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.