Determination of rabeprazole enantiomers and their metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography with solid-phase extraction

Here, we describe the development of a rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of rabeprazole enantiomers (1a,b) and their metabolites, rabeprazole-thioether (2) and rabeprazole sulfone (3), in human plasma. Analytes and the internal standard (omeprazole-thioether) were separated using a mobile phase of 0.5 M NaClO4-acetonitrile (6:4, v/v) over a Chiral CD-Ph column. Analysis required only 100 microl of plasma and involved solid-phase extraction with an Oasis HLB cartridge, which gave high recovery (>91.8%) with good selectivity for all analytes. The lower limit of quantification was 5 ng/ml for analytes 1a, 1b and 3 and 10 ng/ml for 2. Linearity of this assay was determined to lie between 5 and 1000 ng/ml for 1a, 1b and 3 and 10 and 1000 ng/ml for 2 (r2>0.982 of the regression line). Inter- and intra-day coefficients of variation were less than 7.8% and accuracies were within 8.4% over the linear range for all analytes. Our results indicate that this method is applicable to the simultaneous monitoring of plasma levels of rabeprazole enantiomers and associated metabolites in human plasma.     

Simultaneous determination of propafenone and 5-hydroxypropafenone enantiomers in plasma by chromatography on an amylose derived chiral stationary phase

An enantioselective liquid chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of propafenone (PPF) and 5-hydroxypropafenone (PPF-5OH) enantiomers in plasma. After liquid liquid extraction with dichloromethane, the enantiomers were resolved on a Chiralpak AD column using hexane-ethanol (88:12, v/v) plus 0.1% diethylamine as the mobile phase and monitored at 315 nm. Under these conditions the enantiomeric fractions of the drug and of its metabolite were analysed within 20 min. The extraction procedure resulted in absolute recoveries of 62.9 and 61.3% for (R)- and (S)-PPF, respectively, and of 57.6 and 56.5% for (R)- and (S)-PPF-5OH, respectively. This procedure was efficient in removing endogenous interferents as well the interference of an other PPF metabolite, N-despropylpropafenone (PPF-NOR). The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range 25-1250 ng/ml. Low values of the coefficients of variation were demonstrated for both within-day and between day assays. The method described in this paper allows the determination of PPF and PPF-5OH enantiomers at plasma levels as low as 25 ng/ml and can be used in clinical pharmacokinetic studies.     

Simultaneous determination of fexofenadine and its related compounds by HPLC

A simple reversed phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) method has been developed and subsequently validated for the determination of fexofenadine hydrochloride and its related compounds A and B. The method utilizes a C8 column for the separation and determination of meta-isomer (related compound B). The separation was achieved using an Eclipse XDB C8, 5 microm, 4.6 x 150 mm column and a mobile phase comprising 1% triethylamine phosphate (pH 3.7), acetonitrile and methanol in the ratio 60:20:20 (v/v/v). 5-Methyl 2-nitrophenol has been used as internal standard for the purpose of quantitation of fexofenadine. The described method was linear over a range of 0.7-18.7 microg/ml for related compounds A and B and 60-750 microg/ml for assay of fexofenadine. The relative standard deviation (n=3) was 0.5% for the drug and 3.4% for related compounds. The intermediate precision was 0.79% (n=9) for assay and 5.16% (n=9) for related impurities. The mean recovery of both the related compounds were in the range of 94-103%. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for the related compounds A and B were 0.18, 0.12 and 0.56, 0.48 microg/ml, respectively. The precision of the method was checked by F-test using a reported method as reference and the calculated value (1.35) was found to be less than the table value at 95% confidence levels. The obtained results confirm that the method is highly suitable for its intended purpose.     

Determination of rat plasma levels of sertraline enantiomers using direct injection with achiral–chiral column switching by LC–ESI/MS/MS

A highly sensitive and selective on-line two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometric (2D-LC–ESI/MS/MS) method to determine sertraline (SRT) enantiomers in rat plasma was developed and validated. The method was applied to separate and determine the diastereomers and enantiomers of SRT simultaneously. The 2D-LC–ESI/MS/MS system consisted of RAM column in first dimension for trapping proteineous part of plasma and a chiral Cyclobond column as second dimension for separation of enantiomers and diastereomers of SRT using 0.1% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid:acetonitrile (86:14, v/v) as mobile phase in an isocratic elution mode. The linear dynamic range was 0.5–200 ng/mL (r² > 0.999). Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained over the calibration range. The assay was successfully used in the analysis of SRT enantiomers in rat plasma to support pharmacokinetic studies.     

LC-MS method for the determination of albuterol enantiomers in human plasma using manual solid-phase extraction and a non-deuterated internal standard

A sensitive enantioselective liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) assay using a manual solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure, a non-deuterated internal standard and an ion trap LC–MS was developed to measure (R)- and (S)-albuterol in plasma. Sample extraction from plasma was achieved by a manual SPE extraction procedure with methoxyphenamine added as the internal standard. Chiral separation was achieved using a teicoplanin-based stationary phase and a mobile phase consisting of methanol, acetic acid and 28% (w/v) ammonia (1000:5:1, v/v/v). Samples were analyzed by selected reaction monitoring of product ions from the protonated molecular ions. The detection limit of the assay was 0.1 ng/ml with a conservative lower limit of quantification of 0.25 ng/ml for each enantiomer. Recovery of albuterol enantiomers from plasma spiked at 10 ng/ml of racemate was determined to be 89±5.8% (mean±S.D.). Reproducibility at 10 ng/ml of racemate assessed by the coefficient of variation was found to be 6.5% (n=5). Instrument precision (measured as coefficient of variation) was 1.4% (n=5). The correlation coefficient r² determined from the calibration curve over the range 0.5–50.0 ng/ml racemate in plasma was 0.998. This assay allows adequate sensitivity, recovery and reproducibility for the application to studies of inhaled albuterol.     

Stereoselective determination of pyridoglutethimide enantiomers in serum with a chiral cellulose-based high-performance liquid chromatographic column using solid phase extraction and UV detection

A sensitive method for the separation and determination of R(+)- and S(-) enantiomers of pyridoglutehimide in serum by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection was developed. The assay involves the use of a solid-phase extraction for serum sample clean-up prior to HPLC analysis using a C18 Bond-Elute column. Chromatographic resolution of the enantiomers was performed on a reversed-phase cellulose-based chiral column (Chiralcel OD-R, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D.) under isocratic conditions using a mobile phase of 25:75 v/v acetonitrile-0.3 M aqueous sodium perchlorate (pH 6.2 adjusted with perchloric acid) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. Recoveries for R(+)- and S(-)-pyridoglutethimide enantiomers were in the range 86-91% at 300-900 ng/ml level. Intra-day and inter-day precision calculated as %R.S.D. were in the ranges of 2.9-3.9 and 1.5-4.7% for both enantiomers, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies calculated as percentage error were in the ranges of 1.9-3.3 and 1.5-3.9% for both enantiomers, respectively. Linear calibration curves in the concentration ranges of 100-1500 ng/ml for each enantiomer show correlation coefficient (r) of more than 0.9995. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of each enantiomer was 100 ng/ml using 1 ml of serum. The detection limit (LOD) for each enantiomer in serum using a UV detection set at 257 nm was 50 ng/ml (S/N = 2).     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatographic method for determination of enantiomeric purity of citalopram in bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals

A simple, rapid and robust LC method for enantiospecific separation and determination of citalopram in drugs and pharmaceuticals was developed using UV and polarimetric detectors connected in series. Baseline separation with resolution > or = 3.0 was achieved within 20 min on Chiralcel OD-H (250 mm x 4.6 mm) 5 microm column using a mobile phase containing of n-hexane:2-propanol:triethylamine (TEA) (95:05:0.1 v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min at 25 degrees C. Effects of 2-propanol, triethylamine and temperature on enantioselectivity and resolution of the enantiomers were evaluated. Clopidogrel hydrogen sulphate was used as an internal standard (IS) for quantitative determinations using UV detector at 240 nm. Polarimetric detector was used for identification of enantiomers. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.5 and 1.3 microg/ml respectively for both the enantiomers. The linearity of the method was in the range of 50-600 microg/ml with r2 > 0.9999. The inter- and intra-day assay precision was less than 0.63% (%R.S.D.) and recoveries were in the range 99.38-100.41%. The method was validated and found to be suitable for determination enantiomeric purity of citalopram in bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations.     

Sensitive determination of nefopam and its metabolite desmethyl-nefopam in human biological fluids by HPLC

Nefopam (NEF) and desmethyl-nefopam (DMN) were assayed simultaneously in plasma, globule and urine samples using imipramine as internal standard. A liquid-liquid extraction procedure was coupled with a reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography system. This system requires a mobile phase containing buffer (15 mM KH(2)PO(4) with 5 mM octane sulfonic acid: pH 3.7) and acetonitrile (77:33, v/v) through (flow rate=1.5 ml/min) a C(18) Symmetry column (150x4.6 I.D., 5 micrometer particle size: Waters) and a UV detector set at 210 nm. Internal standard was added to 1 ml of plasma or globule sample or 0.5 ml of urine sample, prior to the extraction under alkaline ambiance with n-hexane. The limits of quantification were 1 and 2 ng/ml for both molecules in plasma and globule, respectively; 5 and 10 ng/ml for NEF and DMN in urine, respectively. The method proved to be accurate and precise: the relative error at three concentrations ranged from -13.0 to +12.3% of the nominal concentration for all molecule and biological fluid; the within-day and between-day precision (relative standard deviation %) ranged from 1.0 to 10.1% for all the molecules and biological fluids. The method was linear between 1 and 60 ng/ml for both molecules in the plasma; 2 and 25 ng/ml for both molecules in the globule; 25 and 250 ng/ml for NEF and 50 and 500 ng/ml for DMN in the urine: correlation coefficients of calibration curves (determined by least-squares regression) of each molecule were higher than 0.992 whatever the biological fluid and during the pre-study and in-study validations. This method was successfully applied to a bio-availability study of NEF in healthy subjects.     

Stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of lomefloxacin in human plasma

This report describes an HPLC assay developed for the quantification of the enantiomers of lomefloxacin (LFLX), a quinolone antibiotic, in plasma. Following addition of racemic acebutolol (internal standard, IS), plasma samples were extracted at pH 7 with a mixture of chloroform-isopentyl alcohol-diethyl ether (71.25:3.75:25, v/v/v). The organic layer was evaporated, and LFLX and IS enantiomers in the resulting residue were derivatized with chloroform solutions of 1% triethylamine and 1% (S)-(+)-(1-naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate, followed by 2% ethyl chloroformate (ECF) 1 min later. Ethanolamine was added 30 s after the addition of ECF. The enantiomers were separated as diastereomers on an 8 × 100 mm Radial Pak normal phase column using a mobile phase of hexane-chloroform-methanol (64.5:33:2.5, v/v/v) pumped at 2.0 ml min⁻¹. The IS was detected by fluorescence at 245 and 420 nm (excitation and emission, respectively) during the first 12 min, after which time the wavelengths were 280 and 470 nm for detection of LFLX. The method: (1) was sensitive and showed excellent linearity (10–1000 ng ml⁻¹, r² > 0.99) between added enantiomer concentrations and peak-area-ratio (LFLX/IS); and (2) separated LFLX and IS enantiomers within 25 min. The assay is suitable for the quantification of LFLX enantiomers in plasma samples.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of buspirone in human plasma

A simple, rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of buspirone in plasma was developed. Buspirone was isolated from plasma using protein precipitation by acetonitrile and the recovery was complete. Citalopram was used as internal standard. The chromatographic conditions were as follows: analytical 125 x 4 mm, i.d. Nucleosil C18 column (5 microm particle size), mobile phase consisting of sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer/acetonitrile (60:40, v/v) adjusted to pH 5.5 at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min(-1), UV detection at 235 nm. The quantification limit for buspirone in plasma was 0.5 ng ml(-1).The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.5-10 ng ml(-1). The inter- and intra-day assay coefficients of variation were found to be less than 8%. The present validated method was successfully used for bioequivalence studies of buspirone in human subjects.     

Determination of azelnidipine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method for the determination of azelnidipine in human plasma was established. Nicardipine was used as the internal standard (IS). After adjustment to a basic pH with sodium hydroxide solution (0.1 M), plasma samples were extracted with cyclohexane-diethyl ether (1:1, v/v) and separated on a C(18) column with a mobile phase of 20 mM ammonium acetate solution-methanol-formic acid (25:75:0.5, v/v). The electrospray ionization was employed in a single quadrupole mass spectrometer for the determination. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.05-40 ng/ml. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.05 ng/ml. The intra- and inter-run standard deviations were less than 9.5% and 11.0%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of azelnidipine in healthy Chinese volunteers.     

Validated HPLC method for determination of amlodipine in human plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

A rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for quantification of amlodipine in plasma. The assay enables the measurement of amlodipine for therapeutic drug monitoring with a minimum detectable limit of 0.2 ng ml(-1). The method involves simple, one-step extraction procedure and analytical recovery was about 97%. The separation was performed on an analytical 125 x 4.6 mm i.d. Nucleosil C8 column. The wavelength was set at 239 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of 0.01 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (63:37, v/v) adjusted to pH 3.5 at a flow rate of 1.5 ml min(-1). The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.5-16 ng ml(-1). The coefficients of variation for inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 10%.     

Rapid determination of minoxidil in human plasma using ion-pair HPLC

A rapid, simple and sensitive ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for quantification of minoxidil in plasma. The assay enables the measurement of minoxidil for therapeutic drug monitoring with a minimum detectable limit of 0.5 ng ml(-1). The method involves simple, one-step extraction procedure and analytical recovery was complete. The separation was performed on an analytical 150 x 4.6 mm i.d. microbondapak C18 column. The wavelength was set at 281 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of 0.01 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (60:40, v/v) containing 2.5 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate adjusted to pH 3.5 at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The column temperature was set at 50 degrees C. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 2-100 ng ml(-1). The coefficients of variation for inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 8%.     

Determination of celecoxib in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantitation of celecoxib (CEL) in human plasma is presented. The method is based on liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform and reversed-phase chromatography using a Nucleosil CN column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size) and UV spectrophotometer detection at 260 nm. The mobile phase consists of acetonitrile:water (60:40 (v/v)). Flutamide was used as internal standard (IS). The assay was linear in the concentration range of 10-1000 ng/ml when 0.5 ml aliquots of plasma were extracted. Within-day and between-day precision expressed by relative standard deviation is less than 4% and inaccuracy does not exceed 3%. The assay was used to analyze samples collected during human clinical studies.     

Rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of adefovir in plasma using UV detection: application to pharmacokinetic studies

A rapid, sensitive and reproducible HPLC method was developed and validated for the analysis of adefovir (CAS 106941-25-7) in human plasma. The separation was achieved on a monolithic silica column (Chromolith Performance RP-18e, 100 x 4.6 mm) using acetonitrile-ammonium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (6:94, v/v), pH 5.2, as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 ml min(-1). The wavelength was set at 260 nm. The assay enables the measurement of adefovir for therapeutic drug monitoring with a minimum quantification limit of 1 ng ml(-1). The method involves a simple protein precipitation procedure. Analytical recovery was complete. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 1-40 ng ml(-1). The coefficients of variation for inter-day and intra-day assay were found to be less than 5%. The method was applied to the determination of adefovir in plasma from 12 subjects dosed with adefovir 2 x 10 mg tablets and pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated.     

Quantification of propiverine by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study of two formulations in healthy subjects

Here we report on the development and validation of a sensitive and rapid reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitative determination of propiverine in human plasma. After adding an internal standard (oxybutynin chloride) to human plasma, samples were extracted using n-hexane/ethylacetate (8:2, v/v). Compounds extracted were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for analyte detection. This method for determination of propiverine proved accurate and reproducible, with a limit of quantitation of 0.5 ng/ml in human plasma. The standard calibration curve for propiverine was linear (r2=0.9988) over the concentration range 0.5-1000.0 ng/ml in human plasma. The intra- and inter-day precision over this concentration range was lower than 8.66% (relative standard deviation, %R.S.D.), and accuracy was between 99.46 and 109.41%, respectively. This method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of two propiverine hydrochloride tablet formulations (20 mg) in 24 healthy subjects after a single administration.     

Determination of fexofenadine in human plasma using 96-well solid phase extraction and HPLC with tandem mass spectrometric detection

A fast and sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method, utilizing atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, for the determination of fexofenadine in human plasma is described. A deuterated analog, d6-fexofenadine is used as the internal standard (IS). Plasma samples are prepared using 96-well solid phase extraction with plates containing Waters Oasis HLB sorbent. The analytes are chromatographed on a Restek Ultra IBD column (3.2 mm x 50 mm, 3 microm) using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of 90% acetonitrile and 10% 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer and 0.1% formic acid. Quantitation of the analyte is based on the response from the multiple reaction monitoring of the precursor to product ion pairs for fexofenadine (m/z 502 --> 466) and d6-fexofenadine (m/z 508 --> 472). The assay has been validated over the concentration range of 1-200 ng/ml based on the analysis of 0.5 ml aliquots of plasma. Within-day assay accuracy was between 97 and 102% of nominal, while within-day precision was better than 3.5% CV at all points on the standard curve. Analyte extraction recovery was better than 70% over the range of the standard curve. The method was found to be suitable for the analysis of human plasma samples obtained 24 h following the administration of a single 60 mg dose of fexofenadine.     

Determination of fenticonazole enantiomers by LC-ESI-MS/MS and its application to pharmacokinetic studies in female rats

A simple, rapid, and specific high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the determination of fenticonazole (CAS 72479-26-6) enantiomers in rat plasma. Simple protein precipitation by acetonitrile was utilized for extracting analytes from the plasma samples. Chromatography separation was performed on a C18 analytical column (150 mm x 2.0 mm, 5 microm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol-10 mM aqueous ammonium acetate (adjusted to pH 3.5 with acetic acid) (90:10, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 ml/min. Detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization (ESI) source, and operated in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The calibration curves were linear over the range 0.5 -200 ng/ml (r > 0.99). The relative recoveries of R-(-)-fenticonazole and its enantiomer were better than 85%. The intra- and inter-day precisions (R.S.D.%) and deviations of the assay accuracies were less than 10%. This newly developed and validated method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies after administration at a single dose of 20 mg/ kg R-(-)-fenticonazole nitrate and its enantiomer to female rats per vagina. The Cmax value of S-(+)-fenticonazole was greater than that of R-(-)-fenticonazole by 1.36-fold, whereas, the t(1/2) beta and MRT values of R-(-)-fenticonazole were longer than those of its enantiomer by 1.95- and 1.24-fold. The results indicated that S-(+)-fenticonazole was faster in absorption and elimination in female rat. But, the Tmax and AUC(0-12) values for each of fenticonazole enantiomers were not significantly different.     

Automated determination of pirlindole enantiomers in plasma by on-line coupling of a pre-column packed with restricted access material to a chiral liquid chromatographic column.

A fully automated liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of the enantiomers of pirlindole, an antidepressant drug, in human plasma. The method is based on the use of a pre-column packed with restricted access material (RAM) (LiChrospher ADS RP-4) for sample clean-up coupled to a column containing a cellulose tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) based chiral stationary phase (Chiralcel OD-R) for the separation and quantitative analysis of pirlindole enantiomers. A 50-microl plasma volume was injected directly onto the pre-column using a mixture of phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) and methanol (97:3; v/v) as washing liquid. By rotation of a switching valve, the analytes were then eluted in the back-flush mode with the LC mobile phase. A complete separation of pirlindole enantiomers was obtained in 22 min on the Chiralcel OD-R column, using a mobile phase made of a mixture of phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) containing 50 mM sodium perchlorate and acetonitrile (65:35; v/v). The flow-rate was 0.6 ml/min and the analytes were detected fluorometrically using 295 and 340 nm as excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively. The method was then validated and was found to be linear in the 2.5-200 ng/ml range. The limit of detection was lower than 1 ng/ml. Repeatability and intermediate precision at a concentration of 50 ng/ml were about 1.5 and 3.5%, respectively.     

Liquid-phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the enantioselective analysis of mefloquine in plasma samples

A simple and rapid method, which involves liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) followed by HPLC analysis using Chiralpak AD column and UV detection, was developed for the enantioselective determination of mefloquine in plasma samples. Several factors that influence the efficiency of three-phase LPME were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the mean recoveries were 33.2 and 35.0% for (−)-(SR-)-mefloquine and (+)-(RS)-mefloquine, respectively. The method was linear over 50–1500 ng/ml range. Within-day and between-day assay precision and accuracy were below 15% for both enantiomers at concentrations of 150, 600 and 1200 ng/ml. Furthermore, no racemization or degradation were seen with the method described.