Simultaneous online SPE-LC-MS/MS quantification of six widely used synthetic progestins in human plasma

Co-administration of synthetic progestin containing hormonal contraceptives (HCs) and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is a common clinical situation which needs specific considerations due to drug interactions. Several studies have demonstrated that lamotrigine plasma levels are significantly decreased during co-medication with HCs, and that this interaction is associated with increased seizure frequency in most of the cases. Additionally, an increase in contraceptive failure and unintended pregnancy could be observed during co-medication. Hence, monitoring of progestin plasma levels in patients with AED co-medication is of interest. A rapid and reliable online solid-phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (online SPE-LC-MS/MS) method using gradient elution in the LC domain was established and validated for the simultaneous quantitative determination of gestodene, dienogest, drospirenone, etonogestrel, cyproterone acetate, and levonorgestrel in human plasma. The online SPE-LC-MS/MS method covered a quantification concentration range of 5–100 ng/ml for dienogest, 1–100 ng/ml for etonogestrel and 2–100 ng/ml for all other analytes. Stable isotope-labeled internal standards were used for analyte quantification based on selected reaction monitoring experiments. Inter- and intra-assay precision and accuracy were determined from quality control (QC) samples at the lower limits of quantification and at low, medium, and high concentration levels within the calibration range. Inter-assay reproducibility at the QC levels was better than 10% (relative standard deviation, RSD), accuracy at these levels ranged from −3.7% to 11.3%. Total extraction efficiency, tested at three concentrations, ranged from 92.5% to 106.4%. Matrix interferences were excluded by post-column infusion experiments. To prove the applicability of the assay in clinical cohorts, a sample set (n = 298) stemming from study patients under AED/oral HC co-medication was screened for progestin plasma levels. This method has to be considered a research-use-only assay and must not be used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, since it did not undergo formal performance evaluation in the sense of the IVD directive (98/79/EG) of the European Community.