Determination of cycloserine in microdialysis samples using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry with benzoyl chloride derivatization

A new method for the analysis of cycloserine (4‐amino‐3‐isoxazolidinone, CYC) in rat microdialysis samples has been developed. This method consists of derivatizing the CYC with benzoyl chloride, which transforms primary amines into highly stable derivatives. An attractive feature of this method was that the derivatization reaction is straightforward and can be completed within 10 min. The formed derivative, in contrast to the non‐derivatized analyte, exhibited increased chromatographic retention and decreased matrix effects resulting from the co‐elution of other components using reversed‐phase liquid chromatography and on‐line switching. Detection on a quadrupole–linear ion trap mass spectrometer (AB3200 Q‐Trap) was performed using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Various derivatization parameters were optimized in order to improve chromatographic separation and minimize ion suppression. In particular, the benzoylation reaction was improved to enhance the reproducibility and sensitivity of the chromatographic method. The transition m/z 207.1 → 105.1 was acquired to monitor the CYC derivatization products. The method was fully validated for its sensitivity, selectivity, matrix effect and stability. A good linearity over the selected range (r > 0.99, range = 22–2200 mg/L), as well as accuracy and precision within ±7% of the target values, was obtained. The assay described herein was successfully applied to quantitatively measure CYC in the lung and blood of anesthetized rats.     

Quantitative analysis of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone in rat plasma by ultraperformance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry

Costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone are well‐known sesquiterpene lactones contained in many plants used as popular herbs, such as Saussurea lappa and Laurus novocanariensis, and have been considered as potential candidates for the treatment of various types of tumor. In the present work, a sensitive UPLC‐MS/MS for the quantification of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone in biological matrices has been developed. The method is based on protein precipitation with acetonitrile followed by isocratic ultraperformance liquid chromatographic separation using methanol–formic acid (0.1% in water; 70:30, v/v) mobile phase. Detection was performed by ESI mass spectrometry in MRM mode with the precursor‐to‐product ion transitions m/z 233–187 and m/z 231–185, respectively. The calibration curves of analytes showed good linearity within the established range 0.19–760 ng/mL for costunolide and 0.23–908 ng/mL for dehydrocostuslactone. The lower limits of quantification of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone were found to be 0.19 and 0.23 ng/mL, respectively. The intra‐day and inter‐day presicions of this method for the entire validation were less than coefficient of variation of 7% and the accuracy was within ±8% (relative error). The mean extraction recoveries were 73.8 and 75.3%, respectively. The method was found to be precise, accurate and specific during the study, and was successfully used to analyze the pharmacokinetics of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of toosendanin in rat plasma by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry and its application in a pharmacokinetic study

Toosendanin (TSN) is a major triterpenoid existing in Melia toosendan, which has been used as a digestive tract parasiticide and insecticide but with serious hepatotoxicity. An ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry method was developed for determination of TSN in rat plasma. Plasma samples were separated on Acquity UPLC^TM BEH C₁₈ column with acetonitrile and water as flow phase by gradient elution and determined by quadrupole mass spectrometer in negative selective ion monitoring mode. Usolic acid was used as internal standard. The calibration curves were linear over 0.02–3.0 µg/mL for TSN with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 20 ng/mL in rat plasma. The extraction recoveries of TSN were within 74.3–80.7% with an accuracy of 94.5–108.9%. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision values of the assay at three quality control levels were 8.8–13.8% and <13.9% at LLOQ level, respectively. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of TSN in rats after a single intravenous and oral administration of 2 and 60 mg/kg. The shorter T_max, higher V_d and Cl of TSN after oral administration indicated that TSN could be absorbed, distributed and eliminated quickly in rats in vivo. The absolute bioavailability of TSN after oral administration was 9.9%. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of four secoiridoid and iridoid glycosides in rat plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study

A simple, reliable and rapid ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of four secoiridoid (gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, sweroside) and iridoid glycosides (loganic acid), the bio‐active ingredients in rat plasma. After liquid–liquid extraction, chromatographic separation was accomplished on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODS column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water. A triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization source was used as detector operating both in positive and negative ionization mode and operated by multiple‐reaction monitoring scanning. The lower limits of quantitation were 0.25–30 ng/mL for all the analytes. Both intra‐day and inter‐day precision and accuracy of analytes were well within acceptance criteria (±15%). The mean extraction recoveries of analytes and internal standard (amygdalin) from rat plasma were all >71.4%. The validated method was successfully applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study of four analytes in rat plasma between normal and arthritic rats after oral administration of Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan and Gentiana macrophylla extract, respectively. Results showed significant differences in pharmacokinetic properties of the analytes among the different groups. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid‐phase extraction and analysis of paroxetine in human plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A rapid, sensitive and rugged solid‐phase extraction ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method was developed for determination of paroxetine in human plasma. The procedure for sample preparation includes simple SPE extraction procedure coupled with Hypersil Gold C₁₈ column (100 mm ? 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.9 μm) with isocratic elution at a flow‐rate of 0.350 mL/min and fluoxetine was used as the internal standard. The analysis was performed on a triple‐quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reactions monitoring mode via electrospray ionization. Using 500 μL plasma, the methods were validated over the concentration range 0.050–16.710 ng/mL for paroxetine, with a lower limit of quantification of 0.050 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were within 10.0%. The recovery was 69.2 and 74.4% for paroxetine and fluoxetine respectively. Total run time was only 1.9 min. The method was highly reproducible and gave peaks with excellent chromatography properties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of anastrozole in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A fast, selective and sensitive ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for determination and pharmacokinetic study of anastrozole in human plasma. Plasma sample pretreatment involved a one‐step extraction with diethyl ether of 500 µL plasma. The chromatographic separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC^TM BEH C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol–10 mmol/L ammonium acetate (75:25, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.30 mL/min. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reaction monitoring via electrospray ionization source with positive mode. A high throughput was achieved with a run time of 1.5 min per sample. The standard curve for anastrozole was linear (r² ≥ 0.99) over the concentration range of 0.0550–27.5 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 0.0550 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision (relative standard deviation) values were not higher than 14% and the accuracy (relative error) was within ±3.2% at three quality control levels. This simple, fast and highly sensitive method was fully validated and successfully applied to a clinical pharmacokinetic study of anastrozole in healthy volunteers after oral administration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmacokinetics of honokiol after intravenous guttae in beagle dogs assessed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid and sensitive ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of honokiol in beagle dog plasma after intravenous guttae. With addition of the internal standard magnolol, plasma samples were precipitated with methanol and separated on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODS II (2.0 × 100 mm, 2.2 µm) with isocratic elution of methanol and water (80:20) solution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. A good separation of honokiol was achieved within 3.5 min. Quantification was performed on a Waters Quattro Premier XE triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization inlet in the negative multiple reaction monitoring mode. Good linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 5.12–15580 ng/mL (r² > 0.998). Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <13.10%, and accuracy ranged from 89.21 to 99.92%. The lower limit of quantification for honokiol was 5.12 ng/mL, and honokiol was stable under various conditions (three freeze–thaw cycles, short‐term temperature, post‐preparative and long‐term temperature conditions.). This validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of honokiol in dogs by intravenous guttae. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of eurycomanone in rat plasma using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for pharmacokinetic study

In this study, a rapid, sensitive, and reliable hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC‐MS/MS) method for the determination of eurycomanone in rat plasma was developed and validated. Plasma samples were pretreated with a protein precipitation method and quercitrin was used as an internal standard (IS). A HILIC silica column (2.1 × 100 mm, 3 μm) was used for hydrophilic‐based chromatographic separation, using the mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid with acetonitrile in gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Precursor–product ion pairs for multiple‐reaction monitoring were m /z 409.1 → 391.0 for eurycomanone and m /z 449.1 → 303.0 for IS. The linear range was 2–120 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracies were between 95.5 and 103.4% with a precision of <4.2%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic analysis of eurycomanone in rat plasma after oral dosing with pure compound and E. longifolia extract. The C _max and AUC_0–t , respectively, were 40.43 ± 16.08 ng/mL and 161.09 ± 37.63 ng h/mL for 10 mg/kg eurycomanone, and 9.90 ± 3.97 ng/mL and 37.15 ± 6.80 ng h/mL for E. longifolia extract (2 mg/kg as eurycomanone). The pharmacokinetic results were comparable with each other, based on the dose as eurycomanone.     

Validation of a hydrophilic interaction ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of gemcitabine in human plasma with tetrahydrouridine

A simple and reproducible bioanalytical method for the determination of gemcitabine in human plasma treated with tetrahydrouridine (THU) was developed and validated using a hydrophilic interaction ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS). To prevent deamination of gemcitabine, blood was treated with THU, and the plasma samples obtained after centrifugation were used in this study. Gemcitabine and gemcitabine‐¹³C, ¹⁵N₂ used as an internal standard, were extracted from human plasma treated with THU using a 96‐well Hybrid SPE‐Precipitation plate. Extracts were chromatographed on a hydrophilic interaction chromatography column with isocratic elution. Detection was performed using Quattro Premier with positive electrospray ionization multiple reaction monitoring mode. The standard curve ranged from 10 to 10,000 ng/mL without carryover. No significant interferences were detected in blank plasma and no interferences by 2′‐2′‐difluoro‐2′‐deoxyuridine, a metabolite of gemcitabine. Accuracy and precision in the intra‐batch reproducibility study using quality control samples with three THU levels did not exceed ±5.4 and 7.3%, respectively, and the inter‐batch reproducibility results also met the criteria. Stability of gemcitabine was ensured in whole blood and plasma as well as stability of THU in solutions. The UPLC‐MS/MS method developed was successfully validated and can be applied for gemcitabine bioanalysis in clinical studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmacokinetic study of dendrobine in rat plasma by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Dendrobine, considered as the major active alkaloid compound, has been used for the quality control and discrimination of Dendrobium which is documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In this work, a sensitive and simple ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method for determination of dendrobine in rat plasma is developed. After addition of caulophyline as an internal standard (IS), protein precipitation by acetonitrile–methanol (9:1, v/v) was used to prepare samples. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a UPLC BEH C₁₈ (2.1 ×100 mm, 1.7 µm) column with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase with gradient elution. An electrospray ionization source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for quantification using target fragment ions m/z 264.2 → 70.0 for dendrobine and m/z 205.1 → 58.0 for IS. Calibration plots were linear throughout the range 2–1000 ng/mL for dendrobine in rat plasma. The RSDs of intra‐day and inter‐day precision were both <13%. The accuracy of the method was between 95.4 and 103.9%. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of dendrobine after intravenous administration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of polygalasaponin F in rat plasma using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and its pharmacokinetics application

A rapid and highly selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (LC‐MS/MS) method for determination of polygalasaponin F (PF) in rat plasma was developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a reverse‐phase Zorbax SB‐C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm), using 2 mm ammonium acetate (pH adjusted to 6.0 with acetic acid) and acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) as a mobile phase at 30 °C. MS/MS detection was performed using an electrospray ionization operating in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode by monitoring the ion transitions from m/z 1091.5 → 471.2 (PF) and m/z 700.4 → 235.4 (internal standard), respectively. The calibration curve showed a good linearity in the concentration range 0.0544–13.6 µg/mL, with a limit of quantification of 0.0544 µg/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <9.7% in rat plasma. The method was validated as per US Food and Drug Administration guidelines and successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of PF in rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification and pharmacokinetics of crizotinib in rats by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Crizotinib is a small molecule inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and can be used to treat ALK‐positive nonsmall‐cell lung cancer. A rapid and simple high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of crizotinib in rat plasma using a chemical synthetic compound buspirone as the internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were pretreated by a simple protein precipitation with methanol–acetonitrile (1:1, v/v). Chromatographic separation was successfully achieved on an Agilent Zorbax XDB C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 3.5 µm). The gradient elution system was composed of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and 0.1% formic acid in methanol solution. The flow rate was set at 0.50 mL/min. The multiple reaction monitoring was based on the transitions of m/z = 450.3 → 177.1 for crizotinib and 386.2 → 122.2 for buspirone (IS). The assay was successfully validated to demonstrate the selectivity, matrix effect, linearity, lower limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, recovery and stability according to the international guidelines. The lower limit of quantification was 1.00 ng/mL in 50 μL of rat plasma. This LC‐MS/MS assay was successfully applied to the quantification and pharmacokinetic study of crizotinib in rats after intravenous and oral administration of crizotinib. The oral absolute bioavailability of crizotinib in rats was 68.6 ± 9.63%. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation of an ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of flecainide in human plasma and its clinical application

A simple and reproducible bioanalytical method for the determination of flecainide in human plasma was developed and validated using an ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) to obtain higher sensitivity than the current available methods. After simple protein precipitation, flecainide and a stable isotope‐labeled internal standard (IS) were chromatographed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm) with isocratic elution of mobile phase consisting of 45% methanol containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate 0.25 mL/min. Detection was performed in positive electrospray ionization by monitoring the selected ion transitions at m/z 415.4/301.1 for flecainide and m/z 419.4/305.1 for the IS. The method was validated according to current bioanalytical method validation guidelines. The calibration standard curve was linear from 2.5 to 1000 ng/mL using 0.1 mL of plasma. No significant interferences were detected in blank human plasma. Accuracy and precision in the intra‐ and inter‐batch reproducibility study were within acceptance criteria. Neither hemolysis effects nor matrix effects were observed. The UPLC‐MS/MS method developed was successfully applied to determine plasma flecainide concentrations to support clinical studies and incurred sample reanalysis also ensured the reproducibility of the method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative determination of rupestonic acid in rat plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and its application in a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and specific high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for determination of rupestonic acid in rat plasma. Protein precipitation method was used to extract rupestonic acid and the internal standard (IS) warfarin sodium from rats plasma. The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agela Venusil XBP Phenyl column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of methanol–0.1% formic acid in water (40:60, v/v), pumped at 0.4 mL/min. Rupestonic acid and the internal standard (IS) warfarin sodium were detected at m/z 247.2 → 203.1 and 307.1 → 161.3 in positive ion and multiple reaction monitoring mode respectively. The standard curves were linear over the concentration range of 2.5–5000 ng/mL (r² > 0.99). The within‐day and between‐day precision values for rupestonic acid at four concentrations were 4.7–5.7 and 4.4–8.7%, respectively. The method described herein was fully validated and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study after an intravenous administration of rupestonic acid in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of fenofibric acid in human plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study

A rapid, specific and sensitive ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of fenofibric acid in human plasma. The method involves simple, one‐step liquid–liquid extraction procedure coupled with an Acquity UPLC^TM BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.7 µm) with isocratic elution at a flow‐rate of 0.2 mL/min and mefenamic acid was used as the internal standard. The Quattro Premier XE mass spectrometry was operated under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode using the electrospray ionization technique. Using 250 µL plasma, the methods were validated over the concentration rang 0.05–7.129 µg/mL, with a lower limit of quantification of 0.05 µg/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy were within 9.3%. The recovery was 66.7% and 52.6% for fenofibric acid, and mefenamic acid, respectively. Total run time was 1.8 min only for each sample, which makes it possible to analyze more than 350 samples per day. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification and quantification of the antipsychotics risperidone,aripiprazole, pipamperone and their major metabolites in plasma using ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

The antipsychotics risperidone, aripiprazole and pipamperone are frequently prescribed for the treatment in children with autism. The aim of this study was to validate an ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the quantification of these antipsychotics in plasma. An ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry assay was developed for the determination of the drugs and metabolites. Gradient elution was performed on a reversed‐phase column with a mobile phase consisting of ammonium acetate, formic acid in methanol or in Milli‐Q ultrapure water at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The method was validated according to the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The analytes were found to be stable enough after reconstitution and injection of only 5 μL improved the accuracy and precision in combination with the internal standard. Calibration curves of all five analytes were linear. All analytes were stable for at least 72 h in the autosampler and the high quality control of 9‐OH‐risperidone was stable for 48 h. The method allows quantification of all analytes. The advantage of this method is the combination of a minimal injection volume, a short run‐time, an easy sample preparation method and the ability to quantify all analytes in one run. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative pharmacokinetic studies of andrographolide and its metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide in rat by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Andrographolide (AND), one of the major diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees, can be metabolized as a phase two metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide‐19‐O‐β‐d ‐glucuronide in human. The aim of this study is to characterize and synthesize the phase one metabolite of 14‐deoxy‐12‐hydroxy‐andrographolide (DEO‐AND) after gavage feeding of AND in rats, and to compare the pharmacokinetics of AND and DEO‐AND after intravenous administration. DEO‐AND was first discovered existing in rat serum by HPLC‐MSⁿ after administration of AND. Furthermore, the target metabolite was synthesized and elucidated by NMR. In addition, a rapid, selective and sensitive UPLC‐ESI/MS method was developed for the first time to determine the content of AND and DEO‐AND in rats serum. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after a single intravenous dose of 5 mg/kg AND and DEO‐AND, respectively. In comparison, the pharmacokinetic parameters of metabolite DEO‐AND, including distribution rate constant, elimination rate constant, half‐life and mean residence time, were significantly less than those of AND (p < 0.05). However, the AUC_{0→720 min} value after intravenous administration of DEO‐AND was 781.59 ± 81.46 µg min/mL, which was 17.71 times higher than that of AND (44.13 ± 10.45 µg min/mL; p < 0.05). These results show the pharmacokinetic profile of AND to be significantly different from that of DEO‐AND by intravenous administration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of pseudo‐ginsenoside GQ in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A specific, sensitive and rapid method based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS) was developed for the determination of pseudo‐ginsenoside GQ in human plasma. Liquid–liquid extraction was used to isolate the analyte from biological matrix followed by injection of the extracts onto a C₈ column with isocratic elution. Detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer (API‐4000 system) in multiple reaction monitoring mode using negative electrospray ionization. The mobile phase consisted of methanol–10 mm ammonium acetate (90:10, v/v) and the flow rate was 0.3 mL/min. The method was validated over the concentration range of 5.0–5000.0 ng/mL for plasma. Inter‐ and intra‐day precisions (relative standard deviation) were all within 15% and the accuracy (relative error) was ≤9.4%. The lower limit of quantitation was 5.0 ng/mL. The pseudo‐ginsenoside GQ was stable after 8 h at room temperature, 24 h at autosampler and three freeze–thaw cycles (from ?30 to 25 °C). The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of pseudo‐ginsenoside GQ in healthy Chinese volunteers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of oxcarbazepine and its metabolite in human plasma

A rapid and sensitive ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay was developed for the simultaneous analysis of oxcarbazepine and its main metabolite in human plasma. The assay involves a simple solid‐phase extraction procedure of 0.3 mL of human plasma and analysis was performed on a triple‐quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode via electrospray ionization. Separation was achieved on an Acquity UPLC™ BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.7 µm) with isocratic elution at a flow‐rate of 0.25 mL/min and imipramine was used as the internal standard. The standard calibration curve was linear over the range 9.580–5070.205 ng/mL for oxcarbazepine (OXC) and 19.444–10290.800 ng/mL for 10,11‐dihydro‐10‐hydroxycarbamazepine (MHD), expressed by the linear correlation coefficient r², which was better than 0.995 for OXC and MHD. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were within 10.0%. The recoveries were 81.0, 89.6 and 66.6% for OXC, MHD and imipramine, respectively. The total run time was 1.5 min only for each sample, which makes it possible to analyze more than 350 samples per day. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid and efficient method for the quantification of lychnopholide in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for pharmacokinetic application

Lychnopholide is a sesquiterpene lactone usually obtained from Lychnophora and Eremanthus species and has pharmacological activities that include anti‐inflammatory and anti‐tumor. Lychnopholide isolated from Eremanthus matogrossenssis was analyzed in this study. The aims of this study were to develop and validate an analytical methodology by LC‐MS/MS and to quantify lychnopholide in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column using isocratic elution with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The detection was performed in multiple‐reaction monitoring mode using electrospray ionization in positive mode. The method validation was performed in accordance with regulatory guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The linear range of detection was 10–200 ng/mL (r > 0.9961). The intra‐ and inter‐day assay variability were <6.2 and <11.7%, respectively. The extraction recovery was approximately 63% using liquid–liquid extraction with chloroform. Lychnopholide was detected in plasma up to 60 min after intravenous administration in rats. This rapid and sensitive method for the analysis of the sesquiterpene lactone lychnopholide in rat plasma can be applied to pharmacokinetic studies of this compound. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.