Determination of donepezil hydrochloride (E2020) in plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and its application to pharmacokinetic studies in healthy, young, Chinese subjects

A sensitive, simple, and specific liquid chromatographic method coupled with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry for the determination of donepezil in plasma is developed, and its pharmacokinetics in healthy, male, Chinese is studied. Using loratadine as the internal standard, after extraction of the alkalized plasma by isopropyl alcohol-n-hexane (3:97, v/v), solutes are separated on a C(18) column with a mobile phase of methanol-acetate buffer (pH 4.0) (80:20, v/v). Detection is performed with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source operated in the positive-ionization mode. Quantitation of E2020 is accomplished by computing the peak area ratio (donepezil [M+H](+) m/z 380-loratadine [M+H](+) m/z 383) and comparing them with the calibration curve (r = 0.9998). The linear calibration curve is obtained in the concentration range 0.1-15 ng/mL. The limit of quantitation is 0.1 ng/mL. The mean recovery of E2020 from human plasma is 99.4% +/- 6.3% (ranging 93.4-102.6%). The inter- and intraday relative standard deviation is less than 15%. After an oral administration of 5 mg E2020 to 20 healthy Chinese volunteers, the main pharmacokinetic parameters of E2020 are as follow: T(max), 3.10 +/- 0.55 h; t((1/2)), 65.7 +/- 12.8 h; C(max), 10.1 +/- 2.02 ng/mL; MRT, 89.4 +/- 13.4 h; and CL/F, 9.9 +/- 4.3 L/h.     

Determination of oxymatrine in human plasma by LC-MS and study on its pharmacokinetics

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method is built to determine oxymatrine in human plasma. After a liquid-liquid extraction for samples, samples are analyzed on a C18 column interfaced with a mass spectrometer. Positive electrospray ionization is employed as the ionization source. The mobile phase is methanol-water containing 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate (60:40) at the flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The method is linear in the concentration range of 10-1000 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantitation is 10 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation across three validation runs over the entire concentration range is less than 14.27%. The accuracy determined at three concentrations (20, 100, and 500 ng/mL for oxymatrine) is within +/- 10.0% in terms of relative error. The method herein described is successfully applied to the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of oxymatrine tablets pills in 18 healthy volunteers. The results show AUC, Tmax, Cmax, and T1/2 between the testing formulation and reference formulation have no significant difference (P > 0.05). Relative bioavailability is 104.2 +/- 13.8%.     

Determination of huperzine A in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study on Chinese volunteers

A simple, sensitive and selective LC-MS-MS method has been developed for the quantification of huperzine A in human plasma. Huperzine A and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (internal standard) were isolated from human plasma by extraction with ethyl acetate, chromatographed on a C(18) column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.2% formic acid-methanol (15:85, v/v) and detected using a tandem mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface. The lower limit of quantification was 0.0508 ng/mL, and the assay exhibited a linear range of 0.0508-5.08 ng/mL (r = 0.9998). The method was successfully applied to investigate the bioequivalence between two kinds of tablets (test vs reference product) in 18 healthy male Chinese volunteers. After a single 0.2 mg dose for the test and reference product, the resulting means of major pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC(0-24), AUC(0-infinity), C(max), T(max) and t(1/2) of huperzine A were 16.35 +/- 3.42 vs 16.38 +/- 3.61 ng h/mL, 17.53 +/- 3.80 vs 17.70 +/- 3.97 ng h/mL, 2.47 +/- 0.49 vs 2.51 +/- 0.51 ng/mL, 1.3 +/- 0.4 vs 1.2 +/- 0.3 h and 5.92 +/- 0.75 vs 6.18 +/- 0.66 h, respectively, indicating that these two kinds of tablets were bioequivalent.     

Determination of ligustilide in rat blood and tissues by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method was developed to study the pharmacokinetics of ligustilide following oral administration to rats. The method was used for the analysis of samples taken from rats. Biological samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using an n-hexane-ether (2:1) solvent mixture for a sample clean-up step and analyzed by GC/MS with a quadrupole MS detector in selected ion monitoring mode (m/z 190). The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range 0.172-8.60 microg/mL (r > 0.99) for blood samples and a different range (r > 0.99) for different tissue samples. The limit of detection (LOD) was 1.0 ng/mL or 1.0 ng/g (three times the signal-noise ratio). Within- and between-day precision expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD) for the method was 1.58-3.88 and 2.99-4.91%, respectively. The recovery for all samples was >80%, except for liver samples (>70%). The main pharmacokinetic parameters obtained were: T(max) = 0.65 +/- 0.07 h, C(max) = 1.5 +/- 0.2 microg/mL, AUC = 34 +/- 6 h microg/mL and K(a) = 3.5 +/- 0.6/h. The experimental results showed that ligustilide was easily absorbed, but its elimination was slow, from 3 to 12 h after oral administration. The concentrations of ligustilide in rat cerebellum, cerebrum, spleen and kidney were higher than those in other organs.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of sertraline in human plasma

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the determination of sertraline in human plasma. The analyte and internal standard (IS, diphenhydramine) were extracted with 3 mL of diethyl ether/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) from 0.25 mL plasma, then separated on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18 column using methanol/water/formic acid (75:25:0.1, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was applied via an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source for detection. The fragmentation pattern of the protonated sertraline was elucidated with the aid of product mass spectra of isotopologous peaks. Quantification was performed using selected reaction monitoring of the transitions of m/z 306 --> 159 for sertraline and m/z 256 --> 167 for the IS. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.10-100 ng/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precisions, expressed by relative standard deviation, were both less than 6.7%. Assay accuracies were within +/-6.9% as terms of relative error. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was identifiable and reproducible at 0.10 ng/mL with a precision of 8.3% and an accuracy of 9.6%. The validated method has been successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic study and bioequivalence evaluation of sertraline in 18 healthy volunteers after a single oral administration of 50 mg sertraline hydrochloride tablets.     

HPLC determination and pharmacokinetic study of tenatoprazole in dog plasma after oral administration of enteric-coated capsule

A simple, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV detection (306 nm) was developed and validated for determination of tenatoprazole, a novel proton-pump inhibitor, in dog plasma. Tenatoprazole and internal standard (pantoprazole) were extracted into diethyl ether and separated using an isocratic mobile phase of 10 mm phosphate buffer (pH4.7)-acetonitrile (70:30, v/v) on a Diamonsil C(18) column (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm). The retention times for tenatoprazole and internal standard were 7.1 and 12.3 min, respectively. No endogenous interferences were observed. This HPLC method was fully validated. The lower limit of quantitation was 20 ng/mL, with a relative standard deviation of less than 20%. A linear range of 0.02-5.0 microg/mL was established. The interday and intraday precisions were within RSD 13.4-10.1 and 4.6-1.4%, respectively. This method developed can be easily applied to the pharmacokinetic study of tenatoprazole in dog plasma after oral administration of an enteric-coated capsule. The plasma concentration of tenatoprazole from six dogs showed a mean C(max) of 2.63 microg/mL at T(max) of 1.89 h. The bioavailability of tenatoprazole was improved by administration of enteric-coated capsule.     

Development and validation of a HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of venlafaxine enantiomers and application to a pharmacokinetic study in healthy Chinese volunteers

An HPLC‐MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the determination of venlafaxine enantiomers in human plasma and applied to a pharmacokinetic study in healthy Chinese volunteers. The method was carried out on a vancomycin chiral column (5 µm, 250 × 4.6 mm) maintained at 25°C. The mobile phase was methanol–water containing 30 mmol/L ammonium acetate, pH 3.3 adjusted with aqueous ammonia (8:92, v/v) at the flow rate 1.0 mL/min. A tandem mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode to detect the selected ions pair at m/z 278.0 → 120.8 for venlafaxine enantiomers and m/z 294.8 → 266.7 for estazolanm (internal standard). The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.28–423.0 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 0.28 ng/mL. The intra‐and inter‐day relative standard deviations were less than 9.7%. The method was successfully applied for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of venlafaxine enantiomers in 18 healthy volnteers. Validation parameters such as the specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability were evaluated, giving results within the acceptable range. Pharmacokinetic parameters of the venlafaxine enantiomers were measured in the 18 healthy Chinese volunteers who received a single regimen with venlafaxine hydrochloride capsules. The results show that AUC_(0–∞), C_max and t_1/2 between S‐venlafaxine and R‐venlafaxine are significantly different (p < 0.05). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A rapid and highly sensitive UPLC-MS-MS method for the quantification of zolpidem tartrate in human EDTA plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and high sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of zolpidem in human EDTA plasma using ondansetron (IS) as an internal standard. The analyte and IS were extracted from human plasma using ethyl acetate and separated on a C18 column (Inertsil-ODS, 5 μm, 4.6 × 50 mm) interfaced with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. The mobile phase, which consisted of a mixture of methanol and 20 mM ammonium formate (pH 5.00 ± 0.05; 75:25 v/v), was injected at a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The retention times of zolpidem and IS were approximately 1.76 and 1.22. The LC run time was 3 min. The electrospray ionization source was operated in positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring used the [M + H](+) ions m/z 308.13 → 235.21 for zolpidem and m/z 294.02 → 170.09 for the ondansetron, respectively. Five freeze-thaw cycles was established at -20 and -70°C.The linearity of the response/concentration curve was established in human EDTA plasma over the concentration range 0.10-149.83 ng/mL. The lower detection limit [(signal-to-noise (S/N) > 3] was 0.04 ng/mL and the lower limit of quantification (S/N > 10) was 0.10 ng/mL. This LC-MS-MS method was validated with intra-batch and inter-batch precision of 0.52-8.66.The intra-batch and inter-batch accuracy was 96.66-106.11. Recovery of zolpidem in human plasma was 87.00% and IS recovery was 81.60%. The primary pharmacokinetic parameters were T(max) (h) = (1.25 ± 0.725), C(max) (ng/mL) (127.80 ± 34.081), AUC(0→t), = (665.37 ± 320.982) and AUC(0→∞), 686.03 ± 342.952, respectively.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry procedure for the quantification of adefovir in human plasma

To investigate the pharmacokinetics of adefovir as an anti-hepatitis B virus drug, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated. After a simple protein precipitation using methanol, the post-treatment samples were analyzed on a C(18) column interfaced with a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer using positive electrospray ionization. A structural analogue, PMPA, was used as the internal standard. The method was linear in the concentration range 0.25-100 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 0.25 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation over the entire concentration range was 5.7% or less. The accuracy determined at three concentrations (0.75, 10 and 80 ng/mL for adefovir) was within +/-2.5% relative error. The method described here was successfully applied for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of adefovir after single oral administration doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg adefovir dipivoxil to ten healthy volunteers.     

Azithromycin quantitation in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry: application to bioequivalence study

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method is developed and validated for the identification and quantitation of azithromycin in human plasma. After the addition of the internal standard and 1.0M sodium hydroxide solution, plasma samples are extracted with a methylene chloride-ethyl acetate mixture (20:80, v/v). The organic layer is evaporated under a stream of nitrogen at 40 degrees C. The residue is reconstituted with 200 microL of the mobile phase. The compounds are separated on a prepacked Shimadzu Shim-pack VP-ODS C18 (5 microm, 150 mm x 2.0 mm) column using a mixture of acetonitrile-water (65:35) (0.5% triethylamine, pH was adjusted to 6.2 with acetic acid) as the mobile phase. Detection is performed on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer by selected ion monitoring mode via electrospray ionization source. The method is fully validated and linear calibration curves are obtained in the concentration ranges from 5 to 2000 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-batch relative standard deviations at four different concentration levels are all < 10%. The limit of detection and quantitation are 2 ng/mL and 5 ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method enables the unambiguous identification and quantitation of azithromycin for pharmacokinetic, bioavailability, or bioequivalence studies.     

Determination of stavudine in human serum by on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study

A method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) detection was developed for the determination of stavudine in human serum, using didanosine as internal standard. The acquisition was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method was linear over the studied range (10-2000 ng/mL), with r(2) > 0.99, and the run time was 4 min. The intra- and inter-assay precisions (%) were in the ranges 0.1-13.6 and 2.6-9.9, respectively, and the intra- and inter-assay accuracies were >92%. The absolute recoveries were approximately 100% (10 ng/mL), 98% (30 ng/mL), 105% (750 ng/mL) and 105% (1500 ng/mL). The limits of detection and quantitation were 4 and 10 ng/mL, respectively. The analytical method was applied to a bioequivalence study, in which 24 healthy adult volunteers (12 men) received single oral doses (40 mg) of reference and two test stavudine formulations, in an open, three-period, randomized, crossover protocol. The 90% confidence interval of the individual ratios (test formulation/reference formulation) for C(max) (peak serum concentration), AUC(0-10) and AUC(0-inf) (areas under the serum concentration vs. time curve from time zero to 10 h and to infinity, respectively), were in the range 80-125%, which supports the conclusion that the two test formulations are bioequivalent to the reference formulation with respect to the rate and extent of stavudine absorption.     

Pharmacokinetic study of puerarin in rat serum by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and specific atmospheric pressure chemical ionization liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for serum pharmacokinetic studies of puerarin in rats. Chromatography was carried out on a reversed-phase Phenomenex Synergi 4 microm Fusion-RP80 column (150 x 2.0 mm i.d.) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water (10:90, v/v) in 10 mm NH(4)OAc with a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Puerarin was analyzed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with a precursor/product ion transition of m/z 415/267. The method was demonstrated to be specific and sensitive, and a linear response was observed over a range of 2-5000 ng/mL in rat serum. The validated method was successfully applied to the characterization of the pharmacokinetics of puerarin in rat serum after oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats. The blood concentration-time profile of puerarin showed a rapid initial increase, reaching a maximum and then declining within 1 h. Puerarin could not be detected after 24 h. The main pharmacokinetic parameters for puerarin after oral administration were as follows: C(max) (3.54 +/- 2.03 mg/L), T(max) (0.68 +/- 0.37 h), AUC(0-t) (7.29 +/- 3.79 mg h/L), AUC(0-infinity) (9.17 +/- 4.87 mg h/L), T(1/2) (1.7 +/- 0.6 h), CL/F (7.24 +/- 4.27 L/h/kg) and V/F (17.88 +/- 13.55 L/h/kg).     

Trace analysis of diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol and hexestrol in environmental water by Nylon 6 nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DE) and hexestrol (HEX) was developed by using the Nylon 6 nanofibers mat-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). These estrogens were separated within 8 min by LC using an ODS column and methanol/water (80/20, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). Electrospray ionization conditions in the negative ion mode were optimized for MS detection of the estrogens. Under the optimum SPE conditions, all target analytes in 50 mL environmental water samples can be completely extracted by 1.5 mg Nylon 6 nanofibers mat at flow rate of 3.0 mL min(-1) and easily eluted by passage of 500 μL mobile phase. By using the novel SPE-LC/MS method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r(2) ≥ 0.9992) was obtained in the concentration range from 0.10 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1) (except for DE which was 0.20 ng L(-1) to 1.0 mg L(-1)) for all analytes examined. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the three estrogens ranged from 0.05 ng L(-1) to 0.10 ng L(-1). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of environmental water samples without any other pretreatment and interference peaks. Several water samples were collected from Jinchuan River and Xuanwu Lake, and in Jinchuan River water DES was detected at 0.13 ng L(-1). The recoveries of estrogens spiked into tap water were above 98.2%, and the relative standard deviations were below 4.78%.     

Determination of trimebutine maleate in rat plasma and tissues by using capillary zone electrophoresis.

A simple and rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method was developed for the determination of trimebutine maleate in rat plasma and tissues. Rat plasma and tissue homogenates were mixed with acetonitrile containing internal standard, ephedrine hydrochloride, and then centrifuged. The supernatant was dried under a stream of nitrogen, and the residue was reconstituted in methanol-water (1:1). The electrophoresis was performed in uncoated capillary with 30 mmol/L phosphate buffer of pH 6.0 as the separation electrolyte. The applied voltage was 10 kV and the UV detection was set at 214 nm. The peak height ratio vs concentration in plasma or homogenates was linear over the range of 5-500 ng/mL and the limit of quantitation was 5 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision was RSD < 14% and <15%. The accuracy was relative error (RE) within +/- 14%. This method was applied to studying the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution after a single dose of trimebutine maleate was administrated to the rats. The T(max), AUC, C(max) and t(1/2) were 30 min, 7.8 x 10(2) (ng/mL) min, 39 ng/mL and 1.7 x 10(2) min. The drug distribution was found in a decreasing order of liver, kidney, spleen, lung and heart.     

A simple HPLC method for the quantification of mizoribine in human serum: pharmacokinetic applications

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantification of mizoribine in human serum. After the addition of 70% perchloric acid and 3-methylxanthine (50 microg/mL, internal standard) to human serum, the samples were mixed and centrifuged at 12,000 rpm (1432 g) for 10 min. The supernatant was injected onto a C(18) column eluted with a mobile phase of 20 mm Na2HPO4 and methanol (93:7, v/v, pH 3) containing 0.04% octanesulfonic acid and detected utilizing an ultraviolet detector at 275 nm. The linear calibration curve was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-4.0 microg/mL and the lower limit of quantification was 0.1 microg/mL. This method was validated with selectivity, linearity, precision and accuracy. In addition, the method was successfully applied to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters of mizoribine in Korean subjects following an oral administration of 100 mg mizoribine (two Bredinine 50 mg tablets). The maximum serum concentration (C(max)) of 2.30 +/- 0.83 microg/mL was reached 2.27 +/- 0.66 h after an oral dose. The mean AUC(0-12 h) and the elimination half-life (t(1/2)) were 13.2 +/- 4.79 microg h/mL and 3.10 +/- 0.74 h, respectively.     

Rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous measurement of venlafaxine and O‐desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma and its application in comparative bioavailability study

A rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous measurement of venlafaxine and O‐desmethylvenlafaxine in human plasma using fluoxetine as an internal standard. In the liquid–liquid extraction method, compounds and internal standard were extracted from plasma using methyl tertiary butyl ether as an extraction solvent. The HPLC separation of the analytes was performed on a Zorbax SB‐C₁₈, 50 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm column, using a isocratic elution program using a mobile phase consisting of HPLC‐grade methanol: 5 mm ammonium acetate (80:20 v/v) at a flow‐rate of 1.0 mL/min with a total runtime of 3.0 min. The proposed method has been validated with a linear range of 4–400 ng/mL for venlafaxine and 5–500 ng/mL for O‐desmethyl venlafaxine. The method was applied for a bio‐equivalence study of 75 mg tablets formulation in 32 Indian male healthy subjects under fasting conditions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved HPLC method for doxorubicin quantification in rat plasma to study the pharmacokinetics of micelle-encapsulated and liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin formulations

An improved simple, rapid and accurate HPLC method for quantification of doxorubicin derived from micelle-encapsulated or liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin formulation in rat plasma was described. The mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol-water [containing 0.1% formic acid anhydrous and 0.1% ammonia solution (25%), pH 3.0], 60:40, was delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Sample preparation for micelle- or liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin in rat plasma were achieved directly by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Doxorubicin and daunorubicin (internal standard, IS) were separated on a C(18) reversed-phase HPLC column and quantified by a fluoresence detection with an excitation wavelength of 475 nm and an emission wavelength of 580 nm. The linearity was obtained over the range of 5.0-1000.0 ng/mL and 1.0-200.0 microg/mL for doxorubicin and the lower limit of quantitation was 5.0 ng/mL. For each level of quality control samples, inter- and intra-assay precision was less than 9.6 and 5.1% (relative standard deviation), respectively, and percentage error was within +/-2.6%. The extraction recoveries of doxorubicin in the range of 10 ng/mL to 100 microg/mL in rat plasma were between 94.1 and 105.6%. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of doxorubicin formulations after i.v. administration to rats.     

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric analysis of anastrozole in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A hydrophilic interaction chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric method was developed for determination of anastrozole in human plasma. Anastrozole and irbesartan (internal standard) were extracted from human plasma with a mixture of dichloromethane and methyl tert-butyl ether (30:70, v/v). Analysis of the analytes was performed on a Luna HILIC column with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-10 m m ammonium formate (95:5, v/v) and detected by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The standard curve was linear (r(2) = 0.9992) over the concentration range of 0.10-50.0 ng/mL using 200 μL of plasma sample. The coefficient of variation and relative error for intra- and inter-assay at four QC levels were 1.2-10.0% and -7.2-3.2%, respectively. The present method was applied successfully to the pharmacokinetic study of anastrozole after oral administration of 1 mg anastrozole tablet to healthy male volunteers.     

A chromatographic method for baicalin quantification in rat thalamus

A rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (rp-HPLC) assay for the determination of baicalin in rat thalamus was developed. This was carried out on a Hypersil -C(18) column using 4-nitro-benzoic acid as the internal standard with a mobile phase of methanol-water-H(3)PO(4) (45:55:0.2, v/v/v). Detection was by UV at 277 nm. The calibration curve for baicalin was linear (r=0.9992) over the concentration range of 0.05--4.0 microg/mL and the limit of detection was 10 ng/mL. The coefficients of variation of intra- and inter-day assays were 2.64, 5.19 and 3.19% and 3.46, 6.21 and 5.58% at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 microg/mL, respectively. The recoveries of baicalin from rat thalamus were 85.4+/- 5.62, 90.7+/- 2.43 and 89.1+/- 4.75% at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 microg/mL, respectively. The method was applied to determine the time course of baicalin in rat thalamus, following a single dosage of intravenous administration of Scutellariae radix extract at 90 mg/kg of baicalin to male Wistar rats.     

Determination of paeoniflorin in rat plasma by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method coupled with solid-phase extraction

A rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem spectrometry method was developed and validated for determination of paeoniflorin in rat plasma using geniposide as the internal standard. The samples were pretreated with solid-phase extraction using Extract-Clean cartridges. Separation of paeoniflorin and IS was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column (50x4.6 mm i.d.) with a mobile phase made up of acetonitrile and 0.05% formic acid (25:75, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple-reaction monitoring and an electrospray ionization source was employed as the ionization source. The lower limit of quantification obtained was 4 ng/mL (n=6) using 200 microL plasma with an accuracy of -3.67% (relative error) and a precision of 4.13% (relative standard deviation). A good linearity was found in the range of 4-1000 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations in the measurement of quality control samples 10, 150 and 800 ng/mL ranged from 3.73 to 4.94% and from 4.31 to 6.56%, respectively. The accuracy was from -3.93 to -1.11% in terms of relative error. The analyte and IS were stable in the battery of stability studies. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of paeoniflorin after a single oral administration of 53.36 mg/kg paeoniflorin to rats.