Determination and pharmacokinetics of ascaridole in rat plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive method for determination of ascaridole in rat plasma was developed based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The analyte and internal standard (IS), naphthalene, were extracted from plasma with ethyl acetate and then separated by GC on a HP-5MS capillary analytical column (30 m x 0.25 mm, 0.25 microm) and determined by a quadrupole mass spectrometer detector operated under selected ion monitoring mode (SIM). Excellent linearity was found to be from 10 to 1,000 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 10 ng/mL. The accuracy was between 85.3% and 114.0%, and the precision was less than 14.5% (intra- and inter-day). The method was successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetic study of ascaridole in rats after a single oral dose of 30, 60 and 120 mg/kg, respectively.     

儿童丙戊酸群体药动学

目的:研究仅有临床稀疏数据的儿童丙戊酸群体药动学.方法:收集667例儿童癫痫患者的常规治疗药物监测资料,将794对血药浓度-时间数据利用群体药动学理论经CPKDP程序处理,提取儿童群体药动学参数,再经Bayesian反馈法及二步迭代计算出儿童个体药动学参数.结果:儿童丙戊酸群体药动学主要参数Ke、Vm、CL在单用丙戊酸组分别为(4.5±2.2)h-1、(1.4±0.5)L·kg-1和(14.5±4.3)mL·h-1·kg-1;在合并其他抗癫痫药物时分别为(7.3±3.4)h-1、(1.4±0.6)L·kg-1、(24.8±9.3)mL·h-1·kg-1.预测浓度和实测浓度显著相关;合并PB、PTH、CBZ、CNP对丙戊酸的药动学有显著影响.结论:本研究对儿童丙戊酸给药方案个体化提供有价值的参考依据.     

Physiologically based pharmacokinetics of valproic acid in rabbits

Protein-binding parameters of valproic acid (VPA) in rabbit serum were determined. Due to the non-linear binding, the binding percentage decreased from 91 to 41% when the serum concentration of VPA rose from 10 to 1000 μg/ml. The hepatic clearance of VPA as unbound drug followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. A physiologically based pharmacokinetics model was adopted to interpret the overall disposition of VPA in rabbits which incorporated the non-linear plasma protein binding and non-linear intrinsic hepatic clearance. The predicted plasma and tissue concentrations were found to be in good agreement with the observed concentrations. The reason why the plasma concentration versus time curves appear to be apparently parallel in spite of remarkable changes in the unbound concentration among three different doses could be explained by the association effects in which an increase in the total plasma concentration may produce a decrease in intrinsic hepatic clearance consistent with Michaelis-Menten kinetics resulting in an increase in the unbound fraction of VPA in plasma.     

Dual effect of valproic acid on the pharmacokinetics of phenytoin

To evaluate the effects of valproic acid on the disposition of phenytoin, a single dose of 600 mg valproic acid and multiple doses of valproic acid (200 mg four times a day for 5 days) were administered together with a single oral dose of 600 mg phenytoin to 12 young male volunteers. Fraction of unbound phenytoin and the area under curve (AUC) of the total and unbound phenytoin in plasma were compared with the control phase in which only 600 mg phenytoin was given. Valproic acid increased the unbound fraction of phenytoin in both single- and multiple-dose studies by 15 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively. Single-dose valproic acid increased the total AUC of phenytoin by 11 per cent. Multiple-dose valproic acid decreased the total AUC by 7 per cent. Single-and multiple-dose valproic acid increased the unbound AUC by 25 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, probably due to the inhibition on the metabolizing enzymes. We concluded that there are at least two mechanisms involved in valproic acid-phenytoin interaction. Whereas valproic acid displacing phenytoin on the plasma protein decreased the total drug concentration of phenytoin, the enzyme inhibition by valproic acid increased both the total and unbound concentration of phenytoin. The two conflicting mechanisms may result in different effects on the total plasma concentration of phenytoin. Therapeutic drug monitoring based on the total concentration of phenytoin may be misleading when valproic acid is co-administered.     

Analysis of phyto-oestrogens by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The metabolites of oestrogenic substances of plant origin, phyto-oestrogens, have been proposed as cancer-protective agents in Asian and vegetarian populations. The two principle classes of these weak oestrogens are isoflavonoids and mammalian lignans. The former is derived from soya-based foods and the latter from oilseeds, cereals and whole grains. Asian populations such as the Japanese have high plasma concentrations of the isoflavones, daidzein and genistein, whereas vegetarians excrete large quantities of the lignan enterolactone, in their urine. The concentrations of these compounds in biological samples and foods are usually determined by GC-MS, although other techniques such as HPLC and LC-MS have also been used. A simple, robust method employing isotope dilution GC-MS will be described which could be applied to the determination of phyto-oestrogens in biological samples and food matrices. Briefly, samples are hydrolysed with β-glucuronidase, the aglycones extracted and the phyto-oestrogen fraction isolated by chromatography on Sephadex LH20. This fraction is then derivatised for GC-MS by reaction with N,O-bistrimethylsilyl-triflouroacetatamide to form trimethylsilyl derivatives. Using this technique we have determined the concentrations of the lignans, enterodiol and enterolactone, and the isoflavonoids, equol, daidzein and genistein, in the serum of men from Japan (n=42). The mean levels of daidzein and genistein in these men were 82.5 ng/ml (range 1.9-577) and 158.6 ng/ml (range 5.3-852), respectively. The majority of these men (57%) produced equol concentrations of >5 ng/ml, with a mean value of 26.7 ng/ml. Mean Levels of enterodiol and enterolactone were 0.6 and 9.4 ng/ml, respectively. The levels of daidzein and genistein produced from the hydrolysis of soya bean hulls, soya bean hypocotyl, dehulled soya beans, soya flour, soya grit and soya concentrates have also been determined by this method. Soya bean hypocotyl, for example, produces 2.1 mg/g of daidzein and 1.2 mg/g genistein, whereas some concentrates yield as much as 40% isoflavones.     

Simultaneous determination of ethylene glycol and glycolic acid in serum by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

We describe a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) procedure for the simultaneous determination of ethylene glycol (EG) and its major toxic metabolite, glycolic acid (GA), in serum. In this method, serum (50 microL) is treated with 150 microL of glacial acetic acid/acetonitrile (1:10, v/v; contains internal standard, 1,3-propanediol, 15 mg/dL) to precipitate protein. After centrifugation, 10 microL of supernate is treated with 500 microL of 2,2-dimethoxypropane/dimethylformamide (80:20, v/v) to convert water to methanol, and the volume is then reduced to < 100 microL of dimethylformamide (but not to dryness). After formation of tertbutyldimethylsilyl derivatives, analysis is performed by capillary column GC-MS in selected ion mode. The method gives a linear response to 1000 mg/L each EG and GA (16.1 mmol/L and 13.2 mmol/L, respectively) and has a lower limit of detection and a lower limit of quantitation of 10 mg/L each EG and GA (0.16 mmol/L and 0.13 mmol/L, respectively). Total assay imprecision is CV < or = 6.4% (200 and 800 mg/L EG and GA [3.2 and 12.9 mmol/L EG; 2.6 and 10.5 mmol/L GA, respectively]). Absolute recovery from human serum was 91.1% for EG and 77.6% for GA. The procedure is free from any known interference. A complete analysis set (three calibrators, patient serum neat, patient serum diluted 1:5 (v/v), and two controls) may be completed in about 2 h. A preliminary result, based on a single calibrator and patient serum diluted 1:5 (v/v), is complete in about 1 h. The method has been used to aid the diagnosis and management in 34 cases of EG intoxication. Selected cases are briefly reviewed.     

Simultaneous detection of hippuric acid and methylhippuric acid in urine by Empore disk and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of hippuric acid (HA) and o-, m-, and p-methylhippuric acids (o-, m-, p-MHAs) in urine using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extraction procedure uses an Empore disk, derivatized into the respective trimethyl silyl derivatives. All metabolites including the internal standard (I.S.) were clearly able to be analyzed by the DB-17 column. The calibration curves for the four acids show linearity in the range of 5-70 microg/ml. The detection limit of each acid was 1.0-2.5 microg/ml.     

Structural elucidation of hydroxylated metabolites of the isoflavan equol by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Equol has, as have other isoflavonoids, recently gained considerable interest due to its possible health effects. However, detailed studies on the metabolism of equol are scarce. Therefore, we investigated the phase I metabolism of equol using liver microsomes from Aroclor-treated male Wistar rats as well as from a male human. The identification of the metabolites formed was elucidated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection, HPLC/atmospheric pressure ionization electrospray mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, as well as reference compounds. (+/-)-Equol was converted to 11 metabolites by the liver microsomes from Aroclor-pretreated rats comprising three aromatic monohydroxylated and four aliphatic monohydroxylated as well as four dihydroxylated products. The main metabolite was identified as 3'-hydroxy-equol. Using human liver microsomes, equol was converted to six metabolites with 3'-hydroxy- and 6-hydroxy-equol as main products. Furthermore, the aliphatic hydroxylated metabolite 4-hydroxyequol, which was recently detected in human urine after soy consumption, was formed. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that phase I metabolism of equol is part of a complex biotransformation of the soy isoflavone daidzein in humans in vivo.     

First-dose and steady-state pharmacokinetics of valproic acid in children with seizures

The serum concentration-time curve of valproic acid was followed in 25 children after single oral doses of the drug and at steady-state. Total body clearance (CL), half-life (t 1/2), and apparent volume of distribution (Vd) were calculated from the terminal portion of the curve and from the area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC). The CL and Vd were significantly greater at steady-state (0.42 +/- 0.20 ml/min/kg and 0.231 +/- 0.067 L/kg, respectively) than after a single dose (0.32 +/- 0.13 ml/min/kg and 0.191 +/- 0.055 L/kg, respectively). This difference was most pronounced in patients with valproic acid dosage increases in excess of 20% and no change in their concurrent anticonvulsant therapy between the single-dose and steady-state study periods. The t 1/2 was not significantly different between the 2 study periods. There was a significant correlation between age and both CL and Vd after single doses and at steady-state. The t 1/2 did not appear to be age related. These results suggest that the adequacy of the dosage regimen must be determined during maintenance therapy rather than extrapolated from data obtained after a single dose. Re-evaluation of therapy as the child grows older may also be necessary in view of the age-related differences in valproic acid pharmacokinetics which this study has demonstrated.     

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of clobenzorex

Drugs metabolized to amphetamine or methamphetamine are potentially significant concerns in the interpretation of amphetamine-positive urine drug-testing results. One of these compounds, clobenzorex, is an anorectic drug that is available in many countries. Clobenzorex (2-chlorobenzylamphetamine) is metabolized to amphetamine by the body and excreted in the urine. Following administration, the parent compound was detectable for a shorter time than the metabolite amphetamine, which could be detected for days. Because of the potential complication posed to the interpretation of amphetamin-positive drug tests following administration of this drug, the viability of a current amphetamine procedure using liquid-liquid extraction and conversion to the heptafluorobutyryl derivative followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was evaluated for identification and quantitation of clobenzorex. Qualitative identification of the drug was relatively straightforward. Quantitative analysis proved to be a far more challenging process. Several compounds were evaluated for use as the internal standard in this method, including methamphetamine-d11, fenfluramine, benzphetamine, and diphenylamine. Results using these compounds proved to be less than satisfactory because of poor reproducibility of the quantitative values. Because of its similar chromatographic properties to the parent drug, the compound 3-chlorobenzylamphetamine (3-Cl-clobenzorex) was evaluated in this study as the internal standard for the quantitation of clobenzorex. Precision studies showed 3-Cl-clobenzorex to produce accurate and reliable quantitative results (within-run relative standard deviations [RSDs] < 6.1%, between-run RSDs < 6.0%). The limits of detection and quantitation for this assay were determined to be 1 ng/mL for clobenzorex.     

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay to determine the pharmacokinetics of aildenafil in human plasma

A simple, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of aildenafil, a new phosphodiesterase V inhibitor, in human plasma is presented. The analyte and internal standard, sildenafil, were extracted by a one-step liquid-liquid extraction in alkaline conditions and separated on a C(18) column using ammonia:10mM ammonium acetate buffer:methanol (0.1:15:85, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The detection by an API 4000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in multiple-reaction monitoring mode was completed within 2.5 min. The calibration curve exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.05-100 ng/ml with a 10 pg/ml limit of detection. The intra- and inter-day precisions measured as relative standard deviation were within 8.04% and 5.72%, respectively. This method has been used in a pharmacokinetic study of aildenafil in healthy male volunteers each given an oral administration of one of the three dosages.     

Population pharmacokinetics of valproic acid concentrations in elderly nursing home residents

The objective of this study was to identify factors that affect valproic acid (VPA) apparent clearance (CL/F) in elderly nursing home residents. Inclusion criteria included residency in a nursing home for at least 2 months, aged 65 years or older, a stable dosing regimen of VPA for at least 4 weeks, VPA concentration, and complete dosing information. CL/F was analyzed by a nonlinear mixed effects model. A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination was used. Both volume and absorption rate constant were fixed (14 L and 1 hr, respectively). Covariates were tested by forward inclusion and backward elimination. Interindividual variability in clearance was estimated using an exponential error model and expressed as a coefficient of variation. Residual error was estimated using a combined additive and constant coefficient of variation error model. The study consisted of 405 observations from 146 (52 men, 94 women) elderly nursing home residents. CL/F was not affected by age or weight. The population CL/F was 0.843 L/hr. CL/F was 1) 27% lower in female residents; 2) 41% greater when the resident was on concomitant metabolic inducers carbamazepine or phenytoin cotherapy; and 3) 25% greater when the syrup formulation was used. Variability in CL/F was 32.9%. Coefficient of variation and standard deviation of the residual error were 18.2% and 10.6 mg/L, respectively. The increased CL/F in patients taking VPA syrup may be the result of a decreased bioavailability (F) rather than an increased CL that could be associated with pathology requiring use of the syrup rather than an inherent property of the drug formulation. The results from this study may be useful for individualizing dose regimens in the nursing home population based on patient-specific factors.     

Radiolysis characterization of cetostearyl alcohol by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Methods for sample preparation, assay test and impurity test were established. Degrees of cetostearyl alcohol (CSA) radiolyses in pure state, ointment base and in chloramphenicol eye ointment (CAPEO) were determined at doses of 25 and 50 kGy. Radiolyses of CSA occur in all cases. The degrees are directly proportional to the irradiation dose in each case. Forty-two impurities and radiolysis products were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The radiolysis products were assigned to be n-alkane, n-aldehyde and 2-methyl-1-alcohol. Accordingly, the degradation pathways of cetosteary alcohol were elucidated. Radiolysis behaviors of CSA in pure state, eye ointment base and CAPEO were studied by assay and impurity analyses. The influence of eye ointment matrixes is modest and chloramphenicol molecule exhibits slight scavenger function for cetostearyl. Both qualitative and quantitative data confirm that the radiolysis products of CSA do not cause safety concerns for human use.     

Determination of levamisole in urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The United States Public Health Service Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is alerting medical professionals that a substantial percentage of cocaine imported into the United States is adulterated with levamisole, a veterinary pharmaceutical that can cause blood cell disorders such as severe neutropenia and agranulocytosis. Levamisole HCl is the active ingredient in a number of veterinary drugs approved to treat worm infestations in animals. Levamisole HCl was also the active ingredient in a human drug for oral administration approved on June 18, 1990, as adjuvant treatment in combination with fluorouracil after surgical resection in patients with Duke's stage C colon cancer. This drug was withdrawn from the U.S. market around 2000, and it has not been marketed in the U.S. since then. The objective of this study was to develop a method to determine the amount of levamisole in urine samples. The procedure will be provided to state health laboratories as needed to be used in the evaluation of patients that have developed neutropenia or agranulocytosis in the setting of recent cocaine use. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was validated and tested at two different laboratories, and the method limit of detection for levamisole is 1 ng/mL in urine when using a 5-mL sample. Confirmation of the stereoisomer of levamisole was done by high-performance liquid chromatography using a chiral column.     

Cyanide and thiocyanate in human saliva by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method is described for simultaneous determination of cyanide (CN) and thiocyanate (SCN) in human saliva, or oral fluid. SCN concentrations in body fluids appeared to be important in classifying patients as smokers or nonsmokers, in determining some clinical conditions, and in specimen validity testing in forensic drug testing. The human saliva samples were diluted and the anions were separated by an extractive alkylation technique. Tetrabutylammonium sulfate was used as phase-transfer catalyst and pentafluorobenzyl bromide as the derivatizing agent. The products were analyzed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selected ion monitoring method. 2,5-Dibromotoluene was used as internal standard for quantitation of CN and SCN in saliva. The calibration plot was linear over the concentration range from 1 to 100 micromol/L (0.026-2.60 microg/mL) for CN (R=0.9978) and 5 to 200 micromol/L (0.29-11.6 microg/mL) for SCN (R=0.9996). The method was used to examine 10 saliva specimens. The concentration ranged from 4.8 to 29 micromol/L (0.13-0.75 microg/mL) for CN and 293 to 1029 micromol/L (17-59.7 microg/mL) for SCN. The SCN results were similar to those obtained from a method using oxidation of SCN to CN with colorimetric detection (R=0.9882). The proposed GC-MS confirmatory method was found useful when the concentrations of CN and SCN in saliva needed to be accurately determined.     

贝叶斯法估算丙戊酸药动学参数及个体化给药

目的:采用癫痫患者丙戊酸群体药动学参数结合贝叶斯(Bayesian)法估算癫痫患者丙戊酸的个体药动学参数;制定或优化欲达预期血药浓度所应实施的给药方案,使癫痫患者丙戊酸给药有效、合理、毒副作用小.方法:癫痫患者口服丙戊酸达稳态,取其每天早晨服药前10 min血样57人次,用荧光偏振免疫法(Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay,FPIA)测得血清中丙戊酸和游离丙戊酸血药浓度谷值.用Bayesian法估算其药动学参数,并用逐步回归法分析个体的性别、年龄等18种因素对其药动学参数的影响.结果:按口服一房室一级吸收和消除的开放模型用Bayesian法估算得丙戊酸药动学参数清除率CL,平均值为(8.7±0.6)mL·h-1·kg-1,逐步回归方程:CL(mL·h-1·kg-1)=3.972 1.631X5 1.608X11;稳态血药浓度谷值Cp0逐步回归方程:Cp0(mg·L-1)=57.58-0.71X4-12.145X5 2.705X7 0.403x17.式中X4表示体重(kg),X5表示身高(cm)体重(kg)比,X7表示每日每千克体重的给药剂量(mg·d-1·kg-1),x11表示当合并用苯妥英钠时系数为1,否则为0,x17表示血清肌酐(μmol·L-1).实测丙戊酸稳态血药浓度谷值(52.4±5.4)mg·L-1与估算值(53.5±5.2)mg·L-1间差异无统计学意义,P＞0.05.结论:可采用Bayesian法估算癫痫患者丙戊酸动力学参数和进行个体化给药的拟定或调整给药方案.