Development and validation of a cost-effective and sensitive bioanalytical HPLC-UV method for determination of lopinavir in rat and human plasma

A simple, sensitive and cost-effective HPLC-UV bioanalytical method for determination of lopinavir (LPV) in rat and human plasma was developed and validated. The plasma sample preparation procedure includes a combination of protein precipitation using cold acetonitrile and liquid–liquid extraction with n-hexane–ethyl acetate (7:3, v/v). A good chromatographic separation was achieved with a Phenomenex Gemini column (C₁₈, 150 mm × 2.0 mm, 5 μm) at 40°C with gradient elution, at 211 nm. Calibration curves were linear in the range 10–10,000 ng/mL, with a lower limit of quantification of 10 ng/mL using 100 μL of plasma. The accuracy and precision in all validation experiments were within the criteria range set by the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration. This method was successfully applied to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study in rats following an intravenous bolus administration of LPV. Moreover, the method was subsequently fully validated for human plasma, allowing its use in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). In conclusion, this novel, simple and cost-efficient bioanalytical method for determination of LPV is useful for pharmacokinetic and drug delivery studies in rats, as well as TDM in human patients.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitation of indomethacin in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats

A highly sensitive and rapid bioanalytical method has been developed and validated for the estimation of indomethacin in rat plasma with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in the positive‐ion mode. The assay procedure involves a simple liquid–liquid extraction of indomethacin and phenacetin (internal standard, IS) from rat plasma with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved with 0.2% formic acid–acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.60 mL/min on an Atlantis dC₁₈ column with a total run time 3.0 min. The MS/MS ion transitions monitored were 357.7 → 139.1 for indomethacin and 180.20 → 110.10 for IS. Method validation and pharmacokinetic study plasma analysis were performed as per FDA guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The lower limit of quantitation achieved was 0.51 ng/mL and the linearity was observed from 0.51 to 25.5 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the range of 1.00–10.2 and 5.88–9.80%, respectively. This novel method has been applied to an oral pharmacokinetic study in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous bioanalysis and pharmacokinetic interaction study of acebrophylline,levocetirizine and pranlukast in Sprague–Dawley rats

The combination of acebrophylline (ABP), levocetirizine (LCZ) and pranlukast (PRN) is used to treat allergic rhinitis, asthma, hay‐fever and other conditions where patients experience difficulty in breathing. This study was carried out with the aim of developing and validating a reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic bioanalytical method to simultaneously quantitate ABP, LCZ and PRN in rat plasma. The objective also includes determination of the pharmacokinetic interaction of these three drugs after administration via the oral route after individual and combination treatment in rat. Optimum resolution between the analytes was observed with a C₁₈ Kinetex column (250 mm × 4.6 mm × 5 μm). The chromatography was performed in a gradient elution mode with a 1 mL/min flow rate. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 100–1600 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy were found to be within acceptable limits as specified in US Food and Drug Administration guideline for bioanalytical method validation. The analytes were stable on the bench‐top (8 h), after three freeze–thaw cycles, in the autosampler (8 h) and as a dry extract (?80°C for 48 h). The statistical results of the pharmacokinetic study in Sprague–Dawley rats showed a significant change in pharmacokinetic parameters for PRN upon co‐administration of the three drugs.     

Development and validation of an LC-ESI-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantitation of olmesartan and pioglitazone in rat plasma and its pharmacokinetic application

A simple, high‐throughput and specific high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated according to the FDA guidelines for simultaneous quantification of olmesartan and pioglitazone in rat plasma. The bioanalytical method consists of liquid–liquid extraction and quantitation by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization technique, operating in multiple reaction monitoring and positive ion modes. The compounds were eluted isocratically on a C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol and water (containing 0.5% formic acid) in a ratio of 9:1. The response to olmesartan and pioglitazone was linear over the range 0.01–10 µg/mL. The validation results demonstrated that the method had satisfactory precision and accuracy across the calibration range. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions ranged from 0.66 to 3.32 and from 0.94 to 2.93% (%CV), respectively. The accuracy determined at three quality control levels was within 91.27–107.28%. There was no evidence of instability of the analytes in rat plasma following the stability studies. The method proved highly reproducible and sensitive and was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic study after single dose oral administration of olmesartan and pioglitazone to the rat. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of an RP‐HPLC method for the quantitation of odanacatib in rat and human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A simple, specific, sensitive and reproducible high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay method has been developed and validated for the estimation of odanacatib in rat and human plasma. The bioanalytical procedure involves extraction of odanacatib and itraconazole (internal standard, IS) from a 200 μL plasma aliquot with simple liquid–liquid extraction process. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Symmetry Shield RP₁₈ using an isocratic mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The UV detection wave length was 268 nm. Odanacatib and IS eluted at 5.5 and 8.6 min, respectively with a total run time of 10 min. Method validation was performed as per US Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 50.9–2037 ng/mL (r² = 0.994). The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the range of 2.06–5.11 and 5.84–13.1%, respectively, in rat plasma and 2.38–7.90 and 6.39–10.2%, respectively, in human plasma. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a RP‐HPLC method for the quantitation of tofacitinib in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A novel, simple, specific, sensitive and reproducible high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay method has been developed and validated for the estimation of tofacitinib in rat plasma. The bioanalytical procedure involves extraction of tofacitinib and itraconazole (internal standard, IS) from rat plasma with a simple liquid–liquid extraction process. The chromatographic analysis was performed on a Waters Alliance system using a gradient mobile phase conditions at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and C₁₈ column maintained at 40 ± 1 °C. The eluate was monitored using an UV detector set at 287 nm. Tofacitinib and IS eluted at 6.5 and 8.3 min, respectively and the total run time was 10 min. Method validation was performed as per US Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 182–5035 ng/mL (r² = 0.995). The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the range of 1.41–11.2 and 3.66–8.81%, respectively, in rat plasma. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification and pharmacokinetic study of entrectinib in rat plasma using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

To characterize the preclinical plasma pharmacokinetics of entrectinib, a reproducible and precise assay is necessary. In this study, we developed and validated a simple ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method for the measurement of entrectinib using carbamazepine as the internal standard in rat plasma. Sample preparation was a simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile, then entrectinib was eluted on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) using a gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid in water (B). Detection was achieved using multiple‐reaction monitoring in positive ion electrospray ionization mode. The method showed good linearity over the concentration range of 1–250 ng/mL (r² > 0.9951). The intra‐ and inter‐day precision was determined with the values of 6.3–12.9 and 2.6–6.9%, respectively, and accuracy values of 0.5–11.6%. Matrix effect, extraction recovery, and stability data all met the acceptance criteria of US Food and Drug Administration guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study. In this study, we developed the complete validated method for the quantification of entrectinib in rat plasma.     

Development and validation of an RP‐HPLC method for the quantitation of Orteronel (TAK‐700), a CYP17A1 enzyme inhibitor,in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A novel, simple, specific, sensitive and reproducible high‐performance liquid chromatography assay method has been developed and validated for the estimation of Orteronel in rat plasma. The bioanalytical procedure involves extraction of Orteronel and phenacetin (internal standard) from rat plasma with a simple liquid–liquid extraction process. The chromatographic analysis was performed on a Waters Alliance system using a gradient mobile phase conditions at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and a C₁₈ column maintained at ambient room temperature. The eluate was monitored using a photodiode array detector set at 242. Orteronel and internal standard eluted at 4.8 and 6.2 min, respectively and the total run time was 9 min. Method validation was performed as per US Food and Drug Administration guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 100–3149 ng/mL (r² = 0.995). The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were in the ranges of 0.31–7.87 and 3.97–6.35, respectively, in rat plasma. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of Orteronel in rats. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of sutetinib and its active metabolite sutetinib N-oxide in human plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: Evaluation of plasma stability

From the point of view of drug efficacy and safety, pharmacokinetic profiles of both In this work, a sensitive and reliable liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method was established for simultaneous determination of sutetinib and N-oxide metabolite (SNO) in human plasma and further applied to a pharmacokinetic study. Analytes were extracted from plasma samples (100 μl) via acetonitrile-induced protein precipitation and separated on a C₁₈ column using ammonium acetate with ammonium hydroxide and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Positive electrospray ionization was carried out through multiple reaction monitoring with transitions of m/z 440.2 → 367.1 and 446.2 → 367.1 for sutetinib and SNO, respectively. The method was linear within the concentration range of 0.5–100 ng/ml for both analytes. The precision, accuracy, selectivity, recovery and matrix effect of this method all met the requirements of bioanalytical guidance. In addition, a plasma stability assessment demonstrated unexpected results. Sutetinib was prone to form covalent conjugates with plasma albumin in vitro. The degree of covalent binding increased with increasing temperature, resulting in a significant decrease in its plasma concentrations. However, SNO could not easily bind with albumin owing to steric hindrance or electronegativity. Furthermore, sutetinib and SNO remained stable when blood and plasma samples were kept on wet ice. The validated method was successfully employed for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of sutetinib in patients with advanced malignant solid tumors.     

Quantitative analysis of acetaminophen and its six metabolites in rat plasma using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug. It is mainly metabolized by phase 1 and 2 reactions in the liver, and thus it could be involved in many drug–drug interactions. Therefore, the study of APAP metabolism is important in toxicological and pharmacokinetic studies. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of APAP and its six metabolites in rat plasma for the pharmacokinetic studies. APAP and its metabolites were separated through a Capcell Pak MGII C₁₈ column and quantitated with a 16 min run in a triple‐quadruple mass spectrometer. The mobile phases were composed of 0.1% formic acid in either 95% water or 95% acetonitrile and analysis was performed twice in positive and negative modes. Validations such as accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability were found to be within acceptance criteria of validation guidelines, indicating that the assay was applicable to the determination of the plasma concentrations of drug and its six metabolites. In conclusion, we developed an LC‐MS/MS method for the quantitative analysis of APAP and its six metabolites in rat plasma, and this method appears to be useful for pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic studies of APAP and its metabolites in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of Chlorzoxazone in Rat Plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A sensitive LC-ESI-MS/MS method for determination of chlorzoxazone in rat plasma has been developed. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax SB-C₁₈ column, with 45:55 (v/v) acetonitrile–water as the mobile phase. A LC-ESI-MS/MS was performed in a multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode using target ions m/z 167.5→131.6 for chlorzoxazone and m/z 230.7→185.6 for phenobarbital (internal standard). The calibration plots were linear over the range of 10.0–2,000 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day precisions were better than 5.1% and 6.8%, respectively. The validated method was successfully used to analyze the drug in samples of rat plasma for pharmacokinetic study.     

Highly sensitive quantification of pemetrexed in human plasma using UPLC-MS/MS to support microdosing studies

Pemetrexed is an antifolate drug approved for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer and mesothelioma. Assessing pemetrexed pharmacokinetics after administration of a microdose (100 μg) may facilitate drug–drug interaction and dose individualization studies with cytotoxic drugs, without causing harm to patients. Therefore, a highly sensitive bioanalytical assay is required. A reversed-phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method was developed to determine pemetrexed concentrations in human ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid–plasma after microdosing. [¹³C₅]-Pemetrexed was used as the internal standard. The sample preparation involved solid-phase extraction from plasma. Detection was performed using MS/MS in a total run time of 9.5 min. The assay was validated over the concentration range of 0.0250–25.0 μg/L pemetrexed. The average accuracies for the assay in plasma were 96.5 and 96.5%, and the within-day and between-day precision in coefficients of variations was <8.8%. Extraction recovery was 59 ± 1 and 55 ± 5% for pemetrexed and its internal standard. Processed plasma samples were stable for 2 days in a cooled autosampler at 10°C. The assay was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic curve, which was obtained as a part of an ongoing clinical microdosing study.     

Development and full validation of an LC–MS/MS methodology to quantify capmatinib (INC280) following intragastric administration to rats

A highly sensitive, specific and simple LC–MS/MS method for quantification of capmatinib (INC280) in rat plasma was presented. The LC–MS/MS method was validated in terms of specificity and selectivity, linearity, accuracy and precision, matrix effect, extraction recovery, dilution integrity, carryover and stability as per the US Food and Drug Administration's bioanalytical method validation guideline. The validated assay was applied for quantification of capmatinib from a pharmacokinetic study in rats following oral administration at the doses of 1.0, 3.0 and 9.0 mg/kg. The calibration curve ranges from 1 to 2000 ng/ml with desirable linearity and r² > 0.99. The intra- and inter-batch accuracies were within 99.24–103.59 and 97.76–102.83% with coefficients of variation 5.08–7.36 and 3.18–4.99%, respectively. No significant interference was observed by endogenous peak at the retention time of capmatinib and IS. The assay was free from any matrix effect and showed precise recovery across the calibration curve range, and samples were stable under all experimental conditions. The validated assay was successfully applied to analyze plasma samples of pharmacokinetic study in rat to determine the concentration of capmatinib. In summary, a novel method for analyzing capmatinib in rat plasma has been successfully validated and is now being utilized for quantification of capmatinib from pre-clinical studies.     

Quantification and pharmacokinetic property of verubecestat an BACE1 inhibitor in rat plasma

In the present study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) approach was designed to measure the rat plasma levels of verubecestat with diazepam as the internal standard. Acetonitrile-based protein precipitation was applied for sample preparation, then the analyte verubecestat was subjected to gradient elution chromatography with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid in water (B). Verubecestat was monitored by m/z 410.1 → 124.0 transition for quantification by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) source. When the concentration of verubecestat ranged from 1 to 2500 ng/mL, the method exhibited good linearity. For verubecestat, the intra- and inter-day precision were determined with the values of 2.9–9.0% and 0.4–6.5%, respectively; and the accuracy ranged from −2.2% to 10.4%. Matrix effect, extraction recovery, and stability data were in line with the standard FDA guidelines for validating a bioanalytical method. The validity of the developed method was confirmed through the pharmacokinetic study.     

Determination of mitragynine in plasma with solid-phase extraction and rapid HPLC–UV analysis, and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in rat

A new solid phase extraction method for rapid high performance liquid chromatography–UV determination of mitragynine in plasma has been developed. Optimal separation was achieved with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–ammonium acetate buffer, 50 mM at pH 5.0 (50:50, v/v). The method had limits of detection and quantification of 0.025 and 0.050 μg/mL, respectively. The method was accurate and precise for the quantitative analysis of mitragynine in human and rat plasma with within-day and between-day accuracies between 84.0 and 109.6%, and their precision values were between 1.7 and 16.8%. Additional advantages over known methods are related to the solid phase extraction technique for sample preparation which yields a clean chromatogram, a short total analysis time, requires a smaller amount of plasma samples and has good assay sensitivity for bioanalytical application. The method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic and stability studies of mitragynine. In the present study, mitragynine was found to be fairly stable during storage and sample preparation. The present study showed for the first time the detailed pharmacokinetic profiles of mitragynine. Following intravenous administration, mitragynine demonstrated a biphasic elimination from plasma. Oral absorption of the drug was slow, prolonged and was incomplete, with a calculated absolute oral bioavailability value of 3.03%. The variations observed in previous pharmacokinetic studies after oral administration of mitragynine could be attributed to its poor bioavailability rather than to the differences in assay method, metabolic saturation or mitragynine dose.     

Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric assay for the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib in plasma

Regorafenib has recently been approved for the treatment of colorectal cancer. A bioanalytical liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric assay for this multikinase inhibitor was developed and validated in plasma. The concentration range of the assay was 25–25,000 ng/mL. Protein precipitation with acetonitrile was used as sample pre‐treatment with sorafenib as internal standard. The extract was diluted with methanol (25%, v/v) and then injected onto the sub‐2 µm particle, bridged ethylsilicia hybrid trifunctional bonded C₁₈ column. Isocratic elution using 0.02% (v/v) formic acid in a methanol–water mixture was used. Compounds were monitored by a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the selected reaction monitoring mode after positive electrospray ionization. Double logarithmic calibration was used; within‐day precisions, between‐day precisions, and accuracies were 3.2–9.2, 4.1–12.3 and 94.8–103.0%, respectively. High drug stability was observed under all relevant storage conditions. The assay was used to measure drug concentrations in a pharmacokinetic study in wild‐type FVB mice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography quantification method of levo‐tetrahydropalmatine and its metabolites in plasma and brain tissues: application to a pharmacokinetic study

Levo ‐tetrahydropalmatine (l‐ THP) is an alkaloid isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs of the Corydalis and Stephania genera. It has been used in China for more than 40 years mainly as an analgesic with sedative/hypnotic effects. Despite its extensive use, its metabolism has not been quantitatively studied, nor there a sensitive reliable bioanalytical method for its quantification simultaneously with its metabolites. As such, the objective of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive and selective HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of l‐ THP and its desmethyl metabolites l‐ corydalmine (l‐ CD) and l‐ corypalmine (l‐ CP) in rat plasma and brain tissues. Rat plasma and brain samples were processed by liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed‐phase Symmetry® C₁₈ column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 μm) at 25°C. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile–methanol–10 mm ammonium phosphate (pH 3) (10:30:60, v /v) and was used at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The column eluent was monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 230 and 315 nm, respectively. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 1–10,000 ng/mL. The intra‐ and interday reproducibility studies demonstrated accuracy and precision within the acceptance criteria of bioanalytical guidelines. The validated HPLC method was successfully applied to analyze samples from a pharmacokinetic study of l‐ THP in rats. Taken together, the developed method can be applied for bioanalysis of l‐ THP and its metabolites in rodents and potentially can be transferred for bioanalysis of human samples.     

QbD‐oriented development and validation of a bioanalytical method for nevirapine with enhanced liquid–liquid extraction and chromatographic separation

The present studies describe the systematic quality by design (QbD)‐oriented development and validation of a simple, rapid, sensitive and cost‐effective reversed‐phase HPLC bioanalytical method for nevirapine in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a C₁₈ column using isocratic 68:9:23% v/v elution of methanol, acetonitrile and water (pH 3, adjusted by orthophosphoric acid) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min using UV detection at 230 nm. A Box–Behnken design was applied for chromatographic method optimization taking mobile phase ratio, pH and flow rate as the critical method parameters (CMPs) from screening studies. Peak area, retention time, theoretical plates and peak tailing were measured as the critical analytical attributes (CAAs). Further, the bioanalytical liquid–liquid extraction process was optimized using an optimal design by selecting extraction time, centrifugation speed and temperature as the CMPs for percentage recovery of nevirapine as the CAA. The search for an optimum chromatographic solution was conducted through numerical desirability function. Validation studies performed as per the US Food and Drug Administration requirements revealed results within the acceptance limit. In a nutshell, the studies successfully demonstrate the utility of analytical QbD approach for the rational development of a bioanalytical method with enhanced chromatographic separation and recovery of nevirapine in rat plasma. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of ginsenosides and bufadienolides in rat plasma after the oral administration of Shexiang Baoxin Pill for pharmacokinetic study by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry following solid‐phase extraction

A sensitive and reliable bioanalytical method was established for quantitati\ve and pharmacokinetic investigation of nine ginsenosides and seven bufadienolides in rat plasma after the oral administration of Shexiang Baoxin Pill by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, using tinidazole and digoxin as internal standards (ISTDs). All of the analytes and ISTDs obtained satisfactory recoveries by solid‐phase extraction using an Oasis HLB μElution Plate, which was eluted with methanol and ethyl acetate successively, and chromatographic separation was achieved on a Shim‐pack XR‐ODSIIcolumn (75 × 2.0 mm, 2.2 μm) with gradient elution using a mixture of acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid solution (v /v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Detection was carried out by a triple‐quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry with positive/negative ion switching multiple reaction monitoring mode. All analytes showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r ² > 0.99). The lower limit of quantification was in the range 0.625–12.5 ng/mL for bufadienolides and 2–5.5 ng/mL for ginsenosides, and the mean recoveries of all analytes were in the range 78.29–99.35%. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions (RSD) were in the range 0.08–12.38% with the accuracies between 86.09 and 99.40%. The validated method was then successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of the above 16 compounds in rat plasma. Pharmacokinetic results indicated that the developed extraction and analytical method could be employed as a rapid, effective technique for pharmacokinetic study of multiple components, especially various polarity that are difficult to extract simultaneously.     

A quick UPLC–MS/MS method for therapeutic drug monitoring of abiraterone and delta(4)-abiraterone in human plasma

Abiraterone acetate efficacy against prostate cancer is dependent on the circulating levels of abiraterone and its active metabolites, which present significant pharmacokinetic variability among patients. Thus, therapeutic drug monitoring can be performed to improve treatment outcomes. To support such studies, there are only a limited number of bioanalytical methods in current literature. This work presents a fast method to quantify abiraterone and D4A in plasma in 4 min by UPLC–MS/MS. Bioanalytical method validation was performed according to the recommendations of the US Food and Drug Administration. The method was linear within the range of 1–400 ng/ml for abiraterone and 0.2–20 ng/ml for D4A (r² > 0.99). Based on the analysis of quality control samples at the lower limit of quantification, low, medium and high concentrations, the method was precise (CV_abiraterone ≤ 9.72%; CV_D4A ≤ 14.64%) and accurate (CV_abiraterone 95.51–107.59%; CV_D4A 98.04–99.89%). Application of the method to the quantification of abiraterone and D4A in 10 clinical samples revealed important variability in the conversion ratio of abiraterone to D4A (CV 90.85%). Considering the current literature, this is the fastest method to quantify abiraterone and D4A in plasma, allowing for optimization of the analytical routine.