Rapid and Selective LC�CMS�CMS Method for the Determination of cyclo-trans-4-l-Hydroxyprolyl-l-serine (JBP485) in Rat Plasma

A rapid and selective liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of JBP485 was developed and validated. Following protein precipitation, the analyte and internal standard (JBP923) were separated from human plasma using an isocratic mobile phase on an Elite Kromasil C18 column. An API 3200 tandem mass spectrometer equipped with a Turbo ionSpray ionization source was used as the detector and operated in the positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring using the precursor to product ion combinations of m/z 201.2 ?? 86.2 and m/z 219.2 ?? 86.2 was performed to quantify JBP485 and JBP923, respectively. The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.10?C50.00 ??g mL^?1 using 100 ??L of plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 0.10 ??g mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations over the entire concentration range were less than 6.65%. Accuracy determined at three concentrations (0.25, 4.00 and 25.00 ??g mL^?1 for JBP485) ranged from ?0.78 to 2.74% in terms of relative error. Each plasma sample was chromatographed within 2.0 min. The method was successfully applied to characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of JBP485 in rats after an intravenous injection of 6.25 mg kg^?1 JBP485.     

Quantitative Determination of Anti-Inflammatory Columbianetin in Rat Plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS for Pharmacokinetic Studies after Oral Administration of Duhuo Extract

Specific LC-ESI-MS/MS method or procedure was developed and validated for columbianetin quantification in rat plasma using epicatechin as an internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on an Eclipse plus C18 (150 × 4.6 mm, 1.8 ??m) at a flow rate of 0.300 mL min^?1, and water-acetonitrile was used as mobile phase. The calibration curve of the method was linear in the concentration range of 5?C1,000 ng mL^?1. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precision of the quality control samples was within 15.0%, and the accuracy was within 90.0?C110%. The recoveries were more than 90.0% for columbianetin at concentrations of 10, 200 and 1,000 ng mL^?1, respectively. This method was successfully applied for evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of columbianetin after oral doses of 0.60 g kg^?1 Angelica pubescence extract in rats.     

LC�CMS Method for Determination of Amphotericin B in Rabbit Tears and Its Application to Ocular Pharmacokinetic Study

A rapid and sensitive LC?CMS?CMS method was developed for the quantification of amphotericin B in rabbit tears using natamycin as internal standard. The analyte and internal standard were extracted from the tear sample using a solid phase extraction method. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Phenomenex Luna 3 ??m CN column (100 × 2 mm, 3 ??m) using 3.5 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4):methanol (10:90) as mobile phase. The assay was validated with a linear range of 0.1?C3.2 ??g mL^?1 for amphotericin B using 10 ??L of tear sample. The intra- and inter-day assay precision ranged from 2.49 to 4.37 and 2.17 to 5.59%, respectively, and intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was between from 0.27 to 3.32 and ?0.51 to 3.72%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic studies of amphotericin B eye drops in rabbit tears.     

Simultaneous Ion-Pair LC Analysis of Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine in Rat Liver Microsomal Incubations: Application to In-Vitro Metabolism

(?)-Ephedrine (ephedrine, EPH) and (+)-ephedrine (pseudoephedrine, PEPH) are metabolized by the liver, but the species of hepatocyte cytochrome P450 (CYP450) responsible is not yet clear. To investigate which subtype of CYP450 is involved in the metabolism of EPH and PEPH, a rapid and reliable reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for simultaneous analysis of EPH and PEPH in rat liver microsomes has been established and validated. Matrine was selected as a suitable internal standard (IS) for calibration. After liquid?Cliquid extraction of liver microsomal samples with methyl tert-butyl ether, EPH and PEPH were separated on a C₁₈ reversed-phase column (200 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 ??m) with methanol?C0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate?Cphosphoric acid?Ctriethylamine 60:40:1.25:1 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min. Detection was by UV absorbance at 210.5 nm. For both EPH and PEPH, calibration curves were linear over the range 1.5?C60.0 ??g mL^?1, the limit of quantification was 1.5 ??g mL^?1, and intra-day and inter-day variability was <10.0%. Average extraction recovery of the two analytes was >73%. The validated method was successfully used to study the in-vitro metabolism of EPH and PEPH. In rat liver microsomes induced by dexamethasone, enzyme activity in the metabolism of EPH and PEPH was higher than that for metabolism of phenobarbital and ??-naphthoflavone.     

Determination of Tectorigenin in Rat Plasma: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study After Oral Administration of Tectorigenin or Its Prodrug Tectoridin

A simple, sensitive, and validated liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of tectorigenin in rat plasma and application to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of tectorigenin or its prodrug tectoridin. The analysis was performed on a Kromasil C₁₈ analytical column using gradient elution with acetonitrile 0.1% phosphonic acid water at 0.8 mL min^?1. The detection wavelength for UV detection was set at 264 nm. The established method was fully validated with parameters as follows: the intra- and inter-day assay precisions (CV) of three analytes were in the range of 4.2–13.3% and accuracies were between 98.0 and 107.5%; the calibration curve was linear with r ² > 0.99 over a concentration range of 0.02–2 μg mL^?1; the lower limit of quantification was 0.02 μg mL^?1; tectorigenin showed stable in rat plasma after 12 h incubation at room temperature, 15 days storage at ?80 °C and three freeze/thaw cycles, as well as in reconstitute buffer for 24 h at 25 °C; and the mean recoveries of tectorigenin were 92.3 ± 3.2, 95.5 ± 2.9 and 94.5 ± 3.0% with quality control levels of 0.02, 0.2 and 2 μg mL^?1, respectively. In conclusion, this method is simple, economic, and sensitive enough for in vivo pharmacokinetic studies of tectorigenin.     

LC Analysis of Isepamicin in Plasma Samples Post-Inhalation with Fluorescence Detection and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A simple and novel LC method has been developed for determination of isepamicin (ISP) in rat plasma, an aminoglycoside antibiotic agent. After protein precipitation and clean-up procedure to remove lipophilic contaminants, ISP is derivatized by pre-column with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate for fluorescence detection. Chromatographic separations are achieved using a C18 column and mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile (68/32, v/v). Amikacin was used as an internal standard. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 0.625–15 μg mL^?1. The limit of quantification was 0.45 μg mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day variabilities of ISP were both less than 5%. Both derivatives were stable for at least a week at ambient condition. This assay procedure should have useful application in therapeutic drug monitoring of ISP. The limit of detection was 0.10 μg mL^?1. The specificity, assay linearity, low level assay linearity and assay repeatability were also investigated. The established method provides a reliable bioanalytical method to carry out isepamicin pharmacokinetics in rat plasma.     

LC Tissue Distribution Study of Paeonol in Rats after Oral Administration

Paeonol, an important constituent of the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Moutan, has a variety of bioactivity. A simple and sensitive HPLC?CUV method has been developed for analysis of paeonol in different rat tissue (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain). Bio-samples were prepared by simple protein precipitation, and separation of paeonol was achieved on a C₁₈ column with methanol?C2% glacial acetic acid solution 70:30 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. UV detection was at 274 nm and the column temperature was 30 °C. Linearity was good between 0.025 and 5.0 ??g mL^?1 (r ² ?? 0.9990) for tissue samples. Inter-day and intra-day accuracy (as relative error, RE) and precision (as relative standard deviation, RSD) were <5.94 and 6.05%, respectively. The limit of detection was 0.025 ??g mL^?1 and extraction recovery for all samples was ??85.86%. The method was successfully applied to a tissue-distribution study after oral administration of 40 mg kg^?1 paeonol to healthy Sprague?CDawley rats. The study showed that paeonol was quickly distributed and eliminated after oral administration; liver and kidney were the major distribution tissues of paeonol in rats, and paeonol quickly passed through the blood?Cbrain barrier. It was also found there was no long-term accumulation of paeonol in rat tissues.     

Extraction of Azole Antifungal Drugs from Milk and Biological Fluids Using a New Hollow Fiber Liquid-Phase Microextraction and Analysis by GC-FID

A simple, rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography LC (HPLC) method of determining the concentration of the novel betulinic acid derivative DRF-4012 (5??-chloro-2,3-didehydroindolo[2??,3??:2,3]betulinic acid) in rat plasma for pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic purposes has been developed and validated. A simple and fast protein precipitation was performed, and then an extraction using an ethyl acetate:methanol (75:25 v/v) mixture was used to extract DRF-4012 and an internal standard (IS, DRF-4015) from rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C8 reversed-phase column with UV detection at 235 nm. The isocratic mobile phase, phosphate buffer (water adjusted to pH 3 with 20% o-phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile (15:85, v/v), was run at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min^?1. The assay was linear (r ² > 0.99) over the concentration range 0.040?C75.0 ??g mL^?1, and presented limits of detection and quantification of 0.020 and 0.040 ??g mL^?1, respectively, in rat plasma. The absolute recovery of both the analyte and the IS was >85% from rat plasma. The intraday accuracy ranged from 99.25 to 102.67% with a precision of 2.62?C4.48%, and the interday accuracy ranged from 98.48 to 104.56% with a precision of 3.87?C5.68%. This developed and validated method was successfully used to determine the DRF-4012 concentration in rat plasma for a pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic study after the intravenous administration of a 1 mg mL^?1 DRF-4012 nanoparticle formulation at doses of 2?C10 mg kg^?1 in Wistar rats.     

HILIC-MS-MS for the Quantification of Pidotimod in Human Plasma

A method for fast, sensitive, and specific hydrophilic interaction chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) was developed for the first time to determine the level of pidotimod in human plasma. With rosiglitazone as internal standard, analysis was carried out on a HILIC column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 3.5 ??m) using a mobile phase consisting of methanol:0.2% formic acid (60:40, v/v). Detection was carried out by tandem mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization (ESI). Linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 11.2?C1.12 × 10⁴ ng mL^?1 for pidotimod, with a lower limit of quantification of 11.2 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precision values were high, with standard deviations lower than 15%, and the accuracy, in terms of relative error, ranged from ?10.5 to 9.4% at all quality control (QC) levels.     

Simultaneous Determination of Pethidine and Atropine in Rabbit Plasma by LC�CMS�CMS and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study after Intramuscular Administration

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography?Ctandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of pethidine and atropine in rabbit plasma was developed and validated. The analytes and internal standard (IS) are extracted from plasma by liquid?Cliquid extraction using ethyl acetate, and separated on a Zorbax SB-Aq column (2.1 × 150 mm, 3.5 ??m) using acetonitrile?C0.1% formic acid as mobile phase with gradient elution. Electrospray ionization source was applied and operated in positive ion mode, and multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for quantification using target fragment ions m/z 247.8 ?? 219.7 for pethidine, m/z 289.9 ?? 123.8 for atropine and m/z 295.0 ?? 266.8 for IS, respectively. The assay is linear over the range of 5?C1,000 ng mL^?1 for pethidine and atropine, with a lower limit of quantification of 3 ng mL^?1 for pethidine and 5 ng mL^?1 for atropine. Intra-day and inter-day precision are less than 11% and the accuracy are in the range of 90.4?C106.3%. Furthermore, the newly developed method is successfully used for the determination of pethidine and atropine in rabbit plasma for pharmacokinetic study.     

Separation and Determination of Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline in Biological Samples Using Single-Drop Microextraction with GC

The combination of liquid phase microextraction (LPME) based on a single drop and gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) was used for separation and determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in human plasma and urine samples. The sample solution was kept alkaline (pH 12), then a microdrop of organic solvent (isooctane) was suspended in the donor solution; after extraction, the organic microdrop was injected into the GC-FID. Experimental LPME conditions were optimized. Finally, the enrichment factors (89.5?C139.0), the relative standard deviation (RSD%, n = 5) 1.1?C8.5, linearity ranges (0.05?C20 ??g mL^?1), and the limits of detections (0.01, 0.02 ??g mL^?1) for selected drugs were evaluated.     

Determination of Rizatriptan in Human Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Stable Isotope Dilution Electrospray MS�CMS for Application in Bioequivalence Study

A simple, sensitive, selective, rapid, rugged, reproducible and specific liquid chromatography?Ctandem mass spectrometry (LC?CMS/MS) method was used for quantitative estimation of rizatriptan (RZ) in human plasma using rizatriptan-d ₆ (RZD6) as internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on Ascentis Express RP Amide C18, 50 × 4.6 mm, 2.7 ??m column with isocratic mobile phase composed of 10 mM ammonium formate:acetonitrile (20:80 v/v) at flow rate of 0.5 mL min^?1. RZ and RZD6 were detected with proton adducts at m/z (amu) 270.2 ?? 201.2 and 276.1 ?? 207.1, respectively, in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) positive mode. Liquid?Cliquid extraction was used and validated over a linear concentration range of 0.1?C100.0 ng mL^?1 with correlation coefficient r ² ?? 0.9981. The limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) were found to be 0.1 ng mL^?1 and 12.5 fg, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision were within 1.7?C3.1% and 2.8?C3.7%, and accuracy within 96.0?C101.7% and 99.7?C101.4% for RZ. Drug was found to be stable throughout three freeze?Cthaw cycles. The method was successfully employed for analysis of plasma samples following oral administration of RZ (10 mg) in 25 healthy Indian male human volunteers under fasting conditions.     

Pharmacokinetic Study of ZS-1, a Targeted Peptide to NCI-H1299, in Rats Following Intravenous Administration

To investigate the pharmacokinetics of ZS-1 following intravenous injection in rats, ZS-1 was administered at doses of 20, 30 and 45 mg kg^?1, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 0.5, 3, 8, 12, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 45 min. ZS-1 in rat plasma was measured by LC. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.02 μg mL^?1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of intra- and inter-day precisions were <10%, and the accuracy of intra- and inter-day were >94%. The mean extraction recovery of ZS-1 was 86.1%. After intravenous injection at doses of 20, 30 and 45 mg kg^?1, the concentration–time curves of ZS-1 fitted well to one compartment model. Area under the concentration–time curves (AUC) increased with dose. Clearance rates (CL) and elimination half-lives (T _1/2) had no significant difference between different dose groups (P > 0.05). ZS-1 was stable in plasma after at 25 °C for 2, 4, 6 h, after three freeze–thaw cycles, after ?20 °C for a month, and after ?80 °C for 3 months. The accuracy of ZS-1 was between 96.8 and 106.9%. The results indicated there was no significant degradation. These data indicated that the method for analysis of ZS-1 was reliable and the pharmacokinetic data could guide dosing regimens to be tested in future clinical pharmacokinetic study.     

Rapid and Sensitive RP-LC Method for the Quantification and Pharmacokinetic Study of p-Hydroxyphenethyl Anisate in Rat Plasma

A rapid, sensitive and specific reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the quantification of p-hydroxyphenethyl anisate (HPA), which is one of the main constituents of Notopterygium Radix (underground parts of Notopterygium incisum and N. forbesii), in rat plasma, and study its pharmacokinetics after the intravenous administration of 40 mg kg^?1 HPA to rats. The method involves a plasma clear-up step using liquid–liquid extraction by ethyl acetate, followed by RP-LC separation and detection. Separation of HPA was performed on an analytical Diamonsil ODS C₁₈ column equipped with a Dikma ODS C₁₈ EasyGuard column using a mobile phase consisting of MeOH–H₂O (75:25, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The UV detection was performed at a wavelength of 256 nm. The linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.05–5.0 μg mL^?1 (r = 0.9992, n = 5) in rat plasma with the lower limit of detection of 0.01 μg mL^?1 and the lower limit of quantification of 0.04 μg mL^?1, and the extraction recovery of HPA was calculated to be the range of 82.01–86.66%. The intra- and inter-day precisions in terms of % relative standard deviation were lower than 2.33 and 3.99% in rat plasma, respectively, with accuracies ranging from 91.22 to 110.5%. The developed method was suitable for the determination and pharmacokinetic study of HPA in rat plasma.     

LC Determination of trans-3,5,3′,4′,5′-Pentamethoxystilbene in Rat Plasma

A simple LC method has been developed and validated to determine trans-3,5,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxystilbene (PMS) in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved through gradient delivery of acetonitrile and water (1.5 mL min^?1) at 50 °C. PMS was quantified using UV detection at 320 nm. The standard curve ranged from 15 to 1,500 ng mL^?1. The intra- and inter-day precisions, in terms of CV, were all less than 10% while the inter-day and intra-day bias ranged from ?6.8 to 8.3%. The plasma PMS levels were monitored in Sprague-Dawley rats after drug administration. This simple LC method appears to be useful in the pharmacokinetic investigation of PMS.     

An Accurate Assay for Simultaneous Determination of Irinotecan and Its Active Metabolite SN-38 in Rat Plasma by LC with Fluorescence Detection

An accurate LC method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of irinotecan (CPT-11) and its active metabolite SN-38 in rat plasma. Plasma samples were pretreated with 0.4 g mL^?1 sodium dodecyl sulfate to inactive the carboxylesterase and avoid the conversion of CPT-11 to SN-38. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Diamaonsil C₁₈ column using acetonitrile–50 mM phosphate buffered solution (30:70, v/v) at pH 4.0 as the mobile phase with the flow rate of 1 mL min^?1. The linear quantitation ranges for CPT-11 and SN-38 were 5.05–3,030 and 3.15–315 ng mL^?1 with r ² > 0.99, respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 2.33 ng mL^?1 for CPT-11 and 0.26 ng mL^?1 for SN-38 with intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation of <12% and the accuracy values of >90%. The method was proved to be accurate and sensitive enough and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of CPT-11 in rats.     

Quantitative Determination of Phillyrin in Human Plasma Using HPLC with Fluorescence Detection

A simple, rapid, and selective high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of phillyrin in human plasma was developed. After extracting from the plasma samples with ethyl acetate, the analyte was chromatographed on a C18 column with methanol–water (50:50, v/v, pH 2.86) as mobile phase. The fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths were 277 and 315 nm, respectively. The linear range of the standard curve of phillyrin was 0.0313–8.0 μg mL^?1 (r > 0.999). The limit of detection was 6.31 ng mL^?1. The average recovery of phillyrin was 101.02% from plasma. The intra- and inter-day variabilities of phillyrin were <10.00%.     

LC Determination of a Novel Synthetic Thiazolidinedione (BP-1107) in Rat Plasma and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

A simple, rapid, sensitive and reliable liquid chromatographic method for the quantification of BP-1107 in rat plasma has been established. Plasma samples were prepared by extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether, and troglitazone was used as an internal standard. The analytical separation was performed on a C₁₈ column using acetonitrile–0.3% phosphoric acid in water (pH 4.00 adjusted with triethylamine) (75:25, v/v) as a mobile phase. A detailed validation of the method was performed as per USFDA guidelines. For BP-1107 at the concentrations of 2.42, 16.11 and 32.22 μg mL^?1 in rat plasma, the extraction recoveries were 114.14 ± 9.75, 95.37 ± 12.06 and 90.00 ± 6.46%, respectively. The mean recovery for internal standard was 91.96 ± 2.51%. The lower limit of quantitation of BP-1107 was 16 ng. The linear quantification range of the method was 0.81–53.70 μg mL^?1 in rat plasma with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.999. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy for BP-1107 at 2.42, 16.11 and 32.22 μg mL^?1 levels in rat plasma fell between 97.10–110.02 and 97.52–108.04%. The intra-day and inter-day precision were in the ranges of 1.91–5.63 and 4.43–6.28%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of BP-1107 in rats after an intravenous administration.     

LC Quantification of RT-B: The Active Metabolite of a New Resveratrol Derivative RT-A in Rat Plasma

RT-A, a new prodrug based on resveratrol, is currently under investigation. Preclinical studies in rats indicate that RT-A is readily absorbed and rapidly split into an active metabolite RT-B by lysase of the ester bond. An LC method was developed for the determination of RT-B in rat plasma. The assay was performed on a 5 μm Elite C₁₈ column (200 mm × 4.6 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–0.1% phosphoric acid (28:72, v/v, pH 1.8) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. Detection was at 318 nm, and baicalin was used as an internal standard. Calibration was linear over the range of 0.04–10 μg mL^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994. The mean extraction recoveries of RT-B determined over the concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, and 5.0 μg mL^?1 were (86.5 ± 6.8) %, (82.6 ± 2.0) %, and (92.7 ± 7.9) %. The RSD of intra- and inter-day precisions were all less than 10%. This method was successfully applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of RT-B after intravenous administration of RT-A.