High-performance liquid chromatographic-UV detection analysis of ceftiofur and its active metabolite desfuroylceftiofur in horse plasma and synovial fluid after regional intravenous perfusion and systemic intravenous injection of ceftiofur sodium

A method was optimalised for the quantitative determination of ceftiofur and its active metabolite desfuroylceftiofur in horse plasma and synovial fluid.The principle of the method was that bound desfuroylceftiofur is first released by dithioerythritol, a reducing agent, followed by the derivatization of the free sulfhydryl group with iodoacetamide. The stable derivative—desfuroylceftiofuracetamide—was then further purified using an Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction column. Chromatography was performed using a PLRP-S polymeric column (100 Å, d_p: 5 μm,  mm i.d.), with a mixture of 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid in water and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Gradient elution was performed. The flow-rate was 0.4 ml/min and the UV detector was set at a wavelength of 266 nm. The method was validated in plasma and synovial fluid (linearity, precision, trueness, LOQ, LOD, specificity, susceptibility to interferences). Calibration graphs were prepared over a concentration range of 0-20 μg/ml and good linearity was achieved (r≥0.99, g≤10%). A limit of quantification of 0.5 μg/ml was obtained for ceftiofur in both matrices. Limits of detection were 0.36 and 0.27 μg/ml for ceftiofur in plasma and synovial fluid, respectively. The results of the within-run and between-run precision and the trueness fell within the ranges specified.The main advantage of our method, compared to previously reported methods, was that the sample preparation procedure was less time consuming, resulting in a higher sample throughput (up to 40 samples a day). In addition, the analysis cost was reduced due to the consumption of a lower amount of solvents and reagents and of only one solid-phase extraction column per sample. The method was successfully applied during a pharmacokinetic study in horses after the administration of ceftiofur sodium via regional intravenous perfusion and systemic intravenous injection.