Determination of Voriconazole in Human Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Application in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

A sensitive, accurate and robust Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry method has been developed and validated to measure voriconazole trough levels in human plasma. The plasma samples were mixed with fluconazole as an Internal Standard and directed to protein precipitation and drug extraction. An aliquot of 1 μl was injected into the chromatographic system and separated by the Acquity BEH C18 column at a flow rate of 0.30 ml/min in a gradient mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, Ultrapure water (UPW), methanol and formic acid. Voriconazole was detected by a Triple Quadrupole Detector (TQD) operating on Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) and a positive ion mode Electrospray ionization (ESI) Q1 mass: 350.1 m/z, Q3 mass: 281.1 m/z. Method linearity of the calibration curve (0.10 - 8.00 μg/ml) indicated a correlation coefficient r ≥ 0.99. The intra and inter-assay accuracy was within 85% - 115% and the intra and inter-assay precision was ≤5.76%. Voriconazole recovery percentage was between 97.69 - 119.62%. The method was successively applied in routine voriconazole TDM.

Sensitive and rapid determination of amantadine without derivatization in human plasma by LC–MS/MS for a bioequivalence study

A highly sensitive, rapid and rugged liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometw （LC-ESI-MS/MS） method was developed for reliable estimation of amantadine （AMD）, an antiviral drug in human plasma. The analyte and internal standard （IS）, amantadine-d6 （AMD-d6）, were extracted from 200μL plasma by solid phase extraction on Phenomenex Strata-X-C 33 ~t cartridges. Chromatography was performed on Synergi^TM Hydro-RP C18 （150 mm×4.6 mm, 4 μm） analytical column using a mixture of acetonitrile and 10 mM ammonium formate, pH 3.0 （80：20, v/v） as the mobile phase. Detection and quantitation was done by multiple reaction monitoring in the positive ionization mode for AMD （m/z 152.1→ 135.1 ） and IS （m/z 158.0 → 141.1） on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The assay was linear in the concentration range of 0.50-500 ng/mL with correlation coefficient （r^2） 〉 0.9969. The limit of detection of the method was 0.18 ng/mL The intra-batch and inter-batch precisions were 〈 5.42% and the accuracy varied from 98.47% to 105.72%. The extraction recovery of amantadine was precise and quantitative in the range of 97.89%-100.28%. IS-normalized matrix factors for amantadine varied from 0.981 to 1.012. The stability of AMD in whole blood and plasma was evaluated under different conditions. The developed method was successfully applied for a bioequivalence study with 100 mg of AMD in 32 healthy volunteers. The reproducibility of the assay was determined by reanalysis of 134 subject samples.

Simultaneous determination of pioglitazone and candesartan in human plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application to a human pharmacokinetic study

A simple and rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric(LC-MS/MS) assay method has been developed and fully validated for simultaneous quantification of pioglitazone and candesartan in human plasma.Irbesartan was used as an internal standard.The analytes were extracted from human plasma samples by solid-phase extraction technique using a Strata-X 33 mm polymeric sorbent.The reconstituted samples were chromatographed on a C18 column by using a 80:20(v/v) mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min.The calibration curves obtained were linear(rZ0.99) over the concentration range of 15-3000 ng/mL for pioglitazone and 5-608 ng/mL for candesartan.The results of the intra-and inter-day precision and accuracy studies were well within the acceptable limits.A run time of 2.7 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 300 plasma samples per day.The proposed method was found to be applicable to clinical studies.

Quantification of sibutramine and its two metabolites in human plasma by LC-ESI-MS/MS and its application in a bioequivalence study

Obesity can be considered as a chronic illness of epidemic proportion and its incidents have increased exponentially in recent years.The use of anti-obesity drugs such as sibutramine is somewhat helpful.There is a need to quantify such drugs in biological samples,which is generally quite difficult.In this report,we developed and validated a simple,sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of sibutramine (SB) and its two metabolites N-des methyl sibutramine (DSB) and N-di desmethyl sibutramine (DDSB) in human plasma.Zorbax SBC18 (4.6 mm × 75 mm,3.5 μm,80 (A)) analytical column and 5 mM ammonium formate:acetonitrile (10∶90,v/v) mobile phase were used for chromatographic separation of SB,DSB and DDSB.Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in the positive mode was used to detect SB,DSB and DDSB at m/z 280.3/124.9,266.3/125.3 and 252.2/124.9,respectively.Liquid liquid extraction was used for the extraction of analytes and internal standard from human plasma.This method was validated over a linear concentration range of 10.0-10,000.0 pg/mL for SB,DSB and DDSB with correlation coefficients (r) of ≥0.9997.The drug and the two metabolites were stable in plasma samples.The validated method was successfully applied in a bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic study with human volunteers under fasting condition.

High performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous quantification of pravastatin and aspirin in human plasma:Pharmacokinetic application

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric（LC-MS/MS） assay method has been developed and fully validated for the simultaneous quantification of pravastatin and aspirin in human plasma.Furosemide was used as an internal standard.Analytes and the internal standard were extracted from human plasma by liquid-liquid extraction technique using methyl tertiary butyl ether.The reconstituted samples were chromatographed on a Zorbax SB-C;8 column by using a mixture of 5 mM ammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile（20:80,v/v） as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min.The calibration curve obtained was linear（r≥0.99） over the concentration range of 0.50-600.29 ng/mL for pravastatin and 20.07-2012.00 ng/mL for aspirin.Method validation was performed as per FDA guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria.A run time of 2.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day.The proposed method was found to be applicable to clinical studies.

Simultaneous determination of telmisartan and amlodipine in human plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application in a human pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric （LC-MS/MS） assay method has been developed and fully validated for the simultaneous quantification of telmisartan and amlodipine in human plasma. Carbamazepine was used as an internal standard. Analytes and the internal standard were extracted from human plasma by solid-phase extraction technique using Waters Oasis HLB 1 cm3 （30 mg） extraction cartridge. The reconstituted samples were chromatographed on a Hypurity advance C18 column （50mm × 4.6mm, 5 gm） using a mixture of acetonitrile -5 mM ammonium acetate buffer （pH-4.0） （50：50, v/v） as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8mL/min. The calibration curve obtained was linear （r_〉0.99） over the concentration range of 2.01-400.06 ng/mL for telmisartan and 0.05 -10.01 ng/mL for amlodipine. Method validation was performed as per FDA guidelines and the results met the acceptance criteria. A run time of 2.5 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The proposed method was found to be applicable to clinical studies.

Quantitation of tadalafil in human plasma using a sensitive and rapid LC-MS/MS method for a bioequivalence study

A highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry（LC-MS/MS） method was developed for the determination of tadalafil（TAD） in human plasma. TAD and its deuterated internal standard（IS）, tadalafil-d3, were extracted from 200 mL plasma using Phenomenex Strata-X-C 33 m extraction cartridges. Chromatographic analysis was carried out on Synergi Hydro-RP C18（100 mm × 4.6 mm, 4 mm）column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 10 m M ammonium formate, p H 4.0（90：10, v/v）,delivered at a flow rate of 0.9 m L/min. Quantitation of the protonated analyte was done on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer using multiple reaction monitoring via electrospray ionization. The precursor to product ions transitions monitored for TAD and TAD-d3 were m/z 390.3-268.2 and m/z393.1-271.2, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.50–500 ng/m L with correlation coefficient, r2 Z 0.9994. Acceptable intra-batch and inter-batch precision（r3.7%） and accuracy（97.8% to 104.1%） were obtained at five concentration levels. The recovery of TAD from spiked plasma was highly precise and quantitative（98.95% to 100.61%）. Further, the effect of endogenous matrix components was minimal. TAD was found to be stable under different storage conditions in human plasma and also in whole blood samples. The validated method was successfully used to determine TAD plasma concentration in a bioequivalence study with 20 mg TAD tablets in 24 healthy volunteers. Method performance was evaluated by reanalyzing 115 study samples.

Simultaneous determination of atorvastatin,metformin and glimepiride in human plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application to a human pharmacokinetic study

A simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric （LC MS/ MS） assay method has been developed and fully validated for the simultaneous quantification of atorvastatin, metformin and g.）imepiride in human plasma. Carbamazepine was used as internal standard （IS）. The analytes were extracted from 200 μL aliquots of human plasma via protein precipitation using acetonitrile, The reconstituted samples were chromatographed on a Alltima HP C18 column by using a 60：40 （v/v） mixture of acetonitrile and 10 mM ammonium acetate （pH 3.0） as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.1 mL/min. The calibration curves obtained were linear （r2〉0.99） over the concentration range of 0.50-150.03 ng/mL for atorvastatin, 12.14-1207.50 ng/mL for metformin and 4.98-494.29 ng/mL for glimepiride. The API-4000 LC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode was used for detection. The results of the intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy studies were well within the acceptable limits. All the analytes were found to be stable in a battery of stability studies. The method is precise and sensitive enough for its intended purpose. A run time of 2.5 rain for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 300 plasma samples per day. The developed assay method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in human male volunteers.

Determination of torasemide in human plasma and its bioequivalence study by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with elec- trospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry （HPLC-ESI-MS） to determine the concentration of tor- asemide in human plasma samples was developed and validated. Tolbutamide was chosen as the internal standard （IS）. The chromatography was performed on a GI Sciences Inertsil ODS-3 column （100 mm× 2.1 mm i.d., 5.0 μm） within 5 min, using methanol with 10 mM ammonium formate （60：40, v/ v） as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The targeted compound was detected in negative io- nization at m/z 347.00 for torasemide and 269.00 for IS. The linearity range of this method was found to be within the concentration range of 1-2500 ng/mL （r=0.9984） for torasemide in human plasma. The accuracy of this measurement was between 94.05% and 103.86%. The extracted recovery efficiency was from 84.20% to 86.47% at three concentration levels. This method was also successfully applied in pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence studies in Chinese volunteers.

Simultaneous quantification of prodrug oseltamivir and its metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate in human plasma by LC-MS/MS to support a bioequivalence study

A simple, precise and rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate, a neuraminidase inhibitor, using their deuterated analogs as internal standards （ISs）. The method involved solid phase extraction of the analytes and ISs from 200 μL human plasma with no reconstitution and drying steps. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Symmetry C18 （100 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm） column using 10 mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile （30：70, v/v） as the mobile phase in a run time of 2.0 min. Quantitation of analytes and ISs were done by multiple reaction monitoring on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the positive ionization mode. The linearity of the method was established in the concentration range of 0.5-200 ng/mL and 2.0-800 ng/mL for oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate respectively. The mean extraction recovery for oseltamivir （94.4%） and oseltamivir carboxylate （92.7%） from spiked plasma samples was consistent and reproducible. The application of this method was demonstratedby a bioequivalence study in 42 healthy Indian subjects with 75 mg oseltamivir phosphate capsules. The assay reproducibility was established by reanalysis of 151 incurred subject samples.

Development of a sensitive and rapid method for quantitation of (S)-(-)- and (R)-(+)-metoprolol in human plasma by chiral LC–ESI–MS/MS

A selective, sensitive and high throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectro-metry （LC-ESI-MS/MS） method has been developed for separation and quantification of metoprolol enantiomers on a chiral Lux Amylose-2 （250 mm＆#215;4.6 mm, 5 mm） column. Solid phase extraction of （S）-（-）- and （R）-（t）-metoprolol and rac-metoprolol-d6 as an internal standard （IS） was achieved on Lichrosep DVB HL cartridges employing 200 mL human plasma. Both the analytes were chromatographically separated with a resolution factor of 2.24 using 15 mM ammonium acetate in water, pH 5.0 and 0.1% （v/v） diethyl amine in acetonitrile （50：50, v/v） as the mobile phase within 7.0 min. The precursor-product ion transitions for the enantiomers and IS were monitored in the multiple reaction monitoring and positive ionization mode. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.500-500 ng/mL for both the enantiomers. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column analyte infusion experiment and the mean extraction recovery was greater than 94.0% for both the enantiomers at all quality control levels. The stability of analytes was evaluated in plasma and whole blood under different storage conditions. The method was successfully applied to a clinical study in 14 healthy volunteers after oral administration of 200 mg metoprolol tablet under fasting conditions. The assay reproducibility is shown by reanalysis of 68 incurred samples. The suitability of the developed method was assessed in comparison with＆amp;nbsp;different chromatographic methods developed for stereoselective analysis of metoprolol in biological matrices.

Determination of trace amounts of morphine in human plasma by anodic adsorptive stripping differential pulse voltammetry

New adsorptive anodic differential pulse stripping voltammetry method for the direct determination of morphine at trace levels in human plasma of addicts is proposed.The procedure involves an adsorptive accumulation of morphine on a HMDE,followed by oxidation of adsorbed morphine by voltammetry scan using differential pulse modulation.The optimum conditions for the analysis of morphine are pH 10.5,Eacc of -100 mV（vs.Ag/AgCl）,and tacc of 120 s.The peak current is proportional to the concentration of morphine,and a Linear calibration graph is obtained at 0.01-3.10μg mL^-1.A relative standard deviation of 1.06%（n=5）was obtained,and the limit of detection was 3 ng mL^-1.The capabiLity of the method for the analysis of real samples was evaluated by the determination of morphine in spiked human plasma and addicts human plasma with satisfactory results.

Quantitation of bivalirudin,a novel anticoagulant peptide,in human plasma by LC-MS/MS:Method development,validation and application to pharmacokinetics

A rapid and sensitive method based on liquid chromatographtandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） for the determination of a novel anticoagulant peptide bivalirudin in human plasma has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were precipitated protein with acetonitrile and reextracted with dichloromethane, after which the analyte and triptorelin as an internal standard （IS） were separated on a 300SB-Cl8 column （150 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 gm particle size） using 0.1% formic acid：methanol （45：55, v/v） as mobile phase. The triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer, equipped with electrospray ionization （ESI） interface, was operated in the positive ion mode, and the multiplereaction monitoring （MRM） transitions of bivalirudin and IS were at m/z 1091.0-650.4 and m/z656.5 - 249.3, respectively. The lower limit of quantification （LLOQ） was 1 ng/mL for 100 ng/mL plasma sample and the assay was linear over the concentration range 1 1000 ng/mL. The accuracy was within a range from -0.4% to 0.5% in terms of relative error （RE） and the intra- and inter-day precisions in terms of relative standard deviation （RSD） were 〈2.92 and 〈 3.36, respectively. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study involving intravenous administration of bivalirudin （0.5 mg/kg） to Chinese volunteers.

Determination of lercanidipine in human plasma by an improved UPLC–MS/MS method for a bioequivalence study

An improved and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC- MS/MS） method has been developed and validated for the determination of lercanidipine in human plasma. Plasma samples with lercanidipine-d3 as an internal standard （IS） were prepared by solid phase extraction on Phenomenex Strata-X cartridges using 100 μL of human plasma. Chromatographic analysis was performed on UPLC BEH C18 （50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm） column under isocratic conditions. Linear calibration curves were obtained over a wide dynamic concentration range of 0.010-20.0 ng/mL. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column infusion, post-extraction spiking and standard-line slope methods. The mean extraction recovery was 〉 94% for the analyte and IS. Inter-batch and intra-hatch precision （% CV） across five quality controls was 〈 5.8%. Bioequivalence study was performed with 36 healthy sub- jects after oral administration of 10 mg of lercanidipine and the assay reproducibility was evaluated by reanalysis of 133 incurred samples.

A Simple and Sensitive Liquid Chromatographic Technique for the Determination of Cefotetan Disodium in Human Plasma and Its Application in a Pharmacokinetic Study

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantification of cefotetan disodium (CTT),a semi-synthetic cephamycin antibiotic,in human plasma.CTT and the internal standard chloramphenicol were extracted from plasma by a simple one-step protein precipitation with 35% (v/v) perchloric acid.Separation was carried out on a reverse-phase C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitile-water containing 0.5% (v/v) phosphoric acids (20:80,v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min.The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 300 nm.The column temperature was maintained at 40°C.This method demonstrated good linearity in the range of 0.525-300.0 μg/mL,with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99.The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.525 μg/mL in human plasma.Intra-and inter-day precisions were less than 6.63% in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD).The accuracy,when expressed by the bias,ranged from 0.57% to 4.04%.The mean extraction recovery of CTT was higher than 40.94%.The method was found to be precise,accurate,and specific for CTT quantitative analysis,and was successfully applied for a pharmacokinetic study of CTT after a single intravenous dose of 1.0 g of CTT in healthy Chinese subjects.

Development of a Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of Butoconazole Nitrate in Human Plasma and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

Summary： A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） method was developed and validated for the determination of butoconazole in human plasma. Human plasma samples of 0.2 μL were pretreated by a single step protein precipitation procedure and analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） electrospray tandem mass spectrometer system. The compounds were eluted isocratically on an Inertsil ODS-SP column （100 min×2.1 mm, 3 μm）, ionized using a positive ion atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization source and analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 412.8→q65.1 for butoconazole and m/z 453.4→230.3 for the internal standard. The chromatographic run time was 3.5 min per injection, with retention time of 2.47 rain and 2.15 min for butoconazole and repaglinide, respectively. The method was validated to be linear over the range of 20 to 8000 pg/mL （r〉0.999） by using a weighted （1/x2） quadratic regression. The mean recovery rate was more than 86.7%, and the intra- and inter-day precision of the quality control samples （QCs） was less than 8.3% and the accuracy ranged from 96.0% to 110.2%, which indicated that the quantitative method was reliable and accurate. The method is simple, rapid, and has been applied successfully to a pharmacokinetics study of butoconazole nitrate suppositories in healthy Chinese females.

Determination of asenapine in presence of its inactive metabolites in human plasma by LC-MS/MS

A highly selective and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） assay has been described for the determination of asenapine （ASE） in presence of its inactive metabolites N-desmethyl asenapine （DMA） and asenapine-N-glucuronide （ASG）. ASE, and ASE 13C-d3, used as internal standard （IS）, were extracted from 300 μL human plasma by a simple and precise liquid-liquid extraction procedure using methyl tert-butyl ether. Baseline separation of ASE from its inactive metabolites was achieved on Chromolith Performance RPse （100 mm ×4.6 mm） column using acetonitrile- 5.0 mM ammonium acetate-10% formic acid （90：10：0.1, v/v/v） within 4.5 min. Quantitation of ASE was done on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization in the positive mode. The protonated precursor to product ion transitions monitored for ASE and ASE 13C-d3 were m/z 286.1 → 166.0 and m/z 290.0 → 166.1, respectively. The limit of detection （LOD） and limit of quantitation （LOQ） of the method were 0.0025 ng/mL and 0.050 ng/mL respectively in a linear concentration range of 0.050-20.0 ng/mL for ASE. The intra-batch and inter-batch precision （% CV） and mean relative recovery across quality control levels were 〈 5.8% and 87.3%, respectively. Matrix effect, evaluated as IS-normalized matrix factor, ranged from 1.03 to 1.05. The stability of ASE under different storage conditions was ascertained in presence of the metabolites. The developed method is much simpler, matrix free, rapid and economical compared to the existing methods. The method was suc- cessfully used for a bioequivalence study of asenapine in healthy Indian subjects for the first time.

Determination of ergocalciferol in human plasma after Diels-Alder derivatization by LC-MS/MS and its application to a bioequivalence study

An accurate, sensitive and selective method is developed for determination of ergoealeiferol （vitamin D2） in human plasma using LC-MS/MS. After liquid-liquid extraction with n-hexane, ergoealeiferol was derivatized by reacting with 4-phenyl-l,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione （PTAD）, a strong dienophile based on Diels-Alder reaction. Ergocalciferol and its deuterated internal standard, ergocalciferol-d6, were analyzed on X Select CSH Cls （100 mmx4.6 mm, 2.5 lam） column using acetonitrile and 0.1% （v/v） formic acid in water containing 0.14% methylamine within 6.0 min under gradient elution mode. Tandem mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode was used to quantify ergocalciferol by multiple reaction monitoring （MRM）. Entire data processing was done using Watson LIMSTM software which provided excellent data integrity and high throughput with improved operational efficiency. The major advantage of this method includes higher sensitivity （0.10 ng/mL）, superior extraction efficiency （〉83%） and small sample volume （100 ~tL） for processing. The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.10-100 ng/mL for ergoealciferol. The intra-batch and inter-batch accuracy and precision （% CV） values varied from 97.3% to 109.0% and 1.01% to 5.16%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to support a bioequivalence study of 1.25 mg ergoealciferol capsules in 12 healthy subjects.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of itraconazole and hydroxy itraconazole in human plasma

A highly sensitive, selective, and precise ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of itraconazole and hydroxy itraconazole in human plasma by a single liquid-liquid extraction step. The precursor to product ion transitions of m/z 705.3/392.3, m/z 721.2/408.3 and m/z 708.2/435.4 were used to detect and quantify itraconazole, hydroxy itraconazole and itraconazole-d3 respectively. The lower limit of quantitation was found to be 0.500 ng/mL for itraconazole and 1.00 ng/mL for hydroxy itraconazole. The mean recoveries for itraconazole and hydroxy itraconazole were found to be 100.045% and 100.021%, respectively. This developed method with a chromatographic run time of 2.0 min was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of 100 mg itraconazole capsule.