LC Determination of Helicidum in Beagle Dog Plasma: Study on the Pharmacokinetics of Helicidum Orally Disintegrating Tablets Compared to Conventional Tablets

A sensitive and reproducible liquid chromatographic method with UV detection was described for the determination of helicidum in beagle dog plasma. Sample preparation was accomplished through protein precipitation with 15% perchloric acid and chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed phase C₁₈ column at 30 °C. Mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile–water at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Wavelength was set at 270 nm. The method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study of two formulations of helicidum. No statistical difference in the t _1/2 (AUC_0–5, AUC_0–∞) between the two formulations were observed. The t _max of helicidum ODTs is significantly shorter than that of conventional tablets (0.84 h vs. 1.33 h, P< 0.05).

     

LC Analysis and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pachymic Acid After Intravenous Administration to Rats

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection was developed and validated to investigate the concentration of pachymic acid (PA) in rat plasma. The sample preparation was a liquid-liquid extraction and chromatographic separation was achieved with a Dikma Diamonsil^TM C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm I.D.) with a C₁₈ guard column (8 × 4 mm I.D.) using a mobile phase consisting of MeOH-MeCN-aq. 0.45% H₃PO₄ (45:40:22) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The UV detection was at 210 nm. Standard curves were linear (r = 0.9998) in plasma over the concentration range of 0.5–50 μg mL^?1 and had acceptable accuracy and precision. Intra- and inter-day precisions expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD) were 0.26–1.60% and 1.24–2.31%. The lower limit of quantification and lower limit of detection were 0.45 and 0.17 μg mL^?1. The method has been used successfully to study the pharmacokinetics of PA. After a dose of 30 mg kg^?1 by intravenous administration, the main pharmacokinetic parameters t _1/2, AUC_0-∞, CL, V_ss and MRT_0-∞ were 8.79 ± 6.80 h, 18.90 ± 9.39 μg h mL^?1, 0.53 ± 0.28 L h^?1, 5.60 ± 4.60 L and 12.58 ± 9.95 h, respectively.     

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.     

Development and Validation of Atorvastatin by LC–ESI–MS and Application in Bioequivalence Research in Healthy Chinese Volunteers

The aim of this research was to develop a sensitive liquid chromatographic–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometric (LC–MS) method for direct measurement of the concentration of Atorvastatin in human plasma. Plasma samples (1 mL) were extracted with 3 mL ethyl acetate, and by a simple reversed-phase chromatography. Pitavastatin was used as internal standard (IS). The LOQ was 0.25 ng mL^?1 (RSD 4.24%). The assay was linear from 0.25–20 ng mL^?1. And the correlation coefficient for the calibration regression line was 0.9996 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. A two-period crossover designed bioequivalence research was also progressed in healthy Chinese volunteers. Among the pharmacokinetic data obtained, T _max was 1.36 ± 0.68 h for reference formulation and 0.81 ± 0.54 h for test formulation. C _max was 8.54 ± 5.06 ng mL^?1 for reference formulation and 9.54 ± 3.68 ng mL^?1 for test formulation. t _1/2 was 8.50 ± 2.74 h for reference formulation and 9.24 ± 3.17 h for test formulation. AUC _0?48h was 54.77 ± 21.82 h ng mL^?1 for reference formulation and 55.66 ± 20.91 h ng mL^?1 for test formulation. The method was successfully applied to the study of pharmacokinetics of Atorvastatin in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

LC–MS Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Salidroside in Rat Plasma after Oral Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Preparation Rhodiola crenulata Extract

A simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) method was developed for the quantification of salidroside in rat plasma and the study of its pharmacokinetics after oral administration of 15 g kg^?1 Rhodiola crenulata extract to Wistar rats. A 200 μL plasma sample was extracted by acetonitrile and performed on Kromasil C₁₈ column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with the mobile phase of acetonitrile–water (11:89) within a run time of 8 min. The analyte was monitored with electrospray ionization (ESI) by selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The target ions were m/z 299.20 for salidroside and m/z 150.00 for internal standard (IS) paracetamol. A good linear relationship was obtained over the range of 100–20,000 ng mL^?1 and the lower limit of quantification was 100 ng mL^?1. The validated method was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic study of salidroside in rat. After oral administration of Rhodiola crenulata extract, the main pharmacokinetic parameters T _max, T _1/2, C _max, AUC _0?t and AUC _0?∞ were 0.56 ± 0.21 h, 7.91 ± 4.42 h, 3,386 ± 2,138 ng mL^?1, 16,146 ± 6,558 ng h mL^?1 and 18,599 ± 6,529 ng h mL^?1, respectively.     

Enantioselective Separation and Determination of Carnosine in Rat Plasma by Fluorescence LC for Stereoselective Pharmacokinetic Studies

A sensitive fluorescence liquid chromatographic analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of carnosine enantiomers in rat plasma. The method was applied to pharmacokinetic studies. Chiral separation of carnosine enantiomers was achieved by pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde and the thiol N-acety-l-cysteine as derivating reagents. They were separated on an ODS column and detected by fluorescence detection (λ_ex = 350 nm, λ_em = 450 nm). γ-Aminobutyric acid was used as internal standard. The method was linear up to 6,000 ng mL^?1 for l-carnosine, 4,000 ng mL^?1 for d-carnosine. Low limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 40 ng mL^?1 for each isomer. The relative standard deviations obtained for intra- and inter-day precision were lower than 12% and the recoveries were higher than 75% for both enantiomers. The method was applied to a stereoselective study on the pharmacokinetics of carnosine after oral administration with a single dose (carnosine, 75 mg kg^?1 for each isomer) to a rat. The initial data indicated that l-carnosine had a larger value of the highest plasma concentration than d-carnosine (C _max 5,344 vs. 1,914 ng mL^?1), and that of l-carnosine had a lower value of AUC_(0?∞) and t _1/2(h) (AUC_(0?∞) 5,306 vs. 6,321 ng h mL^?1, t _1/2 1.43 vs. 3.37 h). Our results indicated that the pharmacokinetic of l-carnosine and d-carnosine revealed enantioselective properties significantly.     

LC Assay of Eletriptan in Tablets and In Vitro Dissolution Studies

Eletriptan (ELT) is a new selective serotonin agonist approved for the treatment of acute migraine headaches. A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the assay of ELT in tablets. Chromatography was carried out on a 250 mm × 4.6 mm C₁₈ column at 30 °C. Acetonitrile–15 mM triethylamine solution (adjusted to pH 7.0 using concentrated o-phosphoric acid) (60:40, v/v) mixture was used as mobile phase at 1.0 mL min^?1 flow rate and UV detector was set at 225 nm. A linear response (r ²  = 0.9999) was observed in the range of 0.1–1.6 μg mL^?1. The method showed good recoveries (100.08 %) and the RSD values for intra- and inter-day precision were 0.78–1.93 and 1.10–2.15%, respectively. The method can be used for quality control assays and in vitro dissolution studies of ELT in tablets.     

HPLC Analysis and Pharmacokinetic Study of Paeoniflorin after Intravenous Administration of a New Frozen Dry Powder Formulation in Rats

A simple and specific high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV detection using picroside II as the internal standard was developed and validated to determine the concentration of paeoniflorin in rat plasma and study its pharmacokinetics after an single intravenous administration of 40 mg kg^?1 paeoniflorin to Wistar rats. The analytes of interest were extracted from rat plasma samples by ethyl acetate after acidification with 0.05 mol L^?1 NaH₂PO₄ solution (pH 5.0). Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent XDB C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm I.D., 5 μm) with a Shim-pack GVP-ODS C₁₈ guard column (10 × 4.6 mm I.D., 5 μm) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–water–acetic acid (18:82:0.4, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The UV detection was performed at a wavelength of 230 nm. The linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.05–200.0 μg mL^?1 in rat plasma with the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 0.05 μg mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precisions in terms of % relative standard deviation (RSD) were lower than 5.7 and 8.2% in rat plasma, respectively. The accuracy in terms of % relative error (RE) ranged from ?1.9 to 2.6% in rat plasma. The extraction recoveries of paeoniflorin and picroside II were calculated to be 69.7 and 56.9%, respectively. This validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of a new paeoniflorin frozen dry power formulation. After single intravenous administration, the main pharmacokinetic parameters t _1/2, AUC_0-∞, CL_TOT, V _Z, MRT_0-∞ and V _ss were 0.739 ± 0.232 h, 43.75 ± 6.90 μg h mL^?1, 15.50 ± 2.46 L kg^?1 h^?1, 1.003 ± 0.401 L kg^?1, 0.480 ± 0.055 h and 0.444 ± 0.060 L kg^?1, respectively.     

Hollow-Fiber-Based LPME as a Reliable Sampling Method for Gas-Chromatographic Determination of Pharmacokinetic Parameters of Valproic Acid in Rat Plasma

A sensitive and simple method based on two-phase liquid-phase microextraction in porous hollow fiber followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection was developed for quantification and pharmacokinetic study of valproic acid (VPA, an antiepileptic drug) in rat plasma after oral administration of pure sodium valproate (25 mg kg^?1). Some parameters such as type of organic solvent, pH of sample solution, stirring speed, salt addition, extraction time, and volume of sample that affected extraction efficiency of VPA were optimized. Under optimized microextraction conditions, VPA was extracted with 10 μL 1-octanol from 0.5 mL rat plasma previously diluted with 4.5 mL acidified and salinated water (pH 2) using 1-octanoic acid as internal standard. The limit of detection was 17 ng mL^?1 with linear response over the concentration range of 50–10,000 ng mL^?1 with correlation coefficient higher than 0.998. The developed method was successfully applied to determination of pharmacokinetic parameters such as t _max (peak time in concentration–time profile), C _max (peak concentration in concentration–time profile), t _1/2 (elimination half-life), AUC_0–t (area under the curve for concentration versus time), clearance, and apparent distribution volume in rats following oral administration of VPA.     

Development of a CZE Method for the Determination of Olmesartan Medoxomil in Tablets

A CZE method was developed and validated for the analysis of Olmesartan medoxomil (OLMD) in tablets. The influences of pH, buffer concentration, applied voltage and capillary temperature on the migration time of OLMD were investigated. About 50 mM pH 6.5 phosphate buffer were used as background electrolyte. The optimum instrument parameters were found to be 30 °C temperature with 30 kV applied voltage and diode array detection was carried out at 210 nm. OLMD was hydrodynamically injected (P _inj  = 50 mbar, t _inj  = 3 s) and an internal standard, diflunisal (IS), was used to improve the precision and repeatability. Under these conditions, the migration time of OLMD was 2.32 min and the total analysis time was shorter than 5 min. Linearity range for the developed method was found to be 2.0–50.0 μg mL^?1 and the limit of detection was 0.5 μg mL^?1. The developed method was applied for the analysis of OLMD in pharmaceutical tablet formulations.     

An Improved UPLC Method for Rapid Analysis of Levofloxacin in Human Plasma

A rapid, specific, and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatographic method for analysis of levofloxacin in human plasma has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were spiked with the internal standard (enoxacin) and extracted with 10:1 (v/v) ethyl acetate–isopropanol. UPLC was performed on a 100 × 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 µm particle, C₁₈ column with 88:12 (v/v) 0.4% triethylamine buffer (pH 3)–acetonitrile as mobile phase, pumped isocratically at a pressure of 11,000 psi (758 bar) and a flow-rate of 0.3 mL min^?1. Ultraviolet detection was performed at 300 nm. The retention times of levofloxacin and enoxacin were 3.4 and 2.8 min, respectively, and the run-time was 5 min. Calibration showed that response was a linear function of concentration over the range 0.05–10 µg mL^?1 (r ² ≥ 0.99) and the method was validated over this range for both precision and accuracy. The relative standard deviation was <15% for both intra-day and inter-day assay (n = 5). Levofloxacin and enoxacin were stable in plasma; there was no evidence of degradation during three freeze–thaw cycles, post-preparative stability at 20 °C was ≥24 h, short-term stability at room temperature was ≥6 h, and long-term stability at ?70 °C was ≥30 days. The method was successfully used in a study of the bioequivalence of two levofloxacin tablet formulations in healthy volunteers.     

Development and Validation of Stability Indicating LC Method to Quantify Captopril in Tablets of Controlled Release

An accurate, simple, reproducible, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the captopril determination in controlled release tablets. The analyses were performed at room temperature on a reversed-phase Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm). The mobile phase was composed of water:methanol (45:55; v/v) pH 2.5, and it was eluted isocratically at a 1.0 mL min⁻¹ flow rate. The method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, quantification limit, detection limit, accuracy, precision and robustness. The response was linear in the range 0.3–1.5 mg mL⁻¹ (r ² = 0.9983). The relative standard deviation values for inter-and intra-day precision were 0.77% and 0.50%, respectively. Recoveries ranged between 97.7 and 99.1%. The method was successfully applied for the determination of captopril in the developed formulations.

     

Determination of trans-Resveratrol in Bio-Matrices for in Vitro, ex Vivo, and in Vivo Pharmacokinetic Studies by LC Spectrometric Analysis

A simple and reproducible liquid chromatographic method was developed for analyzing trans-resveratrol (TR) in cell suspension, intestinal Krebs’ buffer and rat plasma. TR and internal standard (IS, caffeine) were extracted by simple liquid–liquid extraction with acetonitrile. A chromatographic separation of TR and IS was achieved by Hypersil ODS₂ C₁₈ column using the mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol and distilled water with approximate retention times of 5.5 and 3.4 min, respectively. The detector wavelength was 303 nm. The limit of quantifications in cell suspension, Krebs’ buffer, and rat plasma were 0.10 μM, 0.05 μg mL^?1, and 0.05 μg mL^?1. The coefficients of correlation were better than 0.9995 in all solvents. The recovery of TR in the three bio-samples ranged from 86.64 to 102.4%. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy were in the range 0.55–11.50%. The proposed method was successfully applied to Caco-2 cells, everted gut sac and rat pharmacokinetic studies. Among the pharmacokinetic data obtained, TR was concentration-dependent uptaken by Caco-2 cells. The colon was the best situation for TR absorption. The absorption of TR after oral administration was rapid, T _1/2 and AUC _0~∞ were 104 min, and 3.49 ± 0.55 min·(μg mL mg)^?1, respectively.     

Determination of Nateglinide in Human Plasma by LC-ESI-MS and Its Application to Bioequivalence Study

To evaluate the bioequivalence of nateglinide, a rapid and specific liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization mass spectrometric method was developed and validated to determine nateglinide for human plasma samples. The analyte was detected using electrospray positive ionization mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. Tinidazole was used as the internal standard. A good linear relationship obtained in the concentration ranged from 0.05 to 16 μg mL^?1 (r ² = 0.9993). Lower limit of quantification was 0.05 μg mL^?1 using 100 μL of plasma sample. Intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were 2.1–7.5 and 4.7–8.9%, respectively. Among the pharmacokinetic data obtained, T _max was 2.09 ± 1.06 h for reference formulation and 2.40 ± 0.97 h for test formulation. C _max was 4.17 ± 1.31 μg mL^?1 for reference formulation and 4.37 ± 1.53 μg mL^?1 for test formulation. The half-life (t _½) was 1.93 ± 0.44 h for reference formulation and 1.92 ± 0.29 h for test formulation. AUC_0–10h was 13.67 ± 4.36 μg h mL^?1 for reference formulation and 13.21 ± 4.09 μg h mL^?1 for test formulation. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study in human plasma samples.     

Development of Validated Chromatographic Methods for the Simultaneous Determination of Metronidazole and Spiramycin in Tablets

Two chromatographic methods have been described for the simultaneous determination of metronidazole (MET) and spiramycin (SPY) in their mixtures. The first method was based on a high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) separation of the two drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 240 nm. The separation was carried out on Merck TLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ using methanol: chloroform (9:1, v/v) as a mobile phase. Analysis data was used for the linear regression line in the range of 1.0–2.0 and 0.8–2.0 μg band⁻¹ for MET and SPY, respectively. The second method was based on a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of the cited drugs on a C-18 column (5 μm, 250 × 4.6 mm, i.d.). The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of phosphate buffer of pH 2.4 and acetonitrile (70:30, v/v). The separation was carried out at ambient temperature with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 232 nm based on peak area with linear calibration curves at concentration ranges 0.4–50.0 and 0.5–50.0 μg mL⁻¹ for MET and SPY, respectively. The proposed chromatographic methods were successfully applied to the determination of the investigated drugs in pharmaceutical preparations. Both methods were validated in compliance with ICH guidelines; in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, limits of detection and quantitation and other aspects of analytical validation.

     

Determination of Meserine,a new candidate for Alzheimer’s disease in mice brain by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for determination of Meserine ((?)-meptazinol phenylcarbamate), a novel potent inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), was developed, validated, and applied to a pharmacokinetic study in mice brain. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ng mL^?1 and the linear range was 1–1,000 ng mL^?1. The analyte was eluted on a Zorbax SB-Aq column (2.1?×?100 mm, 3.5 μm) with the mobile phase composed of methanol and water (70:30, v/v, aqueous phase contained 10 mM ammonium formate and 0.3 % formic acid) using isocratic elution, and monitored by positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The flow rate was 0.25 mL min^?1. The injection volume was 5 μL and total run time was 4 min. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of intraday and interday variation was 2.49–7.81 and 3.01–7.67 %, respectively. All analytes were stable after 4 h at room temperature and 6 h in autosampler. The extraction recoveries of Meserine in brain homogenate were over 90 %. The main brain pharmacokinetic parameters obtained after intranasal administration were T _max?=?0.05 h, C _max?=?462.0?±?39.7 ng g^?1, T _1/2?=?0.4 h, and AUC_(0-∞)?=?283.1?±?9.1 ng h g^?1. Moreover, Meserine was distributed rapidly and widely into brain, heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney tissue. The method is validated and could be applied to the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study of Meserine in mice.     

A Validated LC Method for Determination of the Enantiomeric Purity of Montelukast Sodium in Bulk Drug Samples and Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

A new and accurate chiral liquid chromatographic method has been developed for determination of the enantiomeric purity of montelukast sodium (R enantiomer) in bulk drugs and dosage forms. Normal phase chromatographic separation was performed on an immobilized amylose-based chiral stationary phase with n-hexane–ethanol–1,4-dioxane–trifluoroacetic acid–diethylamine 65:25:10:0.3:0.05 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The elution time was approximately 15 min. The resolution (R _S) between the enantiomers was >3. The mobile phase additives trifluoroacetic acid and diethylamine played a key role in achieving chromatographic resolution between the enantiomers and also in enhancing chromatographic efficiency. Limits of detection and quantification for the S enantiomer were 0.07 and 0.2 μg, respectively, for a test concentration of montelukast sodium of 1,000 μg mL^?1 and 10 μL injection volume. The linearity of the method for the S enantiomer was excellent (R ² > 0.999) over the range from the LOQ to 0.3%. Recovery of the S enantiomer from bulk drug samples and dosage forms ranged from 97.0 to 103.0%, indicative of the high accuracy of the method. Robustness studies were also conducted. The sample solution stability of montelukast sodium was determined and the compound was found to be stable for a study period of 48 h.     

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.     

Validation of an analytical LC-MS/MS method in human plasma for the pharmacokinetic study of atomoxetine

This study aimed to validate a sensitive and reliable analytical method for the pharmacokinetic study of atomoxetine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Metoprolol was used as an internal standard. After liquid-liquid extraction with methyl t-butyl ether, the supernatant was evaporated. The residue was then reconstituted and an aliquot was injected into the high performance liquid chromatographic system. Separation was performed on a Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ column (2.0 mm × 100 mm, 3 μm particles) with a mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium formate buffer: methanol = 10: 90 (v/v). Tandem mass spectrometry was performed in the electrospray ionization positive ion mode using the multiple reaction monitoring mode for quantification. The mass transition pairs of m/z 256 → 44 for atomoxetine and m/z 268 → 116 for the internal standard were used. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 0.25 mL/min and the retention times of atomoxetine and the internal standard were found to be 1.0 and 0.9 min, respectively. The calibration curve for atomoxetine was linear in the concentration range of 1–750 ng/mL (r ² = 0.9992) with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL. The mean accuracy for atomoxetine was 93–102%. The coefficients of variation (precision) in the intra- and inter-day validation for atomoxetine were 4.0–6.8 and 1.1–9.6%, respectively. The pharmacokinetic parameters of atomoxetine were evaluated after administration of a 40-mg single oral dose to twelve healthy male volunteers. The mean AUC_{0–24 h}, C _max, T _max and T _1/2 for atomoxetine were 1.9 ± 0.8 μg h/mL, 0.34 ± 0.11 μg/mL, 1.0 ± 0.5 h and 3.9 ± 1.3 h, respectively.     

LC-ESI-MS-MS Determination of Rat Plasma Protein Binding of Major Flavonoids of Flos Lonicerae Japonicae by Centrifugal Ultrafiltration

A simple, precise, accurate, selective, and sensitive reversed-phase LC–UV method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of diltiazem and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the bulk drug, tablet dosage forms, and human serum. Chromatographic separation of the drugs was performed at ambient temperature on a C₁₈ stationary phase with 80:20 (v/v) methanol–water, pH 3.1 ± 0.02, as isocratic mobile phase. The mobile phase flow rate was initially 0.5 mL min^?1 then increased to 1 mL min^?1. All the NSAIDs were well separated from each other and from diltiazem. Total run time was 10 min. The assay was successfully applied to pharmaceutical formulations and serum and there was no chromatographic interference from tablet excipients. The method was linear in the range 1.25–50 μg mL^?1 both for diltiazem and the NSAIDs. The suitability of this HPLC method for quantitative analysis of the drugs was proved by validation in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The validation results, and results from statistical analysis of the data, demonstrated the method was reliable.