Quantification of azithromycin in human plasma by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study

A specific, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of azithromycin in human plasma. After deproteinizing the plasma sample with methanol, azithromycin and internal standard (IS: roxithromycin) were separated using a mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile : ammonium acetate buffer (50 mM, containing 0.05% acetic acid)=85:15 on a Hypersil GOLD C18 column (50 mm×2.1 mm ID, dp 1.9 μm). Detection was performed with a tandem mass spectrometer by selective reaction monitoring (SRM) through electrospray ionization. Target ions were monitored at [M+H]+ m/z 749.5→591.5 and 837.7→679.5 in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode for azithromycin and IS respectively. Linearity was established for the range of concentrations 2-800 ng/mL with a coefficient of correlation (r) of 0.9996. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was identifiable and reproducible at 2.0 ng/mL. Both intra- and inter-batch standard deviations were less than 15%. The validated method was successfully applied to study the comparative bioavailability of azithromycin for suspension in test vs. reference in healthy Chinese volunteers through the statistical comparison of pharmacokinetic parameters obtained with the two formulations.     

Development and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of olanzapine in human plasma

A simple, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of olanzapine, atypical antipsychotic drug, in human plasma using loratadine as internal standard (IS). Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse phase C18 column and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]+ ions, m/z 313/256 for olanzapine and m/z 383/337 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1-30 ng/mL for olanzapine in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 100 pg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 10%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The average absolute recovery of olanzapine from spiked plasma samples was 85.5+/-1.9%. A run time of 2.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.     

Liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous quantitation of glipizide, cilostazol and its active metabolite 3, 4-dehydro-cilostazol in rat plasma: application for a pharmacokinetic study

A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitation of glipizide, cilostazol and 3, 4-dehydro-cilostazol in rat plasma was developed and validated. Glimepride was used as an internal standard (IS). The analytes were extracted by using liquid-liquid extraction procedure and separated on a reverse phase C18 column (50 mm×4.6 mm i. d., 5 μ) using acetonitrile: 2 mM ammonium acetate buffer, pH 3.2 (90:10, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate 0.4 mL/min in an isocratic mode. Selective reaction monitoring was performed using the transitions m/z 446.4>321.1, 370.2>288.3, 368.3>286.2, and 491.4>352.2 to quantify glipizide, cilostazol, 3, 4-dehydro-cilostazol and glimepride, respectively. Calibration curves were constructed over the range of 25-2 000 ng/mL for glipizide, cilostazol and 3, 4-dehydro-cilostazol. The lower limit of quantitation was 25 ng/mL for all the analytes. The recoveries from spiked control samples were>76% for all analytes and internal standard. Intra and inter day accuracy and precision of validated method were within the acceptable limits of at all concentration. The quantitation method was successfully applied for simultaneous estimation of glipizide, cilostazol and 3, 4-dehydro-cilostazol in a pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction study in wistar rats.     

Rapid determination of granisetron in human plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and its application to bioequivalence study

A simple, sensitive and rapid method for analysis of granisetron in human plasma, utilizing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), has been developed and validated to satisfy FDA guidelines for bioanalytical methods. The analyte and internal standard (IS) were isolated from 100microl plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). A Varian 1200l tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor-to-product ion transitions m/z 313.4/138 for granisetron and m/z 270/201 for the IS used for quantitation. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.02-20ng/ml for granisetron in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.02ng/ml with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. The mean extraction recovery from spiked plasma samples was 97.9%. The intra-day accuracy of the assay was within 10% of nominal and intra-day precision was better than 15% C.V. A run time of 2.0min for each sample made it possible for high-throughput bioanalysis. The method was employed in a bioequivalence study of two formulations of granisetron hydrochloride 1mg rapidly disintegrating tablets/1mg capsules.     

Simultaneous determination of GFA and its active metabolites in human plasma by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of guanfu base A (GFA) and its metabolites guanfu base I (GFI) and guanfu alcohol-amine (AA) in human plasma with phenoprolamine hydrochloride (DDPH) as the internal standard. The analytes were extracted from human plasma by using liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and the LC separation was performed on a Diamonsil C(18) analytical column (150 mm x 2.1 mm i.d., 5 microm). The MS acquisition was performed in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of positive ions. Analysis was carried out in SIM mode at m/z 430.25 for GFA [M+H](+), m/z 388.25 for GFI [M+H](+), m/z 346.25 for AA [M+H](+) and m/z 344.20 for the IS DDPH [M+H](+). The calibration curves were linear over the range of 50-5000 ng/mL for GFA and 5-1000 ng/mL for GFI and AA, with coefficients of correlation above 0.999. The lower limit of quantification for GFA was 1 ng/mL, while for GFI and AA were both 5 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions (CV) of analysis were within 9%, and the accuracy ranged from 91% to 108%. The overall recoveries for GFA, GFI and AA were about 94.2%, 87.8% and 80.6%, respectively. The total LC-MS run-time was only 5.5 min. This quantitation method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of GFA and its metabolites in human plasma for the metabolic study and pharmacokinetic evaluation.     

Liquid chromatographic-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method for the quantification of nimodipine in human plasma

A simple, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker, in human plasma. Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse phase C18 column and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M + H]+ ions, m/z 419/343 for nimodipine and m/z 409/228 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.2-50 ng/mL for nimodipine in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 200 pg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 8%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. A run time of 3 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 250 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.     

Determination and pharmacokinetics of danshensu in rat plasma after oral administration of danshen extract using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination and pharmacokinetics of danshensu in rat plasma samples using ferulic acid as internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were treated by liquid-liquid extraction, and the analyses were determined using electrospray negative ionization mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The signal intensity of the m/z 196.8 --> 134.8 transition of danshensu was found to relate linearly to danshensu concentrations in the plasma from 5-500 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) as determined by the LC/MS/MS method amounted to 5 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision was below 10.82%, and the accuracy was between -3.51% and +11.92%. The validated LC/MS/MS method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in which danshen extract (containing 40 mg/g danshensu) was administered orally to rats at a single dose of 200 mg/kg in 2% water.     

LC/MS/MS quantitation assay for pharmacokinetics of naringenin and double peaks phenomenon in rats plasma

A highly sensitive and specific electrospray ionization (ESI) liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for quantitation of naringenin (NAR) and an explanation for the double peaks phenomenon was developed and validated. NAR was extracted from rat plasma and tissues along with the internal standard (IS), hesperidin, with ethyl acetate. The analytes were analyzed in the multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode as the precursor/product ion pair of m/z 273.4/151.3 for NAR and m/z 611.5/303.3 for the IS. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 5-2500 ng/mL. The lower limit quantification was 5 ng/mL, available for plasma pharmacokinetics of NAR in rats. Accuracy in within- and between-run precisions showed good reproducibility. When NAR was administered orally, only little and predominantly its glucuronidation were into circulation in the plasma. There existed double peaks phenomenon in plasma concentration-time curve leading to the relatively slow elimination of NAR in plasma. The results showed that there was a linear relationship between the AUC of total NAR and dosages. And the double peaks are mainly due to enterohepatic circulation.     

Determination of a dipeptidyl peptidase IV agonist, β-aminoacyl containing thiazolidine derivatives (KR-66223) in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for a novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV agonist (DDP-IV) agonist, KR-66223, in rat plasma. It involves liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by HPLC separation and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. KR-66223 and imipramine (IS) was separated on Gemini-NX C18 column with mixture of acetonitrile-ammonium formate (10mM) (90:10, v/v) as mobile phase. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 553.2→206.2 for KR-66223, m/z 281.3→86.1 for imipramine in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The linear ranges of the assay were 0.003-10μg/ml with a correlation coefficient (R(2)) greater than 0.99 and the lower limit of quantification was 3ng/ml. The average recovery was 78.9% and 87.1% from rat plasma for KR-66223 and imipramine, respectively. The coefficients of variation of intra- and inter-assay were 3.9-14.4% and the relative error was 0.8-11.5%. The method was validated and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of KR-66223 in rat.     

Determination of domperidone in human plasma using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and its pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of domperidone (CAS number: 57808-66-9) in human plasma using paracetamol (CAS number: 103-90-2) as an internal standard (IS). Domperidone and paracetamol in plasma were extracted with ethyl acetate, separated on a C18 reversed phase column, eluted with mobile phase of acetonitrile-glacial acetic acid (0.3%) (40:60, v/v), ionized by positive ion pneumatically assisted electrospray and detected in the multi-reaction monitoring mode using precursor→product ions of m/z 426.2→175.1 for domperidone and 152→110 for the IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear (r2≥0.99, n=5) over the concentration range of 0.2-80 ng/mL and with lower limit of detection and quantitation of 0.05 and 0.2 ng/mL. The speci?city, matrix effect, recovery, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and stabilities were validated for domperidone in human plasma. In conclusion, the validation results showed that this method was sensitive, economical and less toxic and it can successfully ful?ll the requirement of clinical pharmacokinetic study of domperidone oral preparation in Chinese healthy volunteers.     

Simultaneous Determination of Celecoxib, Erlotinib, and its Metabolite Desmethyl-Erlotinib (OSI-420) in Rat Plasma by Liquid chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Positive/Negative Ion-Switching Electrospray Ionisation

A new method for the simultaneous determination of celecoxib, erlotinib, and its active metabolite desmethyl-erlotinib (OSI-420) in rat plasma, by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with positive/negative ion-switching electrospray ionization mode, was developed and validated. Protein precipitation with methanol was selected as the method for preparing the samples. The analytes were separated on a reverse-phase C₁₈ column (50mm×4.6mm i.d., 3μ) using methanol: 2 mM ammonium acetate buffer, and pH 4.0 as the mobile phase at a flow rate 0.8 mL/min. Sitagliptin and Efervirenz were used as the internal standards for quantification. The determination was carried out on a Theremo Finnigan Quantam ultra triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer, operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode using the following transitions monitored simultaneously: positive m/z 394.5→278.1 for erlotinib, m/z 380.3→278.1 for desmethyl erlotinib (OSI-420), and negative m/z −380.1→ −316.3 for celecoxib. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.5 ng/mL for Celecoxib, erlotinib, and OSI-420. Within- and between-day accuracy and precision of the validated method were within the acceptable limits of < 15% at all concentrations. The quantitation method was successfully applied for the simultaneous estimation of celecoxib, erlotinib, and desmethyl erlotinib in a pharmacokinetic study in Wistar rats.     

Development and validation of a sensitive LC/MS-MS method for the determination of letrozole in nude mice plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive, rapid and simple liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of letrozole (LTZ) in nude mouse plasma in the current study, which was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study. Using anastrozole as internal standard (IS), plasma samples went through a one-step protein precipitation with acetonitrile before determination. The analyte and IS were analyzed on a reversed-phase ZORBAX-SB-C₁₈column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The analyte and IS were detected by a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer, and electrospray and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) were employed to select LTZ at m/z 286.4/217.1 and IS at m/z 294.1/225.3 simultaneously in the positive ion mode. The calibration curve showed good linearity ranging from 0.8–2000.0 ng/mL (r>0.99). The intra-day and inter-day precisions of LTZ were 4.0%–8.4%, with an accuracy of 98.6%–104.9%. Using this method, we successfully characterized the pharmacokinetics (PK) of LTZ by a one-compartment model with first-order absorption in female BALB/c nude mice.     

Quantitative determination of clopidogrel active metabolite in human plasma by LC-MS/MS

A quantitative method for the determination of clopidogrel active metabolite (AM) in human plasma was developed and validated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Clopidogrel AM contains a thiol group, thus requiring stabilization in biological samples. The alkylating reagent 2-bromo-3'-methoxyacetophenone was used to stabilize clopidogrel AM in blood. An analog of the derivatized clopidogrel AM was used as the internal standard (IS). The derivatized samples were subjected to solid-phase extraction with a C2 disk plate and the overall procedure exhibited good reaction (more than 90%) and recovery efficiencies (from 85% to 105%). The derivative of clopidogrel AM (MP-AM) and IS were separated on an ODS column and quantified by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization. No significant endogenous peaks corresponding to MP-AM or IS were detected in blank human plasma samples, and no significant matrix effect was observed for MP-AM and IS in human plasma samples (from 102% to 121%). The calibration curve ranged from 0.5 to 250 ng/mL with good linearity, and extended by validation of a 50-fold dilution. In the intra- and inter-assay reproducibility tests, the accuracy and precision were within 12% relative error and 6% coefficient of variation, respectively. The derivatized MP-AM was stable in human plasma for 4 months at -80 degrees C. The validated method was successfully used to analyze clinical samples and determine the pharmacokinetics of clopidogrel AM.     

Sensitive bioassay of bupivacaine in human plasma by liquid-chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS-MS) method, using an ion trap spectrometer, was developed for quantitation of bupivacaine in human plasma. Bupivacaine and an internal standard (ropivacaine) were extracted in a single step from 100 microL of alkalinized plasma with diethyl-ether. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid (50:50, v/v), and was delivered at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The effluent was detected by MS-MS in positive ion mode. Ionisation was performed, using an electrospray ion source, operating at 200 degrees C. The selected reaction monitoring transitions m/z 289-->m/z 140 and m/z 275-->m/z 126 were chosen for bupivacaine and ropivacaine, respectively. Calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 3.90-500 microg/L with determination coefficients >0.996. The method is accurate (bias <10%) and reproducible (intra-assay and inter-assay precision <15%), with a quantitation limit of 3.90 microg/L, using only 100 microL of plasma. The high specificity and sensitivity, achieved by this fast method (total run-time <3 min), allowed the determination of bupivacaine plasma levels in pediatric patients, following epidural administration of bupivacaine.     

Determination of travoprost and travoprost free acid in human plasma by electrospray HPLC/MS/MS

A quantitative method for the analysis of AL-5848, the (+)-enantiomer of fluprostenol (FP), in human plasma is described. Plasma was spiked with a tetradeuterated analog of travoprost free acid (AL-5848X) as internal standard (IS) and acidified with 0.1 M formic acid. Sample clean up was performed using reversed phase solid-phase extraction. Following elution of the compounds of interest and evaporation to dryness, the residue was reconstituted in methanol:water (1:1) and chromatographed on an octadecylsilica (C18) column with negative ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The [M[bond]H](-) ions at m/z 457 and 461 for the analyte and IS, respectively, were subjected to collisional fragmentation with argon to yield the same intense 3-trifluoromethylphenolate (m/z 161) product ion. The validated concentration range was 0.010-3.00 ng/ml based on a 1.0 ml plasma aliquot. Fully adequate accuracy, precision, specificity, recovery and stability for routine use in clinical pharmacokinetic studies were demonstrated. Analysis of a second plasma aliquot following incubation with rabbit esterase allows the isopropyl ester pro-drug, travoprost (AL-6221), to be determined by difference.     

Quantification of levetiracetam in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: application to therapeutic drug monitoring

A rapid, selective, reliable, precise, accurate, and reproducible tandem mass spectrometric (MS-MS) method for the quantification of levetiracetam (LEV) in human plasma using adenosine as an internal standard (IS) has been developed and validated. The drug and IS were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) technique and analyzed on Symmetry((R)) C(18) column (5 microm, 3.9 mm x 50 mm) using a mobile phase of methanol-water-formic acid (97:03:0.25, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 ml/min. Quantitation was achieved using a positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) interface employing multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode at MRM transitions m/z 171>126 and m/z 268>136 for LEV and IS, respectively. The method was validated over the concentration range of 1.0-40 microg/ml (r>0.99) with a limit of quantification of 1.0 microg/ml (R.S.D.%; 4.1 and Bias%; -9.0 to + 11.0%). Intra- and inter-run precision of LEV assay at three concentrations ranged from 0.6 to 8.9% with accuracy (bias) varied from -4.0 to 8.6% indicating good precision and accuracy. Analytical recoveries of LEV and IS from spiked human plasma were in the range of 91.7-93.4% and 80.2-84.1%, respectively. Stability of LEV in human plasma samples at different conditions showed that the drug was stable under the studied conditions. Matrix effect study showed a lack of matrix effect on mass ions of LEV and IS. The described method compared well with the commercial HPLC-UV method of Chromsystem (r(2)=0.99). The suitability of the developed method for therapeutic drug monitoring was demonstrated by measuring LEV in human plasma samples of epileptic patients treated with LEV.     

Determination of mangiferin in rat plasma by liquid–liquid extraction with UPLC–MS/MS

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method employing electrospray ionization (ESI) has been developed for the determination of mangiferin in rat plasma using diphenhydramine as the internal standard (IS). Liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) was used for sample preparation and the analysis was achieved with gradient elution on C₁₈ reversed phase column. The method was validated over the concentration range 0.02–5.0 μg/mL for oral administration and 0.4–100 μg/mL for intravenous administration. The intra-day and inter-day precision of mangiferin expressed as RSD < 15% and the accuracy (RE) did not exceed 15%. This validated method is a novel technique for sample preparation and quantitation, which was successfully applied to estimate the bioavailability of mangiferin.     

Simultaneous determination of amoxicillin and ambroxol in human plasma by LC-MS/MS: validation and application to pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous determination of amoxicillin and ambroxol in human plasma using clenbuterol as internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were subjected to a simple protein precipitation with methanol. Separation was achieved on a Lichrospher C(18) column (150 mm x 4.6mm ID, dp 5 microm) using methanol (containing 0.2% of formic acid) and water (containing 0.2% of formic acid) as a mobile phase by gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Detection was performed using electrospray ionization in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by monitoring the ion transitions from m/z 365.9-->348.9 (amoxicillin), m/z 378.9-->263.6 (ambroxol) and m/z 277.0-->203.0 (IS). Calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 5-20,000 ng/mL for amoxicillin, and 1-200 ng/mL for ambroxol, with the intra- and inter-run precisions of <9% and the accuracies of 100+/-7%. The method has been validated and applied to pharmacokinetic studies of compound amoxicillin and ambroxol hydrochloride tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

A simple and sensitive gradient elution liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of doxorubicin in rabbit plasma

In the present study, we developed and validated a simple and sensitive gradient elution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for quantification of doxorubicin in rabbit plasma. Daunorubicin was used as an internal standard (IS). The doxorubicin and IS were extracted with ethyl acetate from plasma samples. The chromatographic separations were achieved on a C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×50 mm, 2.5 μm) configured with a C₁₈ guard column (2.1 mm×10 mm, 2.5 μm). The mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid-water solution and acetonitrile was delivered using a gradient elution program at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The temperature for column was maintained at 40 ºC. The electrospray ionization (ESI) source was operated in the positive ion mode, and the quantification was conducted using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of the transitions m/z 544.07→396.96 and m/z 528.06→321.05 for doxorubicin and IS, respectively. The calibration curve of doxorubicin was linear (r > 0.999) within the range of 2-600 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 2 ng/mL. The relative errors of intra­day and inter-day accuracies ranged from -2.48% to 0.18% and from -3.78% to 1.94%, respectively. The relative standard deviations of intra­day and inter-day precisions were less than 8.65% and 6.41%, respectively. The method exhibited satisfactory results in terms of specificity, sensitivity, matrix effect, recovery and stability. The newly developed LC-MS/MS method was reliable to monitor doxorubicin concentrations in rabbit plasma.     

Rapid analysis of docetaxel in human plasma by tandem mass spectrometry with on-line sample extraction

A simple, rapid, and sensitive analytical method for the measurement of docetaxel in human plasma was developed and validated. The method is based on positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI+-MS-MS) with on-line sample extraction. It uses paclitaxel as internal standard for calibration. The on-line sample extraction minimizes sample handling and is readily adopted for automation. Quantitation of plasma docetaxel was done by the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method had a linear calibration range of 1.00-3000 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient >0.9999. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for docetaxel in plasma was 1.00 ng/mL. The on-line extraction recovery of docetaxel was between 86.1-94.7%, with %CV < or = 6.1%. This method has high accuracy (90.1-96.3%), and excellent intra-assay (0.6-3.8%) and inter-assay (2.0-5.7%) precision. Its applicability to clinical samples was demonstrated by measuring patient plasma samples after treatment of weekly docetaxel at 25 mg/m2 as 60-min infusion.