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.     

Quantitative Analysis of Sertraline in Human Serum by LC with Fluorescence Detection After Pre-Column Derivatization with 4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan

An accurate and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for analysis of sertraline in human serum, using 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan as pre-column derivatization agent, is described. The drug and an internal standard (azithromycin) were extracted from serum by use of a mixture of diethyl ether and chloroform, and subjected to pre-column derivatization with the reagent. Analysis of the resulting derivatives was performed on a 250 mm × 4.0 mm cyano column with 63:37 (v/v) methanol–sodium phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 3.7) containing 2 mL L^?1 triethylamine as mobile phase. Detector response was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 470 and 537 nm, respectively. The calibration plot was linear over the concentration range 2–640 ng mL^?1. The lower limits of detection and quantification were 0.5 and 2 ng mL^?1, respectively. The method was validated for specificity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and stability and shown to be accurate (intra-day and inter-day accuracy from 0.3 to 4.2%) and precise (intra-day and inter-day precision from 2.4 to 15.5%). The drug was detected at concentrations as low as 2 ng mL^?1 in 0.5 mL serum and the method described can be easily applied to human single-dose pharmacokinetic studies of sertraline.     

Quantitative Determination of Phillyrin in Human Plasma Using HPLC with Fluorescence Detection

A simple, rapid, and selective high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of phillyrin in human plasma was developed. After extracting from the plasma samples with ethyl acetate, the analyte was chromatographed on a C18 column with methanol–water (50:50, v/v, pH 2.86) as mobile phase. The fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths were 277 and 315 nm, respectively. The linear range of the standard curve of phillyrin was 0.0313–8.0 μg mL^?1 (r > 0.999). The limit of detection was 6.31 ng mL^?1. The average recovery of phillyrin was 101.02% from plasma. The intra- and inter-day variabilities of phillyrin were <10.00%.     

Development of a Sensitive LC Assay with Fluorescence Detection for the Determination of Zearalenone in Rat Serum

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic assay with fluorescence detection assay was developed for the determination of zearalenone levels in rat serum. The assay utilized a single liquid–liquid extraction with t-butyl methyl ether and isocratic elution using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% triethylamine in distilled water (pH = 6) (50:50, v/v). Linearity was observed over a concentration range from 10 to 1,000 ng mL^?1 (r = 0.9995), with the limit of quantification at 10 ng mL^?1 with 100 μL of rat serum. The validated assay was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.     

Determination of Abacavir, Lamivudine and Zidovudine in Pharmaceutical Tablets, Human Serum and in Drug Dissolution Studies by HPLC

A simple, accurate, precise and fully automated method for the simultaneous determination of abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine in pharmaceutical tablets, human serum samples and drug dissolution studies has been developed. Separation was performed on a 5 μm Zorbax^® C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm ID) with methanol:water:phosphate buffer at pH 5.65 (80:10:10; v/v/v) isocratic elution in less than 7 min with a flow rate of 0.6 mL min^?1.Good sensitivity for all analytes was observed with UV detection at 275 nm. The method allowed quantitation over the 500–3,000 ng mL^?1 range for abacavir and 500–5,000 ng mL^?1 range for lamivudine and zidovudine. The method has been applied, without any interference from excipients or endogenous substances, for the simultaneous determination of these three compounds in tablets. Human serum and drug dissolution studies.     

Rapid LC-APCI-MS-MS Method for Simultaneous Determination of Phenacetin and Its Metabolite Paracetamol in Rabbit Plasma

A highly sensitive liquid chromatographic-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometric method is developed to quantitate phenacetin and its metabolite paracetamol in rabbit plasma. The analytes and internal standard oxazepam are extracted from plasma by liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate, and separated on a Zorbax SB-C₁₈ column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) using acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid in water (40:60 v/v) at a flow of 0.4 mL min^?1. Detection is carried out by multiple reaction monitoring on a ion-trap LC-MS-MS system with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface. The assay is linear over the range 4–1,600 ng mL^?1 for phenacetin and 3–2,000 ng mL^?1 for paracetamol, with a lower limit of quantitation of 4 ng mL^?1 for phenacetin and 3 ng mL^?1 for paracetamol. Intra- and inter-day precision are less than 7.1% and the accuracy are in the range 97.3–103.5%. The validated method is successfully used to analyze the drug in samples of rabbit plasma for pharmacokinetic study.     

An Experimental Design Approach to Selecting the Optimum LC Conditions for the Determination of Local Anaesthetics

A sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of four local anaesthetics: lidocaine, proparacaine, bupivacaine and oxybuprocaine. A full factorial design was used. The chromatographic separation was achieved using a Bondesil C₈ (4.6 × 2.5 mm i.d., particle size 5 μm) analytical column. An optimised mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and sodium dihydrogen phosphate (pH = 3.0, 20 mM) (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min^?1. Local anaesthetics detection was performed by UV-Vis detector at 220 nm. The retention times for lidocaine, proparacaine, bupivacaine and oxybuprocaine were 5.74, 9.28, 16.84 and 26.26 min, respectively. HPLC-UV-Vis method was linear in the range of 50–5,000 ng mL^?1 for lidocaine and proparacaine and 100–5,000 ng mL^?1 for bupivacaine and oxybuprocaine. The limit of detection (LOD) was 25 ng mL^?1 for lidocaine, proparacaine and 30 ng mL^?1 for bupivacaine and oxybuprocaine. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 50 ng mL^?1 for lidocaine, proparacaine and 100 ng mL^?1 for bupivacaine, oxybuprocaine. In intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy analysis, the relative standard deviation was found to be less than 8%.     

LC–MS/MS Determination of Catecholamines in Urine Using FMOC-Cl Derivatization on Solid-Phase Extraction Cartridge

A method for the determination of catecholamine derivatives in human urine is proposed that includes the derivatization of target compounds on a solid-phase extraction cartridge and determination of the analytes by a UHPLC method with tandem mass-spectrometric detection. 9-Fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl chloride was used as the derivatization agent. The limits of detection for the analytes were 2.5 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-adrenaline, 5 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-octopamine, and 25 ng mL^?1 for 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-dopamine. The proposed procedure was tested on real samples obtained from volunteers.     

Determination of 5-Hydroxytryptamine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Their Metabolites in Rat Brain Tissue by LC–ESI–MS–MS

A liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed to perform the determination of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and their metabolites, i.e., 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (MHPG) sulfate, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in rat brain tissue. Analytes were separated on a Thermo C₁₈ column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm, SN: 1245575T, Thermo electron corporation, USA) with a mobile phase of 0.05% formic acid/acetonitrile (92:8 for ESI⁺, 82:18 for ESI^?, v/v) at the flow-rate of 0.8 mL min^?1. The LC system was coupled to a Waters Micromass Quattro Premier XE tandem quadruple mass spectrometer. MS acquisition of 5-HT, NE and DA was performed in positive electrospray ionization multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, while negative electrospray ionization MRM mode was used to monitor their metabolites. The calibration curves were linear within the concentration range of 4–4,450 ng mL^?1 for 5-HT, 4–4,110 ng mL^?1 for NE and 4–4,100 ng mL^?1 for DA (r ≥ 0.999). The limit of quantitation was 4 ng mL^?1. 5-HIAA, MHPG, DOPAC and HVA have good linearity within the range of 12–1,000 ng mL^?1(r ≥ 0.998) and the limit of quantitation was 12 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day RSD were lower than 8.45%. The method is sensitive, fast, accurate and usable for quantity determination of monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites in neuropsychiatric diseases.     

Determination of Tangeretin in Rat Plasma by LC-Electrospray-Ion Trap MS

A selective, sensitive, and accurate method has been developed and validated for the quantification of tangeretin in rat plasma. The application of LC-electrospray-ion trap mass spectrometry in full scan and multiple reactions monitoring modes were investigated. Following solid phase extraction using a hydrophilic–lipophilic balance cartridge, the analytes were separated on a C₁₈ column using an isocratic mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/water (50:50, v/v) containing 0.3% formic acid. In full scan mode, the LOQ was 2 ng mL^?1. The standard calibration curve was linear (R ² = 0.9999) over the concentration range 2–200 ng mL^?1. The precision over the concentration range was within 15% (RSD) and the accuracy was ranged from 86 to 115%. In multiple reaction monitoring mode, the LOQ was 1 ng mL^?1 and the standard calibration curve was linear (R ² = 0.9976) over the concentration range 1–100 ng mL^?1 with a precision of 12% and accuracy rangeing from 91 to 113%.     

Determination of Pantoprazole, Rabeprazole, Esomeprazole, Domperidone and Itopride in Pharmaceutical Products by Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography Using Single Mobile Phase

A simple, sensitive, and precise high performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of pantoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole, domperidone and itopride, with ultraviolet detection at 210 nm, has been developed, validated, and used for the determination of compounds in commercial pharmaceutical products. The compounds were well separated on a Hypersil BDS C18 reversed-phase column by use of a mobile phase consisting of 0.05 M, 4.70 pH, potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer - acetonitrile (720:280 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The linearity ranges were 400–4,000 ng mL^?1 for pantoprazole, 200–2,000 ng mL^?1 for rabeprazole, 400–4,000 ng mL^?1 for esomeprazole, 300–3,000 ng mL^?1 for domperidone and 500–5,000 ng mL^?1 for itopride. Limits of detection (LOD) obtained were: pantoprazole 147.51 ng mL^?1, rabeprazole 65.65 ng mL^?1, esomeprazole 131.27 ng mL^?1, domperidone 98.33 ng mL^?1 and itopride 162.35 ng mL^?1. The study showed that reversed-phase liquid chromatography is sensitive and selective for the determination of pantoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole, domperidone and itopride using single mobile phase.     

An Effective High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic–Mass Spectrometric Assay for Catecholamines, as the N(O,S)-Ethoxycarbonyl Ethyl Esters, in Human Urine

The purpose of this study was to develop a simple and accurate analytical method for determination of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in urine. The method involves liquid–liquid extraction then liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Alkyl chloroformate derivatives were prepared, as the N(O,S)-alkoxycarbonyl alkyl esters of the analytes, in the aqueous samples. The optimum derivatizing reagent for preparation of the N(O,S)-alkoxycarbonyl alkyl esters was chosen by comparing the efficiency of LC of the derivatized analytes after liquid–liquid extraction. The optimum conditions for liquid–liquid extraction from the aqueous matrix were pH 3.0, no salt, and diethyl ether as extraction solvent. Limits of detection (LOD) were 0.5 ng mL^?1 for dopamine and epinephrine and 0.1 ng mL^?1 for norepinephrine. Limits of quantification (LOQ) for urine samples were 1.0 ng mL^?1 for all three compounds. The precision of intra- and inter-day assays was 1.65–581 and 7.17–9.73% (relative standard deviation, RSD), respectively. The range of inaccuracy for intra- and inter-day assays was ?6.47 to 11.9% and ?7.5 to 7.76% (bias) at concentrations of 5 and 50 ng mL^?1, respectively.     

Simultaneous LC–MS–MS Analysis of Danshensu, Salvianolic Acid B, and Hydroxysafflor Yellow A in Beagle Dog Plasma, and Application of the Method to a Pharmacokinetic Study of Danhong Lyophilized Powder for Injection

A reliable and sensitive liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method, with rutin as internal standard, has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of danshensu, salvianolic acid B (SAB), and hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) in beagle dog plasma. Plasma samples spiked with the analytes were extracted by solid-phase extraction and the analytes were separated on a 250 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5-μm particle, C₁₈ column with methanol–acetonitrile–0.5% formic acid 20:25:55 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. LC–MS–MS analysis was performed with a Finnigan TSQ triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer operated in negative-ion selected-reaction-monitoring mode, using electrospray ionization. The accuracy and precision of the method were acceptable and linearity was good over the range 20–4,000 ng mL^?1 for danshensu, 50–10,000 ng mL^?1 for SAB, and 10–2,000 ng mL^?1 for HSYA. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of a traditional Chinese medicinal preparation, Danhong lyophilized powder for injection.     

An LC Method for the Determination of Bupropion and Its Main Metabolite, Hydroxybupropion in Human Plasma

A new LC method has been developed and validated for the direct determination of bupropion and its main metabolite, hydroxybupropion in human plasma. Plasma samples were analyzed after a simple, one step protein precipitation with trichloroacetic acid using a C₈ column and mobile phase, consisting of methanol/acetonitrile/phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 3.0) (40:10:50, v/v/v) and 20 mM 1-heptane sulfonic acid sodium salt with carbamazepine as the internal standard. UV detection was performed at 214 and 254 nm. The method was validated over the concentration range of 60–2,400 and 150–4,700 ng mL^?1 for bupropion and hydroxybupropion, respectively. The intra- and inter-day assay variability was less than 15% for the two analytes. Limit of detection values were 24.8 and 63.4 ng mL^?1 for bupropion and hydroxybupropion, respectively. The method developed was applied to quantification of bupropion and hydroxybupropion in human plasma.     

RP-LC Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Ferulic Acid and Isoferulic Acid in Rat Plasma After Taking Traditional Chinese Medicinal-Preparation: Guanxinning Lyophilizer

A sensitive, simple, and accurate method for determination and pharmacokinetic study of ferulic acid and isoferulic acid in rat plasma was developed using a reversed-phase column liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) method with UV detection. Sample preparations were carried out by protein precipitation with the addition of methanol, followed by evaporation to dryness. The resultant residue was then reconstituted in mobile phase and injected into a Kromasil C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d. with 5 μm particle size). The mobile phase was methanol-1% formic acid (33:67, v/v). The calibration plots were linear over the range 5.780–5780 ng·mL^?1 for ferulic acid and 1.740–348.0 ng·mL^?1 for isoferulic acid. Mean recoveries were 85.1% and 91.1%, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of within-day and between-day precision were not above 15% for both of the analytes. The limits of quantification were 5.780 ng·mL^?1 for ferulic acid and 1.740 ng·mL^?1 for isoferulic acid. This RP-LC method was used successfully in pharmacokinetic studies of ferulic acid and isoferulic acid in rat plasma after intravenous injection of Guanxinning Lyophilizer.     

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.     

A novel chemiluminescence reaction system for the determination of lincomycin with diperiodatonickelate(IV)

A sensitive and high selective chemiluminescence (CL) method was developed for the determination of lincomycin in acid medium using diperiodatonickelate as a reagent. The mechanism leading to luminescence is discussed by comparing the spectra of fluorescence and CL. Relative CL intensity is linear in the range from 8.0 ng mL^?1 to 1.0 µg mL^?1, the limit of detection is 2.5 ng mL^?1 (3σ), and the relative standard deviation is 4.0% at 0.1 µg mL^?1 of lincomycin (n?=?7). The method was successfully applied to the determination of lincomycin in injections, human urine, and in serum samples.     

Simultaneous Determination of Pregabalin, Sildenafil and Its Active Metabolite in Rat Plasma Utilising SPE Followed by LC�CMS�CMS

A sensitive and selective analytical method for the quantification of pregabalin, sildenafil and the active desmethyl metabolite of sildenafil (UK-103320) has been developed. The method can simultaneously quantify the three analytes within the expected in vivo concentration ranges using 50 ??L of rat plasma. It utilises solid-phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Quantitation in rat plasma demonstrated good accuracy and precision over the following dynamic ranges for each analyte: pregabalin (70?C10,000 ng mL^?1), sildenafil (1?C2,000 ng mL^?1) and UK-103320 (1?C2,000 ng mL^?1). For each analyte, the following lower limits of quantitation were obtained: 70 ng mL^?1 for pregabalin and 1 ng mL^?1 for sildenafil and UK-103320, respectively. The method was successfully used to analyse plasma samples from rats when pregabalin and sildenafil were administered in combination.     

Hollow fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) of isradipine and its main metabolite followed by chiral HPLC analysis: application to an in vitro biotransformation study

An enantioselective liquid chromatographic method using two-phase hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME-HPLC) was developed for the determination of isradipine (ISR) enantiomers and its main metabolite (pyridine derivative of isradipine, PDI) in microsomal fractions isolated from rat liver. The analytes were extracted from 1 mL of microsomal medium using a two-phase HF-LPME procedure with hexyl acetate as the acceptor phase, 30 min of extraction, and sample agitation at 1,500 rpm. For the first time, ISR enantiomers and PDI were resolved. For this separation, a Chiralpak® AD column with hexane/2-propanol/ethanol (94:04:02, v/v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 mL min^?1 was used. The column was kept at 23?±?2 °C. The drug and metabolite detection was performed at 325 nm and the internal standard oxybutynin was detected at 225 nm. The recoveries were 23% for PDI and 19% for each ISR enantiomer. The method presented quantification limits (LOQ) of 50 ng mL^?1 and was linear over the concentration range of 50–5,000 and 50–2,500 ng mL^?1 for PDI and each ISR enantiomer, respectively. The validated method was employed to an in vitro biotransformation study of ISR using rat liver microsomal fraction showing that (+)-(S)-ISR is preferentially biotransformed.     

HPLC Determination of Letrozole in Plasma Using Fluorescence Detection: Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

A simple, rapid and sensitive HPLC method has been developed and validated for the analysis of letrozole in human plasma. The separation was achieved on a monolithic silica column using acetonitrile–phosphate buffer. A fluorescence detector was used for the quantitation with excitation and emission wavelengths at 230 and 295 nm. The assay enables the measurement of letrozole for therapeutic drug monitoring with a minimum quantification limit (LOQ) of 0.5 ng mL^?1. The method involves a simple, one-step extraction procedure with complete recovery. Calibration was linear over the concentration range 0.5–80 ng mL^?1. The coefficients of variation for inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 8%.