Validated Liquid–Liquid Extraction and LC–ESI–MS Method for the Determination of Melitracen in Human Plasma

Melitracen and the internal standard (I.S.), trifluoperazine, were extracted from plasma by a convenient liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Hypersil-Hypurity C₁₈ with the mobile phase consisting of 10 mM ammonium acetate–methanol–acetonitrile. A single-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface was operated in the selected-ion monitoring mode to detect the [M + H]⁺ ions at 292 m/z for melitracen and 408 m/z for trifluoperazine. The method was validated over 0.4–50.0 ng mL^?1 for melitracen. The recovery was 73.52–78.91%, and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) detection was 0.4 ng mL^?1 for melitracen. The intra- and inter-day precision of the method at three concentrations were 2.96–7.76% with accuracy of 95.75–100.48%. Stability of compounds was established in a battery of stability studies. The bioequivalence of melitracen in the two formulations was evaluated in 18 healthy Chinese male volunteers with this assay. The described method showed acceptable precision, accuracy, linearity, stability, specificity and can be widely used for pharmacokinetic studies, and routine therapeutic drug monitoring.     

UPLC–MS–MS Analysis of Quetiapine and Its Two Active Metabolites, 7-Hydroxyquetiapine and 7-Hydroxy-N-dealkylquetiapine, in Rat Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Quetiapine (QP) is an antipsychotic agent widely used to treat a variety of human psychotic disorders. 7-Hydroxyquetiapine (QPOH) and 7-hydroxy-N-dealkylquetiapine (QPND) are its two active metabolites. A rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed for analysis of the three agents in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from rats. The assay was based on liquid–liquid extraction of 100-μL samples. The methods were validated for QP, QPOH, and QPND in both types of sample. Limits of detection (LOD) in plasma were 0.02, 0.01, and 0.02 ng mL^?1 for QP, QPOH, and QPND, respectively; in CSF samples the respective values were 0.02, 0.01, and 0.01 ng mL^?1. The utility of the method was demonstrated by analysis of the pharmacokinetics and CSF distribution properties of QP and its two active metabolites in the plasma and CSF in rats.     

Validated Liquid–Liquid Extraction and LC–ESI–MS Method for the Determination of Melitracen in Human Plasma

Melitracen and the internal standard (I.S.), trifluoperazine, were extracted from plasma by a convenient liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Hypersil-Hypurity C₁₈ with the mobile phase consisting of 10 mM ammonium acetate–methanol–acetonitrile. A single-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface was operated in the selected-ion monitoring mode to detect the [M + H]⁺ ions at 292 m/z for melitracen and 408 m/z for trifluoperazine. The method was validated over 0.4–50.0 ng mL⁻¹ for melitracen. The recovery was 73.52–78.91%, and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) detection was 0.4 ng mL⁻¹ for melitracen. The intra- and inter-day precision of the method at three concentrations were 2.96–7.76% with accuracy of 95.75–100.48%. Stability of compounds was established in a battery of stability studies. The bioequivalence of melitracen in the two formulations was evaluated in 18 healthy Chinese male volunteers with this assay. The described method showed acceptable precision, accuracy, linearity, stability, specificity and can be widely used for pharmacokinetic studies, and routine therapeutic drug monitoring.

     

Determination of (E)-3,5,4′-Trimethoxystilbene in Rat Plasma by LC with ESI-MS

(E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene (BTM-0512) is a resveratrol analog with a variety of pharmacological action, including anti-cancer properties, anti-allergic activity, estrogenic activity, antiangiogenic activity, and vascular-targeting activity against microtubule-destabilization. There is, however, no validated analytical method for quantification of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in biological matrices, so pharmacokinetic data and suitable methods for determination of the compound in plasma are currently lacking. A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatographic–mass spectrometric method for determination of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in rat plasma, using carbamazepine as internal standard, has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were treated with acetonitrile to precipitate proteins. Samples were then analyzed by HPLC on a 250mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5-μm particle, C₁₈ column with methanol–water, 80:20 (v/v), containing 10 mm ammonium acetate and 0.2% formic acid (pH 3.0), as mobile phase, delivered at 0.85 mL min⁻¹. A single-quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface operated in selected-ion monitoring mode was used to detect [M + H]⁺ ions at m/z 271.3 for (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene and m/z 237.5 for the internal standard. (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene and the internal standard eluted as sharp, symmetrical peaks with retention times of 8.9 and 4 min, respectively. Calibration plots for (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene in rat plasma at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 5.0 μg mL⁻¹ were highly linear. Intra-day and inter-day precision, as RSD, was <12.9%, and accuracy was in the range 94.8–104.7%. The limit of detection in plasma was 0.005 μg mL⁻¹. The method was successfully used to determine the concentration of (E)-3,5,4′-trimethoxystilbene after oral administration of 86 mg kg⁻¹ of the drug to Sprague–Dawley rats and can be used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of the compound.