Development of an electrospray ionization mass spectrometric method for the quantification of theophylline in horse serum

A rapid and selective method has been developed for the determination of theophylline in horse serum by LC-ESI/MS/MS. The analytical method includes a protein precipitation extraction for sample preparation, liquid chromatography separation technique and ionspray tandem mass spectrometry. The drug was extracted from serum using a protein precipitation with acetonitrile and the supernatants were analyzed using an LC-ESI/MS/MS instrument. The chromatography was performed using a 50 x 2.1 mm C(8) analytical column and an isocratic mobile phase composes of 60:40 acetonitrile-0.5% formic acid in water with a flow rate fixed at 350 microL/min. A linear (weighted 1/concentration) relationship was used to perform the calibration over an analytical range of 0.1-20 ppm. The intra-batch precision and accuracy at LLOQ, medium and high concentration were 11.7, 6.9 and 5.4% and 95.8, 107.8 and 95.8%, respectively, and the inter-batch precision and accuracy at LLOQ, medium and high concentration were 10.4, 7.9 and 7.3% and 97.3, 105.2 and 95.9%, respectively. This LC-ESI/MS/MS method for the determination of theophylline in horse serum has been proved to within generally accepted criteria used for bioanalytical assay and was used successfully during clinical investigation.     

Development of a LC-ESI/MS/MS assay for the quantification of vanillin using a simple off-line dansyl chloride derivatization reaction to enhance signal intensity

Vanillin is responsible for producing the familiar smell of vanilla. Vanillin has many similarities with other flavor phenolic compounds and could potentially show similar pharmacological activity. A previously published analytical method was adapted, developed and tested. Vanillin was extracted from rat plasma using protein precipitation with acetone. Prior to LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis, an aliquot of the supernatant was used to proceed to the derivatization of vanillin and the internal standard with dansyl chloride to enhance signal intensity in positive electrospray mode. The chromatography was performed on a 100 x 2.1 mm C8 column and an isocratic mobile phase composed of 75:25 acetonitrile:0.5% formic acid in water with a flow rate fixed at 500 microL/min. A linear (weighted 1/concentration) relationship was used to perform the calibration over an analytical range of 10-10,000 ng/mL. The intra-batch precision and accuracy at the limit of quantitation (10 ng/mL), medium (500 ng/mL) and high (10,000 ng/mL) concentrations were 10.7, 7.0 and 7.2% and 103.5, 108.0 and 100.1%, respectively. The observed recovery was greater than 87% and no significant ionization suppression or matrix effect was observed. This LC-ESI/MS/MS method for the determination of vanillin in rat plasma provided results within generally accepted criteria used for bioanalytical assay.     

A rapid HPLC/ESI‐MS/MS method for quantitative analysis of isovalerylshikonin in rat plasma

A new, fast and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for isovalerylshikonin in rat plasma using emodin as internal standard (IS). The analyte was extracted from rat plasma with ethyl acetate, after 10% HCl treatment and protein precipitated by methanol. The compound was separated on an Ultimate? XB‐C₁₈ analytical column using a mobile phase of methanol–10 mM ammonium acetate in water–acetonitrile containing 0.05% formic acid (45 : 10 : 45, v/v/v) with isogradient elution. The analyte was detected in negative ion mode using multiple‐reaction monitoring. The method was validated and the specificity, linearity, lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ), precision, accuracy, recoveries and stability were determined. LLOQ was 9 ng/mL for isovalerylshikonin. Correlation coefficient (r) value for the linear range of the analyte was greater than 0.99. The intra‐day and inter‐day precision and accuracy were better than 8.52%. The relative and absolute recovery was above 86% and no matrix effects were observed for isovalerylshikonin. This validated method provides a modern, rapid and robust procedure for the pharmacokinetic study of the two compounds in rats after intravenous administration to rats (n = 4). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sunitinib LC–MS/MS Assay in Mouse Plasma and Brain Tissue: Application in CNS Distribution Studies

Sunitinib malate is a multi-targeted tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, currently in clinical trials for glioma. Previously developed methods for preclinical studies in species such as mice have either employed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or did not describe a detailed analytical method, which could be employed by other preclinical laboratories. In this paper, we have developed and validated a simple, sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometric method (LC–MS/MS) for the determination of sunitinib concentration in mouse plasma and brain tissue homogenate using dasatinib-free base as the internal standard. A single step liquid–liquid extraction method was used for both the matrices. Since sunitinib exhibits light-induced E/Z isomerism, all sample preparation was done in light-protected conditions. Separation was performed on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB C18 column 4.6 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm. The mobile phase consisted of 20 mM ammonium formate (with 0.1 % formic acid): acetonitrile (70:30, v/v) pumped isocratically at a flow rate of 0.25 mL min^?1 with a total run-time of 13 min. The retention times of sunitinib and dasatinib were 7.8 and 5.5 min, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range from 1.95 to 500 ng mL^?1 in both plasma and brain tissue homogenate with 1.95 ng mL^?1 as the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for both the matrices. Inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision was <15 % for low QC, med QC and high QC and <20 % for LLOQ. The method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in FVB wild-type mice to determine the plasma and brain concentrations after a single oral sunitinib malate dose of 20 mg kg^?1.     

Quantitation of the large polypeptide glucagon by protein precipitation and LC/MS

We present a method for the quantitation of glucagon from rat plasma by protein precipitation and LC/MS. No internal standard was used, as a labeled standard was not available and similar peptides did not show comparable extraction characteristics to glucagon. The LC system included a Keystone C18, 300 A pore size column; a linear gradient was used with a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile, each with 0.2% acetic acid and 0.02% trifluoroacetic acid. Glucagon was detected with the mass spectrometer in positive ion mode monitoring the 4+ charge state at m/z 871.7. The method had an approximated limit of detection of 1 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 25 ng/mL (7.2 fmol/mL), which could be reduced with an appropriate internal standard. External calibration was used and calibration curves were found to be linear over the range from 25 to 1000 ng/mL (7.2 to 290 fmol/mL). The method showed a high degree of precision and accuracy both within and between runs at four validation points, including the LLOQ.     

Sunitinib LC–MS/MS Assay in Mouse Plasma and Brain Tissue: Application in CNS Distribution Studies

Sunitinib malate is a multi-targeted tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, currently in clinical trials for glioma. Previously developed methods for preclinical studies in species such as mice have either employed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or did not describe a detailed analytical method, which could be employed by other preclinical laboratories. In this paper, we have developed and validated a simple, sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometric method (LC–MS/MS) for the determination of sunitinib concentration in mouse plasma and brain tissue homogenate using dasatinib-free base as the internal standard. A single step liquid–liquid extraction method was used for both the matrices. Since sunitinib exhibits light-induced E/Z isomerism, all sample preparation was done in light-protected conditions. Separation was performed on a ZORBAX Eclipse XDB C18 column 4.6 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm. The mobile phase consisted of 20 mM ammonium formate (with 0.1 % formic acid): acetonitrile (70:30, v/v) pumped isocratically at a flow rate of 0.25 mL min⁻¹ with a total run-time of 13 min. The retention times of sunitinib and dasatinib were 7.8 and 5.5 min, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range from 1.95 to 500 ng mL⁻¹ in both plasma and brain tissue homogenate with 1.95 ng mL⁻¹ as the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for both the matrices. Inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision was <15 % for low QC, med QC and high QC and <20 % for LLOQ. The method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in FVB wild-type mice to determine the plasma and brain concentrations after a single oral sunitinib malate dose of 20 mg kg⁻¹.

     

Determination of levetiracetam in human plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and its application to bioequivalence studies

The first liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the determination of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug, in human plasma is described. The plasma filtrate obtained after solid-phase extraction (SPE), using a polymer-based, hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) cartridge, was submitted directly to a short column LC/MS/MS assay. There was no significant matrix effect on the analysis. For validation of the method, the recovery of the free analytes was compared to that from an optimized extraction method, and the analyte stability was examined under conditions mimicking sample storage, handling, and analytical procedures. The extraction procedure yielded extremely clean extracts with a recovery of 79.95% and 89.02% for levetiracetam and the internal standard (IS), respectively. The intra-assay and inter-assay precision for the samples at the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) were 6.33 and 6.82%, respectively. The calibration curves were linear for the dynamic range of 0.5 to 50 microg/mL with a correlation coefficient r >/= 0.9971. The intra-assay accuracy at LLOQ, LQC, MQC, and HQC levels ranged from 81.60 to 95.40, 93.00 to 103.47, 95.97 to 104.09, and 91.15 to 95.18%, respectively, while the inter-assay accuracy at LLOQ, LQC, MQC and HQC levels varied from 80.20 to 95.40, 88.53 to 107.53, 95.97 to 108.45, and 91.15 to 112.70%, respectively. The method is rugged and fast with a total instrumental run time of 2 min. The method was successfully applied for bioequivalence studies in human subject samples after oral administration of 1000 mg immediate release (IR) formulations.     

Determination of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine in dried blood spots for TDM purposes,using LC-MS/MS

Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling and quantitative analyses of many current therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided drugs are advantageous because of the minimal invasive sampling strategy. Here, a fast and robust LC-MS/MS method was developed and analytically validated for simultaneous determination of venlafaxine (VEN) and O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV) in DBS. Six-millimeter circles were punched out from DBS collected on Whatman DMPK-C paper, and the DBS was extracted with acetonitrile/methanol at 1:3. The total run time was 4.8 min. The assay was linear in the range of 20–1,000 μg/L for both VEN and ODV. Assay accuracy and precision was well within limits of acceptance (LLOQ?=?20 μg/L). Normal hematocrit concentrations (0.30–0.50) did not influence the results neither did a normal spot volume (40–80 μL). Punch position at the perimeter instead of the center of the blood spot gave a bias ranging from 2.4 to 10.4 %. Correlation between plasma and spiked DBS samples was high. The concentrations found in spiked DBS samples were higher than those in plasma, indicating that a conversion factor for translation of DBS to plasma values is needed. This analytically validated method is suitable for determination of VEN and ODV in DBS and applicable for TDM. The method will be used for TDM of VEN in the Dutch CYSCE multicenter trial (NCT01778907).     

Validation and application of a novel LC/MS/MS method for the determination of isoginkgetin in rat plasma

Isoginkgetin is a biflavonoid compound isolated from the leaf extracts of Ginkgo biloba. In this study, an liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with liquid–liquid extraction was developed and validated for the analysis of isoginkgetin in rat plasma. In the process of chromatographic separation, selected reaction monitoring transitions for isoginkgetin and IS were m/z 566.8 → 134.7 and m/z 430.8 → 269.3, respectively. The validation parameters including selectivity, linearity, LLOQ, accuracy, precision, matrix effect, stability and recovery were satisfactory. The intra‐ and inter‐batch precision (RSD) were <12.1% in plasma, while the accuracy (RE) was within ±14.3%. This method was employed in a pharmacokinetic study on rats after the intravenous administration of isoginkgetin.     

Determination of eugenol in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry using a simple off-line dansyl chloride derivatization reaction to enhance signal intensity

A rapid, selective and sensitive method was developed for the determination of eugenol concentration using an off-line dansyl chloride derivatization step to enhance signal intensity. The method consisted of a protein precipitation extraction followed by derivatization with dansyl chloride and analysis by full scan liquid chromatography electrospray quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QIT). The separation was achieved using a 100 x 2 mm C(8) analytical column combined with an isocratic mobile phase composed of 75:25 acetonitrile: 0.1% formic acid in water set at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Signal intensity of the eugenol-dansyl chloride derivative was increased up to 100-fold as compared with the underivatized eugenol in positive electrospray mode. An analytical range of 100-20,000 ng/mL was used in the calibration curve of plasma and blood samples. The LOD observed was 0.5 pg injected on column. The novel method met all requirements of specificity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability. In conclusion, a rapid and sensitive LC-ESI/MS/MS method using a derivatization agent was developed to enhance signal intensity of eugenol.     

Validation of an LC/MS method for the determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Gemfibrozil, a fibric acid hypolipidemic agent, is increasingly being used in clinical drug–drug interaction studies as an inhibitor of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The validation of a fast, accurate and precise LC/MS method is described for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in an EDTA‐anticoagulated human plasma matrix. Briefly, gemfibrozil was extracted from human plasma by an acetonitrile protein precipitation method. The assay was reproducible with intra‐assay precision between 1.6 and 10.7%, and inter‐assay precision ranging from 4.4 to 7.8%. The assay also showed good accuracy, with intra‐assay concentrations within 85.6–108.7% of the expected value, and inter‐assay concentrations within 89.4–104.0% of the expected value. The linear concentration range was between 0.5 and 50 µg/mL with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 µg/mL when 125 µL of plasma were extracted. This LC/MS method yielded a quick, simple and reliable protocol for determining gemfibrozil concentrations in plasma and is applicable to clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of an HPLC/MS/MS method for determining the thiazolidinone PG15 in rat plasma

A rapid, sensitive, and simple HPLC/MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of (5Z,E)-3-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-oxoethyl]-5-(1H-indol-3-ylmethylene)-thiazolidine-2, 4-dione (PG15) in rat plasma using chlortalidone as an internal standard (IS). Analyses were performed using a C18 column and isocratic elution with acetonitrile-water (90 + 10, v/v) containing 10 mM ammonium hydroxide (pH 8.0) as the mobile phase pumped at 0.3 mL/min. Detection was performed by MS with negative ion mode electrospray ionization. Rat plasma samples were prepared by deproteinizing with acetonitrile. Detected fragments were 395.1 > 171.9 for PG15 and 337.3 > 189.9 for the IS. Calibration curves were linear from 10 to 1000 ng/mL, with the determination coefficient > 0.99. The intraday and interday precisions were less than 12.2 and 11.3%, respectively. The applicability of the HPLC/MS/MS method for pharmacokinetic studies was tested using plasma samples obtained after oral administration of PG15 to rats, and it provided the necessary sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and specificity.     

Determination of pinocembrin in human plasma by solid‐phase extraction and LC/MS/MS: application to pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive, fast and specific method for the quantitation of pinocembrin in human plasma based on high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and validated. Clonazepam was used as the internal standard (IS). After solid‐phase extraction of 500 μL plasma, pinocembrin and the IS were separated on a Luna C₈ column using the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile–0.3 mm ammonium acetate solution (65:35, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min in isocratic mode. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reaction monitoring via an electrospray ionization source in negative mode by AB SCIEX Qtrap 5500. The assay was linear from 1 to 400 ng/mL, with within‐ and between‐run accuracy (relative error) from ?1.82 to 0.54%, and within‐ and between‐run precision (CV) below 5.25%. The recovery was above 88% for the analyte at 1, 50 and 300 ng/mL. This analytical method was successful for the determination of pinocembrin in human plasma and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of pinocembrin injection in healthy volunteers after intravenous drip administration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative determination of bilobetin in rat plasma by HPLC–MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Although bilobetin, a biflavone isolated from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, represents a variety of pharmacological activities, to date there have been no validated determination methods for bilobetin in biological samples. Thus, we developed a liquid chromatographic method using a tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of bilobetin in rat plasma. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile including diclofenac (internal standard), the analytes were chromatographed on a reversed-phased column with a mobile phase of purified water and acetonitrile (3:7, v/v, including 0.1% formic acid). The ion transitions of the precursor to the product ion were principally deprotonated ions [M − H]⁻ at m/z 551.2 → 519.2 for bilobetin and 296.1 → 251.7 for the IS. The accuracy and precision of the assay were in accordance with US Food and Drug Administration regulations for the validation of bioanalytical methods. This analytical method was successfully applied to monitor plasma concentrations of bilobetin over time following intravenous administration in rats.     

LC–MS/MS determination of buparlisib,a phosphoinositide 3 kinase inhibitor in rat plasma: Application to a pharmacokinetic study

Buparlisib is a selective phosphoinositide 3 kinase inhibitor currently evaluated in clinical trials. We developed and validated an LC–MS/MS coupled with a one-step protein precipitation extraction method for the quantitation of buparlisib in rat plasma. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile, the plasma sample was analyzed using a Cortecs UPLC C₁₈ column, with acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase system. Mass spectrometric detection was conducted in positive ionization mode, with target quantitative ion pair of m/z 411.2 → 367.2 for buparlisib. The calibration curve showed good linearity (1.0–3000 ng/ml), with acceptable accuracy (RE ranging from −6.2 to 5.9%) and precision (RSD within 8.2%) values at quality control concentrations. Extraction recovery from plasma was 80.9–88.7% and the matrix effect was negligible (92.6–95.2%). The validated method presented a simple quantification method of buparlisib in detail and utilized it for a pharmacokinetic study at three dose concentrations after oral administration in Wistar rats.     

Quantitative determination of metformin,glyburide and its metabolites in plasma and urine of pregnant patients by LC‐MS/MS

This report describes the development and validation of an LC‐MS/MS method for the quantitative determination of glyburide (GLB), its five metabolites (M1, M2a, M2b, M3 and M4) and metformin (MET) in plasma and urine of pregnant patients under treatment with a combination of the two medications. The extraction recovery of the analytes from plasma samples was 87–99%, and that from urine samples was 85–95%. The differences in retention times among the analytes and the wide range of the concentrations of the medications and their metabolites in plasma and urine patient samples required the development of three LC methods. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of the analytes in plasma samples was as follows: GLB, 1.02 ng/mL; its five metabolites, 0.100–0.113 ng/mL; and MET, 4.95 ng/mL. The LLOQ in urine samples was 0.0594 ng/mL for GLB, 0.984–1.02 ng/mL for its five metabolites and 30.0 µg/mL for MET. The relative deviation of this method was <14% for intra‐day and inter‐day assays in plasma and urine samples, and the accuracy was 86–114% in plasma, and 94–105% in urine. The method described in this report was successfully utilized for determining the concentrations of the two medications in patient plasma and urine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel,rapid and sensitive UPLC–MS/MS method for the determination of macitentan in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Macitentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist commonly used in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). A novel, rapid, simple and sensitive UPLC–MS/MS method was developed and validated for pharmacokinetic study and the determination of macitentan in PAH patients. Macitentan and bosentan, which are used as internal standards, were detected using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in positive ion and multiple reaction monitoring mode by monitoring the mass transitions m/z 589.1 → 203.3 and 552.6 → 311.5, respectively. Chromatographic separation was performed on a reverse‐phase C18 column (5 μm, 4.6 × 150 mm) with an isocratic mobile phase, which consisted of water containing 0.2% acetic acid–acetonitrile (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Retention times were 1.97 and 1.72 min for macitentan and IS, respectively. The calibration curve with high correlation coefficient (0.9996) was linear in the range 1–500 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantitation and average recovery values were determined as 1 ng/mL and 89.8%, respectively. This method is the first UPLC–MS/MS method developed and validated for the determination of macitentan from human plasma. The developed analytical method was fully validated for linearity, selectivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, stability, matrix effect and recovery according to US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The developed method was applied successfully for pharmacokinetic study and the determination of macitentan in PAH patients.     

HPLC-UV and GC-MS Methods for Determination of Chlorambucil and Valproic Acid in Plasma for Further Exploring a New Combined Therapy of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

High performance liquid chromatography with ultra-violet detection (HPLC-UV) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods were developed and validated for the determination of chlorambucil (CLB) and valproic acid (VPA) in plasma, as a part of experiments on their anticancer activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLB was extracted from 250 µL of plasma with methanol, using simple protein precipitation and filtration. Chromatography was carried out on a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 end-capped column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, water and formic acid, and detection at 258 nm. The lowest limit of detection LLOQ was found to be 0.075 μg/mL, showing sufficient sensitivity in relation to therapeutic concentrations of CLB in plasma. The accuracy was from 94.13% to 101.12%, while the intra- and inter-batch precision was ≤9.46%. For quantitation of VPA, a sensitive GC-MS method was developed involving simple pre-column esterification with methanol and extraction with hexane. Chromatography was achieved on an HP-5MSUI column and monitored by MS with an electron impact ionization and selective ion monitoring mode. Using 250 µL of plasma, the LLOQ was found to be 0.075 μg/mL. The accuracy was from 94.96% to 109.12%, while the intra- and inter-batch precision was ≤6.69%. Thus, both methods fulfilled the requirements of FDA guidelines for the determination of drugs in biological materials.     

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.