Simultaneous determination of udenafil and its active metabolite, DA-8164, in human plasma and urine using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, sensitive, and simple ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) method for the determination of udenafil and its active metabolite, DA-8164, in human plasma and urine using sildenafil as an internal standard (IS) was developed and validated. Udenafil, DA-8164 and IS from a 100 microL aliquot of biological samples were extracted by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was carried on an Acquity UPLC BEH C(18) column (50 x 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.7 microm) with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and containing 0.1% formic acid (75:25, v/v) at flow rate of 0.4 mL/min, and total run time was within 1 min. Detection and quantification was performed by the mass spectrometer using multiple reaction-monitoring mode at m/z 517 --> 283 for udenafil, m/z 406 --> 364 for DA-8164 and m/z 475 --> 100 for IS. The assay was linear over a concentration range of 1-600 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL in both human plasma and urine. The coefficient of variation of this assay precision was less than 13.7%, and the accuracy exceeded 92.0%. This method was successfully applied for pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of udenafil 100 mg to healthy Korean male volunteers.     

Rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of ziprasidone in human plasma

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of ziprasidone (ZIP) in human plasma was developed. ZIP and N-methyl ziprasidone as internal standard (IS) were extracted from alkalinized plasma using tert- butyl methyl ether. Separation was performed isocratically on a C8 column with 90% acetonitrile containing 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate as a mobile phase with a total run time of 2.5 min. MS/MS transitions of m/z 413 --> 194 and m/z 427 --> 177 of the analyte and internal standard were used for quantification. Confirmatory ions of m/z 413 --> 177 and m/z 427 --> 180 were collected as well. The calibration curve based on peak-area ratio was linear up to at least 200 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL. The method showed satisfactory reproducibility with a coefficient of variation of less than 5%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of ZIP in spiked human plasma.     

Rapid and sensitive determination of donepezil in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of donepezil in human plasma samples. Diphenhydramine was used as the internal standard. The collision-induced transition m/z 380 --> 91 was used to analyze donepezil in selected reaction monitoring mode. The signal intensity of the m/z 380 --> 91 transition was found to relate linearly with donepezil concentrations in plasma from 0.1-20.0 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification of the LC/MS/MS method was 0.1 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were below 10.2% and the accuracy was between -2.3% and +2.8%. The validated LC/MS/MS method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in which healthy Chinese volunteers each received a single oral dose of 5 mg donepezil hydrochloride. The non-compartmental pharmacokinetic model was used to fit the donepezil plasma concentration-time curve. Maximum plasma concentration was 12.3 +/- 2.73 ng/mL which occurred at 3.50 +/- 1.61 h post-dosing. The apparent elimination half-life and the area under the curve were, respectively, 60.86 +/- 12.05 h and 609.3 +/- 122.2 ng . h/mL. LC/MS/MS is a rapid, sensitive and specific method for determining donepezil in human plasma samples.     

Determination of clopidogrel in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and sensitive LC/MS/MS assay was developed and validated for the determination of clopidogrel in human plasma. Clopidogrel was extracted by single liquid-liquid extraction with pentane, and chromatographic separations were achieved on a C(18) column. The method was validated to demonstrate the specificity, linearity, recovery, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), stability, accuracy and precision. The multiple reaction monitoring was based on m/z transition of 322.2 --> 211.9 for clopidogrel and 264.1 --> 125.1 for ticlopidine (internal standard). The total analytical run time was relatively short (3 min), and the LLOQ was 10 pg/mL using 0.5 mL of human plasma. The assay was linear over a concentration range from 10 to 10,000 pg/mL (r > 0.999). The intra- and inter-day accuracies were 101.3-108.8 and 98.4-103.5%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay precisions were 1.9-5.5 and 4.4-8.1%, respectively. The developed assay method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in human volunteers after oral administration of clopidogrel at a dose of 150 mg.     

Rapid and sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method for pharmacokinetic assessment of ribavirin in healthy Chinese

A rapid and sensitive quantitative assay method was developed for determining ribavirin pharmacokinetic in human plasma. The chromatographic separation was achieved within 4.5 min using a SinoChrom ODS-BP column (4.6 x 150 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-water (1 mmol/L ammonium acetate buffer, 0.1% formic acid; 15:85, v/v) at a constant flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The MRM pairs were m/z 245.2 --> m/z 113.1 for ribavirin and m/z 226.1 --> m/z 152.1 for acyclovir (internal standard), respectively, with dwell times of 200 ms for each transition. The results showed calibration curve for ribavirin was linear over a concentration range of 1-1000 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ng/mL ribavirin. Twenty healthy volunteers received a 300 mg oral dose of ribavirin. Blood samples were then collected up to 120 h postdosing. All plasma data were comodeled for ribavirin by using noncompartmental modeling. The single dose of ribavirin was well tolerated and no serious adverse effects occurred. The mean time to maximum concentration was about 1.25 h. The mean maximum concentration of drug in plasma for oral ribavirin was 250 ng/mL. The mean elimination half-life was 43.6 h. The present study describes a simple, specific, sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method for measuring plasma drug concentration and analyzing human pharmacokinetics of ribavirin.     

Development of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of PM02734, a novel antineoplastic agent, in dog plasma

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) assay was developed and validated to quantify a novel antineoplastic agent, PM02734, in dog plasma. The method was validated to demonstrate the specificity, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, and precision of measurements. The calibration range for PM02734 was established using PM02734 standards from 0.05 to 100 ng/mL in blank plasma. The dominating ions were doubly charged molecular ions [M+2H]2+ at m/z 740.0 instead of singly charged ones at m/z 1478.4. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM), based on the m/z 740.0 --> 212.2 transition, was specific for PM02734, and that based on the m/z 743.8 --> 212.2 transition was specific for deuterated PM02734 (the internal standard, IS); no endogenous materials interfered with the analysis of PM02734 and IS from blank plasma. The assay was linear over the concentration range 0.05-100 ng/mL. In terms of sensitivity of assay 0.05 ng/mL is a very low LLOQ, especially considering PM02734 is a peptide. The correlation coefficients for the calibration curves ranged from 0.9990 to 0.9999. The mean intraday and interday accuracies for all calibration standards (n = 9) ranged from 93 to 111% (< or =11% bias) in dog plasma, and the mean interday precision for all calibration standards was less than 6.4%. The mean intra- and interday assay accuracy for all quality control replicates in dog plasma (n = 9), determined at each QC level throughout the validated runs, ranged from 85-111% (< or =15% bias) and from 99-109% (< or =9% bias), respectively. The mean intra- and interday assay precision was less than 12.1 and 13.3% for all QC levels, respectively. The assay has been used to support preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) and toxicokinetic studies. The results showed that preclinical samples could be monitored for PM02734 up to 168 h after dosing, which allowed us to identify multiple elimination phases and accurately estimate PK information.     

Rapid quantification of lisinopril in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

An assay based on protein precipitation and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of lisinopril in human plasma. After the addition of enalaprilat as internal standard (IS), plasma samples were prepared by one-step protein precipitation using perchloric acid followed by an isocratic elution with 10 mm ammonium acetate buffer (pH adjusted to 5.0 with acetic acid)-methanol (70:30, v/v) on a Phenomenex Luna 5 mu C(18) (2) column. Detection was performed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operating in positive ion and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor to product ion transitions m/z 406 --> 246 for lisinopril and m/z 349 --> 206 for enalaprilat. Calibration curves of lisinopril in human plasma were linear (r = 0.9973-0.9998) over the concentration range 2-200 ng/mL with acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantification in human plasma were 1 and 2 ng/mL, respectively. The validated LC-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study of lisinopril in Chinese healthy male volunteers.     

Determination of roxatidine in human plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry and application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of roxatidine in human plasma. Roxatidine was extracted by single liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether, and the chromatographic separation was performed on a C8 column. The total analytical run time was relatively short (5 min), and the limit of assay quantification was 2 ng/mL using 0.1 mL of human plasma. Roxatidine and the internal standard, propranolol, were monitored in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode at m/z 307.3 and 260.3, respectively. The standard curve was linear over a concentration range from 2-500 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficients were >0.999. The mean intra- and inter-day assay accuracy ranged from 103.4-108.8% and 102.3-110.0%, respectively, and the mean intra- and inter-day precision was between 3.3-8.8% and 5.3-6.2%, respectively. The developed assay method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in human volunteers after oral administration of roxatidine acetate hydrochloride at a dose of 75 mg.     

A high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of artemisinin in rat plasma

Artemisinin is a widely used antimalarial drug. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of artemisinin in rats, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of artemisinin in rat plasma. For detection, a Sciex API 4000 LC/MS/MS instrument with an electrospray ionization (ESI) TurboIonSpray inlet in the positive ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used to monitor precursor ([M+NH4]+) --> product ions of m/z 300.4 --> 209.4 for artemisinin and m/z 316.4 --> 163.4 for artemether, the internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were pretreated by a simple liquid-liquid extraction with ether. The standard curve was linear (r > 0.99) over the artemisinin concentration range of 1.0-200.0 ng/mL in plasma. The method had a lower limit of quantification of 1.0 ng/mL for artemisinin in 100 microL of plasma, which offered a satisfactory sensitivity for the determination of artemisinin. The intra- and inter-day precisions were measured to be within +/-5.3% and accuracy between -2.6% and 1.2% for all quality control samples, lower limit of quantification and upper limit of quantification samples. The extraction recoveries of artemisinin and the IS were 95.4 +/- 4.5% and 92.8 +/- 3.9%, respectively. This present method was successfully applied to the characterization of the pharmacokinetic profile of artemisinin in rats after oral administration.     

Simultaneous determination of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with positive/negative ion-switching electrospray ionisation

A new method for simultaneous determination of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) operated in positive and negative ionization switching mode was developed and validated. Protein precipitation with acetonitrile was selected for sample preparation. The analytes were separated on a Phenomenex Curosil-PFP (250x4.6 mm, 5 microm) column by a gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of 0.15% formic acid solution containing 0.23% ammonium acetate and methanol pumped at a flow rate of 1.0 mL.min(-1). Rizatriptan was used as the internal standard (IS) for quantification. The determination was carried out on a Waters Quattro-micro triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using the following transitions monitored simultaneously: positive m/z 230-->171 for amiloride, m/z 270-->158 for rizatriptan, and negative m/z 296-->205 for hydrochlorothiazide. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) were 0.1 and 1.0 ng.mL(-1) for amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively, which were lower than other published methods by using ultraviolet (UV), fluorimetric or mass spectrometric detection. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were studied at three different concentration levels and were always better than 15% (n=5). This simple and robust LC/MS/MS method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of compound amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide tablets in healthy male Chinese volunteers.     

Development of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of PM00104, a novel antineoplastic agent, in mouse, rat, dog, and human plasma

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) assay was developed and validated to quantify a novel antineoplastic agent, PM00104, in mouse, rat, dog, and human plasma. The method was validated to demonstrate the specificity, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, and precision of measurements. The calibration range for PM00104 was established using PM00104 standards from 0.01-5.0 ng/mL in blank plasma. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM), based on the m/z 692.2 --> 218.2 transition, was specific for PM00104, and that based on the m/z 697.2 --> 218.2 transition was specific for PM00104 ((13)C(2),(2)H(3)) (the internal standard, IS); no endogenous materials interfered with the analysis of PM00104 and IS from blank plasma. The assay was linear over the concentration range 0.01-5.0 ng/mL. The correlation coefficients for the calibration curves ranged from 0.9981-0.9999. The mean intra-day and inter-day accuracies for all calibration standards (n = 8) ranged from 97-105% (< or =5% bias) in human plasma, and the mean inter-day precision for all calibration standards was less than 8.5%. The mean intra- and inter-day assay accuracy for all quality control (QC) replicates in human plasma (n = 9), determined at each QC level throughout the validated runs, ranged from 96-112% (< or =12% bias) and from 102-105% (< or =5% bias), respectively. The mean intra- and inter-day assay precision was less than 15.0 and 11.8% for all QC levels, respectively. For the QC samples prepared in animal species plasma, the %CV values of the assays ranged from 1.8-8.8% in mouse plasma, from 3.7-13.8% in rat plasma, and from 3.0-7.2% in dog plasma. The assay accuracies ranged from 92-102% (< or =8% bias) for all QC levels prepared in mouse plasma; ranged from 93-106% (< or =7% bias) in rat plasma; and ranged from 95-114% (< or =14% bias) in dog plasma. The assay has been used to support preclinical pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic studies and is currently used to measure PM00104 plasma concentrations to support clinical trials.     

Determination and pharmacokinetics of manidipine in human plasma by HPLC/ESIMS

A sensitive HPLC/ESIMS method was established for the determination of manidipine in human plasma and pharmacokinetics study. After basified plasma with ammonia, manidipine and the internal standard (IS) (felodipine) were extracted with n-hexane and separated on a Hypersil ODS2 column with a mobile phase of methanol-5 mm ammonium acetate solution containing 0.1% acetic acid (85:15, v/v). MS determination was performed by electrospray ionization in the selected ion monitoring mode. Manidipine was monitored at m/z 611.4 and IS at m/z 384. The assay had a calibration range from 0.2 to 20 ng/mL and a lower limit of quantification of 0.1 ng/mL. The method has been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers.     

Simultaneous determination of docetaxel and ketoconazole in rat plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of docetaxel and ketoconazole in rat plasma with paclitaxel as internal standard (IS). The analytes were extracted from rat plasma by using a liquid-liquid extraction technique with ethyl acetate and the LC separation was performed on a Cosmosil-C(18) analytical column (150 mm x 2.0 mm i.d., Nacalai Tesque Inc., Japan). The extracted samples were analyzed with LC/MS/MS, operating in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The SRM transitions of precursor ions to product ions were 830.3-->549.1 (m/z) for docetaxel, 531.2-->489.3 (m/z) for ketoconazole, and 876.7-->307.9 (m/z) for the IS. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 2-500 ng/mL for docetaxel and 50-20 000 ng/mL for ketoconazole, with coefficients of correlation above 0.999. The limits of quantification for docetaxel and ketoconazole were both 2 ng/mL. The limit of detection for each analyte was 1 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision (CV) of analysis were within 7%, and the accuracy ranged from 95 to 110%. The overall recoveries for docetaxel and ketoconazole were about 89.0% and 91.1%, respectively. The total analysis time was only 9.0 min. This quantitation method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of docetaxel and ketoconazole in rat plasma and some potential interaction was found in the current coadministration pharmacokinetic study. This established method was also utilized in the in vitro and in vivo drug-drug interaction study of docetaxel and ketoconazole (to be published).     

High-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of arbidol in human plasma

An HPLC/MS/MS method for the determination of arbidol in human plasma was developed. Arbidol and internal standard (loratadine) were extracted from alkaline plasma with tert-butyl methyl ether and analyzed on a Zorbax SB C18 column (30 x 2.1 mm id, 3.5 microm particle size). The detection was by monitoring arbidol at m/z 479.1 --> 434.1 and the internal standard at m/z 383.2 --> 337.2. The method was validated according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.5-500 ng/mL using a 100 microL sample volume. The intraday and interday precisions were less than 6.5%, and acceptable values were obtained for accuracy, recovery, and sensitivity. The developed method was selective, simple, sensitive, and easily applicable.     

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the quantification of both etoricoxib and valdecoxib in human plasma

A practicable and selective liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay for the determination of two cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, etoricoxib and valdecoxib, in human plasma is presented. The analytical technique is based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mass spectrometry (Finnigan Mat LCQ ion trap). Mass analysis was performed in the positive ion mode. The ion trap was operated in the tandem MS mode (MS2) and the transitions of etoricoxib (m/z 359.2 --> 280.3) and valdecoxib (m/z 315.1 --> 235.1) were followed by selected reaction monitoring. Retention times of etoricoxib and valdecoxib were 1.05 and 1.08 min, respectively. The method was validated over a linear range 10-2500 and 5-1000 microg/L using the other substrate as internal standard. After validation, the method was used to study the pharmacokinetic pro fi le of etoricoxib or valdecoxib in a healthy volunteer after administration of a single oral dose (valdecoxib, 20 mg; etoricoxib, 90 mg). The presented method was suf fi cient to cover more than 90% of the area under the plasma concentration time curve.     

Development and validation of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the analysis of paroxetine in human plasma

A sensitive, simple, fast and rugged hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) method for the determination of paroxetine was developed and validated over curve range 0.050-50 ng/mL using only 0.4 mL plasma. This is the first published LC-MS/MS method and the low limit of quantitation of this method is 10-fold lower than previously published methods. A simple liquid-liquid extraction method using methyl-tert butyl ether (MTBE) as the extraction solvent was used to extract paroxetine and the internal standard (IS) fentanyl-d(5) from plasma. The extract was evaporated to dryness, reconstituted and injected onto a silica column using a low aqueous-high organic mobile phase. The chromatographic run time was 2.0 min per injection, with retention times of 1.1 and 1.2 min for paroxetine and IS, respectively. The detection was by monitoring paroxetine at m/z 330 --> 192 and IS at m/z 342 --> 188, respectively. The inter-day precision and accuracy of the quality control (QC) samples were <5.0% relative standard deviation (RSD) and <2.9% relative error (RE). This method can be used for supporting therapeutical drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic or drug-drug interaction studies.     

Development of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of Aplidin,a novel marine-derived antineoplastic agent,in human plasma

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) assay was developed and validated to quantify a novel marine-derived depsipeptide, Aplidin, in human plasma. The method was validated to demonstrate the specificity, recovery, limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, and precision of measurements. The calibration range for Aplidin was established using Aplidin standards from 0.05-50 ng/mL in blank human plasma. The multiple reaction monitoring, based on the transition m/z 1110.7 --> 295.3, was specific for Aplidin, and that based on the transition m/z 1112.6 --> 297.3 was specific for didemnin B (the internal standard); no endogenous materials interfered with the analysis of Aplidin and didemnin B from blank human plasma. The assay was linear over the concentration range 0.05-50.0 ng/mL. The correlation coefficients for the calibration curves ranged from 0.9979 to 0.9999. The mean intra- and interday accuracies for all calibration standards (n = 12) ranged from 97 to 106% (相似文献   

Determination of bergenin in human plasma after oral administration by HPLC-MS/MS method and its pharmacokinetic study

A highly sensitive, simple and selective high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and applied to the determination of bergenin concentration in human plasma. Bergenin and the internal standard (IS) thiamphenicol in plasma were extracted with ethyl acetate, separated on a C(18 )reversed-phase column, eluted with mobile phase of acetonitrile-water, ionized by negative ion pneumatically assisted electrospray and detected in the multi-reaction monitoring mode using precursor --> product ions of m/z 327.1 --> 192 for bergenin and 354 --> 185.1 for the IS, respectively. The linear range of the calibration curve for bergenin was 0.25-60 ng mL(-1), with the lowest limit of quantification of 0.25 ng mL(-1), and the intra/inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 10%. The method is suitable for the determination of low bergenin concentration in human plasma after therapeutic oral doses, and has been first and successfully used for its pharmacokinetic studies in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

Simultaneous determination of honokiol and magnolol in Magnolia officinalis by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

An optimized high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of honokiol and magnolol in Magnolia officinalis. Honokiol and magnolol were separated from the extracts using a reversed-phase C(18) column with a mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water (75:25, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.8 mL/min. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode was used for all sample quantification by the precursor-ion/product ion pair m/z 265 --> m/z 224 for honokiol and m/z 265 --> m/z 247 for magnolol. Validation data showed that this method has good linearity (r(2) > 0.995) over the concentration range of 0.0025-0.5 microg/mL for honokiol and magnolol, and both intra- and inter-day variability were acceptable within 15% at the lowest concentrations for this method. This proposed method provides excellent specificity, higher sensitivity and shorter run time than conventional methods and was applied successfully to determine the contents of honokiol and magnolol in M. officinalis.     

Determination of M+4 stable isotope labeled cortisone and cortisol in human plasma by microElution solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive microElution solid-phase extraction (SPE) liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of M+4 stable isotope labeled cortisone and cortisol in human plasma. In this method, M+4 cortisone and M+4 cortisol were extracted from 0.3 mL of human plasma samples using a Waters Oasis HLB 96-well microElution SPE plate using 70 microL methanol as the elution solvent, and chromatographed on a Waters Symmetry C18 column (4.6 x 50 mm, 3.5 microm). M+9 cortisone and M+9 cortisol were used as the internal standards. A PE Sciex API 4000 tandem mass spectrometer interfaced with the liquid chromatograph via a turboionspray source was used for mass analysis and detection. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM) of precursor --> product ion transitions were monitored at m/z 365.2 [M+H](+) --> 167.0 and at m/z 367.3 [M+H](+) --> 125.1 for M+4 cortisone and M+4 cortisol, respectively. The lower limit of quantitation was 0.1 ng mL(-1) and the linear calibration range was from 0.1 to 100 ng mL(-1) for both analytes. This method demonstrated to be very reproducible and reliable.