Quantification of carbamazepine and its 10,11‐epoxide metabolite in rat plasma by UPLC‐UV and application to pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, selective and sensitive UPLC‐UV method was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of carbamazepine and its epoxide metabolite in rat plasma. A relatively small volume of plasma sample (200 μL) is required for the described analytical method. The method includes simple protein precipitation, liquid–liquid extraction, evaporation, and reconstitution steps. Samples were separated on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (1.7 µm, 2.1 × 100 mm) with a gradient mobile phase consisted of 60:40 going to 40:60 (v/v) water–acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The total run time was as low as 6 min, representing a significant improvement in comparison to existing methods. Excellent linearity (r² > 0.999) was achieved over a wide concentration range. Close to complete recovery, short analysis time, high stability, accuracy, precision and reproducibility, and low limit of quantitation were demonstrated. Finally, we successfully applied this analytical method to a pre‐clinical oral pharmacokinetic study, revealing the plasma profiles of both carbamazepine and carbamazepine‐10,11‐epoxide following oral administration of carbamazepine to rats. The advantages demonstrated in this work make this analytical method both time‐ and cost‐efficient approach for drug and metabolite monitoring in the pre‐clinical/clinical laboratory. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An optimized mixed‐mode stationary phase based on silica monolith particles for the separation of peptides and proteins in high‐performance liquid chromatography

A phase with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic functionalities has been synthesized by modification of ground silica monolith particles with C18 and 1‐[3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] urea ligands. A series of phases was prepared by changing the ratio of the two ligands to determine the optimal ratio in view of separation efficiency. The resultant optimized stationary phase was packed in narrow‐bore glass‐lined stainless‐steel columns (1 × 300 mm and 2.1 × 100 mm) and used for the separation of synthetic peptides and proteins. The average numbers of theoretical plates (N) of 52 100/column (174 000/m, 5.75 µm plate height) and 35 500/column (118 000/m, 8.47 µm plate height) were achieved with the 300 mm column at a flow rate of 25 µL/min (0.86 mm/s) in 60:40 v/v acetonitrile/30 mM aqueous ammonium formate for the mixture of peptides (Thr‐Tyr‐Ser, Val‐Ala‐Pro‐Gly, angiotensin I, isotocin, and bradykinin) and for the mixture of proteins (myoglobin, human serum albumin, and insulin), respectively. Fast analysis of the peptides and proteins was also carried out at a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min (6.88 mm/s) with the 100 mm column and all the analytes were eluted within 2 min with good separation efficiency.     

Quantification of L‐ergothioneine in whole blood by hydrophilic interaction ultra‐performance liquid chromatography and UV‐detection

A new hydrophilic interaction ultra‐performance LC method was established for the whole blood measurement of L‐ergothioneine. Chromatographic separation was achieved in a fairly short time, less than 4 min, on a 100 × 2.1 mm Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC 1.7 μm column with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 100 mmol/L ammonium acetate/ACN/water (5:85:10, v/v/v) that flowed isocratically at 0.250 mL/min. The LOD and the limit of quantification were 3.85 and 11.67 μmol/L, respectively. The method exhibited linearity in a concentration range of 15.63–1000 μmol/L (R² > 0.999). Mean recovery was 96.34% whereas intraassay and interassay precision were 1.52 and 1.82% RSD, respectively. On the whole, the developed method is simple, fast, precise, accurate, and sensitive and may be useful for routine analyses.     

Rapid determination of parabens in seafood sauces by high‐performance liquid chromatography: A practical comparison of core–shell particles and sub‐2 μm fully porous particles

In this work, the chromatographic performance of superficially porous particles (Halo core–shell C₁₈ column, 50 mm × 2.1 mm, 2.7 μm) was compared with that of sub‐2 μm fully porous particles (Acquity BEH C₁₈, 50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). Four parabens, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, were used as representative compounds for calculating the plate heights in a wide flow rate range and analyzed on the basis of the Van Deemter and Knox equations. Theoretical Poppe plots were constructed for each column to compare their kinetic performance. Both phases gave similar minimum plate heights when using nonreduced coordinates. Meanwhile, the flat C‐term of the core–shell column provided the possibilities for applying high flow rates without significant loss in efficiency. The low backpressure of core–shell particles allowed this kind of column, especially compatible with conventional high‐performance liquid chromatography systems. Based on these factors, a simple high‐performance liquid chromatography method was established and validated for the determination of parabens in various seafood sauces using the Halo core–shell C₁₈ column for separation.     

Core–shell column Tanaka characterization and additional tests using active pharmaceutical ingredients

In the last decade, core–shell particles have gained more and more attention in fast liquid chromatography separations due to their comparable performance with fully porous sub‐2 μm particles and their significantly lower back pressure. Core–shell particles are made of a solid core surrounded by a shell of classic fully porous material. To embrace the developed core–shell column market and use these columns in pharmaceutical analytical applications, 17 core–shell C₁₈ columns purchased from various vendors with various dimensions (50 mm × 2.1 mm to 100 mm × 3 mm) and particle sizes (1.6–2.7 μm) were characterized using Tanaka test protocols. Furthermore, four selected active pharmaceutical ingredients were chosen as test probes to investigate the batch to batch reproducibility for core–shell columns of particle size 2.6–2.7 μm, with dimension of 100 × 3 mm and columns of particle size 1.6 μm, with dimension 100 × 2.1 mm under isocratic elution. Columns of particle size 2.6–2.7 μm were also tested under gradient elution conditions. To confirm the claimed comparable efficiency of 2.6 μm core–shell particles as sub‐2 μm fully porous particles, column performances of the selected core–shell columns were compared with BEH C₁₈, 1.7 μm, a fully porous column material as well.     

Highly sensitive and rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of nifedipine in human plasma and its application to a bioequivalence study

An ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method has been developed for the determination of nifedipine in human plasma using nifedipine‐d6 as the internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were prepared by solid‐phase extraction on Phenomenex Strata‐X cartridges employing 200 μL human plasma. Chromatography was carried out on Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) analytical column under isocratic conditions using a mobile phase consisting of 4.0 mm ammonium acetate‐acetonitrile (15:85, v/v). The precursor → product ion transitions for nifedipine (m/z 347.2 → 315.2) and IS (m/z 353.1 → 318.1) were monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operating in the multiple reaction monitoring and positive‐ion mode. The method was validated over a wide dynamic concentration range of 0.050–150 ng/mL. Matrix effect was assessed by post‐column analyte infusion and the mean extraction recovery was 95.6% across four quality control levels. The method is rugged and rapid with a total run time of 1.2 min and was applied to a bioequivalence study of 20 mg nifedipine tablet formulation in 30 healthy Indian subjects under fasting condition. Assay reproducibility was confirmed by reanalysis of 116 incurred samples. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a sensitive and rapid UPLC‐MS/MS method for the determination of koumine in rat plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, selective and sensitive method using UPLC‐MS/MS was first developed and validated for quantitative analysis of koumine in rat plasma. A one‐step protein precipitation with methanol was employed as a sample preparation technique. Plasma samples were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, i.d. 1.7 µm) with a gradient mobile phase consisting of methanol with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid and water containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Detection and quantification were performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reaction monitoring mode via positive eletrospray ionization. Good linearity (r > 0.9997) was achieved using weighted (1/x²) least squares linear regression over a concentration range of 0.025–15 µg/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 0.025 µg/mL for koumine. The intra‐ and inter‐ precisions (relative standard deviation) of the assay at all three quality control samples were 5.6–14.1% with an accuracy (relative error) of 5.0–14.0%, which meets the requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration guidance. This developed method was successfully applied to an in vivo pharmacokinetic study in rats after a single intravenous dose of 20 mg/kg koumine. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of THC, 11‐hydroxy‐THC and 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐THC in whole blood by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A qualitative and quantitative analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11‐hydroxy‐Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (11‐OH‐THC) and l1‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH) in whole blood. The samples were prepared by solid‐phase extraction followed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) analysis using positive ion electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. The chromatographic separation was performed with an Acquity UPLC® HSS T3 (50 × 2.1 mm i.d., 1.8 µm) reversed‐phase column using a methanol/2 mM ammonium formate (formic acid 0.1%) gradient in a total run time of 9.5 min. MS/MS detection was achieved with two precursor‐product ion transitions per substance. The method was fully validated, including selectivity and capacity of identification, according to the identification criteria (two transitions per substance, signal‐to‐noise ratio, relative retention time and ion ratio) without the presence of interferences, limit of detection (0.2 µg/L for THC and 0.5 µg/L for 11‐OH‐THC and THC‐COOH), limit of quantitation (0.5 µg/L for all cannabinoids), recovery (53–115%), carryover, matrix effect (34‐43%), linearity (0.5‐100 µg/L), intra‐assay precision (CV < 10% for the relative peak area ratios and <0.1% for the relative retention time), inter‐assay accuracy (mean relative error <10%) and precision (CV <11%). The method has already been successfully used in proficiency tests and subsequently applied to authentic samples in routine forensic analysis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of bupropion,metroprolol, midazolam,phenacetin, omeprazole and tolbutamide in rat plasma by UPLC‐MS/MS and its application to cytochrome P450 activity study in rats

A specific ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method is described for the simultaneous determination of bupropion, metroprolol, midazolam, phenacetin, omeprazole and tolbutamide in rat plasma with diazepam as internal standard, which are the six probe drugs of the six cytochrome P450 isoforms CYP2B6, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9. Plasma samples were protein precipitated with acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was achieved using a UPLC® BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) with gradient elution. The triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection was operated by multiple reaction monitoring in positive electrospray ionization. The precisions were <13%, and the accuracy ranged from 93.3 to 110.4%. The extraction efficiency was >90.5%, and the matrix effects ranged from 84.3 to 114.2%. The calibration curves in plasma were linear in the range of 2–2000 ng/mL, with correlation coefficient (r²) >0.995. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of the six probe drugs of the six CYP450 isoforms and used to evaluate the effects of erlotinib on the activities of CYP2B6, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 in rats. Erlotinib may inhibit the activity of CYP2B6 and CYP3A4, and may induce CYP2C9 of rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of nalbuphine and its prodrug sebacoly dinalbuphine ester in human plasma by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and its application to pharmacokinetic study in humans

A rapid, simple, sensitive and selective ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method for the determination of nalbuphine and its prodrug sebacoly dinalbuphine ester (SDE) was developed and validated in human plasma. The sample pretreatment involves basification and iterative liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl‐ether–dichloromethane (7:3, v/v) solution, followed by LC separation and positive electrospray ionization (ESI) API‐3000 mass spectrometry detection. The chromatography was on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm). The mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water (83:17, v/v) that contained 0.2% formic acid and 4 mm ammonium formate at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Ethylmorphine and naloxine were selected as the SDE and nalbuphine internal standard (IS), respectively. The calibration curve for both was linear over the range from 0.05 to 20 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients ≥0.995. The lower limit of quantification was set at 0.05 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision values for nalbuphine and SDE were acceptable as per FDA guidelines. The method was applied successfully to determine nalbuphine concentration in human plasma samples obtained from four Taiwanese volunteers receiving intramuscularly administration of sebacoyl dinalbuphine ester. The method is sensitive, selective and directly applicable to human pharmacokinetic studies involving nalbuphine. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a UPLC‐MS/MS method for the determination of 7‐hydroxymitragynine,a μ‐opioid agonist,in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A simple, sensitive and specific ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated to determine the concentrations of 7‐hydroxymitragynine in rat plasma. Following a single‐step liquid–liquid extraction of plasma samples using chloroform, 7‐hydroxymitragynine and the internal standard (tryptoline) were separated on an Acquity UPLC^TM BEH C₁₈ (1.7 µm, 2.1 × 50 mm) column using an isocratic elution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% acetic acid in water and 0.1% acetic acid in acetonitrile (10:90, v/v). The run time was 2.5 min. The analysis was carried out under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode using positive electrospray ionization. Protonated ions [M + H]⁺ and their respective product ions were monitored at the following transitions: 415 → 190 for 7‐hydroxymitragynine and 173 → 144 for the internal standard. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 10–4000 ng/mL (r² = 0.999) with a lower limit of quantification of 10 ng/mL. The extraction recoveries ranged from 62.0 to 67.3% at concentrations of 20, 600 and 3200 ng/mL). Intra‐ and inter‐day assay precisions (relative standard deviation) were <15% and the accuracy was within 96.5–104.0%. This validated method was successfully applied to quantify 7‐hydroxymitragynine in rat plasma following intravenous administration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of automated SPE‐LC‐MS/MS method for determination of indapamide in human whole blood and its application to real study samples

A fast and simple liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of indapamide in human whole blood was developed and validated. The sample extraction of indapamide from human whole blood was achieved using automated solid‐phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed on Kinetex C₁₈ column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) using acetonitrile and 2 mm ammonium formate in ratio 90:10 (v/v) as a mobile phase. The mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using positive electrospray ionization for indapamide and the internal standard (zolpidem tartarate). The total run time was 2.5 min. The present method was found to be linear in the concentration range of 1–50 ng/mL with the coefficient of determination 0.9987. The absolute recoveries of indapamide were 90.51–93.90%. The method was validated according the recommendations for validation of bioanalytical methods of European Medicines Agency guideline and was successfully used to analyze human whole blood samples for application in a pharmacokinetic study. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of a UPLC‐MS/MS method for the analysis of alosetron in human plasma to support a bioequivalence study in healthy males and females

A simple, rapid and sensitive ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of alosetron (ALO) in human plasma. The assay method involved solid‐phase extraction of ALO and ALO 13C‐d3 as internal standard (IS) on a LichroSep DVB‐HL (30 mg, 1 cm³) cartridge. The chromatography was performed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) column using acetonitrile and 2.0 mm ammonium formate, pH 3.0 adjusted with 0.1% formic acid (80:20, v/v) as the mobile phase in an isocratic mode. For quantitative analysis, the multiple reaction monitoring transitions studied were m/z 295.1/201.0 for ALO and m/z 299.1/205.1 for IS in the positive ionization mode. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.01–10.0 ng/mL for ALO. Post‐column infusion experiment showed no positive or negative peaks in the elution range of the analyte and IS after injection of extracted blank plasma. The extent of ion‐suppression/enhancement, expressed as IS‐normalized matrix factor, varied from 0.96 to 1.04. The assay recovery was within 97–103% for ALO and IS. The method was successfully applied to support a bioequivalence study of 1.0 mg alosetron tablets in 28 healthy Indian male and female subjects. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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

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

First UHPLC‐MS/MS method coupled with automated online SPE for quantification both of tacrolimus and everolimus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and its application on samples from co‐treated pediatric patients

Tacrolimus (TAC, FK‐506) and everolimus (EVE, RAD001) are immunosuppressors used to treat pediatric patients undergoing liver transplantation. Their hematic TDM by liquid chromatography became standard practice. However, it does not always reflect concentrations at their active site. Our aim was to develop and validate a new method for the simultaneous TAC and EVE quantification into target cells: peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected using cell preparation tubes; cells number and mean cell volume were evaluated by an automatic cell counter. TAC and EVE were quantified using UHPLC–MS/MS coupled with an automated online solid‐phase extraction platform. Chromatographic run was performed on an Acquity UPLC® BEH C18 1.7 μm (2.1 × 50 mm) column at 45 °C, for 6 min at 0.5 ml/min. Mobile phases were water and methanol, both with 2 mm ammonium acetate and 1 ml/l formic acid). XBridge® C8 10 μm (1 × 10 mm) SPE cartridges were used, and the internal standard was ascomycin. Following Food and Drug Administration guidelines, method validation resulted in high sensitivity and specificity. Calibration curves were linear (r ² = 0.998) and intra‐day and inter‐day imprecision and inaccuracy were <15%. A reproducible matrix effect was observed, with a good recovery for all compounds. Drug amounts in 15 ‘real’ PBMCs samples from five pediatric patients in co‐treatment resulted within the calibration range (0.039–5 ng). Concentrations from each patient were standardized using their evaluated mean cell volume: intra‐PBMCs concentration was meanly 19.23 and 218.61 times higher than the hematic one for TAC and EVE, respectively. This method might be useful in clinical routine, giving reliable data on drugs concentration at the active site. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of ampicillin in bovine milk by coupled‐column ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

This work reports the use of two‐dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography system coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of ampicillin in bovine milk. A restrict access media column (RAM‐BSA C₈, 50 × 2.1 mm, Luna, 10 μm, 100 Å) was used in the first dimension in order to exclude macromolecules, while an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column was used in the second dimension. Three different channels of selected reaction monitoring (SRM) were used: 350 > 106 m/z, 350 > 160 m/z, and 350 > 192 m/z. The first transition was used for the quantification (higher intensity), and latter two for confirmation. The developed method is simple and requires a total analysis time of only 14 min/sample. The sample treatment involved only a centrifugation step for 20 min. The validated method has been successfully applied to monitor AMP residues in raw milk samples. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the use of ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) in 2D configuration.     

Ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of gambogenic acid in dog plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A highly sensitive and rapid ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of gambogenic acid in dog plasma. Gambogic acid was used as an internal standard (IS). After a simple liquid–liquid extraction by ethyl acetate, the analyte and internal standard were separated on an Acquity BEH C₁₈ (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm; Waters ) column at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, using 0.1% formic acid–methanol (10:90, v/v) as mobile phase. Electrospray ionization source was applied and operated in the positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring mode with the transitions m/z 631.3 → 507.3 and m/z 629.1 → 573.2 was used to quantify gambogenic acid and the internal standard, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 5–1000 ng/mL, with a coefficient of determination (r) of 0.999 and good calculated accuracy and precision. The low limit of quantification was 5 ng/mL. The intra‐and inter‐day precisions (relative standard deviations) were <15%. The methodology recoveries were more than 66.63%. This validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after intravenous injection administration of gambogenic acid in dogs at a dose of 1 mg/kg. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of chromatography to overcome matrix effect for reliable estimation of four small molecular drugs from biological fluids using LC–MS/MS

The article describes a systematic study to overcome the matrix effect during chromatographic analysis of gemfibrozil, rivastigmine, telmisartan and tacrolimus from biological fluids using LC–ESI–MS/MS. All four methods were thoroughly developed by the appropriate choice of analytical column, elution mode and pH of mobile phase for improved chromatography and overall method performance. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column analyte infusion, slope of calibration line approach and post-extraction spiking. The best chromatographic conditions established were: Acquity BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column with 5.0 mm ammonium acetate, pH 6.0–methanol as the mobile phase under gradient program for gemfibrozil; Luna CN (50 × 2.0 mm, 3 μm) column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–10 mm ammonium acetate, pH 7.0 (90:10, v/v) for rivastigmine; Inertsustain C₁₈ (100 × 2.0 mm, 5 μm) column using methanol–2.0 mm ammonium formate, pH 5.5 (80: 20, v/v) as the mobile phase for isocratic elution of telmisartan; and Acquity BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with methanol–10 mm ammonium acetate, pH 6.0 (95:5, v/v) as mobile phase for tacrolimus. The methods were thoroughly validated as per European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration guidance and were successfully applied for pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects.     

Simultaneous determination of eight bioactive components of Qishen Yiqi dripping pills in rat plasma using UFLC–MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

In this study, a rapid and reliable ultra‐fast liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of eight active ingredients, including astragaloside IV, ononin, tanshinol, protocatechualdehyde, protocatechuic acid, salvianolic acid D, rosmarinic acid and ginsenoside Rg₁, in rat plasma. The plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC® BEH C₁₈ column (1.7 μm particles, 2.1 × 100 mm). The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% aqueous formic acid (A)–acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid (B) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Quantification was performed on a triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization by multiple reaction monitoring both in the negative and in the positive ion mode. The lower limit of quantification of tanshinol was 2.0 ng/mL and the others were 5.0 ng/mL. The extraction recoveries, matrix effects, intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of eight tested components were all within acceptable limits. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of the eight active constituents after intragastric administration of three doses (1.0, 3.0, 6.0 g/kg body weight) of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills to rats.     

Simultaneous determination of gelsemine and koumine in rat plasma by UPLC‐MS/MS and application to pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of Gelsemium elegans Benth extract

A simple, rapid and sensitive method using UPLC‐MS/MS was established and validated for simultaneous determination of gelsemine and koumine in rat plasma after oral administration of Gelsemium elegans Benth extract. Plasma was performed with methanol precipitation and berberine was chosen as the internal standard. Plasma samples were separated on an Acquity UPLC® BEH C₁₈ column (3.0 × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Multiple reaction monitoring mode in positive ion mode was utilized for detection. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.2–100 ng/mL for gelsemine and 0.1–50 ng/mL for koumine, with the lower limits of quantification 0.2 and 0.1 ng/mL, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐precision and accuracy were well within the acceptable ranges. The developed method was successfully applied to an in vivo pharmacokinetic study in rat after oral administration of 10 mg/kg Gelsemium elegans Benth extract.