Analysis of 5-fluorouracil in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A relatively simple, sensitive and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for measuring the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in human plasma and urine. The procedure includes liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate-methanol (95:5) and preparative column chromatography to separate 5-FU from constituents normally occurring in these biological samples. The columns contained a specially modified form of diatomaceous earth, which requires no pre-conditioning washes. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed on a C18 column (70 mm x 4.6 mm I.D.) with a mobile phase of water-methanol (95:5) and ultraviolet detection (268 nm). The overall recovery from plasma and urine was 91 and 94%, respectively, at the concentration of 50 ng/ml. The determination limit of the assay for 5-FU was 10 ng/ml of plasma and urine. Concentrations of 5-FU between 10 and 500 ng/ml were measured in plasma and urine with a relative standard deviation of 6.8%. In order to evaluate the procedure, plasma and urine samples from three patients treated with 5-FU by continuous intravenous perfusion, were investigated.     

Determination of bromazepam in plasma and of its main metabolites in urine by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of bromazepam in plasma and of its main metabolites in urine is described. The unchanged drug is extracted from plasma with dichloromethane, using Extrelut 1 extraction tubes. The residue from this extract is subsequently analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (230 nm). The limit of detection is 6 ng/ml of plasma, using a 1-ml specimen. For the determination of the metabolites, the urine samples are incubated to effect enzymatic deconjugation and are then extracted with dichloromethane. Following two clean-up steps (back extractions), the final residue is analysed on the same reversed-phase system as the plasma samples. The limit of detection for the two metabolites is 200 ng/ml.     

Determination of plasma and urinary cortisol by high-performance liquid chromatography using fluorescence derivatization with dansyl hydrazine

A method is described for the determination of cortisol in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using fluorophotometric detection. After extraction with methylene chloride, cortisol is labelled with dansyl hydrazine, and then separated by high-performance chromatography. The eluate is monitored by a fluorophotometer at 350 nm (excitation) and 505 nm (emission). The optimum conditions for the determination, such as HCl and dansyl hydrazine concentrations, reaction time and reaction temperature, and for the eluent of high-performance liquid chromatography, are discussed. Linearity of the fluorescence intensity (peak height) with the amount of cortisol was obtained between 0.5 and 60 ng. The recoveries for 50 and 100 ng of added cortisol were 98.7 and 95.4% for plasma, and 96.4 and 90.6% for urine, respectively. Comparison with a radioimmunoassay gave a correlation coefficient of 0.978. The proposed method is suitable for the routine analysis of cortisol in plasma and urine.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine and its metabolite 2-mercaptopropionic acid in plasma and urine after treatment with thiopronine

2-Mercaptopropionic acid has been identified as a normal metabolite of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (thiopronine) when this drug was given to humans and dogs. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to resolve the derivatives of these two thiols and thus enable simultaneous determination of the two compounds in plasma and urine.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for dilevalol in human plasma and urine using a PRP-1 column and fluorimetric detection

A single high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the quantitative determination of dilevalol, the R,R isomer of labetalol, was developed for both plasma and urine. A significantly improved limit of detection for dilevalol in plasma was accomplished by extensive modification of an HPLC assay originally developed in our laboratory for labetalol. This simplified method is readily adaptable to urine and represents the first reported HPLC assay for the quantitative determination of dilevalol in this biofluid. Drug was recovered from plasma or urine by partition into diethyl ether under mildly alkaline conditions and back-extraction into dilute acid. Reversed-phase separation of dilevalol and the internal standard was accomplished on a 150 X 4.1 mm column commercially packed with a spherical (5 micron) macroporous copolymer (PRP-1). No interferences were observed in extracts obtained from drug-free plasma or urine. Selectivity for dilevalol in the presence of other beta-blockers was established. This method demonstrated a linear detector response to concentrations of unchanged drug typically observed in urine and plasma following once-a-day treatment with dilevalol hydrochloride (100-800 mg). The lowest limit of reliable quantitation was established at 1 ng/ml in plasma. The intra-assay precision (coefficient of variation) remained less than 6% at all concentrations evaluated from 1 to 800 ng/ml. In urine, the lowest limit of quantitation was validated to 20 ng/ml where the intra-assay precision (coefficient of variation) for unchanged drug was less than 4% at all concentrations evaluated up to 400 ng/ml. This method is suitable for routine quantitation of unchanged drug in human plasma and urine following the administration of therapeutically effective doses of dilevalol hydrochloride.     

Determination of cefcanel in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using coupled columns, after administration of the new cephalosporin prodrug cefcanel daloxate hydrochloride.

A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination in plasma and urine of the new cephalosporin cefcanel. The method involves a simple deproteinizing step followed by separation on a coupled-column chromatographic system with ultraviolet detection. Limits of quantification were 0.2 microM for plasma samples and 2 microM for urine samples. The method has been used for the determination of cefcanel in various clinical studies.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of glibenclamide in human plasma and urine

A selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of intact glibenclamide in human plasma or urine has been developed. With glibornuride as internal standard, acid-buffered plasma or urine was extracted with benzene. The organic layer was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in equilibrated mobile phase (acetonitrile-phosphate buffer 0.01 M pH 3.5, 50:50). An aliquot of 20 microliters was chromatographed on a Spherisorb ODS reversed-phase column, and quantitation was achieved by monitoring the ultraviolet absorbance at 225 nm. The response was linear (0-1000 ng/ml) and the detection limit was 5-10 ng/ml in plasma or urine. The within-assay variation was less than or equal to 10%. No interferences from metabolites or endogenous constituents could be noted. The utility of the method was demonstrated by analysing glibenclamide in samples from diabetic subjects on therapeutic doses of the drug.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of nafimidone and its major metabolite nafimidone alcohol in human plasma and urine

A rapid, sensitive and selective method for the determination in plasma and urine of nafimidone, a new antiepileptic drug, and its major metabolite, nafimidone alcohol, has been developed which uses a high-performance liquid chromatographic system and a fluorescence detector for nafimidone or ultraviolet detector for nafimidone alcohol. The detection limits for nafimidone and nafimidone alcohol are 5.0 and 12.5 ng/ml, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of R- and S-prenylamine in plasma and urine by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of R- and S-prenylamine in human plasma and urine is described. It involves a two-step liquid-liquid extraction of prenylamine from biological material and preparation of diastereomeric urea derivatives with R-(-)-naphthylethyl isocyanate, a chiral fluorescence marker. Separation and quantitation of the diastereomeric prenylamine derivatives are carried out by a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic system with fluorimetric detection. The limit of determination is less than 2 ng of enantiomer per ml of urine and less than 1 ng of enantiomer per ml of plasma. A preliminary kinetic study on one healthy volunteer who had received a single oral dose of racemic prenylamine (100-mg film tablet) showed distinctly higher plasma and urine concentrations of the R-enantiomer.     

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.     

Determination of benzydamine and its N-oxide in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple, sensitive and selective method for the determination of benzydamine in human plasma and urine, and for benzydamine N-oxide in urine, has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography in the reversed-phase mode. The limit of reliable determination of benzydamine in plasma was 0.5 ng/ml and that in urine 1 ng/ml; the limit of reliable determination of benzydamine N-oxide in urine was 50 ng/ml. The method has been successfully applied to the analysis of these compounds in biological fluids after administration of intravenous and oral doses of benzydamine to human volunteers.     

Fast high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of R(+)[(5,6-dichloro-2,3,9,9a-tetrahydro-3-oxo-9a-propyl-1-H-fluoren-7-yl)oxy]acetic acid in human plasma and urine

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of R[(5,6-Dichloro-2,3,9,9a-tetrahydro-3-oxo-9a-propyl-1-H-fluoren-7-yl)oxy]acetic acid (I) in human plasma and urine is described. The method utilizes Bond-Elut® cartridge facilitate the drug extraction. Analysis is performed on a short reversed-phase column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer and quantification is carried out by ultraviolet detection with a wave-length set at 340 nm. The method is linear and reproducible for both plasma and urine analyses (0.25–50) μg/mL) with the detection limit of 125 ng/mL of plasma and urine. Plasma and urine concentrations of / at selected time intervals following I.V. administration of single rising doses are presented.     

Determination of trichlormethiazide in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary This paper describes a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay method for the determination of trichlormethiazide (TCM) in human plasma and urine. After extraction and separation on an ODS column TCM from plasma was detected by oxidation in an electrochemical detector (ECD) by a porous graphite electrode. The sensitivity was better than HPLC with UV detection, enabling the determination of 2 ng ml^–1 TCM in human plasma. This method also allows determination of TCM at higher concentrations by exchanging the UV for the electrochemical detector. To study the pharmacokinetics, TCM in plasma and urine was assayed with coefficients of variation in the range 2–3%. The method has the advantages of high sensitivity for plasma assay and high precision with a simple procedure for both plasma and urine samples. Small samples of 0.5 ml plasma per assay also reduced the total volume of plasma needed.     

Determination of a new bisphosphonate, YM175, in plasma, urine and bone by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of disodium dihydrogen(cycloheptylamino)methylene-bisphosphonate monohydrate (YM175) in plasma, urine and bone is described. Plasma obtained in high-dose animal studies is pretreated by Method A, a simple method using 1 ml of plasma, which is based on deproteinization of plasma followed by coprecipitation of the drug with calcium phosphate and removal of excess calcium ions by AG 50W-X8 resin. Plasma obtained in lower-dose clinical studies is treated by Method B, a more sensitive method using 10 ml of plasma, which is based on solid-phase extraction using a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge coupled with Method A. Urine and bone are treated similarly to Method B. The chromatographic system consists of a mobile phase at pH 11, an alkali-stable column and an electrochemical detector operating in the oxidation mode. The determination limit is 5 ng/ml for Method A and 0.5 ng/ml for Method B in plasma, 1 ng/ml in urine, and 25 ng/g in bone.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of glipizide in human plasma and urine

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of intact glipizide in human plasma or urine has been developed. The plasma and urine samples were acid-buffered, before tolbutamide was added as internal standard. The samples were extracted with benzene, and the organic layer was evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in equilibrated mobile phase (acetonitrile-0.01 M phosphate buffer pH 3.5, 35:65), and an aliquot of 20 microliters was chromatographed on a Spherisorb ODS reversed-phase column. Quantitation was achieved by monitoring the ultraviolet absorbance at 275 nm. The response was linear (0-1000 ng/ml) and the detection limit was 5-10 ng/ml in plasma or urine. The within-assay variation was less than or equal to 10%. No interferences from metabolites or endogenous constituents were observed. The utility of the assay was demonstrated by determining glipizide in samples from a diabetic subject receiving a therapeutic dose of 5 mg of the drug.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantitative analysis of a synthetic copolymer with antitumor activity (copovithane) and methylamine in human blood plasma and urine

A method for the determination of a synthetic polymeric compound with antitumor activity (copovithane) and methylamine in blood plasma and urine is described. Copovithane is prepared by radical polymerisation of a diurethane with N-vinylpyrrolidone. The method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography of the methylamine hydrochloride which arises during the hydrochloric acid hydrolysis of the parent substance. The methylamine hydrochloride is converted to the trinitrobenzenesulphonyl derivative for the purpose of chromatographic detection. The limit of determination for copovithane in blood plasma is 1.2 mg/l and in urine 1.5 mg/day. The determination limit for methylamine in blood plasma is 0.2 mg/l and in urine 0.3 mg/day. The imprecision is dependent on the sample, and amounts to +/- 6.8% for blood plasma and +/- 6.4% for urine.     

Determination of ceftriaxone, a novel cephalosporin, in plasma, urine and saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography on an NH2 bonded-phase column

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of a new cephalosporin antibiotic in plasma, urine and saliva (mixed saliva) using normal-phase technique and an NH2 bonded-phase column. The eluent mixture was a combination of acetonitrile and an aqueous solution of ammonium carbonate. The rapid method involved precipitation of protein from fluids by means of acetonitrile followed by automatic injection of the supernatant. The detection limit was 0.4 micrograms/ml for plasma, 3 micrograms/ml for urine and 0.03 micrograms/ml for saliva using UV detection.     

Determination of teicoplanin in human plasma and urine by affinity and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive, highly selective and simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of teicoplanin, a novel glycopeptide antibiotic, composed of six components, in human plasma and urine is described. After an isolation step by affinity chromatography, the antibiotic substances were chromatographed on a Nucleosil C18 column with phosphate buffer-acetonitrile according to a gradient profile. All the components were detected by their UV absorption at 240 nm. The concentration of teicoplanin was determined by using the external standard procedure. This method was applied to the sum of the six major components as well as to each of them separately. The linearity of the method was checked between 0.5 and 50 micrograms/ml for plasma and between 2 and 50 micrograms/ml for urine. The limit of detection was 0.1 microgram/ml for both biological fluids. The coefficients of variation of the between-day assays did not exceed 8.6 and 8.9% in plasma and urine, respectively. The application of the method to a pharmacokinetic study of teicoplanin after a single intravenous therapeutic dose in a patient is reported. This rapid technique also appears to be suitable for drug monitoring.     

Determination of zolpidem, a new sleep-inducing agent, and its metabolites in biological fluids: pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and overdosing investigations in humans.

For the determination of zolpidem, a new sleep inducer, and its metabolites in human plasma and urine, three methods were developed that are suitable for pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and overdosing investigations. The methods used for pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism studies are based on column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography; they do not require any sample manipulation because the plasma or diluted urine is injected into a pre-column where clean-up and preconcentration take place. The analytes are transferred by valve-switching to the C18 analytical column for chromatography. To investigate overdose cases, urine samples only are used: the method is simple, because the diluted urine can be injected directly into the analytical column (phenyl type). This allows the identification and quantification of the principal urinary metabolite of zolpidem, the unchanged drug being practically undetectable. All the methods use fluorescence detection, which affords high sensitivity and selectivity. It is necessary to use a method capable of the determination of metabolites even if these are apparently pharmacologically inactive, because in different physiopathological populations the qualitative and quantitative metabolic profiles of zolpidem could be different. The method designed for the investigation of (accidental or deliberate) overdose cases is, as required on such occasions, simple and rapid, with good selectivity with respect to commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs.     

Simultaneous determination of haloperidol and its metabolite, reduced haloperidol, in plasma, blood, urine and tissue homogenates by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of haloperidol and reduced haloperidol in human plasma, urine and rat tissue homogenates using bromperidol as an internal standard. The method involved extraction followed by injection of 50-80 microliters of the aqueous layer onto a C18 reversed-phase column. The mobile phase was 0.5 M phosphate buffer-acetonitrile-methanol (58:31:11, v/v/v) and the flow-rate was 0.6 ml/min. The column effluent was monitored by ultraviolet detection at 214 nm. The retention times for reduced haloperidol, haloperidol and bromperidol were 5.4, 7.2 and 8.4 min, respectively. The detection limits for haloperidol and reduced haloperidol in human plasma were both 0.5 ng/ml, and the corresponding values in human urine were both 5 ng/ml. The coefficients of variation of the assay were generally low (below 10.7%) for plasma, urine, blood and tissue homogenates. No interferences from endogenous substances or any drug tested were found.