Determination of Quinine and Doxycycline in Rat Plasma by LC�CMS�CMS: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A fast, sensitive, and specific LC?CMS?CMS method for determination of quinine (QN) and doxycycline (DOX) in rat plasma has been developed and validated. QN, DOX, and cimetidine (internal standard, IS) were extracted from the plasma by protein precipitation. The compounds were separated on a C₁₈ column with methanol?C0.1% aqueous formic acid 70:30 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min^?1 (split 1:3). Detection was by positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, monitoring the transitions 325.0 ?? 307.0, 445.0 ?? 428.1, and 252.8 ?? 159.0, for QN, DOX, and IS, respectively. The analysis was carried out in 2.0 min and the method was linear in the plasma concentration range 5?C5,000 ng mL^?1. The mean extraction recoveries for QN, DOX, and IS from plasma were 89.4, 90.5, and 86.3%, respectively. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, and stability; the results obtained were within the acceptable range. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of QN and DOX in rat plasma samples to support pharmacokinetic studies.     

Development and Validation of a Stability-Indicating LC Method for Simultaneous Analysis of Aceclofenac and Paracetamol in Conventional Tablets and in Microsphere Formulations

A stability-indicating reversed-phase LC method for analysis of aceclofenac and paracetamol in tablets and in microsphere formulations has been developed and validated. The mobile phase was 80:20 (v/v) methanol–phosphate buffer (10 mM at pH 2.5 ± 0.02). UV detection was at 276 nm. The method was linear over the concentration ranges 16–24 and 80–120 μg mL^?1 for aceclofenac and paracetamol, respectively, with recovery in the range 100.9–102.22%. The limits of detection and quantitation for ACF were 0.0369 and 0.1120 μg mL^?1, respectively; those for PCM were 0.0631 and 0.1911 μg mL^?1, respectively.     

LC–MS–MS Determination of Troxerutin in Plasma and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A highly sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) method for the determination of troxerutin in human plasma using tramadol as internal standard (IS) has been developed and validated. Sample preparation involved liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate–isopropanol (95:5, v/v). The analyte and IS were separated by RP–LC with gradient elution using 10 mM ammonium acetate containing 0.1% formic acid and methanol at a flow rate of 0.9 mL min^?1. LC–MS–MS in the positive ion mode employed multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions at m/z 743.2→435.3 and m/z 264.1→58.0 for troxerutin and IS, respectively. The assay was linear in the concentration range 0.01–10 ng mL^?1 with precision and accuracy within assay variability limits as per FDA guidelines. The assay was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study involving oral administration of 300 mg troxerutin to eight healthy Chinese volunteers.     

Sensitive LC–ESI–MS Method for Determination of Tiopronin in Human Plasma

A sensitive liquid chromatographic–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometric (LC–MS) method has been developed for direct measurement of the concentration of tiopronin in human plasma. Hydrochloric acid solution was used to stabilize the tiopronin and prevent formation of a dimer, or reaction with endogenous thiols. The method involved liquid–liquid extraction of tiopronin from plasma samples with ethyl acetate, simple reversed-phase chromatography, and mass spectrometric detection with nanogram detection limits. Acetaminophen was used as internal standard (IS). The limit of quantification was 5 ng mL^?1 (RSD 4.3%). The method was validated within the linear range 5–500 ng mL^?1. The correlation coefficient for the calibration regression line was 0.9997 or better. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy were better than 15%. The method has been successfully used for a pharmacokinetic study with human subjects. Among the pharmacokinetic data obtained, t _1/2 was 2.37 ± 0.63 h and T _max was 4 h.     

A Validated LC Method for the Quantitation of Cefotaxime in pH-Sensitive Nanoparticles

A sensitive and rapid routine LC method was validated for measuring cefotaxime incorporated in three different pH-sensitive nanoparticles. The drug was chromatographed on a C18 reversed-phase column; the mobile phase used was 0.05 M aqueous ammonium acetate, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran (87:11:2, v/v) adjusted to pH 5.5 with acetic acid. The flow rate was 1 mL min^?1 and cefotaxime was quantified at 254 nm, with a sensitivity range of 0.005 AUFS. The validated method was specific, linear (R ² ≥ 0.999), precise and accurate in a concentration range of 0.2–50.0 μg mL^?1. The method was rapid, selective and suitable for evaluation of cefotaxime in pH-sensitive Eudragit nanoparticles.     

Determination of Fulvestrant in Rat Plasma by LC�CMS�CMS: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC?CMS?CMS) method was developed and validated for the determination of fulvestrant in rat plasma. Sample preparation involved a liquid-liquid extraction using 1.0 mL of n-hexane?Cisopropanol (90:10, v/v) to extract the analyte from 0.1 mL of rat plasma. The analytes were separated on a phenyl-based column using the mobile phase consisting of methanol/water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate at the flow rate of 0.3 mL min^?1. The analytes were monitored by tandem mass spectrometry under electrospray negative ionization mode. Linear calibration curves were generated over the fulvestrant concentration ranges of 0.05?C10.0 ng mL^?1 in rat plasma. The accuracy and within- and between-day precisions were within the generally accepted criteria for bioanalytical methods (<15%). This developed and validated assay method was successfully employed to characterize the plasma concentration-time profile of fulvestrant after its intramuscular administration in rats at a dose of 10 mg kg^?1.     

Determination of Piribedil in Human Serum, Urine and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form by LC-DAD

A rapid, selective and sensitive reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed for the determination of piribedil in human serum, urine and pharmaceutical dosage form. LC analysis was carried out using reversed-phase isocratic elution with a C₁₈ column and a mobile phase of 0.01 M phosphate buffer-acetonitrile (50:50, v/v). The chromatograms showed good resolution and sensitivity with no interference of human serum and urine. Piribedil concentrations were determined using diode array detection at 240 nm. Sildenafil citrate was used as internal standard. The limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) concentrations were 107.2 and 321.6 pg mL^?1, 96.6 and 290.4 pg mL^?1, 161.7 and 53.9 pg mL^?1 for urine, serum and pharmaceutical dosage forms, respectively. The method was validated for its linearity, precision and accuracy and applied to the tablets, urine and human serum. In addition, the results were compared to those obtained from UV-spectrophotometry.     

Extraction of Azole Antifungal Drugs from Milk and Biological Fluids Using a New Hollow Fiber Liquid-Phase Microextraction and Analysis by GC-FID

A simple, rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography LC (HPLC) method of determining the concentration of the novel betulinic acid derivative DRF-4012 (5??-chloro-2,3-didehydroindolo[2??,3??:2,3]betulinic acid) in rat plasma for pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic purposes has been developed and validated. A simple and fast protein precipitation was performed, and then an extraction using an ethyl acetate:methanol (75:25 v/v) mixture was used to extract DRF-4012 and an internal standard (IS, DRF-4015) from rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C8 reversed-phase column with UV detection at 235 nm. The isocratic mobile phase, phosphate buffer (water adjusted to pH 3 with 20% o-phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (15:85, v/v), was run at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min^?1. The assay was linear (r ² > 0.99) over the concentration range 0.040?C75.0 ??g mL^?1, and presented limits of detection and quantification of 0.020 and 0.040 ??g mL^?1, respectively, in rat plasma. The absolute recovery of both the analyte and the IS was >85% from rat plasma. The intraday accuracy ranged from 99.25 to 102.67% with a precision of 2.62?C4.48%, and the interday accuracy ranged from 98.48 to 104.56% with a precision of 3.87?C5.68%. This developed and validated method was successfully used to determine the DRF-4012 concentration in rat plasma for a pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic study after the intravenous administration of a 1 mg mL^?1 DRF-4012 nanoparticle formulation at doses of 2?C10 mg kg^?1 in Wistar rats.     

Rapid RP-LC Method with Fluorescence Detection for Analysis of Fexofenadine in Human Plasma

A rapid and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for analysis of fexofenadine in human plasma has been developed and optimized. The analytes were extracted from biological samples by solid-phase extraction on hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridges. LC separation was performed on a C₁₈ analytical column (125 mm × 4 mm i.d., 5-μm particles) with 42:58 (v/v) acetonitrile–water adjusted to pH 2.7 with 85% orthophosphoric acid as mobile phase. Fluorescence detection was performed with excitation at 230 nm and emission at 290 nm. The total time for chromatographic separation was 7 min. The method was validated in accordance with EU guidelines by analysis of plasma samples fortified with fexofenadine at concentrations between 0.05 and 800 ng mL^?1. Calibration plots were linear in this range. Mean recovery was typically 94.03% and the detection limit was 0.05 ng mL^?1. The time required for quantitative analysis is shorter than that required by other methods.     

LC Method for Quantification of ent-11α-Hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic Acid in Rabbit Plasma: Validation and Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

ent-11α-Hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (5F), a diterpenoid isolated from the Chinese herb Pteris semipinnata L, has been suggested to show antitumor properties. A simple and sensitive LC method was developed for the determination of 5F in rabbit plasma. The method involved liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate under acidic conditions using naproxen as an internal standard. Separations were performed on a reversed-phase column with a mixture of 1% (v/v) glacial acetic acid and methanol (45:55, v/v) as mobile phase and UV detection was utilized at 242 nm. The calibration plot was linear in the range 0.20–10.0 μg mL^?1 (correlation coefficients r ²  > 0.998). The detection limit was 0.20 μg mL^?1, mean extraction recovery was above 82%, intra-day precision of the method was less than 6.4%, and inter-day precision was better than 8.7%, respectively. The validated assay was found to be suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of 5F in rabbits.     

A Simple and Sensitive LC Method for Quantification of Cefteram in Human Plasma

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantification of cefteram in human plasma. Amoxicillin was used as an internal standard. The present method used protein precipitation for extraction of cefteram from human plasma. Separation was carried out on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column. The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 262 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol and water containing 0.3% v/v triethylamine and 0.6% v/v glacial acetic acid (35:65:0.3:0.6 v/v) at a flow rate of 0.30 mL min^?1. The column temperature was 20 °C. This method was linear over the range of 47.5–4,750.0 ng mL^?1 with determination coefficient greater than 0.99. The mean extraction recovery of cefteram and IS was ≥76.82 and ≥76.49%, respectively, and the method was found to be precise, accurate, and specific during the study. The method was successfully applied for a pharmacokinetic study of cefteram in human.     

Simultaneous Determination of Escin Ia and Its Isomer Isoescin Ia by LC�CMS�CMS: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study of Escin Ia in Rats

A rapid and sensitive LC?CMS?CMS method for the simultaneous determination of escin Ia and isoescin Ia in rat plasma, urine, feces and bile samples was developed and validated. Analytes and telmisartan [internal standard (IS)] were extracted by solid-phase extraction on C₁₈ cartridges. Components in the extract were separated on an HC-C₁₈ column (5 ??m, 150 × 4.6 mm i.d.) using 10 mM ammonium acetate?Cmethanol?Cacetonitrile (40:30:30, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The method demonstrated good linearity from 5 ng mL^?1 (LLOQ) to 1,500 ng mL^?1 for both escin Ia and isoescin Ia. Intra- and inter-day precision measured as RSD was within ±15%. Recoveries and matrix effects of both escin Ia and isoescin Ia were satisfactory in all four matrices examined. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in Wistar rats after a single intravenous administration of escin Ia at the dose of 1.0 mg kg^?1.     

Simultaneous Quantification of Oroxylin A and Its Metabolite Oroxylin A-7-O-Glucuronide: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study in Rat

A sensitive liquid chromatography?Celectrospray ionization?Ctandem mass spectrometry (LC?CESI?CMS?CMS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of cepharanthine (CEP) in beagle dog plasma. The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent-C18 column and the mobile phase was composed of methanol:water with 10 mM ammonium acetate (20:80, v/v). Detection was operated in the positive ion mode and the tandem mass spectrometer was tuned in the multiple reactions monitoring mode (MRM) to monitor m/z transitions 607 ?? 365 for CEP and 285 ?? 193 for the internal standard (IS) diazepam. This method exhibited a linear range of 5?C2,500 ng mL^?1. The precision (RSD%) and accuracy (RME%) of the assay were <8.7 and 2.4%, respectively. The limit of quantification was 5 ng mL^?1 and no significant matrix effect was observed. The validated method has been successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of CEP in beagle dog.     

LC–MS Method for the Quantification of Clonazepam in Rat Plasma

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of clonazepam in rat plasma. Clonazepam and internal standard diazepam were extracted from plasma samples by a single-step protein precipitation. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Dikma ODS-C18 reversed-phase column at 40 °C. The mobile phase composed of a premix of solvent A (0.1% formic acid–4 mM ammonium acetate–water)–solvent B (acetonitrile) (13:87, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.7 mL min^?1. Positive electrospray ionization was utilized as the ionization source. Clonazepam and the internal standard were determined using multiple reaction monitoring of precursor → product ion transitions at m/z 316.0 → 270.0 and m/z 285.1 → 193.2, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.25 ng mL^?1 using 50 μL plasma samples and the linear calibration range was from 0.25 to 128 ng mL^?1. The within- and between-batch RSDs were lower than 15% and the relative recoveries of clonazepam ranged from 97.4 to 104.7%. The mean extraction recoveries of clonazepam and IS were 79.7 and 77.6%, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic studies in rat after oral administration of clonazepam.     

LC Determination and Bioequivalence Study of Pantoprazole in Human Plasma

A selective and sensitive liquid chromatography (LC) method with rapid sample processing was developed for determination of pantoprazole in human plasma using omeprazole as internal standard (IS). The plasma sample (100 μL) was deproteined by precipitation with methanol. The supernatant was directly determined by LC using a Diamonsil C₁₈ ODS column and solution of 10 mM Na₂HPO₄ buffer (containing 0.01% H₃PO₄) and acetonitrile (68:32, v/v, pH = 6.8) as mobile phase with UV detector set at 288 nm. The retention time of IS and pantoprazole were 4.9 ± 0.2 and 5.6 ± 0.2 min, respectively. The method was validated with a linear range of 0.03–5.0 μg mL^?1 and the lowest limit of quantification was 0.03 μg mL^?1 for pantoprazole (r = 0.9999). The coefficient of variation for intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision was less than 9.5%. The mean extraction recovery was 84.1%. Quality control samples were stable when kept at autosampler temperature for 24 h, at ?20 °C for 42 days and after three freeze-thaw cycles. The assay was successfully applied to a randomized, two-period cross-over bioequivalence study in 20 healthy Chinese volunteers following a single oral dose of 40 mg pantoprazole. Various pharmacokinetic parameters including AUC _0～t , AUC _0～∞, C _max, T _max and t _1/2 were determined from plasma concentration of both formulations. The results indicated that the analytical method was a specific, precise, sensitive and rapid procedure for determination of plasma pantoprazole concentration and therefore, a suitable and valuable tool in the investigation of the clinical pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence.     

Simple, Rapid, and Accurate RP-HPLC Method for Determination of Cystine in Human Urine after Derivatization with Dansyl Chloride

An accurate, simple, and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method, with loratadine as internal standard (IS) and UV detection at 286 nm, has been developed for deterination of cystine in human urine. The major innovations of the method include use of acrylonitrile to protect cysteine from oxidization to cystine, separation of cysteine, as the dansyl derivative, from cystine, and use of isocratic elution instead of gradient elution to reduce the time and cost of serial analysis. The mobile phase was 0.05 M sodium acetate–methanol, 35:65 (v/v), adjusted to pH 3.5 with 2.5 M citric acid, at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The retention times of cystine and the IS were 16.6 and 19.9 min, respectively. The limit of detection for cystine was 0.3 mg L^?1. Extraction recovery of cystine was >85.6%. Intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD) for cystine were below 4.3 and 8.5%, respectively. There was no chromatographic interference from other α-amino acids present in mammalian proteins, or from other urine components. The calibration plot for the cystine derivative was linear in the range 1–500 mg L^?1 and the correlation coefficient was 0.9992. The method was validated appropriately and successfully used for determination of cystine in human urine.     

Determination of Pitavastatin in Human Plasma by LC–MS–MS

A simple and rapid LC–MS–MS assay was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of pitavastatin in human plasma. Sample pretreatment involved simple protein precipitation by addition of acetonitrile. Separation was on an Agilent 1.8 μm Zorbax SB-C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm) at 25 °C using isocratic elution with methanol–0.1% formic acid in water (85:15, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL min^?1. Detection was performed using electrospray ionization in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode by monitoring the ion transitions m/z 422.0 → 290.1 for pitavastatin, and m/z 330.1 → 192.1 for paroxetine (IS). LC–MS–MS was found to improve the quantitation of pitavastatin in plasma and was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Stereoselective Determination of Ornidazole Enantiomers in Human Plasma and Urine Samples by Chiral LC: Application to Pharmacokinetic Study

A stereoselective liquid chromatographic method to determine the enantiomers of ornidazole in human plasma and urine has been developed and validated. After addition of the internal standard (naproxen), samples were acidified and extracted with diethyl ether. The separation was performed on a Chiralcel OB-H column, using hexane-ethanol- glacial acetic acid (94:6:0.08, v/v) as the mobile phase. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability. For each enantiomer of ornidazole, linear calibration curves were obtained over the concentration range of 0.16–20 μg mL^?1 in plasma and 0.32–20 μg mL^?1 in urine. For both enantiomers of ornidazole in plasma and urine, the coefficient of variation for precision were consistently less than 12% and accuracy were within ±14% in terms of relative error. Application of the method to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study showed that this validated method was qualified for the direct determination of ornidazole enantiomers in human plasma and urine.     

LC–MS–MS Analysis of Mirtazapine in Plasma, and Determination of Pharmacokinetic Data for Rats

A sensitive LC–MS–MS method with electrospray ionization has been developed for analysis of mirtazapine in rat plasma. After addition of diazepam as internal standard, liquid–liquid extraction was used to produce a protein-free extract. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a 150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle, ODS column with 84:16 (v/v) methanol–water containing 0.1% ammonium acetate and 0.01% glacial acetic acid as mobile phase. LC–MS–MS was performed in selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode using target fragment ions m/z 195.09 for mirtazapine and m/z 192.80 for the IS. Calibration plots were linear over the range of 0.516–618.8 ng mL^?1. The lower limit of quantification was 0.516 ng mL^?1. Intra-day and inter-day precision were better than 12.6 and 8.8%, respectively. Mean recovery of mirtazapine from plasma was in the range 87.41–90.06%; average recovery was 88.40% (RSD 3.95%). Significant gender differences between mirtazapine pharmacokinetic data were observed in this study.