Determination of pinostrobin in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS: application to pharmacokinetics

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of pinostrobin in rat plasma was developed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the first time. Isoliquiritigenin was used as an internal standard in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on an HiQ Sil C₁₈ column with isocratic elution at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The mobile phase consisted of water and methanol (9:91, v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid. The quantification limit was 10 ng/mL within a linear range of 10-1000 ng/mL (R = 0.9984). The intra- and inter-day assay precision ranged from 3.8-5.3% to 3.2-5.2%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was between 93.2-95.1% and 95.5-104.3%, respectively. Our results indicated that the LC-MS/MS method is effective for pharmacokinetic study of pinostrobin in rat plasma.     

Determination of strychnine and brucine in rat plasma using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometric (LC–ESI-MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of strychnine and brucine in rat plasma, using tacrine as the internal standard (IS). Sample preparation involved a liquid–liquid extraction of the analytes with n-hexane, dichloromethane and isopropanol (65:30:5, v/v/v) from 0.1 mL of plasma. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Waters C₁₈ column using a mobile phase of methanol–20 mM ammonium formate–formic acid (32:68:0.68, v/v/v). Positive selected ion monitoring mode was used for detection of strychnine, brucine and the IS at m/z 335.2, m/z 395.2 and m/z 199.2, respectively. Linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 0.5–500 ng/mL for strychnine and 0.1–100 ng/mL for brucine. The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL and 0.1 ng/mL for strychnine and brucine, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision for both strychnine and brucine was less than 7.74%, and accuracy ranged from −4.38% to 2.21% at all QC levels. The method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of processed Semen Strychni after oral administration to rats.     

Determination of oxaceprol in rat plasma by LC–MS/MS and its application in a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive method for the quantification of oxaceprol in rat plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed. Sample pretreatment involved a simple protein precipitation by the addition of 60 μL of acetonitrile–methanol (1:2, v/v) to 20 μL plasma sample volume. Separation was achieved on a Dikma ODS-C18 (5 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm) reversed-phase column at 40 °C with acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid–4 mM ammonium acetate in water (35:65,v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. Detection was performed using an electrospray ionization (ESI) operating in negative ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by monitoring the ion transitions from m/z 172 → 130 (oxaceprol) and m/z 153 → 109 (protocatechuic acid, internal standard). The calibration curve of oxaceprol in plasma showed good linearity over the concentration range of 1.25–800 ng/mL. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.400 ng/mL and 1.25 ng/mL, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precisions in all samples were within 15%. There was no matrix effect. The validated method was successfully applied to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study of oxaceprol in rats. After oral administration of 20 mg/kg oxaceprol to rats, the main pharmacokinetic parameters T_max, C_max, T_1/2, V_z/F and AUC_0–t were 1.4 h, 1.2 μg/mL, 2.3 h, 19.7 L/kg and 3.4 mg h/L, respectively.     

High performance liquid chromatographic assay for the simultaneous determination of midazolam and ketoconazole in plasma

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay was developed for the simultaneous quantitation of midazolam (MDZ) and ketoconazole (KTZ) in plasma. MDZ, KTZ and diazepam (internal standard) were extracted from 100 μL or 500 μL plasma from rat or human, respectively, using liquid–liquid extraction with diethyl ether in the presence of 0.1N NaOH. After vortexing, centrifugation and freezing, the organic layer was transferred to clean tubes and evaporated. The dried residue was reconstituted in mobile phase and injected into the HPLC through a C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile:15 mM potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (45:55, v/v), pumped at 1 mL/min and measured at λ = 220 nm. The method was tested in a pharmacokinetic study involving orally dosed KTZ 40 mg/kg in 1% methylcellulose followed by intravenous dosing of 5 mg/kg MDZ to rats 1.5 h latter. The components eluted within 10 min and were baseline resolved with no interferences from endogenous substances in plasma. The calibration curves were linear (r² = 0.999) over the range of 25–25,000 and 5–10,000 ng/mL of KTZ and MDZ in rat and human plasma, respectively. The intraday and interday CV% were <15% and <6% for KTZ and <7% and <4% for MDZ and the mean error was <13% for both drugs in rat plasma. In human plasma the intraday CV% and % error of the mean were <11% and <10% for KTZ, respectively; both values were <13% for MDZ. The validated lower limit of quantitation was 25 and 5 ng/mL for both drugs based on 100 μL rat plasma and 500 μL human plasma, respectively. In rats, plasma concentrations of MDZ and KTZ were simultaneously measured up to 8 and 9.5 h, respectively. In conclusion, the assay was shown to be rapid, sensitive and appropriate for use in drug–drug interaction studies involving MDZ and KTZ in rat, and potentially in humans.     

Plasma pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of cajaninstilbene acid in rats by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Cajaninstilbene acid (CSA; 3-hydroxy-4-prenyl-5-methoxystilbene-2-carboxylic acid) is a major active constituent of pigeonpea leaves, has been proven to be effective in clinical treatment of diabetes, hepatitis, measles and dysentery. A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of CSA in rat plasma and various tissues (brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, small intestine and kidney) of rat for the first time. Rat plasma and tissue distribution pre-treated by protein precipitation with acetoacetate was analyzed using LC–MS/MS with an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface, and isoliquiritigenin was used as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a HIQ Sil C₁₈ column with the mobile phase of water and methanol (9:91, v/v) containing 0.1% formic acid and resulted in a total run time of 10 min. The isocratic elution mode pumped at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) which was 10 ng/mL. The calibration curve was linear from 10 to 6000 ng/mL (R = 0.9967) for plasma samples and 10 to 6000 ng/mL (R ≥ 0.9974) for tissue homogenates. The intra- and inter-day assay of precision in plasma and tissues ranged from 0.6% to 6.1% and 1.5% to 6.6%, respectively, and the intra- and inter-day assay accuracy was 93.5–104.6% and 93.3–107.5%, respectively. Recoveries in plasma and tissues ranged from 95.0% to 106.8%. The method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies of CSA after oral administration to rats. The pharmacokinetics of CSA showed rapid absorption and elimination (T_max, 10.7 ± 0.31 min; t_1/2, 51.40 ± 6.54 min). After oral administration in rats, CSA was rapidly and widely distributed in tissues. High concentrations were found in liver and kidney indicating that CSA was possibly absorbed by liver and eliminated by kidney.     

Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of paclitaxel in rat plasma after intravenous administration of poly(l-glutamic acid)-alanine-paclitaxel conjugate

A specific and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method for quantitative determination of paclitaxel in rat plasma was developed and validated using docetaxel as an internal standard. Liquid-liquid extraction using tert-butyl methyl ether was used to extract the drug and the internal standard from plasma. The separation of paclitaxel was performed on a C₁₈ column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile:water:formic acid (65:35:0.1, v/v/v) over 5 min. The assay was based on the selected reaction monitoring transitions at m/z of the precursor-product ion transitions m/z 854.2 → 286.1 for paclitaxel and 808.3 → 527.2 for internal standard. The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL based on 100 μL of plasma. Intra- and inter-day assay variations were less than 15%, and the accuracy values were between 95.4 and 105.4%. The extraction recoveries ranged from 96.7 to 103.7% across the calibration curve range. The method was successfully applied to measurement of low concentrations of paclitaxel or regenerated paclitaxel in plasma after intravenous administration of a single dose (10 mg/kg) of a poly(l-glutamic acid)-alanine-paclitaxel conjugate to rats.     

A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantification of PAC-1 in rat plasma

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of PAC-1 in rat plasma. After extraction with ethyl acetate, the chromatographic separation was carried out on an ACQUITY UPLC™ BEH C₁₈ column, with acetonitrile and water (39:61 (v/v) both containing 0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.20 mL/min. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 10–1500 ng/mL (r > 0.99). The LOQ was evaluated to be 0.3 ng/mL. The method described herein is sensitive, selective and faster than other existing method, and was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study and gender difference investigation of PAC-1 after oral administration in rats.     

Simultaneous determination of five lignan constituents of Wuzhi capsule in rat plasma by LC–MS/MS: Application to pharmacokinetic study

A rapid sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous determination of multiple bioactive lignan constituents of Wuzhi capsule in rat plasma. The extraction, separation, and analytical conditions were optimized. Five constituents of the Wuzhi capsule (schisandrin, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, schisanhenol, and deoxyshisandrin) were determined by the LC–MS/MS method. Liquid–liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether was carried out using bifendate as the internal standard. The five bioactive constituents were separated on a Zorbax SB-C18 reserved-phase column (100 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., 3.5 μm) by isocratic elution using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, methanol, and 0.1% aqueous formic acid (72:18:10, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The total run time was only 3.5 min. All analytes showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r² > 0.99) and their lower limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL. The average extraction recovery of the five analytes from rat plasma was more than 85%, and the intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision of the assay were less than 15%. Our method was successfully used for pharmacokinetic study of the five components in the Wuzhi capsule.     

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.     

Determination of tegafur, 5-fluorouracil,gimeracil and oxonic acid in human plasma using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

S-1 is an oral anticancer drug, which consists of tegafur (FT), gimeracil (CDHP) and potassium oxonate (Oxo) at a molar ratio of 1:0.4:1. Among these, tegafur is a prodrug, and is rapidly metabolized to the active drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), in vivo. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of S-1 in patients, LC–MS/MS methods were developed and validated for determination of FT, 5-FU, CDHP and Oxo in human plasma. FT, 5-FU and CDHP were extracted from plasma following protein precipitation, separated on a Synergi Hydro-RP column and simultaneously quantified by LC–MS/MS. The mobile phase consisted of methanol–water–ammonia–acetic acid (27:73:0.0018:0.018, v/v/v/v). The mass spectrometer was operated in negative mode using electrospray ionization. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 12.0–3000 ng/mL for FT, and 2.00–500 ng/mL for 5-FU and CDHP. The accuracy ranged from 93.1% to 110.7% and the precision ranged from 2.4% to 14.6% for each analyte. To determine Oxo in human plasma, an LC–MS/MS method employing pre-column derivatization was developed and validated. 4-Bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin was chosen as the derivatization reagent and [¹³C₂,¹⁵N₃]-Oxo was used as the internal standard. The MS/MS detection was operated in positive mode using an APCI source. The calibration range was 2.00–150 ng/mL. The accuracy and precision were within 95.9–99.1% and 4.4–10.0%, respectively. The validated methods were successfully applied to characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of FT, 5-FU, CDHP and Oxo following oral administration of 60 mg S-1 tablets to patients with solid gastrointestinal tract tumors.     

Determination of nutlin-3a in murine plasma by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS/MS)

A sensitive and precise LC–ESI-MS/MS method for determination of nutlin-3a in murine plasma using ketoconazole as an internal standard was developed and validated. Plasma nutlin-3a samples were prepared by either a simple protein precipitation (PP) for the high concentration range (10–20,000 ng/mL) or by liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) for the low concentration range (0.25–300 ng/mL). Nutlin-3a and ketoconazole were separated on a modified C18 analytical column (4 μm, 75 mm × 2 mm) with an isocratic mobile phase (acetonitrile/5 mM HCOONH₄ = 70/30, v/v). The retention times of nutlin-3a and ketoconazole were 1.14 and 1.45 min. Detection was achieved by a tandem MS system, monitoring m/z 582/99 and m/z 532/82 for nutlin-3a and ketoconazole, respectively. The PP method was linear in a range of 10–20,000 ng/mL (R² ≥ 0.993) and the LLE method was linear in a range of 0.25–300 ng/mL (R² ≥ 0.992). The mean recoveries for PP and LLE were 24% and 78%, respectively. Within-day and between-day precisions were ≤4.5% for PP and were ≤4.9% for LLE. Within-day and between-day accuracies (% error) ranged from 4.8 to −7.9 for PP, and from −0.2 to −8.4 for LLE. The two extraction methods produced equivalent results, allowing use of both within the same study. This method has been applied to the measurement of nutlin-3a concentrations in murine plasma samples obtained from a preclinical pharmacokinetic study.     

Validated LC–MS/MS method for the determination of sarpogrelate in human plasma: Application to a pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence study in Chinese volunteers

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was established for the determination of sarpogrelate in human plasma. One-step protein precipitation with acetonitrile was used to extract the analytes from the plasma. Sarpogrelate and tramadol (internal standard, I.S.) were separated on a Venusil MP-C₁₈ column within 1.7 min, using acetonitrile:ammonium acetate (10 mM, pH 6.8) (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min with an approximately 1:1 split entering the mass spectrometer. Detection was performed on electrospray positive ionization mass spectrometry by multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions of sarpogrelate at m/z 430.3 → 135.3 and of I.S. at m/z 264.1 → 58.0. The assay was validated over the concentration range of 1–1000 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 1 ng/mL using 50 μL of plasma. The intra- and inter-day precision (relative standard deviation, R.S.D.) were ≤6.4% and ≤5.4%, respectively, with accuracy (relative error, R.E.) in the range 0.5–3.6%. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence study enrolling 22 Chinese volunteers administered sarpogrelate tablets.     

Rapid,sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the quantification of topically applied azithromycin in rabbit conjunctiva tissues

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of azithromycin in rabbit conjunctiva tissues using roxithromycin as internal standard. Following a deproteinization procedure, the samples were eluted isocratically at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min utilizing a mobile phase containing of 10 mM ammonium acetate (adjusted pH to 5.2 with 0.1% acetic acid)–methanol (18:82, v/v) and a SHISEIDO CAPCELL PAK C₁₈ (3.0 mm × 75 mm, 3 μm). Azithromycin and its internal standard were measured by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with precursor-to-product qualifier transition m/z 375 [M+2H]²⁺ → 591 and m/z 837 [M+H]⁺ → 679 respectively. The method demonstrated that good linearity ranged from 10 to 2000 ng/mL with r = 0.9998. The lower limit of quantification for azithromycin in conjunctiva tissues was 10 ng/mL with good accuracy and precision. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD) values were below 15% and accuracy (%) ranged from 90% to 110% at all QC levels. The method was applicable to ocular pharmacokinetic studies of azithromycin.     

Development of a LC–MS/MS method for the determination of antrodin B and antrodin C from Antrodia camphorata extract in rat plasma for pharmacokinetic study

A selective and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of antrodin B and antrodin C in rat plasma. Both target compounds, together with the internal standard (diazepam), were extracted from rat plasma samples by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an Agilent XDB-C₈ column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (70:30, V/V) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The mass spectrometric detection was performed by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source operating in positive ionization mode. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 47.6–4760 ng/mL for antrodin B and 56.6–5660 ng/mL for antrodin C. The intra- and inter-day precision was less than 5.3% and the accuracy was less than 2.7% for both analytes. The validated method has been applied to the pharmacokinetic study of antrodin B and antrodin C in rats following oral administration of Antrodia camphorata extract.     

Determination of articaine in human plasma by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and its application in a preliminary pharmacokinetic study

A specific liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric (LC–MS) method using an ion trap spectrometer was developed for the quantitation of articaine in human plasma. Articaine and the internal standard (trazodone) were extracted in a single step with diethyl-ether from 0.5 mL of alkalinized plasma. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid (40:60, v/v). It was delivered at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The effluent was monitored by MS in positive-ion mode. Ionisation was performed using an electrospray ion source operating at 200 °C. Articaine was identified and quantified in SIM mode at m/z 185. Calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 78.1–5000 ng/mL with determination coefficients > 0.996. This method was fast (total run-time < 3 min), accurate (bias < 16%), and reproducible (intra-assay and inter-assay precision < 14%) with a quantitation limit of 78.1 ng/mL. The good specificity and sensitivity achieved by this method allowed the determination of articaine plasma levels in patients following a submucosal infiltration injection of articaine in the patients undergoing a third molar surgery.     

Quantification of cinacalcet by LC-MS/MS using liquid-liquid extraction from 50 μL of plasma

A simple and economical high-performance liquid chromatography-positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of cinacalcet in plasma. Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analyte was separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reversed-phase column and analyzed by MS/MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]⁺ ions, m/z 358-155 for cinacalcet and m/z 310-148 for the internal standard. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1-200 ng/mL for cinacalcet in plasma. Acceptable precision (<10%) and accuracy (100 ± 5%) were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. A run time of 3.5 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 250 samples per day. The method was successfully applied to quantify cinacalcet concentrations in a preclinical pharmacokinetic study after a single oral administration of cinacalcet at 10 mg/kg to rats. Following oral administration the maximum mean concentration in plasma (C_max; 160 ± 56 ng/mL) was achieved at 1.0 h (T_max), area under the curve (AUC) and half-life (t_1/2) were 949 ± 257 ng h/mL and 3.58 ± 0.4 h, respectively.     

Development of a high performance liquid chromatography method for quantification of PAC-1 in rat plasma

A sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography method with UV detection was developed and validated for the determination of PAC-1 in rat plasma. After extraction with ethyl acetate, the chromatographic separation was carried out on a Diamonsil C₁₈ column (150 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size, Zhonghuida) protected by a ODS guard column (10 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size), using acetonitrile–methanol–phosphate buffer (pH 3.0, 30 mM) (31:3:66, v/v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and wavelength of the UV detector was set at 281 nm. No interference from any endogenous substances was observed during the elution of PAC-1 and internal standard (IS, indapamide). The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.05–20 μg/mL (r > 0.99). The lower limit of quantification was evaluated to be 50 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of PAC-1 after intravenous and oral administration in rats, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma using HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry: Application to bioequivalence studies

A sensitive, specific and selective liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma. Plasma samples were prepared using protein precipitation with acetonitrile, the two analytes and the internal standard losartan were separated on a reverse phase C₁₈ column (50 mm × 4 mm, 3 μm) using water with 2.5% formic acid, methanol and acetonitrile (40:45:15, v/v/v (%)) as a mobile phase (flow rate of 0.70 mL/min). Irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide were ionized using ESI source in negative ion mode, prior to detection by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode while monitoring at the following transitions: m/z 296 → 269 and m/z 296 → 205 for hydrochlorothiazide, 427 → 175 for irbesartan. Linearity was demonstrated over the concentration range 0.06–6.00 μg/mL for irbesartan and 1.00–112.00 ng/mL for hydrochlorothiazide. The developed and validated method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of irbesartan (300 mg) with hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg) tablet in healthy volunteers (N = 36).     

Development and validation of an HPLC-DAD method for bis(12)-hupyridone and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and simple method of high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection for the quantification of bis(12)-hupyridone in rat blood has been developed and validated. Chromatographic separation was carried out in an Agilent Extend C₁₈ 5 μm column (length, 250 mm; inner diameter, 4.6 mm) using a mixture of water–acetonitrile–trifluoroacetic acid (81:19:0.04, v/v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, with detection at 229 nm. The method used for the bis(12)-hupyridone quantification showed linearity for concentration range of 0.1–7.5 μg/mL with r² = 0.9991. The limit of detection and quantification of this method were 0.05 μg/mL and 0.1 μg/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day variations of the analysis were less than 4.22% with standard errors less than 13.3%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of bis(12)-hupyridone after intravenous administration of 5 mg/kg and intraperitoneal administration of 10 and 20 mg/kg in rats.     

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for bioanalytical application with rimonabant

A simple and feasible high-performance liquid chromatographic method with UV detection was developed and validated for the quantification of rimonabant in human plasma. The chromatographic separation was carried out in a Hypersil BDS, C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm; 5 μm). The mobile phase was a mixture of 10 mM phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The UV detection was set at 220 nm. The extraction recovery of rimonabant in plasma at three quality control (QC) samples was ranged from 84.17% to 92.64%. The calibration curve was linear for the concentration range of 20–400 ng/ml with the correlation coefficient (r²) above 0.9921. The method was specific and sensitive with the limit of quantification of 20 ng/ml. The accuracy and precision values obtained from six different sets of QC samples analyzed in separate occasions ranged from 88.13% to 106.48% and 0.13% to 3.61%, respectively. In stability tests, rimonabant in human plasma was stable during storage and assay procedure. The method is very simple, sensitive and economical and the assay was applied to human plasma samples in a clinical (pharmacokinetic) study of rimonabant.