High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of enrofloxacin and its primary metabolite ciprofloxacin in canine serum and prostatic tissue

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in canine serum and prostatic tissue. Sample preparation consisted of mixing canine serum with a 1:1 dilution of acetonitrile and 0.1 M sodium hydroxide followed by ultrafiltration through a 10,000 molecular mass cut-off filter. Prostatic tissue was sonicated with the same solution prior to ultrafiltration. Separation of these two quinolones in the ultrafiltrate was accomplished by ion-paired liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase analytical column eluted with an acetonitrile-methanol-water solution. Enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were detected by a photometric ultraviolet-visible detector set at 278.6 nm and confirmed by a photodiode array detector operating from 230 to 360 nm. The limits of detection for enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were 4 and 2 ng/ml, respectively.