Solid-phase extraction and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the gastrointestinal absorption of emodin in different digestive segments of rats

A rapid, simple and sensitive ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC‐MS/MS) method was established for determining the absorption amount of emodin in the five digestive segments of rat. Plasma samples were pre‐purified by solid‐phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis MAX cartridge. Separation of emodin and 1,8‐dihydroxyanthraquinone (internal standard) was performed on an Acquity BEH UHPLC C₁₈ column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient elution of methanol and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution. The LC/MS system was operated under multiple reaction monitoring mode using electrospray ionization (ESI) in negative ion mode. The results showed that this established method was valid and sensitive for emodin within 0.04–16.4 μg/mL, with low limits of detection and quantification of 0.6 ng/mL and 2.4 ng/mL, respectively and upper limit of quantification of 220.0 ng/mL. The intra‐ and interday variations were below 4.9% of RSD. The extraction recoveries were 98.9–106.1% with RSD of 1.9–3.2%. The plasma concentration‐time relationship showed that the absorption of emodin in stomach was faster than in intestine segments. The sequence of absorption amount was: ileum>jejunum>colon≈duodenum>stomach. Most of emodin was absorbed in ileum, and the absorption amount was increased with prolonged retention of drug form in intestine, especially in ileum and jejunum. The developed UHPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS method was appropriate for determining the in vivo absorption of emodin in other herbal medicines or preparations containing this compound.     

Quantitative determination of imatinib in human plasma with high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to quantitate imatinib in human plasma. Imatinib and the internal standard dasatinib were separated using a mobile phase of 0.5% KH(2)PO(4) (pH3.5)-acetonitrile-methanol (55:25:20, v/v/v) on a CAPCELL PAK C18 MG II column (250 mm × 4.6 mm) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and measurement at UV 265 nm. Analysis required 100 μL of plasma and involved a solid phase extraction with an Oasis HLB cartridge, which gave recoveries of imatinib from 73% to 76%. The lower limit of quantification for imatinib was 10 ng/mL. The linear range of this assay was between 10 and 5000 ng/mL (regression line r(2) > 0.9992). Inter- and intra-day coefficients of variation were less than 11.9% and accuracies were within 8.3% over the linear range. The plasma concentrations of imatinib obtained by our present method were almost the same as those assayed by an LC-MS-MS method at the Toray Research Center, Inc. This method can be applied effectively to measure imatinib concentrations in clinical samples.     

Quantitative analysis of the antifungal drug anidulafungin by LC-online SPE-MS/MS in human plasma

The objective of this study was to develop a fast and robust method for the quantitation of the antifungal drug anidulafungin in human plasma samples by generic two-dimensional liquid chromatography (online-SPE/reversed phase LC) coupled to a tandem-quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-online SPE-MS/MS). Online SPE was performed using an Oasis HLB cartridge column and for reversed-phase chromatography a Nucleodur Gravity C(18) column was used. A 100 μL aliquot of human plasma was extracted with 200 μL of 80:20 MeOH-0.2 M ZnSO(4) (v/v) as precipitation reagent containing ascomycin as internal standard (IS). The supernatant was directly injected for analysis. The total run time was 4.5 min. Anidulafungin and ascomycin were detected in the positive ionization mode. The method performance data for anidulafungin, such as limit of detection (0.013 μg/mL), lower limit of quantitation (0.04 μg/mL), linearity (R(2) = 0.9999) and concentration range (0.04-10 μg/mL) were ascertained. Intra- and inter-day precisions were ≤6.6% and intra- and inter-day accuracies were 98.5-101.0 and 100.0-102.5%, respectively. The assay was successfully applied for quantitation of anidulafungin in patient plasma samples.     

UHPLC method for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine

A simple method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine is developed. A statistical central composite design and response surface analysis is used to optimize the separation of the analytes. These multivariate procedures are efficient in determining the optimal separation condition using resolutions and retention time as responses. A gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid in water and acetonitrile is applied on a Hypersil GOLD column within a short analysis time of 4.5 min. UV detection was used to monitor the analytes. The suggested method was linear in a concentration range from 0.04-20.00 μg/mL, depending on the compound. The limits of detection ranged from 8.9 to 66.2 ng/mL. The precision was lower than 2.74%, and the accuracy was between 0.01-3.65%. The Oasis HLB column, with the highest recoveries, is selected for the pre-concentration step. This present paper reports, for the first time, a method for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine samples. Furthermore, the developed method can also be applied to the routine determination of examined compounds concentrations in human urine.     

A Unique Solid Phase Extraction Column for Isolation of 11-Nor-Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-9-Carboxylic Acid in Human Urine

Abstract

A sensitive, specific, qualitative, and quantitative extraction procedure followed by an hplc assay of 11-nor-Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) from human urine is developed. Using a new, “mixed mode”, bonded silica gel solid phase extraction (SPE) column, the analyte was selectively isolated from the urine component. Following extraction, the presence of THC-COOH was confirmed and quantitated by a UV detector on a Varian 15cm C18 column using 35:65 v/v 50 mM phosphoric acid:acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The limit of detection was 10 ng/mL at a signal to noise ratio of 2.5. The method showed linearity in the 10–300 ng/mL range (r=0.999) with good precision (RSD 1.4%) and accuracy (87% absolute recovery).     

四氮杂杯[2]芳烃[2]三嗪键合硅胶固相萃取-高效液相色谱法测定河水中硝基苯酚和己烯雌酚

基于四氮杂杯[2]芳烃[2]三嗪键合硅胶吸附剂（NC-Si）,构建了固相萃取-高效液相色谱法同时测定河水中3种硝基苯酚和己烯雌酚的新方法。考察并获得了固相萃取和液相色谱分离的优化条件：将样品溶液pH调至5,以5 mL/min上样,经自制固相萃取柱净化,2 mL氨水-甲醇（2：98,v/v）洗脱;在C8柱上以甲醇-0.1%磷酸溶液为流动相进行梯度洗脱。4种目标分析物的检出限（LOD,S/N=3）为0.03~0.3 μg/L,定量限（LOQ,S/N=10）为0.1~1.0 μg/L;加标回收率为75.5%~104.2%,相对标准偏差（RSD,n=5）小于6.3%。该方法准确、可靠,可用于河水中硝基苯酚及己烯雌酚的灵敏检测。     

Quantitative determination of piritramide in human plasma and urine by off- and on-line solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

A method for the liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) quantification of piritramide, a synthetic opioid, in plasma after conventional off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) and in urine by on-line SPE-LC/MS/MS in positive electrospray mode was developed and validated. Applicability of the on-line approach for plasma samples was also tested. Deuterated piritramide served as internal standard. For the off-line SPE plasma method mixed cation-exchange SPE cartridges and a 150 x 2 mm C18 column with isocratic elution were used. For the on-line SPE method, a Waters Oasis HLB extraction column and the same C18 analytical column in a column-switching set-up with gradient elution were utilized. All assays were linear within a range of 0.5-100 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 0.05 ng/mL. The intra- and interday coefficients of variance ranged from 1.3 to 6.1% for plasma and 0.5 to 6.4% for urine, respectively. The extraction recovery for the off-line plasma assay was between 90.7 and 100.0%. Influence of matrix effects, and freeze/thaw and long-term stability were validated for both approaches; influence of urine pH additionally for quantification in urine.     

两步液液萃取-固相萃取净化结合高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定猪肉中11种磺胺类兽药残留

建立了猪肉中11种常见的磺胺类兽药残留的两步液液萃取-固相萃取净化-高效液相色谱-串联质谱（LC-MS/MS）检测方法。猪肉样品经乙酸乙酯（含2%（v/v）甲酸）及丙酮分两步液液萃取，正己烷脱脂，Oasis MCX混合阳离子固相萃取小柱净化，氮吹浓缩，定容，过滤膜后进行高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析。采用多反应监测正离子模式进行检测，以基质校准曲线外标法定量。结果表明，在20~400 μg/L范围内11种磺胺类药物均呈现良好的线性关系（相关系数（r²）≥ 0.99），检出限（LODs）（S/N=3）和定量限（LOQs）（S/N=10）分别为0.1~1.0 μg/kg和0.2~3.0 μg/kg。对阴性猪肉样品，在50、100、200 μg/kg 3个水平下分别进行加标回收试验，测得各待测物的平均回收率为79.3%~105.5%之间，相对标准偏差为1.3%~11.6%（n=6）。该方法比采用一步液液萃取法具有更高的提取效率，同时结合固相萃取净化方法进一步富集目标化合物，降低了基质干扰，提高了检测灵敏度。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定血浆与尿液中14种麻痹性贝类毒素北大核心CSCD

人体生物基质中麻痹性贝类毒素的检测对其引起的食物中毒诊断和救治具有重要意义。研究建立了超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定血浆、尿液中14种麻痹性贝类毒素的分析方法。实验比较了不同固相萃取柱的影响,优化了前处理条件和色谱条件,血浆样品采用0.2 mL水、0.4 mL甲醇、0.6 mL乙腈提取后直接上机测定,尿液样品采用0.2 mL水、0.4 mL甲醇、0.6 mL乙腈提取,聚酰胺(PA)固相萃取柱净化后上机测定。采用Poroshell 120 HILIC-Z色谱柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,2.7μm)对14种贝类毒素进行分离,流动相为含0.1%(v/v)甲酸的5 mmoL/L甲酸铵缓冲溶液和0.1%(v/v)甲酸乙腈溶液,流速为0.50 mL/min。在电喷雾模式(ESI)下进行正负离子扫描,采用多反应监测(MRM)模式检测,外标法定量。结果表明,对于血浆和尿液样品,14种贝类毒素分别在0.24~84.06 ng/mL范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.995。尿液检测的定量限为4.80~34.40 ng/mL,血浆检测的定量限为1.68~12.04 ng/mL。尿液和血浆样品在1、2和10倍定量限加标水平下平均回收率为70.4%~123.4%,日内精密度为2.3%~19.1%,日间精密度为4.0%~16.2%。应用建立的方法对腹腔注射14种贝类毒素小鼠血浆和尿液进行测定,20份血浆样本中检出含量分别为19.40~55.60μg/L和8.75~13.86μg/L。该方法操作简便,样品取样量少,方法灵敏度高,适用于血浆和尿液中麻痹性贝类毒素的快速检测。     

在线柱浓缩-超高效液相色谱法测定水体中的痕量甲萘威和呋喃丹

采用在线柱浓缩-超高效液相色谱联用技术测定水体中痕量甲萘威和呋喃丹。水样过滤后直接进样,采用固相萃取小柱富集待测物,梯度洗脱后,利用阀切换技术将待测物反冲至分析柱Acclaim RSLC C18(100 mm×2.1 mm, 2.2 μm)上进行色谱分离,以10 mmol/L醋酸铵缓冲溶液(pH 5.0,用醋酸调节)和乙腈分别为流动相A和B,梯度洗脱,泵流速为0.8 mL/min,检测波长为280 nm,二极管阵列检测器检测。甲萘威和呋喃丹在1.0～100 μg/L范围内线性良好(相关系数r2 ＞ 0.9999),检出限(S/N=3)分别为0.5和0.25 μg/L,加标回收率为76.0%～120.0%。用所建立的方法测定了水中痕量的甲萘威与呋喃丹的含量,结果令人满意。     

High‐performance liquid chromatography with solid‐phase extraction for the quantitative determination of nilotinib in human plasma

A simple, rapid and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)‐based method with ultraviolet detection was developed for the quantitation of nilotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in human plasma. Nilotinib and the internal standard dasatinib were separated using a mobile phase of 0.5% KH₂PO₄ (pH2.5)–acetonitrile–methanol (55:25:20, v/v/v) on a Capcell Pak MG II column (250 × 4.6 mm) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and optical measurement at 250 nm. Analysis required only 100 μL of plasma and involved a rapid and simple solid‐phase extraction with an Oasis HLB cartridge, which gave recoveries from 72 to 78% for nilotinib and from 74 to 76% for dasatinib. The lower limit of quantification for nilotinib was 10 ng/mL. The linear range of this assay was between 10 and 5000 ng/mL (r² > 0.9992 for the regression line). Intra‐ and inter‐day coefficients of variation were less than 10.0% and accuracies were within 10.4% over the linear range. Our results indicate that this method is applicable to the monitoring of plasma levels of nilotinib in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a sensitive UHPLC–MS/MS method for quantitative analysis of farrerol in rat plasma: Application to pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies

Farrerol is a 2,3‐dihydro‐flavonoid isolated from rhododendron. In this study, a sensitive and selective ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of farrerol in rat plasma. Liquid–liquid extraction by ethyl ether was used for sample preparation. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent UHPLC XDB‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) with water and methanol (30:70, v /v) as the mobile phase. An electrospray source was applied and operated in negative ion mode; selection reaction monitoring was used for quantification using target fragment ions m/z 299 → 179 for farrerol and m/z 267 → 252 for internal standard. Calibration plots were linear in the range of 2.88–1440 ng/mL for farrerol in rat plasma. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were <11.6%, and the accuracy ranged from −13.9 to 11.9%. The UHPLC–MS/MS method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetics and bioavailability studies of farrerol in rats.     

Simultaneous determination of peimine and peiminine in rat plasma by LC‐ESI‐MS employing solid‐phase extraction

A simple and reliable LC‐ESI‐MS method for the determination of peimine and peiminine in rat plasma was developed for the first time. The method was proven to be specific and sensitive by carrying out validation. The analytes were extracted from rat plasma via solid‐phase extraction on Waters Oasis MCX cartridges. Chromatography separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column using 10 mM ammonium acetate (adjusted to pH 3.0 with glacial acetic acid)–acetonitrile (85:15, v/v) as mobile phase. The linear range was 1–100 ng/mL for peimine and peiminine. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisiond were less than 10%. Accuracies were within 85–115% of their nominal concentrations. The limit of quantification was 1 ng/mL for both analytes. The developed assay was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of peimine and peiminine in rats orally administered the alkaloids extracts from Bulbus Fritillariae, demonstrating a possible broader spectrum of applications of this method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and method validation for testosterone and epitestosterone in human urine samples by liquid chromatography applications

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (ET) in human urine using liquid-liquid or solid-phase extraction (SPE) is developed and validated. The optimum separation is achieved using a Hypersil C(18) column, water-acetonitrile (57:43, v/v) as the mobile phase and UV-absorbance detection at 245 nm. The recoveries obtained for T and ET in liquid-liquid and SPE demonstrate that these procedures are interchangeable. Quantitation limits for T and ET are 8.6 and 5.4 ng/mL using solvent extraction and 7.3 and 5.7 ng/mL using SPE, respectively. The proposed method is used to evaluate the urinary T, ET, and the T/ET ratio for a healthy male population using liquid-liquid extraction, and the T and ET excretion profile for nine healthy men using SPE.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定浓缩果汁中的18种多酚物质

建立了浓缩果汁中18种多酚物质的超高效液相色谱(UPLC)-串联质谱(MS/MS)检测方法.样品经水稀释,HLB固相萃取净化,浓缩蒸干后用甲醇和0.1%甲酸定容.采用Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (1.7μm ×2.1 mm ×50 mm)色谱柱分离,以甲醇和0.1%甲酸为流动相,在0.3 ml,·min-...     

在线固相萃取-液相色谱法直接测定水中超痕量多环芳烃

建立了在线固相萃取-液相色谱直接测定水体中16种超痕量多环芳烃（PAHs）的方法。水样经高速离心后，加入适量甲醇，配制成40%（体积分数）甲醇水溶液，直接进样2 mL至在线固相萃取流路，进行萃取富集，再通过阀切换将洗脱的PAHs转移至分析流路进行分离检测。16种PAHs在各自范围内线性关系良好，相关系数均大于0.996；方法的检出限为0.14~12.50 ng/L，其中苯并[a]芘（B（a）P）的检出限为0.38 ng/L。实际水样在10、40和200 ng/L加标水平下的加标回收率为76.1%~134.9%，RSD为0.3%~16.6%。B（a）P在1 ng/L加标水平下的回收率为71.8%~92.7%，RSD为3.9%。结果表明，该方法操作简单，灵敏度高，溶剂消耗量少，可满足水样中PAHs，尤其是B（a）P的超痕量分析要求。     

Determination of Tetracyclines in Honey Using Liquid Chromatography with Ultraviolet Absorbance Detection and Residue Confirmation by Mass Spectrometry

A determination method has been optimized and validated for the simultaneous analysis of tetracycline （TC）, oxytetracycline （OTC）, chlortetracycline （CTC） and doxycycline （DC） in honey. Tetracyclines （TCs） were removed from honey samples by chelation with metal ions bound to small Chelating Sepharose Fast Flow columns and eluted with Na2EDTA-Mcllvaine pH 4.0 buffers. Extracts were further cleaned up by Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction （SPE）, while other solid-phase extraction cartridges were compared. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a polar end-capped C 18 column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of oxalic acid, acetonitrile and methanol. LC with ultraviolet absorbance at 355 nm resulted in the quantitation of all four tetracycline residues from honey samples fortified at 15, 50, and 100 ng/g, with liner ranges for tetracyclines of 0.05 to 2 μg/mL. Mean recoveries for tetracyclines were greater than 50% with R.S.D. values less than 10% （n= 18）. Detection limits of 5, 5, 10, 10 ng/g for oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline, respectively and quantitation limits of 15 ng/g for all the four tetracyclines were determined. Direct confirmation of the four residues in honey （2-50 ng/g） was realized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC/MS/MS）. The linear ranges of tetracyclines determined by LC/MS/MS were between 5 to 300 ng/mL, with the linear correlation coefficient r〉 0.995. The limits of detection of 1 to 2 ng/g were obtained for the analysis of the TCs in honey.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱同时检测血液中29种农药

本文采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(UPLC-MS/MS)和固相萃取法(SPE)建立了血液中29种农药同时筛查、定性、定量分析的方法,血液经4%磷酸水溶液稀释后,震荡10min,以8000r·min-1转速离心10min,取上清液过3mL甲醇和3mL水活化好的Oasis Prime HLB(3cc,60mg)固相萃取小柱,使用3mL5%甲醇水淋洗,3mL乙腈甲醇混合溶剂(90:10)洗脱,接收洗脱液后在40℃条件下氮吹仪吹干,使用0.5mL初始流动相复溶,震荡10s后,过0.22μm水膜,装液质小瓶后进样分析。采用ACQUITY UPLC HSS C18色谱柱(150 mm×2.1mm,1.8μm)分离,流动相为0.1%甲酸乙腈-水/甲酸/甲酸铵(5mmol,pH=3),梯度洗脱,电喷雾电离正离子模式(ESI+),多反应选择离子监测模式(MRM)检测。29种农药的检出限为0.1 ng·mL^-1~5 ng·mL^-1,定量限为0.5 ng·mL^-1~10 ng·mL^-1,回收率为62.4%~97.4%,基质效应为82.8%~109%,相对标准偏差小于10.3%,相关系数均大于0.99,线性关系良好范围为10 ng·mL^-1~1000ng·mL^-1。本文方法灵敏度高,可以对血液中29种农药成分进行筛查、定性、定量分析,能够满足实际血液样品中农药成分检测的需求。     

Determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in urine by online solid-phase extraction and ion-pairing liquid chromatography with detection by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A method using an online solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ion-pairing liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ES-MS/MS) was developed for determination of amphetamine (Amp), methamphetamine (mAmp), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in urine samples. A SPE cartridge column with both hydrophilic and lipophilic functions was utilized for online extraction. A reversed-phase C18 LC column was employed for LC separation and MS/MS was used for detection. Trifluoroacetic acid was added to the mobile phase as an ion-pairing reagent. This method was fully automated and the extraction and analysis procedures were controlled by a six-port switch valve. Recoveries ranging from 85-101% were measured. Good linear ranges (10-500 ng/mL) for Amp and mAmp were determined. For MDA, MDMA and MDEA, dual linear ranges were obtained from 5-100 and 100-500 ng/mL, respectively. The detection limit of each analytical compound, based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, ranged from 1-3 ng/mL. The applicability of this newly developed method was examined by analyzing several urine samples from drug users. Good agreement was obtained between the results from this method and a literature GC/MS method.     

A simplified protein precipitation/mixed-mode cation-exchange solid-phase extraction, followed by high-speed liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, for the determination of a basic drug in human plasma

A simplified protein precipitation/mixed-mode cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (PPT/SPE) procedure has been investigated. A mixture of acetonitrile and methanol along with formic acid was used to precipitate plasma proteins prior to selectively extracting the basic drug. After vortexing and centrifugation, the supernatants were directly loaded onto an unconditioned Oasis MCX microElution 96-well extraction plate, where the protonated drug was retained on the negatively charged sorbent while interfering neutral lipids, steroids or other endogenous materials were washed away. Normal wash steps were deemed unnecessary and not used before sample elution. The sample extracts were analyzed under both conventional and high-speed liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) conditions to examine the feasibility of the PPT/SPE procedure for human plasma sample clean-up. For the conventional LC/MS/MS method, chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18, 2.1 x 50 mm column with gradient elution (k' = 5.5). The mobile phase contained 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. For the high-speed LC/MS/MS method, chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18, 2.1 x 10 mm guard column with gradient elution (k' = 2.2, Rt = 0.26 min). The mobile phase contained 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.001% trifluoroacetic acid in acetonitrile. Detection for both conventional and high-speed LC/MS/MS methods was by positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry on a ThermoElectron Finnigan TSQ Quantum Ultra, where enhanced resolution (RP 2000; 0.2 amu) was used for high-speed LC/MS/MS. The standard curve, ranging from 0.5 to 100 ng/mL, was fitted to a 1/x weighted quadratic regression model.This combined PPT/SPE procedure effectively eliminated time-consuming sorbent conditioning and wash steps, which are essential for a conventional mixed-mode SPE procedure, but retained the advantages of both PPT (removal of plasma proteins) and mixed-mode SPE (analyte selectivity). The validation results demonstrated that this PPT/SPE procedure was well suited for both conventional and high-speed LC/MS/MS analyses. In comparison with a conventional mixed-mode SPE procedure, the simplified PPT/SPE process provided comparable sample extract purity. This simple sample clean-up procedure can be applied to other basic compounds with minor modifications of PPT solvents.