Use of high-performance liquid chromatographic and microbiological analyses for evaluating the presence or absence of active metabolites of the antifungal posaconazole in human plasma

Posaconazole (SCH 56592) is a novel broad spectrum triazole antifungal agent that is currently in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of systemic fungal infections. This study was initiated to determine if orally administered posaconazole to humans would result in the formation of active metabolite(s). Plasma samples from a multiple-rising dose study in healthy volunteers were analyzed by validated HPLC and microbiological methods. The HPLC analysis involved extraction with a mixture of organic solvent (methylene chloride-hexane) followed by separation on a C18 column and quantification by UV absorbance at 262 nm. The microbiological assay was performed utilizing an agar diffusion method using Candida pseudorropicalis ATCC 46764 as the test organism. Potency was determined by comparing the growth inhibition zones produced by the test sample to those produced by standard concentrations prepared in plasma. Individual and mean plasma concentration-time profiles were similar for both HPLC and microbiological assays. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves of the microbiological and HPLC results were similar with a mean (RSD) ratio of 105.5% 15.3%), indicating that there was no relevant biologically active metabolite of posaconazole in human plasma.