An Improved HPLC Method for the Determination of Furosemide in Plasma and Urine

Abstract

A sensitive HPLC method with minimal sample preparation and good reproducibility for the determination of furosemide in plasma and urine is described. Acidified plasma samples were extracted using CH₂Cl₂ containing desmethylnaproxen as internal standard (IS). Fresh urine samples were incubated with β-gluc-uronidase for 15 minutes and then treated with CH₃CN containing IS.

Chromatography was performed on a C18 column with 10 mcl sample injection, Mobile phases were: a) for plasma: 0.01 M NaH₂PO₄, pH 3.5 - CH₃OH (65:35), and b) for urine: acetic acid, pH 3.5 - CHS3OH (60:40) at 3 ml/min and fluorescence detection at Ex 235/Em 389 nm. The plasma standard curve was linear from 0.01 to 15.0 mcg/ml and the urine from 0.5 to 200.0 mcg/ml. The within run CV's were 3,2% at 0.74 mcg/ml plasma and 2.0% at 10.7 mcg/ml urine. Recovery from plasma was 69.9% at 2.0 mcg/ml and 98.6% from urine at 5.0 mcg/ml. The stability of furosemide and its glucuronide were studied. Both methods have been applied to the analysis of plasma and urine samples obtained from human volunteers.     

Simultaneous analysis of furosemide and bumetanide in horse plasma using high performance liquid chromatography

A high performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of furosemide and bumetanide in horse plasma. The C8 (3 microns) reversed phase column (4.8 x 150 mm) provided clear separation of furosemide and bumetanide with other components present in the horse plasma. The detection limit for both the drugs was 10 ng/mL. Both drugs were stable in plasma (at natural or acidic pH) for up to 24 h. The method is sufficiently sensitive to detect furosemide levels in plasma obtained from horses receiving a therapeutic dose of furosemide.     

Determination of sub-nanogram amounts of dihydroergotamine in plasma and urine using liquid chromatography and fluorimetric detection with off-line and on-line solid-phase drug enrichment

A highly sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method, involving sample pre-treatment, column switching and fluorimetric detection, is described for the determination of dihydroergotamine in plasma and urine samples. The pre-chromatographic sample treatment consists of extraction by means of an Extrelut column for plasma samples, and pre-separation with enrichment steps on a Sep-Pak column for urine samples. The samples are then injected onto a pre-separation column (Aquapore), and the fraction containing dihydroergotamine are automatically diverted onto an analytical column (ODS reversed phase). An acetonitrile-ammonium carbamate gradient is used as the mobile phase. High recovery of dihydroergotamine from both plasma (87%) and urine (100%) and a detection limit as low as 100 pg/ml were achieved, with a linear response up to 5 ng/ml. The assay demonstrated a high degree of selectivity with regard to the extensive metabolism of dihydroergotamine especially to the main metabolite 8'-hydroxydihydroergotamine. The assay was successfully applied for more than one year to the determination of plasma and urine concentrations of dihydroergotamine after parenteral administration.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of sotalol in plasma and urine employing solid-phase extraction and fluorescence detection

A liquid chromatographic method using a solid-phase extraction procedure for the quantification of sotalol in plasma and urine is described. Sotalol is eluted from an extraction column with ethyl acetate-acetonitrile (1:2) and, after separation by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on a mu Bondapak C18 column, is quantified by fluorescence detection at excitation and emission wavelengths of 240 and 310 nm, respectively. The method has been demonstrated to be linear over the concentration ranges 10-6000 ng/ml in plasma and 0.5-100 micrograms/ml in urine. Mean inter-assay accuracy of the method for plasma ranged from 93 to 100% and for urine from 102 to 114%; precision ranged from 0.5 to 1.6% for plasma over a concentration range of 200-4000 ng/ml and for urine from 0.7 to 2.0% at concentrations of 2-50 micrograms/ml. Mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of sotalol in isolated chromatographic fractions of plasma and urine extracts from subjects given sotalol orally.     

Quantification of furosemide in camel plasma by high resolution mass spectrometry,application on pharmacokinetics

We developed and validated a high‐resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method for the quantification of furosemide in camel plasma which was used for a pharmacokinetic study in camels. Plasma samples were extracted by supported liquid extraction and furosemide and internal standard (furosemide‐D5) were separated on a an Agilent Zorbax XDB C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm i.d., 3.5 μm). Data was acquired in full‐scan mode over a mass range of 200–400 Da in negative electrospray mode at a resolution of 70,000. Linear calibration curves were obtained over the concentration ranges of 1.0–10,000 ng/mL. The validated method was then successfully applied in evaluating the pharmacokinetics and metabolites of furosemide in six camels (Camelus dromedarus ) and we were able to advice on a withdrawal time of furosemide treatment before racing.     

Determination of imipenem (N-formimidoyl thienamycin) in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography, comparison with microbiological methodology and stability

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods using ultraviolet (UV) detection have been developed for the assay of the antibiotic imipenem (N-formimidoyl thienamycin) in human plasma and urine. A reversed-phase analytical column is employed in the plasma assay method and a cation-exchange column is used in the urine assay method. Both methods use borate buffer in the mobile phase. The method of preparation of human fluid samples for HPLC injection has been optimized with respect to the stability of imipenem in aqueous buffers, in morpholine buffer--ethylene glycol stabilizer, and in urine and plasma. Preparation of the samples before injection into the HPLC systems involves deproteination/filtration of the plasma/urine samples. The open lactam metabolite and the coadministered dehydropeptidase inhibitor, cilastatin sodium, do not interfere with the 313-nm detection of imipenem in either the plasma or the urine assay. Thienamycin, the precursor of imipenem and an impurity in imipenem formulations, is separated from the drug using both of these methods. Concentrations generated from the HPLC analysis of plasma and urine samples from two healthy volunteers compare favorably with results using a microbiological assay method. Correlation of the two methods gives r greater than or equal to 0.990 for both fluids.     

Comprehensive screening procedure for diuretics in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and reliable screening procedure using high-performance liquid chromatography for the detection of 23 diuretics (belonging to five different pharmacological groups) in urine has been developed. Two aliquots of 2-ml urine samples were extracted separately under acidic and basic conditions. The acidic and basic extracts were pooled, evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in methanol. The methanolic extract was injected onto a Hewlett-Packard Hypersil ODS C18 (5 microns) column (column I) and a Hewlett-Packard LiChrosorb RP-18 (5 microns) column (column II; an alternative column). The same gradient mobile phase was used for both columns. A diode array ultraviolet detector was set to monitor the signal to the integrator (Chem Station) at 230 and 275 nm. Recovery studies of the 23 diuretics were performed under acidic and basic conditions. The overall lower limits for detection on column I using both extraction procedures ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 micrograms/ml of urine (average 1.0 micrograms/ml). Amiloride, ethacrynic acid and probenecid could not be detected below 5 micrograms/ml of urine. No interference from the biological matrix was apparent. Amiloride could be detected in urine 4 h after oral administration of 15 mg of amiloride to a healthy volunteer, when the sample was extracted under alkaline conditions. The suitability of the screening method for the analysis of urine samples was tested by studying the variation with time of chlorthalidone, furosemide, probenecid, acetazolamide, quinethazone, spironolactone, bendroflumethiazide, bumetanide, triameterene and hydrochlorothiazide concentrations in the urine of normal human volunteers after minimum single or multiple (probenecid) doses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Determination of furosemide in urine samples by direct injection in a micellar liquid chromatographic system

A sensitive, selective and efficient micellar liquid chromatographic (MLC) procedure was developed for the determination of furosemide (4-chloro-N-furfuryl-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid) in urine samples by direct injection and UV detection. The procedure makes use of a C18 reversed-phase column and a micellar mobile phase of 0.05 mol l(-1) sodium dodecyl sulfate-6% v/v propanol and phosphate buffer at pH 3 to resolve furosemide from its photochemical degradation products. The importance of protecting the standards and urine samples to be analysed from light in the assay of furosemide, avoiding its degradation, was verified. The limit of quantification was 0.15 microg ml(-1) and the relative standard deviation of the inter-day assay was 0.8-0.04% in the 6-82 microg ml(-1) range. Detection of urinary excretion of furosemide was followed up to 12 h after ingestion of the drug by a healthy volunteer. No potential interference from the major metabolite (furosemide acylglucuronide) and its hydrolytic product (4-chloro-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid) was observed. Commonly administered drugs also did not interfere. The proposed MLC procedure permits the rapid and reproducible measurement of low levels of furosemide in a small amount of urine.     

Development,validation, and implementation of an UHPLC–MS/MS method for the quantitation of furosemide in infant urine samples

Furosemide is a diuretic drug used to increase urine flow in order to reduce the amount of salt and water in the body. It is commonly utilized to treat preterm infants with chronic lung disease of prematurity. There is a need for a simple and reliable quantitation of furosemide in human urine. We have developed and validated an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for furosemide quantitation in human urine with an assay range of 0.100–50.0 μg/ml. Sample preparation involved solid-phase extraction with 10 μl of urine. Intra-day accuracies and precisions for the quality control samples were 94.5–106 and 1.86–10.2%, respectively, while inter-day accuracies and precision were 99.2–102 and 3.38–7.41%, respectively. Recovery for furosemide had an average of 23.8%, with an average matrix effect of 101%. Furosemide was stable in human urine under the assay conditions. Stability for furosemide was shown at 1 week (room temperature, 4, −20 and −78°C), 6 months (−78°C), and through three freeze–thaw cycles. This robust assay demonstrates accurate and precise quantitation of furosemide in a small volume (10 μl) of human urine. It is currently being implemented in an ongoing pediatric clinical study.     

Selective clean-up method using an immunoaffinity column following radioimmunoassay of prostaglandin F2 alpha in biological fluids.

A selective clean-up method using an immunoaffinity column followed by radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed for determining prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) in human urine and plasma. Polyclonal antibody raised against PGF2 alpha, obtained from rabbits, was coupled to a tresyl-activated support based on a synthetic hydrophilic resin, TSKgel Tresyl-Toyopearl 650M, and used as the stationary phase for the immunoaffinity column. A human urine or plasma sample was introduced to this column, and PGF2 alpha was eluted with methanol-water (50:50, v/v) after the column had been washed. The eluate was subjected to competitive RIA for PGF2 alpha. The cross-reactivities of the RIA to a number of endogenous prostanoids, except PGD2, were negligible and the sensitivity was 4 pg/tube (p less than 0.05), giving a detection limit of 40 pg/ml when 1 ml of plasma or urine was available. The recoveries of plasma and urine samples were 98-108% and 96-106%, respectively, and their assay variances were 7-23%. The concentrations of endogenous PGF2 alpha in plasma and urine used here were estimated to be 72 and 98 pg/ml, respectively. This method should be very useful for various biological samples because of its good specificity, sensitivity, reliability and reproducibility.     

Detection of oxilofrine in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and comparison with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with electrochemical detection for the determination of oxilofrine [1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-methylaminopropanol] in human plasma and urine (before and after cleavage of the metabolic conjugates) is described. Isolation from biological fluids is performed batchwise by weak acid cation exchange. Separation of plasma and urine components is achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column as an ion pair with heptanesulphonic acid. For amperometric detection the potential of the electrode was set at 0.95 V versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The detection limit for oxilofrine in plasma is 1 ng/ml and in urine 12.5 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2.0 using 1.0 ml of plasma and 0.02 ml of urine. The method was compared with a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method and showed a good concordance for plasma (r = 0.996) and urine (r = 0.994). With the HPLC method it is also possible to determine related sympathomimetic drugs, e.g., etilefrine, norefenefrine or octopamine, after a slight modification of the mobile phase.     

Simultaneous determination of cefamandole and cefamandole nafate in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with column switching

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with column switching has been developed for the simultaneous determination of cefamandole and cefamandole nafate in plasma and urine. The plasma and urine samples were injected onto a precolumn packed with Corasil RP C18 (37-50 microns) after simple dilution with an internal standard solution in 0.05 M phosphoric acid. Polar plasma and urine components were washed out using 0.05 M phosphoric acid. After valve switching, the concentrated drugs were desorbed in back-flush mode and separated by a reversed-phase C8 column with methanol-5 mM tetrabutylammonium bromide (45:55, v/v) as the mobile phase. The method showed excellent precision with good sensitivity and speed, and a detection limit of 0.5 microgram/ml. The total analysis time per sample was less than 30 min, and the mean coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assay were both less than 4.9%. The method has been successfully applied to plasma and urine samples for human volunteers after intravenous injection of cefamandole nafate.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of cadralazine from its potential metabolites and degradation products. Quantitation of the drug in human plasma and urine

The chromatographic behaviour of cadralazine and its potential metabolites and degradation products with respect to pH, buffer molarity and composition of eluent is described. A selective method with an adequate sensitivity for the determination of the drug in human plasma and urine is also reported. The method includes extraction of biological fluids with chloroform and the analysis of extracts on a reversed-phase column with isocratic elution and detection at 254 nm. The method has been applied to the analysis of plasma and urine of a patient administered a single oral dose of 30 mg of cadralazine.     

Body fluid analysis of a phosphonic acid angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor using high-performance liquid chromatography and post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde

A method is described for the extraction of a phosphonic acid angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor from either urine or plasma, and subsequent quantitation using high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis and post-column o-phthalaldehyde reagent derivatization. The compound cannot be quantitatively extracted from the body fluids, but use of a fluorinated internal standard allowed for the computation of accurate results. With the use of an internal standard, excellent precision, linearity, and recovery were obtained for analyte response in both urine and plasma. In urine a working range of 0.2-10 micrograms/ml was found, with a limit of detection of 0.1 micrograms/ml. For plasma the working range was found to be 2-500 ng/ml, and the limit of detection was established as 1 ng/ml. Due to the non-polar character of the analyte at low pH values, it was possible to use novel extraction (solid-phase C8 column) and HPLC [poly(styrenedivinyl benzene) HPLC column] conditions to separate and quantitate the compound from plasma and urine.     

Analysis of erythromycin in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic assay was developed for the quantitative determination of major erythromycin components and their potential metabolites or degradation products in plasma and urine. An ether extract of alkalized plasma sample was chromatographed on a reversed-phase column and the components in the column effluent were monitored by an electrochemical detector. The recovery of the drug from extraction was virtually 100%. The detection limits for erythromycin A in plasma were 5-10 ng/ml and 30 ng/ml using 1 and 0.2 ml of sample, respectively. For urine samples, a simple one-step deproteinization with two volumes of acetonitrile was satisfactory for analysis. The method has been evaluated in plasma and urine from dogs receiving oral or intravenous erythromycin A. The standard curves for potential metabolites or degradation products were not constructed due to the lack of sufficient samples.     

A high performance liquid chromatographic method for the screening of 17 diuretics in human urine

A simple and adequate HPLC method was developed for screening of human urine for the following 17 diuretic drugs: acetazolamide, bendrofluazide, bumetanide, canrenoic acid, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, clopamide, epitizide, etacrynic acid, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, mefruside, piretanide, spironolactone, torasemide, and triamterene. The assay involves extraction from two 2 mL urine samples with ethyl acetate at pH = 5, washing with a phosphate buffer at pH = 6 and analysis by HPLC using a reversed phase C18 column and ultraviolet detection with a diode array detector for all drugs (except triamterene) using two eluents consisting of water, triethylamine, phosphoric acid and acetonitrile at different ratios and different pH values. Triamterene is determined by direct injection of diluted urine onto the column and is measured by fluorescence detection. The recoveries of the diuretic drugs were determined at two different concentrations and ranged from 43–110% (median: 87%) which is sufficient to detect abuse of these drugs. The repeatability of the assay ranged from 1–12% (median: 5.5%).     

Determination of dioxopiperazine metabolites of quinapril in biological fluids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The dioxopiperazine metabolites of quinapril in plasma and urine were extracted with hexane-dichloroethane (1:1) under acidic conditions. Following derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl bromide and purification of the desired reaction products using a column packed with silica gel, the metabolites were analysed separately by capillary column gas chromatography-electron-impact mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring. The limits of quantitation for the metabolites were 0.2 ng/ml in plasma and 1 ng/ml in urine. The limits of detection were 0.1 ng/ml in plasma and 0.5 ng/ml in urine, at a single-to-noise ratio of greater than 3 and greater than 5, respectively. The proposed method is applicable to pharmacokinetic studies.     

Determination of a platelet activating factor antagonist (CV-3988): methodology and clinical application

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for determination of the platelet activating factor antagonist CV-3988 in human plasma and urine. After development of a column extraction procedure without an internal standard, a more satisfactory organic extraction procedure was set up with amiodarone as internal standard. Linearity of the calibration curves was found in the range 0.0625-10 micrograms/ml CV-3988. Reproducibility was higher than 10% for the column extraction and lower than 10% for the organic extraction procedure. Recovery of CV-3988 from plasma averaged 81.7% for the column procedure and 40% for the organic extraction. Urine samples could be extracted only by the organic extraction procedure. The organic extraction procedure was applied to the determination of CV-3988 in plasma and urine samples after intravenous administration to normal volunteers.     

Determination of the S(+)- and R(-)-enantiomers of baclofen in plasma and urine by gas chromatography using a chiral fused-silica capillary column and an electron-capture detector

A sensitive and enantiospecific gas chromatographic method for the determination of the S(+)- and R(-)-enantiomers of baclofen (I and II) in plasma and urine has been developed and validated. The method is based on the complete resolution of the derivatized enantiomers on a chiral fused-silica capillary column. The hydrochloride salt of a (-)-fluoro analogue of baclofen (III.HCl) was used as the internal standard in plasma, the hydrochloride salt of a (+)-fluoro analogue of baclofen (IV.HCl) as the internal standard in urine. Rapid and convenient isolation of the compounds was achieved using reversed-phase Bond-Elut C18 columns. After elution, the compounds were converted into isobutyl esters and purified by base-specific solvent extraction. The isobutyl esters were then N-acylated with heptafluorobutyric anhydride. The derivatives were quantitated after separation on the chiral column using electron-capture detection. The analysis of spiked plasma and urine samples demonstrated the good accuracy and precision of the method, with limits of quantitation of 25 nmol/l for I and II in plasma and of 2 mumol/l for I and II in urine. The method appears to be suitable for use in pharmacokinetic studies of the enantiomers in plasma and urine from animals and man after administration of the racemic baclofen.     

High-throughput liquid-chromatography method with fluorescence detection for reciprocal determination of furosemide or norfloxacin in human plasma

A simple, high-throughput, highly selective and sensitive HPLC-FLD method for isolation and determination of furosemide and/or norfloxacin in human plasma samples following a simple organic solvent deproteinization step with acetonitrile as sample 'clean-up' procedure is reported. One of the two drug substances plays the internal standard role for the determination of the other. Separation of analyte and internal standard was achieved in less than 5.3 min (injection to injection) on a Chromolith Performance RP-18e column, using an aqueous component containing 0.015 mol/L sodium heptane-sulfonate and 0.2% triethylamine brought to pH = 2.5 with H(3)PO(4). The composition of the mobile phase was: acetonitrile-methanol-aqueous component = 70:15:15 (v/v/v) and the flow-rate was set up to 3 mL/min. The chromatographic method applied to the determination of furosemide relies on fluorescent detection parameters of 235 nm for the excitation wavelength, and 402 nm for the emission wavelength. In case of norfloxacin, the excitation wavelength is set up to 268 nm and the emission wavelength is set up to 445 nm. The overall method leads to quantitation limits of about 27 ng/mL for furosemide, and 19.5 ng/mL for norfloxacin, using an injection volume of 250 microL. The method was applied to the bioequivalence study of two furosemide-containing formulations.