High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of pindolol in human plasma

A sensitive, simple and highly reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection is reported for the determination of pindolol in plasma. This method involves a single extraction of pindolol from alkalinized plasma into methyl tert.-butyl ether followed by a back-extraction into dilute hydrochloric acid. Injection of the dilute acid phase directly onto an octyl (LC-8) bonded-phase column provides the final separation, and detection of pindolol is achieved by monitoring the intrinsic fluorescence of pindolol at 315 nm following excitation at 255 nm. The method is sensitive enough to measure with confidence pindolol plasma concentrations of 2 ng/ml using a 2-ml sample. No internal standard is required. This method has been applied to the analysis of 1500 human plasma samples by two different laboratories.     

Oxidants for the colorimetric determination of pindolol

A simple, sensitive and accurate colorimetric method is described for the quantitative determination of pindolol either in the pure form or in its tablets. The method is based on the oxidation of the indole moiety in pindolol with potassium persulphate or hydrogen peroxide-in acid medium-to give a highly coloured product that exhibits maximum absorption at 535 nm and 570 nm, respectively. Beer's law is obeyed over concentrations ranging from 0.07-0.35 mg/10 ml for potassium persulphate and 0.1-0.5 mg/10 ml for hydrogen peroxide with mean recoveries of 99.6+/-0.6 and 99.8+/-0.9%, respectively. The method is applied for the assay of pindolol tablets without any interference due to tablet fillers.     

Minoxidil analysis in human plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Application to pharmacokinetic studies

A method is described for determination of minoxidil in human plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method is specific and sensitive (500 pg/ml), however, minoxidil and minoxidil sulfate cannot be differentiated due to rapid autohydrolysis of minoxidil sulfate to minoxidil. The extraction procedure employs a C18 preparatory column to remove endogenous plasma constituents which would interfere with the assays. The calibration curves are linear for concentrations from 500 pg to 10 ng/ml. Within-day and between-day reproducibility are satisfactory with coefficient of variation less than 5.7% for all concentrations. Sample recovery from extraction is consistent at 45 to 55% at low and high concentrations, respectively. A pharmacokinetic study in a hypertensive volunteer receiving two different oral doses of minoxidil (1.25 and 2.5 mg) on different occasions demonstrates the utility of the method.     

β-Blocking Agents: Determination of Biological Levels Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Nine β-blocking agents have been tested and dosed by high performance liquid chromatography. Six of them, acebutolol an acebutolol metabolite, atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol and sotalol are detected with a fluorometric detector. Oxprenolol, pindolol and timolol can be quantified by their UV absorption at variable wavelength. A method is developped to find the best conditions of extraction and detection for each blocking agent. Experimental trials have led to a simple procedure for all compounds. Only pindolol and timolol plasma levels are non suitable for high performance liquid chromatography and need mass fragmentography or gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

However, pharmacokinetic parameters can be reached, for timolol and pindolol, through urinary excretion since sensitivity of the procedure is within the range of urinary levels.

The method has been applied, as well, to pharmacokinetic studies on sotalol, acebutolol, acebutolol metabolite, atenolol, propranolol, pindolol and timolol.     

Determination of atracurium and laudanosine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with fluorometric detection has been developed for the determination of atracurium and its major end-product laudanosine in human plasma. The method enables good separation of atracurium from its metabolites after direct precipitation of plasma proteins. The assay is sensitive, reproducible and linear for atracurium concentrations ranging from 31.25 to 8000 ng/ml. In a clinical setting, drugs commonly administered during anesthesia did not interfere with the assay. This method provides a simple and time-saving alternative to existing methods.     

Preparation and evaluation of propranolol molecularly imprinted solid-phase microextraction fiber for trace analysis of β-blockers in urine and plasma samples

An improved multiple co-polymerization technique was developed to prepare a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with propranolol as template. Investigation was performed for the characteristics and application of the fibers. The MIP coating was highly crosslinked and porous with the average thickness of only 25.0 μm. Consequently, the adsorption and desorption of β-blockers within the MIP coating could be achieved quickly. The specific selectivity was discovered with the MIP-coated fibers to propranolol and its structural analogues such as atenolol, pindolol, and alprenolol. In contrast, only non-specific adsorption could be shown with the non-imprinted polymer (NIP)-coated fibers, and the extraction efficiencies of propranolol and pindolol with the MIP-coated fibers were higher markedly than that with the commercial SPME fibers. A MIP-coated SPME coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for propranolol and pindolol determination was developed under the optimized extraction conditions. Linear ranges for propranolol and pindolol were 20–1000 μg L⁻¹ and detection limits were 3.8 and 6.9 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Propranolol and pindolol in the spiked human urine and plasma samples, extracted with organic solvent firstly, could be simultaneous monitored with satisfactory recoveries through this method.     

Determination of pindolol in pharmaceutical formulations by gas chromatography

Summary A gas chromatographic procedure for the quantitative determination of authentic pindolol and pindolol in pharmaceutical formulations (Visken^R) (Sandoz, Basle, Switzerland) has been investigated. Pindolol in tablets was extracted with ethanol before injecting onto the gas chromatograph. The concentrations adopted were in the range of 1 to 3 mg/cm³ pindolol in alcoholic solution and the accuracy obtained was 98.2%±3.7 and 96.4%±3.6 for pure pindolol and its tablet formulation respectively.     

Microbore Liquid Chromatography For Analysis of Plasma Pindolol Concentrations

Abstract

Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of pindolol with use of a microbore column was developed. the sample preparation involves extraction of alkalized plasma into ether and back extraction into 0.05 N H₂SO₄. Metoprolol was used as the internal standard. Chromatographic separation is performed on a microbore C18 (5 μm) column using acetonitrile-disodium hydrogenphosphate buffer (37:63) containing 20 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate as the mobile phase. the detection is achieved by using a fluorescence detector operated at the excitation and emission wavelengths of 260 and 310 nm, respectively. Acceptable reproducibility and accuracy data are presented over the concentration range normally encountered in human plasma samples. the lower detection limit is 2.5 ng/ml. This sensitivity has been found to be adequate for routine analysis of pindolol in human plasma samples, making the method applicable to pharmacokinetic studies and clinical trials.     

Simultaneous determination of lamotrigine, zonisamide, and carbamazepine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatography assay with ultraviolet detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of the anti-epileptic drugs lamotrigine, carbamazepine and zonisamide in human plasma and serum. Lamotrigine, carbamazepine, zonisamide and the internal standard chloramphenicol were extracted from serum or plasma using liquid-liquid extraction under alkaline conditions into an organic solvent. The method was linear in the range 1-30 microg/mL for lamotrigine, 2-20 microg/mL for carbamazepine, and 1-40 microg/mL for zonisamide. Within- and between-run precision studies demonstrated coefficient of variation <10% at all tested concentrations. Other anti-epileptic medications tested did not interfere with the assay. The method is appropriate for determining lamotrigine, carbamazepine and zonisamide serum or plasma concentrations for therapeutic monitoring.     

Rapid determination of succinylcholine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorometric detection has been developed for the determination of succinylcholine in human plasma. Succinylcholine shows fluorescence at 282 nm with an excitation at 257 nm. The assay is sensitive, reproducible and linear for concentrations ranging from 100 ng/ml to 100 micrograms/ml of succinylcholine. In a pilot study the plasma concentration-time curve showed a triphasic elimination, with half-lives of 0.4, 1.2 and 8 min, respectively. In a clinical setting, drugs commonly administered during anaesthesia did not interfere with the assay. This method provides a simple and time-saving alternative to existing methods.     

Determination of Danazol in Plasma by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

An HPLC method has been developed for the determination of danazol in human plasma. the chromatographic conditions consisted of an ODS column 80 × 7.0 mm, 3 μm; a mobile phase of 71:29, methanol:20 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate. A UV-Visible detector was set at 288 nm to monitor the danazol peak. Danazol was extracted from plasma with acetonitrile which was salted out with potassium carbonate. Prior to salting out, cadmium sulfate was mixed with the acetonitrile-plasma mixture to remove any interfering constituents. the extracted acetonitrile layer was evaporated and the residue was reconstituted in the mobile phase before injection. the method was found to be reproducible with relative standard deviation (%rsd) from 2.3 to 7.2%. A number of clinically important drugs did not interfere with danazol determination.     

A Rapid Qualitative and Quantitative Method of Assaying Histamine in Small Plasma Volume

Abstract

A modified method for a qualitative and quantitative determination of histamine in small plasma volume (≤300 μl) was developed. According to this method, blood samples containing methylhistamine, the internal standard, are centrifuged to collect plasma. These plasma samples which contain underivatized histamine are injected into a Dionex BioLC System coupled with a pulsed amperometric detector. Histamine and methylhistamine are separated through a C-18 Zorbax ODS 4.5mm ID ± 25cm (5 microns) column. Histamine is quantitated by comparing histamine peak height with that of known quantity of the internal standard. The sensitivity of the method is 0.03 pmols. The peak heights were found to be linearly related to histamine concentrations providing a quantitative means of assaying histamine in biological samples. The retention time of histamine was 6 min in contrast to that of methlyhistamine which was 10 min.     

Highly sensitive method for the determination of 5-fluorouracil in biological samples in the presence of 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and convenient gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method is described for the determination of 5-fluorouracil in the presence of 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (which breaks down into 5-fluorouracil during ordinary GC derivatization) in biological samples such as plasma and urine. After extraction with ethyl acetate, 5-fluorouracil and 5-chlorouracil, the latter being used as an internal standard, were converted into their tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives by allowing the mixture to stand for 30 min at room temperature and were assayed by electron-impact ionization GC-MS. Under these conditions, 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine did not decompose or interfere with the determination of 5-fluorouracil. The assay method, including the extraction and tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatization of 5-fluorouracil, showed good linearity in the range 0-100 ng/ml for 5-fluorouracil in plasma (detection limit 0.5 ng/ml) and urine (detection limit 1 ng/ml). The usefulness of this method was demonstrated by determining plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in rats treated intravenously with 5-fluorouracil and 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine.     

Assay of human transthyretin-bound holo-retinol-binding protein with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

We describe a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of vitamin A-transporting (holo) transthyretin-bound (TTR) retinol-binding protein (RBP) concentrations in serum or plasma. Holo-TTR-RBP and free retinol derived primarily from free RBP are consistently observed with this chromatographic method. Holo-TTR-RBP concentrations determined by this method are highly correlated to holo-TTR-RBP concentrations measured by chromatography. This method has the advantage of using less expensive columns and having peak areas which are more proportional to their true concentrations in plasma, as determined by comparison to purified protein spectrophotometry and radial immunodiffusion. The percentage of RBP circulating as holo-TTR-RBP decreased significantly as the total concentration of RBP or retinol increased. Because purified holo-TTR-RBP did not dissociate under these chromatographic conditions, this suggests that more vitamin A circulates as holo-free RBP or free retinol in the blood of people with high serum RBP.     

High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of (-)-N-Formylnorephedrine in Plasma

Abstract

An HPLC procedure for the detection and quantitative estimation of (-)-N-formylnorephedrine in rabbit plasma had been developed. The procedure involved the extraction of (-)-N-formylnorephedrine from plasma spiked with the internal standard (phenacetin), using ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate extract is evaporated under nitrogen and the residue is reconstituted in water and injected onto the column. A u-Bondapak-C18 column 30 cm × 3.9 mm ID was used. The mobile phase is 20% acetonitrile in water; at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min and uv detection at 256 nm. A linear relationship between concentration and peak height ratio (I/internal standard) was obtained (r = 1.00). The reported procedure allows the measurement of (-)-formylnorephedrine in concentrations as low as 150 ng/ml of plasma with total procedure time of about 10 min. The applicability of the procedure to pharmacokinetic studies is illustrated and metabolites are shown not to interfere with the assay procedure.     

A single-wall carbon nanotubes modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite sensor for determination of methylprednisolone in biological fluids

An electrochemical protocol based on reduction is developed to determine methylprednisolone using single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE). To obtain a good sensitivity, instrumental variables were studied using Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV). The voltammetric results indicate that SWNTs modified EPPGE remarkably enhances the reduction of methylprednisolone which leads to considerable improvement of peak current with shift of peak potential to less negative values. The voltammetric current showed a linear response for methylprednisolone concentration in the range 5-500 nM with a sensitivity of 98 nA nM⁻¹. The limit of detection was estimated to be 4.5 × 10⁻⁹ M. The developed method is used for the determination of methylprednisolone in pharmaceutical dosages and human blood plasma samples of patients undergoing treatment with methylprednisolone. The major metabolites present in blood plasma did not interfere with the present investigation as they did not exhibit reduction peak in the experimental range used. A comparison of results with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) indicates a good agreement.     

HPLC Determination of Xylazine in Equine Plasma by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of xylazine in equine plasma. The drug and internal standard (pindolol) were separated on a 5 μm cyanopropyl-modified column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d.) using a buffer-acetonitrile mixture containing an ion pairing reagent. The drug and internal standard were isolated from plasma by liquid extraction into ethyl acetate. The method was validated over the concentration range 50–2000 ng/ml in plasma; the reproducibility, expressed as the mean co-efficient of variation was less than 5.0% for both between-day and within-day replicate determinations. The method was linear over the concentration range studied. No interferences were observed from endogenous plasma components and the limit of detection was 20 ng/ml. The method was successfully applied to the determination of xylazine in equine plasma in a crossover study design for pharmacokinetic measurements.     

Evaluation of the Plasma Chromatograph as a Qualitative Detector for Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

The applicability of the plasma chromatograph as a sensitive, qualitative detector for liquid chromatography (LC) is demonstrated. Only a fraction of an LC column effluent directly introduced is needed to produce a qualitative mobility spectrum. Most LC carrier fluids either exhibit no response in plasma chromatographic spectra or do not interfere with LC peak components. Using an indirect technique, components separated by TLC can be identified by plasma chromatography.     

Stereoisomer analysis of wastewater-derived beta-blockers, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, and salbutamol by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A reversed-phase enantioselective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) method was developed to measure enantiomer fractions (EF) and concentrations of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Enantiomer resolution of six beta-blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, nadolol, pindolol, propranolol, and sotalol) along with two selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (citalopram, fluoxetine) and one beta(2)-agonist (salbutamol) was achieved with the Chirobiotic V stationary phase. Analyte recovery averaged 86% in influent and 78% in effluent with limits of detection ranging from 0.2 to 7.5 ng/L. These results represent an improvement in wastewater EF measurement for atenolol, metoprolol and propranolol as well as the first EF measurements of citalopram, fluoxetine, nadolol, pindolol, salbutamol and sotalol in wastewaters. Changes in EF through treatment indicate biologically mediated stereoselective processes were likely occurring during wastewater treatment.     

Restricted access media-molecularly imprinted polymer for propranolol and its application to direct injection analysis of beta-blockers in biological fluids

A restricted access media-molecularly imprinted polymer (RAM-MIP) for propranolol (PRP) has been prepared for direct injection analysis of beta-blockers in biological fluids. First, the MIP for PRP was prepared using methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively, by a multi-step swelling and polymerization method. Next, a 1:1 mixture of glycerol monomethacrylate and glycerol dimethacrylate was used for hydrophilic surface modification, and added directly to the MIP for PRP after 4 h from the start of polymerization. Then further polymerization was carried out for 20 h. The obtained RAM-MIP for PRP showed excellent molecular recognition ability for PRP, good ones for alprenolol (ALP) and pindolol, and fair ones for other beta-blockers. The RAM-MIP was applied for direct injection analysis of ALP enantiomers in a rat plasma sample by a column-switching HPLC system using a beta-cyclodextrin phenylcarbamate-bonded silica column as the analytical column. The calibration graph, constructed from peak area versus each ALP enantiomer concentration, was linear with a correlation coefficient of > 0.999 over the concentration ranges of 12.5-250 ng ml(-1). The limit of quantitation was 12.5 ng ml(-1) with a 50 microl injection. This method could be applicable for the assay of ALP enantiomers at the therapeutic plasma levels, and have wide applicability for the assay of beta-blockers in biological fluids.