all analytes were 99.3% and 5.0 %, respectively. Interday accuracy and precision were 99.4 % and 7.8%, respectively. Cross-assay validation with UV detection was performed using clinical breast milk samples, and the results of the 2 assays were in good agreement (P = 0.0001, r = 0.97). Breast milk to plasma concentration ratios for the different antiretroviral drugs were determined as follows: 3TC = 2.96, d4T = 1.73, ZDV = 1.17, NVP = 0.82, and NFV = 0.21.     

Simultaneous measurement of plasma ropivacaine and bupivacaine concentrations by HPLC with UV detection

The authors developed a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the simultaneous determination of plasma ropivacaine and bupivacaine concentrations using ultraviolet (UV) detection and a simple solid-phase extraction procedure. The absolute retention times of ropivacaine, bupivacaine, and the internal standard pentycaine were 1.9, 3.0, and 5.6 minutes, respectively. The assay had a linearity of 2000 ng/mL, a sensitivity of 5 ng/mL, an average recovery of 98%, and an average day-to-day imprecision of <10% for both drugs. A patient correlation study (n = 23) using this HPLC method and an established gas chromatographic assay revealed a slope of 1.01, an intercept of -10.6 ng/mL, and a correlation coefficient of 0.99 for ropivacaine; and a slope of 0.96, an intercept of 14.7 ng/mL, and a correlation coefficient of 0.99 for bupivacaine. Of the 60 different drugs tested, only quinidine and lidocaine extracted but did not interfere with the measurement of the drugs of interest. The authors conclude that the method described here is ideally suited for the therapeutic monitoring of plasma ropivacaine and bupivacaine concentrations.     

Development of a chiral HPLC method to evaluate in vivo enantiomeric inversion of an unstable, polar radiosensitizer in plasma

A chiral HPLC method to quantify in vivo enantiomeric inversion of prodrug CI-1010 (IR) or its drug IIR (PD 146923), a radiosensitizer, upon X-irradiation of dosed rats was developed. These polar enantiomers were separated only by using normal-phase chiral HPLC. A Chiralpak AS column provided the best separation. Isolation of analytes from plasma employed solid-phase extraction (SPE), and required conditions that were compatible with normal-phase HPLC. Options for SPE were restricted by the chemically reactive nature of both prodrug and drug, which produced analyte losses as high as 100%. Acceptable recoveries using SPE required evaluation of conditions for analyte chemical stability. The validated method gave a lower-limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 200 ng/ml for each enantiomer extracted from 0.15 ml of plasma. The LLOQ of the inverted enantiomer could be detected in the presence of 10,000 ng/ml of the dosed enantiomer. Precision (RSD) ranged from 14.2 to 4.4%, and from 24.2 to 5.1% for IIS and IIR, respectively. Accuracy (RE) was +/- 13.1 and +/- 13.2%, respectively. Recoveries ranged from 44.3 to 71.4%, and from 40.7 to 67.9%, for IIS and IIR, respectively.     

Validated HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of simvastatin and simvastatin hydroxy acid in human plasma

Cholesterol lowering statin drugs are the most frequently prescribed agents for reducing morbidity and mortality related to coronary heart disease. This publication presents a validated, highly sensitive and selective isocratic HPLC method for the quantitative determination of the major statin drug simvastatin (SIM) and its metabolite simvastatin hydroxy acid (SIMA). Detection was performed on an electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an ESI interface operated in positive and negative ionization mode. The multiple reaction-monitoring mode (MRM) was used to provide MS/MS detection. The linearity for the calibration curve in the concentration range of 0.10-16.00 ng/mL for SIM and 0.10-16.00 ng/mL for SIMA is presented. Inter- and intra-day precision and accuracy of the proposed method were characterized by relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) and percentage deviation, respectively; with both lower than 7% for all analytes. The limit of quantitation was 0.03 ng/mL for SIM and 0.02 ng/mL for SIMA. The devised method was employed in the pharmacokinetic study of SIM and the pharmacokinetic parameters of all analytes are also presented.     

Quantification of the cephalosporin antibiotic cefditoren in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection (305 nm) was developed and validated for quantification of cefditoren (CAS 104145-95-1), a broad-spectrum orally administered cephalosporin in human plasma. Following solid-phase extraction using Waters Oasis SPE cartridges, the analyte and internal standard (hydrochlorothiazide, CAS 58-93-5) were separated using an isocratic mobile phase of 0.03 % trifluoro acetic acid buffer / acetonitrile (81/19, v/ v) on reverse phase Waters symmetry C18 column. The lower limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL, with a relative standard deviation of less than 4%. A linear range of 50 to 5000 ng/mL was established. This HPLC method was validated with between-batch and within-batch precision of 0.5 to 3.7 % and 0.5 to 2.5%, respectively. The between-batch and within-batch accuracy was 96.9 to 103.8% and 97.5 to 102.3%, respectively. Stability of cefditoren in plasma was excellent, with no evidence of degradation during sample processing (autosampler) and 30 days storage in a freezer. This validated method is sensitive, simple and repeatable enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Development and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of olanzapine in human plasma

A simple, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of olanzapine, atypical antipsychotic drug, in human plasma using loratadine as internal standard (IS). Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse phase C18 column and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]+ ions, m/z 313/256 for olanzapine and m/z 383/337 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1-30 ng/mL for olanzapine in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 100 pg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 10%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The average absolute recovery of olanzapine from spiked plasma samples was 85.5+/-1.9%. A run time of 2.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.     

Liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric assay for simultaneous quantification of compound 97/78 and its in vivo metabolite 97/63, a novel trioxane antimalarial, in human plasma and its application to a protein binding study

A sensitive, selective and specific LC-MS/ MS assay for simultaneous quantification of compound 97/78 and its active in vivo metabolite 97/63, a novel 1,2,4-trioxane antimalarial, in human plasma has been developed and validated using alpha-arteether as internal standard (IS). Extraction from plasma involves a simple protein precipitation method. The analytes were chromatographed on a Columbus C18 column with guard by isocratic elution with acetonitrile:ammonium acetate buffer (10 mM, pH 4.0) (80:20 v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.45 mL min(-1) and analyzed in multiple reaction-monitoring (MRM) positive ion mode. The chromatographic run time was 4.0 min. The weighted (1/x2) calibration curves were linear over a range of 1.56-200 ng mL(-1) with correlation coefficients > 0.998. For both analytes, the limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were 0.5 ng mL(-1) and 1.56 ng mL(-1), respectively. The recovery of 97/78, 97/63 and IS from spiked control samples were > 90% and their matrix suppression obtained were < 8 %. The accuracy (% bias) and precision (%RSD) for both analytes were < 6.78%. Both analytes were stable after three freeze-thaw cycles (% deviation < 12.80), long-term for 30 days in plasma at -60 degrees C (% deviation < 14.38), for 8 h on bench top in plasma at ambient temperature (% deviation < 1.52) and also in the auto-sampler for 12 h (% deviation < 3.9%). The validated method was successfully applied to a protein binding study of compound 97/78 and metabolite 97/63 in human plasma. Furthermore, the validated method will be applicable to pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and metabolism in various clinical phases and in drug interaction studies.     

Sensitive and robust UPLC-MS/MS method to determine the gender-dependent pharmacokinetics in rats of emodin and its glucuronide

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of solamargine, a steroidal glycoalkaloid, in rat plasma. Vincristine was selected as the internal standard. Sample preparation involved simple liquid-liquid extraction by ethyl acetate with high efficiency. The chromatographical separation was performed on a Shimadzu C(18) column (150mm×2.0mm, 5μm) with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.02% (v/v) formic acid. The elutes were detected under positive electrospray ionization (ESI) and the target analytes quantified by selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method was sensitive with the lowest limit of quantitation (LLOQ) at 0.5ng/mL in 50μL of rat plasma. Good linearity (r(2)=0.9996) was obtained covering the concentration of 0.5-2000.0ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day assay precision ranged from 2.87 to 3.60% and 0.52 to 6.81%, respectively. In addition, the stability, extraction recovery and matrix effect involved in the method were also validated. The practical utility of the aforementioned method was successfully confirmed in the pharmacokinetic evaluation of solamargine in Sprague-Dawley rats after intravenous administration.     

Simultaneous determination of albendazole metabolites, praziquantel and its metabolite in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry

The analysis of albendazole sulfoxide, albendazole sulfone, praziquantel and trans-4-hydroxypraziquantel in plasma was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry ((LC-MS-MS). The plasma samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction using dichloromethane as extracting solvent. The partial HPLC resolution of drug and metabolites was obtained using a cyanopropyl column and a mobile phase consisting of methanol:water (3:7, v/v) plus 0.5% of acetic acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Multi reaction monitoring detection was performed by electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode, conferring additional selectivity to the method. Method validation showed relative standard deviation (precision) and relative errors (accuracy) lower than 15% for all analytes evaluated. The quantification limit was 5 ng/mL and the linear range was 5-2500 ng/mL for all analytes. The method was used for the determination of drug and metabolites in swine plasma samples and proved to be suitable for pharmacokinetic studies.     

A rapid HPLC method for the determination of losartan in human plasma using a monolithic column

A rapid and simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using a monolithic column has been developed for quantification of losartan (CAS 12450-98-8) in plasma. The assay enables the measurement of losartan for therapeutic drug monitoring. The method involves a simple, one-step extraction procedure. The analytical recovery was complete. The separation was carried out in reversed-phase conditions using a Chromolith Performance (RP-18e, 100 x 4.6 mm) column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of 0.01 mol/L disodium hydrogen phosphate buffer-acetonitrile (60:40 v/v) adjusted to pH 3.5. The wavelength was set at 254 nm. Thioridazine (CAS 50-52-2) was used as internal standard. Losartan, thioridazine and the EXP 3174, the active metabolite of losartan, appeared 3.4, 5.0 and 10.5 min post injection, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 5-300 ng mL(-1) with a minimum detectable limit of 2 ng mL(-1). The coefficients of variation for the inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 8 %. The applicability of this method for pharmacokinetic studies in humans was demonstrated. The present assay is rapid, simple, precise, and accurate and is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies.     

An improved sensitive assay for simultaneous determination of plasma haloperidol and reduced haloperidol levels by liquid chromatography using a coulometric detector

A simple, highly sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic method that uses a coulometric detector for the simultaneous assay of haloperidol and reduced haloperidol in human plasma has been developed, using bromoperidol as the internal standard. A reversed phase C8 5-microns column (25 x 0.46 cm) and a mobile phase of phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), acetonitrile, and methanol (40:20:40 vol/vol) are used for separating the analytes. The analytes are extracted from alkalinized plasma using a mixture of pentane and isopropanol (95:5 vol/vol) and purified by back extraction into a perchloric acid solution. Teflon tubes with screw caps are used throughout the extraction work. The compounds are oxidized at a potential of +0.90 V against a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The detection limit of the assay is 50 ng/L using 1 mL of plasma. The average interassay coefficient of variation for samples of concentration 1-40 micrograms/L is approximately 8%. Possible drug interferences in the assay have been studied. The absolute recovery of the method is approximately 80%. The assay has been validated by quantitating 150 schizophrenic patients' samples.