The use of LC/MS, GC/MS, and LC/NMR hyphenated techniques to identify a drug degradation product in pharmaceutical development

Understanding drug degradation in the formulated product is critical in pharmaceutical development as it has significant impacts on drug efficacy, safety profile and storage conditions. As a result, identification of degradation compounds has taken an important role in the drug development process. In this study, various hyphenated analytical techniques, such as liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and liquid chromatography nuclear magnetic resonance with a solid phase extraction interface (LC/SPE/NMR), have been applied to the identification of a drug degradation product which grew over time in the stability study of the drug product. The target unknown is less polar and more unsaturated than the drug substance based upon reverse phase HPLC relative retention time and UV spectra. It is not ionizable by electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in either a positive or a negative mode. The unknown was isolated by an HPLC fraction collector and enriched by solid phase extraction. GC/MS with chemical ionization (CI) was employed to determine the molecular weight of this compound. Its fragmentation pattern was determined by CI-MS/MS using an ion trap mass spectrometer. The isolated material was also analyzed by LC/SPE/NMR, from which the structure of this compound was further characterized. The study utilizes a combination of various hyphenated analytical techniques to obtain complimentary information for structure elucidation of the unknown. The combination approach is critical for unambiguous impurity structure elucidation in drug degradation studies of pharmaceutical drug products.     

The use of HPLC/MS, GC/MS, NMR, UV and IR to identify a degradation product of eperisone hydrochloride in the tablets

Understanding drug degradation in the pharmaceutical dosage forms is critical as it has significant impacts on drug efficacy, safety profile and storage conditions. In this study, analytical techniques, such as high-performance liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS), gas chromatograph mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) had been applied to the identification of a drug degradation product which grew over time in the stability study of eperisone hydrochloride tablets. The target unknown degradation product is ionizable by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in a positive mode to determine its relative molecular weight. GC/MS with electron impact ionization (EI) was employed to determine the fragmentation pattern of this unknown compound. Structure elucidation of eperisone and its unknown degradation product by spectral data had been discussed in detail. The isolated unknown was analyzed by NMR, UV and IR, from which the structure of the degradation product was further confirmed as 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-2-methyl-2-propen-1-one.     

Identification of volatile degradants in formulations containing sesame oil using SPME/GC/MS

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME), in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), was used to identify an unknown degradant observed during stability studies of a pharmaceutical formulation containing sesame oil. SPME is a solvent-less, rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive extraction method that minimizes sample preparation. SPME combined with GC is a widely used technique in certain fields, such as food, environmental analysis, forensics, and consumer products, but has only rarely been used for the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. Hexanal, octanal, 2-octenal, 2-decenal, 2-undecenal, and 2,4-decadienal can be detected and identified by GC/MS, but they cannot be detected by LC/MS due to their volatility and low ionization efficiency under atmospheric pressure ionization conditions. Combining the MS data from the GC/MS with LC/DAD data resulted in the identification of the unknown degradant in the formulation as 2,4-decadienal. The presence of this and other aldehydes was attributed to the oxidative degradation of the unsaturated fatty-acid component in vegetable oils.     

N-deethylation and N-oxidation of etamiphylline: identification of etamiphylline-N-oxide in greyhound urine by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Millophyline-V^®, (etamiphylline camsylate) was administered intramuscularly to two racing greyhounds at a dose of 10 mg kg⁻¹. Unhydrolysed pre- and post-administration urine samples were extracted using mixed mode solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, the basic isolates derivatised as trimethylsilyl ethers and analysed by positive ion electron ionisation gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/EI+/MS). The parent drug and one metabolite, N-desethyletamiphylline, were detected in urine for up to 72 h. For semi-quantification, urine samples were extracted on-line using a Prospekt sample handler. The analytes retained on the C₂ SPE cartridge were eluted by the mobile phase directly on to the analytical high performance liquid chromatography column and analysed by positive ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (LC/APCI+) MS in the multiple selective-ion recording mode. A major peak containing both ions (m/z) 280 and (m/z) 252 was observed. Full scan LC/APCI+/MS of the unknown indicated that the ion at (m/z) 280 was formed by the loss of an oxygen atom [MH⁺ → (MH⁺ − O)]. Samples were analysed by positive ion electrospray ionisation LC/MS on two different instruments and the unknown compound was identified as an N-oxide of the tert. nitrogen atom of the 2-(diethylamino)ethyl substituent on N₇ of the theophylline nucleus. This compound has not been reported previously either as an in vivo or in vitro metabolite of etamiphylline in any species. Thermal decomposition of the N-oxide could lead to an increase the detection period of the parent drug during routine GC/MS screening of post-competition greyhound urine samples.     

Application of electrospray ionization product ion spectra for identification with atmospheric pressure matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry – a case study with seized drugs

Product ion spectra obtained with liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI/MS/MS) were applied to the identification of seized drug samples from atmospheric pressure matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization product ion spectra (AP‐MALDI‐MS/MS spectra). Data acquisition was performed in the information‐dependent acquisition (IDA) mode, and the substance identification was based on a spectral library previously created with LC‐ESI/MS/MS using protonated molecules as precursor ions. A total of 39 seized drug samples were analyzed with both AP‐MALDI and LC‐ESI techniques using the same triple‐quadrupole instrument (AB Sciex 4000QTRAP). The study shows that ESI‐MS/MS spectra can be directly utilized in AP‐MALDI‐MS/MS measurements as the average fit and purity score percentages with AP‐MALDI were 90% and 85%, respectively, being similar to or even better than those obtained with the reference LC/ESI‐MS/MS method. This fact enables the possibility to use large ESI spectral libraries, not only to ESI analyses but also to analyses with other ionization techniques which produce protonated molecules as the base peak. The data obtained shows that spectral library search works also for analytical techniques which produce multi‐component mass spectra, such as AP‐MALDI, unless isobaric compounds are encountered. The spectral library search was successfully applied to rapid identification of confiscated drugs by AP‐MALDI‐IDA‐MS/MS. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and full validation of a sensitive quantitative assay for the determination of clemastine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of clemastine in human plasma. After having been extracted from plasma samples by ethyl acetate, clemastine and internal standard, diphenhydramine, were separated on a C(18) column. Detection was performed on Thermo Finnigan TSQ Quantum triple quadrupole mass spectrometer by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode via electrospray ionization (ESI) source. The method was linear in the concentration range of 5.0-1000.0 pg/ml for clemastine. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 13.4% and the deviations were between -1.1% and 5.6%. The fully validated LC/ESI-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to the preliminary pharmacokinetic study in healthy male Chinese volunteers.     

Phase I metabolism of the highly potent synthetic cannabinoid MDMB‐CHMICA and detection in human urine samples

Among the recently emerged synthetic cannabinoids, MDMB‐CHMICA (methyl N ‐{[1‐(cyclohexylmethyl)‐1H ‐indol‐3‐yl]carbonyl}‐3‐methylvalinate) shows an extraordinarily high prevalence in intoxication cases, necessitating analytical methods capable of detecting drug uptake. In this study, the in vivo phase I metabolism of MDMB‐CHMICA was investigated using liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) and liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐Q ToF‐MS) techniques. The main metabolites are formed by hydrolysis of the methyl ester and oxidation of the cyclohexyl methyl side chain. One monohydroxylated metabolite, the ester hydrolysis product and two further hydroxylated metabolites of the ester hydrolysis product are suggested as suitable targets for a selective and sensitive detection in urine. All detected in vivo metabolites could be verified in vitro using a human liver microsome assay. Two of the postulated main metabolites were successfully included in a comprehensive LC‐ESI‐MS/MS screening method for synthetic cannabinoid metabolites. The screening of 5717 authentic urine samples resulted in 818 cases of confirmed MDMB‐CHMICA consumption (14%). Since the most common route of administration is smoking, smoke condensates were analyzed to identify relevant thermal degradation products. Pyrolytic cleavage of the methyl ester and amide bond led to degradation products which were also formed metabolically. This is particularly important in hair analysis, where detection of metabolites is commonly considered a proof of consumption. In addition, intrinsic activity of MDMB‐CHMICA at the CB₁ receptor was determined applying a cAMP accumulation assay and showed that the compound is a potent full agonist. Based on the collected data, an enhanced interpretation of analytical findings in urine and hair is facilitated. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Qualitative analysis of seized synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones by gas chromatography triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry

Designer drugs are analogues or derivatives of illicit drugs with a modification of their chemical structure in order to circumvent current legislation for controlled substances. Designer drugs of abuse have increased dramatically in popularity all over the world for the past couple of years. Currently, the qualitative seized‐drug analysis is mainly performed by gas chromatography‐electron ionization‐mass spectrometry (GC‐EI‐MS) in which most of these emerging designer drug derivatives are extensively fragmented not presenting a molecular ion in their mass spectra. The absence of molecular ion and/or similar fragmentation pattern among these derivatives may cause the equivocal identification of unknown seized‐substances. In this study, the qualitative identification of 34 designer drugs, mainly synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones, were performed by gas chromatography‐triple quadrupole‐tandem mass spectrometry with two different ionization techniques, including electron ionization (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) only focusing on qualitative seized‐drug analysis, not from the toxicological point of view. The implementation of CI source facilitates the determination of molecular mass and the identification of seized designer drugs. Developed multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode may increase sensitivity and selectivity in the analysis of seized designer drugs. In addition, CI mass spectra and MRM mass spectra of these designer drug derivatives can be used as a potential supplemental database along with EI mass spectral database. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of highly potent synthetic opioid nitazene analogs and their positional isomers

Four nitazenes (metonitazene, etonitazene, protonitazene, and isotonitazene), highly potent benzimidazole synthetic opioids, and their four nitro group positional isomers (isonitazenes) were synthesized and analyzed using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). In addition, the agonistic activity of all compounds at the human μ-opioid receptor was measured using a cell-based assay system. In the IR spectra, characteristic peaks for nitazenes and isonitazenes were observed. In GC/MS, all compounds were well separated on the chromatogram, although distinguishing nitazenes from the corresponding isonitazenes by electron ionization mass spectra was difficult. In LC/MS, all compounds were detected in both positive and negative modes of electrospray ionization. Characteristic fragment ions were observed in the product ion spectra of isonitazenes, enabling nitazenes to be distinguished from isonitazenes. All nitazenes tested demonstrated higher agonistic activity at the human μ-opioid receptors than the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The agonistic activities of isonitazenes were 11–35 times lower than those of the corresponding nitazenes. However, iso-etonitazene and iso-isotonitazene showed moderate activity similar to that of fentanyl, indicating that these drugs could cause poisoning at a comparable level as fentanyl, if these drugs are abused in the future.     

Use of high resolution LC–MS analysis in conjunction with mechanism-based stress studies: Identification of asarinin, an impurity from sesame oil in an animal health product

During analysis of certain stability batches of an animal health product, an unknown peak was found at a level above the identification thresholds set by VICH. This unknown species is extremely labile in the gas phase under normal electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometric condition. Multiple ions were detected with no clear indication of which one is the molecular ion. To overcome this challenge, we utilized tandem MS/MS analysis and multiple MS instruments. The slightly different ionization processes between the two different instruments provided strong, complementary evidence leading to the identification of the correct molecular ion. Based on the formula thus determined, the unknown species was found to be related to sesame oil, which is one of the major excipients used in this drug product. The unknown species was eventually identified as asarinin using high resolution LC–MSⁿ in conjunction with mechanism-based stress studies, in which the unknown species was generated based on the degradation chemistry of sesamin as revealed by the LC–MSⁿ analysis. This overall approach in combining LC–MSⁿ analysis along with mechanism-based stress studies can be used as a general strategy for identification of unknown pharmaceutical impurities, especially the degradants related to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and excipients.     

Chiral aspects of the human metabolism of ethosuximide

Ethosuximide is a chiral drug substance primarily indicated for the treatment of absence seizures. This drug is used clinically as the racemate. The human urinary metabolites of ethosuximide (I) have been studied using chiral gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The metabolites identified were the previously reported unchanged ethosuximide (I) enantiomers, all four stereoisomers of 2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-methylsuccinimide (II), and the four stereoisomers of 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylsuccinimide (III). Through chemical derivatization methodology and GC/MS (using electron impact ionization [EI] and chemical ionization [CI] techniques) two enantiomers of a previously unreported metabolite of ethosuximide, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxymethylsuccinimide (VI), have been identified.     

Liquid chromatography‐quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry screening procedure for urine samples in forensic casework compared to gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

This work represents the development, validation, and application of a liquid chromatography‐quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (LC‐QTOF‐MS) screening method for the detection of pharmaceutical substances and illicit drugs (acidic, basic, and neutral organic drugs) in urine samples. Time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was performed using an LC‐Triple TOF 5600 system with electrospray ionization operated in both positive and negative mode, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs), determined for 34 substances, were < 10 ng/mL for 91% of the compounds. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were < 20 ng/mL for 91% of the substances. The identification of the compounds was based on exact mass (< ± 5 ppm), retention time (<2%) if available, isotopic pattern fit (<10%) and library hit (>70%). These four parameters served as identification criteria and are discussed according to their role in identifying compounds even without reference substances. In routine casework, two in‐house XIC (extracted ion chromatogram) lists, consisting of 456 protonated and 26 deprotonated compounds were used and retention times for 365 compounds were available. Compared to the results found with the established gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) procedure, the findings with the LC‐QTOF‐MS screening method showed a good comparability. Results that were not detected by LC‐QTOF‐MS because of a missing entry in the targeted XIC list could retrospectively be confirmed by simply entering the elemental formula of the relevant substance into the software and reprocessing the sample. LC‐QTOF‐MS offers an attractive technique for the fast and specific identification of illicit drugs and toxic compounds in urine samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection and quantification of 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine in human placental DNA by mass spectrometry

Exocyclic DNA adducts have been reported to derive from various exogenous as well as endogenous sources, such as lipid peroxidation. Among them, 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine (epsilonAde) has previously been detected in tissue DNA of untreated rodents and humans by an immunoaffinity/(32)P-postlabeling method. This study reports detection and quantification of the endogenous epsilonAde adduct in the same human placental DNA by three independent assays, namely, GC/MS, LC/MS, and HPLC/fluorescence. Using a recently reported gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC/NICI/MS) method [Chen, H.-J. C., et al. (1998) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 11, 1474], the level of epsilonAde in human placental DNA from a commercial source was found to be 2.3 adducts per 10(6) Ade bases. To confirm these findings, a liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS/MS) method was developed for epsilondAdo. With this LC/MS assay, epsilondAdo was detected at the level of 2.5 adducts per 10(6) dAdo nucleosides in the same human placental DNA. The stable isotopes of epsilonAde and epsilondAdo were added as internal standards in both GC/MS and LC/ESI/MS/MS assays, respectively, and thus provided high specificity, reproducibility, and accurate quantification. The relatively high levels of epsilonAde in this human placental DNA detected by mass spectrometry were further verified by HPLC/fluorescence analysis. The GC/MS method was validated by the HPLC/fluorescence assay using calf thymus DNA treated with chloroacetaldehyde or by the LC/MS method with 2, 3-epoxy-4-hydroxynonanal-modified calf thymus DNA. The epsilonAde level in human placental DNA freshly isolated in the presence of an antioxidant was similar to that in DNA from the commercial source. Since epsilonAde is a potential mutagenic lesion, analysis of epsilonAde by the specific and sensitive GC/NICI/MS method may provide a useful biomarker in cancer risk assessment.     

Using ambient mass spectrometry and LC–MS/MS for the rapid detection and identification of multiple illicit street drugs

In this study the recently developed technique of thermal desorption electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (TD–ESI/MS) was applied to the rapid analysis of multiple controlled substances. With the reallocation of mass spectral resources [from a standard ESI source coupled with liquid chromatography (LC) to an ambient TD–ESI source], this direct-analysis technique allows the identification of a wider range of illicit drugs through a dual-working mode (pretreatment-free qualitative screening/conventional quantitative confirmation). Through 60-MRM (multiple reaction monitoring) analysis—in which the MS/MS process was programmed to sequentially scan 60 precursor ion/product ion transitions and, thereby, identify 30 compounds (two precursor/product ion transitions per compound)—of a four-component (drug) standard, the signal intensity ratios of each drug transition were comparable with those obtained through 8-MRM analysis, demonstrating the selectivity of TD–ESI/MS for the detection of multiple drugs. The consecutive analyses of tablets containing different active components occurred with no cross-contamination or interference from sample to sample, demonstrating the reliability of the TD–ESI/MS technique for rapid sampling (two samples min^?1). The active ingredients in seized drug materials could be detected even when they represented less than 2 mg g^?1 of the total sample weight, demonstrating the sensitivity of TD–ESI/MS. Combining the ability to rapidly identify multiple drugs with the “plug-and-play” design of the interchangeable ion source, TD–ESI/MS has great potential for use as a pretreatment-free qualitative screening tool for laboratories currently using LC–MS/MS techniques to analyze illicit drugs.     

LC/MS/MS法测定人血浆中头孢克肟含量

目的 建立人血浆中头孢克肟的LC/MS/MS法.方法 血浆样品经蛋白沉淀提取,采用C8色谱柱分析,以乙腈:水:甲酸(40:60:0.5,v/v/v)为流动相,三重四级杆质谱检测器,正离子多反应监测模式(MRM),监测离子分别为:m/z 454.3→m/z 285.2(头孢克肟),m/z 282.2→m/z 212.2(...     

液相色谱-串联质谱法测定人血浆中盐酸舍曲林浓度

目的：建立测定人血浆中盐酸舍曲林浓度的液相色谱-串联质谱法。方法：以替米沙坦为内标,内标法定量。流动相：乙腈-10mmol·L^-1乙酸铵-1%甲酸（70：30：0.1）;质谱采用离子喷雾离子化源,扫描方式为多重反应监测（MRM）,用于定量分析的离子反应分别为m/z306.3→m/z159.1（舍曲林）和m/z515.2→m/z276.1（替米沙坦）。结果：舍曲林和替米沙坦的保留时间分别为2.22min和2.44min;舍曲林的线性范围为0.5～50.0ng·mL^-1,r=0.9992,回归方程：Y=0.0021＋0.0217X,最低检测浓度为0.5ng·mL^-1;提取回收率在82%～90%范围内;日内相对标准差〈4%,日间精密度〈13%。结论：此法适合人体血浆盐酸舍曲林浓度的监测及生物利用度研究,结果准确、可靠。     

HPLC-MS／MS法测定大鼠血浆中兰索拉唑及其代谢产物的浓度

目的：建立大鼠血浆中兰索拉唑及其代谢产物5-羟基兰索拉唑、兰索拉唑砜的HPLC-MS／MS测定方法。方法：色谱条件：色谱柱：Diamonsil C18柱（150mm×2．1mm,5um）;流动相：乙腈-水（合0．01％甲酸及2mmol·L-1的醋酸铵（43：57,V／V）;流速：0．3ml·min-1;柱温：40℃;进样量10ul。质谱条件：电喷雾离子源（ESI）,以多反应监测离子方式测定兰索拉唑及其代谢产物,选择性监测质荷比（m／z）为368．0／163．9（兰索拉唑）,384．1／179．9（5-羟基兰索拉唑）,383．9／115．9（兰索拉唑砜）,326．0／280．1（内标奥美拉唑）。样品用乙腈沉淀蛋白处理。结果：兰索拉唑、5-羟基兰索拉唑、兰索拉唑砜的线性范围分别为11．40～4560．00,1．26～504．00,1．24～496．00ng·ml-1;定量下限分别为11．40,1．26,1．24ng·ml-1;批内、批间精密度RSD均〈15％。结论：该方法灵敏、准确、快速、专属性好,适用于兰索拉唑及其代谢产物在大鼠体内的药代动力学研究。     

减肥保健食品中非法添加盐酸西布曲明的检测

目的建立减肥保健食品中非法添加化学成分盐酸西布曲明的检测方法。方法采用LC-MS/MS联用技术。采用Zorbax Eclipse PlusC18色谱柱,0.02 mol/L醋酸铵-0.1%酸酸水溶液/乙腈（20∶80）为流动相,流速为0.2 mL/min,柱温为30℃,电喷雾电离（ESI）,正离子横式,多重反应监测（MRM）扫描方式对西布曲明的母离子（m/z 280.0）及其子离子（m/z 125.0和m/z 139.0）进行检测。结果建立了检测减肥保健食品中非法添加的盐酸西布曲明的检测方法,检测限低于0.03 ng。在抽取的115批次市售减肥保健食品中,有49批次检出了盐酸西布曲明。结论该方法专属性强、灵敏度高,可用于减肥保健食品中非法添加的盐酸西布曲明的筛选与确证工作。     

Degradation of vitamin D3 in a stressed formulation: the identification of esters of vitamin D3 formed by a transesterification with triglycerides

Four unknown degradants in the LC-UV profile of a stressed experimental tablet formulation that contains vitamin D3 have been identified by a combination of Ag+-cationization electrospray ionization (ESI) LC/MS and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) LC/MS/MS. The peaks elute in the method chromatography in two pairs of two peaks. The first pair of peaks has m/z 511 while the second pair has m/z 539. The major, first peak of each set of peaks corresponds to the octanoate and decanoate ester of vitamin D3, respectively. These are formed by a transesterification with the two major fatty acid components (octanoate and decanoate) of the triglycerides present in the formulation. The formation of two degradation products with each fatty acid is due to the presence of both vitamin D3 (major component) and the isomeric pre-vitamin D3 (minor component) in the stressed formulation.     

A selective and rapid method for the quantification of captopril in human plasma using liquid chromatography/selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry

A specific hyphenated high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric (LC–MS/MS) assay was developed for the determination of captopril in plasma. The drug was extracted from plasma using liquid–liquid extraction with a mixture of diethylether:dichloromethane. After the addition of the internal standard, samples were applied to a prepacked C₈ Waters Symmetry column. The ion trap MS/MS detector was equipped with electrospray ionization (ESI) source operating in the positive ion mode. Drug determination was accomplished monitoring captopril at molecular ion m/z 218 and MS/MS (daughter) at m/z 171.6. The method was applied to captopril determination in human plasma after the administration of captopril 50 mg tablets to healthy volunteers who have participated in a pharmacokinetic study.

The method was proved to be specific and precise by testing six different plasma batches. Linearity was established for the range of concentrations 25–3000 ng/ml with a regression factor of 0.9995. Intra-day accuracy ranged from 90.16 to 96.18%, while the intra-day precision ranged from 2.60 to 9.66% at the concentrations of 75, 1440 and 2500 ng/ml. Inter-day precision of the method ranged from 5.04 to 10.10%. This validated method of analysis was successfully applied to human plasma analyses after the administration of a single dose of 50 mg captopril tablets to healthy volunteers.