Simultaneous determination of seven nitroimidazole residues in meat by using HPLC-UV detection with solid-phase extraction

A method was developed for the determination of the seven nitroimidazoles including metronidazole (MNZ), ronidazole (RNZ), dimetridazole (DMZ), tinidazole (TNZ), ornidazole (ONZ), secnidazole (SNZ) and the common metabolite of RNZ and hydroxydimetridazole (DMOHZ) in poultry and pork muscles by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet detection (UV). After extraction with ethyl acetate and evaporation, the nitroimidazoles were redissolved in ethyl acetate and purified using strong cation exchange (SCX) solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. The HPLC separation was carried through on a C(18) bonded silica column with a deionized water-methanol-acetonitrile mobile phase using a gradient elution procedure. The limit of detection of all the seven nitroimidazoles was 0.2 microg/kg. The recoveries of the seven nitroimidazoles for chicken, pork and bacon samples spiked with 1-20 microg/kg were in the range of 71.4-99.5%. The linearity is satisfactory with a correlation coefficient of >0.998 at concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 60 microg/kg. The relative standard deviations of 10 measurements for spiked chicken, pork and bacon samples at the concentration of 1 and 20 microg/kg were in the range of 6.2-13.9% and 4.0-8.7%, respectively. The intra-day precision (n=5) for nitroimidazoles residues in chicken spiked at 20 microg/kg is 6.9%, and the inter-day precision for 5 days (n=25) is 11%. The method is capable of identifying nitroimidazole residues at > or =0.7 microg/kg levels and was applied in the determination of nitroimidazole residues in meat sample.     

Validation of high-performance liquid chromatography assay for quantification of formoterol in urine samples after inhalation using UV detection technique

A novel high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for the estimation of formoterol in urine samples was developed and validated. A solid phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB was optimised to isolate formoterol from a urine matrix followed by HPLC with UV detection. This extraction procedure concentrated the final analyte forty times so that UV detection can be used to determine even a low concentration of formoterol in urine samples. The urinary assay was performed in accordance with FDA and ICH regulations for the validation of bioanalytical samples. The samples were injected onto a C18 Spherisorb (250 mm x 4.6 mm x 5 microm) analytical column maintained at 30 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of 5 mM of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate buffer (adjusted to pH 3 with ortho phosphoric acid):acetonitrile (ACN) (70:30, v/v), and the formoterol peak was detected at wavelength 214 nm. The extraction recovery of formoterol from the urine sample was >95%. The calibration curve was linear (r2=0.99) over formoterol concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 25 ng/mL (n=6). The method had an accuracy of >92% and intra and inter-day precision CV% of <3.9% and <2.2%, respectively, at three different concentrations low, medium and high (10, 15, 20 ng/mL). The limit of quantification (LOQ) for formoterol was found to be 1.50 ng/mL. The accuracy and precision at the LOQ level were 95% and %CV <3.7% (n=10), respectively. The method reported is simple, reliable, precise, and accurate and has the capacity to be used for determination of formoterol in urine samples.     

Simple and validated HPLC-UV analysis of levetiracetam in deproteinized plasma of patients with epilepsy

We present a simple, fast and validated method for the determination of the new generation antiepileptic drug (AED) levetiracetam (LEV) in plasma of patients with epilepsy using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. Plasma sample (500 microL) pretreatment was based on simple deproteinization by methanol spiked with the internal standard (I.S.). HPLC analysis was carried out on a Synergi 4-microm Hydro-RP, 150 mm x 4 mm I.D. column. The mobile phase was a mixture of potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH 4.5) and acetonitrile (94:6, v/v) at an isocratic flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. The UV detector was set at 205 nm. Calibration curves were linear (mean correlation coefficient=0.999) over a range of 4-80 microg/mL. The quantitation limit was 2 microg/mL and the absolute recovery was >90% for LEV and the I.S. Both intra and interassay precision and accuracy were lower than 7.5%. The chromatographic run lasted 13 min. The present procedure omitting expensive solid phase or time-consuming liquid-liquid extraction and drying steps is cheaper, faster and simpler than mostly published analytical methods for levetiracetam. Applied to a large population of patients with epilepsy this assay proved very practical in our therapeutic drug monitoring setting (TDM).     

Development and validation of a gradient reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for S(−-2-(N-propyl-N-2-thienylethylamino)-5-hydroxytetralin (N-0923) from a transdermal delivery system

A gradient reversed-phase HPLC method for potency determination of N-0923 (10 mg0 from a transdermal delivery system (TDS), was developed and validated with single point calibration yusing internal standard quantitation. N-0923 and the internal standard, N-0434, are eluted from a reversed-phase C₁₈ column using a gradient which contains 0.1 M triethylamine-0.04 M citrate buffer, pH 5.9, water, and acetonitrile with UV detection at 272 nm. N-0923 is isolated from the transdermal delivery system by extraction with n-heptane followed by extraction of the resulting organic phase with 0.1 M citric acid containing the internal standard. The method weas free from matrix interferences in both untreated and forced degraded placebo delivery systems. Acceptable linearity and quantitative recovery form spiked placebo delivery systems over the range 50–150% of nominal label claim were demonstrated. Within-day assay precision from individual samples of active transdermal dlivery systems (n = 10) was 5.6% R.S.D. The detection limit was at least 0.1 μg/ml which is equivalent to 0.05% of the working standard concentration. Replicate injection precision at this level was 0.08% R.S.D. (n =4). Analysis of thermally stressed active and placebo delivery systems with this HPLC method and photodiode-array detection showed that the chromatography was stability-indicating as demonstrated by the absence of measurable interferences from principal degradation products of either the N-0923 or the delivery system excipients.     

Determination of risedronate in human urine by column-switching ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

An HPLC assay for the determination of risedronate in human urine was developed and validated. Risedronate and the internal standard were isolated from 5-ml urine samples in a two-part procedure. First, the analytes were precipitated from urine along with endogenous phosphates as calcium salts by the addition of CaCl(2) at alkaline pH. The precipitate was then dissolved in 0.05 M ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and subjected to ion-pair solid-phase extraction using a Waters HLB cartridge (1 ml, 30 mg) with 1-octyltriethylammonium phosphate as the ion-pair reagent. Following extraction, the analytes were initially separated from the majority of co-extracted endogenous components on a Waters X-Terra RP18 (4.6 x 50 mm, 3.5 microm) column. The effluent from the X-Terra was "heart-cut" onto a Phenomenex Synergi Polar RP (4.6 x 150 mm, 4 microm) column for final separation. UV detection (lambda=262 nm) was used to quantitate risedronate in the concentration range of 7.5-250 ng/ml. Mean recovery was 83.3% for risedronate and 86.5% for the internal standard. The intra-day precision of the assay, as assessed by replicate (n=5) standard curves, was better than 6% RSD for all points on the standard curve. Within-day accuracy for the standards ranged from 96.3 to 106.1% of nominal. Inter-day precision for quality controls assayed over a 3-week period was better than 5%, while inter-day accuracy was within 90% of nominal. The assay was employed to analyze samples collected during a clinical pharmacokinetics study.     

Determination of diphenylpyraline in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid, reliable and specific reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure is described for the determination of diphenylpyraline hydrochloride at nanogram concentrations in plasma and urine. After extraction of the drug with n-pentane-2-propanol (50:1) from alkalinized samples, the organic extract was evaporated to dryness, reconstituted with methanol and chromatographed using a 5-μm Asahipak ODP-50 C₁₈ column with UV detection at 254 nm. The elution time for diphenylpyraline was 7.9 min. The overall recovery of diphenylpyraline from spiked plasma and urine samples at concentrations ranging from 53 to 740 ng/ml were 94.65% and 92.29%, respectively. Linearity and precision data for plasma and urine standards after extraction were acceptable. The limit of detection was 15 ng/ml for both plasma and urine samples at 0.002 AUFS.     

Sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of a benzonaphthazepine antipsychotic agent, SCH 39166, and its active metabolite, SCH 40853, in human plasma and its cross-validation with a gas chromatographic method

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of a benzonaphthazepine antipsychotic agent, SCH 39166, and its active metabolite, SCH 40853. The HPLC method required a single-step organic extraction at alkali pH followed by HPLC analysis utilizing a CN column with UV detection at 205 nm. The limit of quantitation was 1 ng/ml for SCH 39166 and 0.5 ng/ml for SCH 40853. The HPLC method was cross-validated with a previously reported GC method by the analysis of 73 plasma samples spiked with various concentrations of SCH 39166 and SCH 40853. The correlation coefficient was 0.9969 for SCH 39166 and 0.9984 for SCH 40853. Both GC and HPLC methods were used for the determination of plasma concentrations and yielded similar pharmacokinetic parameters for SCH 39166 and SCH 40853 in man following oral administration of SCH 39166 (100 mg).     

Studies on extraction of fumonisins from rice, corn-based foods and beans

Different solvent mixtures were examined for extraction of fumonisins from various naturally contaminated and spiked foods and foodstuffs: rough rice, retail rice, rice flour, white corn flour, corn meal, corn starch, corn flakes, tortilla/corn chips, white bean flour, white beans, mung beans, adzuki beans and infant cereals. Most of the naturally contaminated samples were analyzed using the extraction solvent mixtures methanol-acetonitrile-water (25:25:50) (solvent A) and methanol-water (75:25 or 80:20) (solvents B, BB); some were extracted with 0.1 M sodium hydrogen phosphate-acetonitrile (1:1, adjusted to pH 3.0 with o-phosphoric acid) (solvent C) and methanol-0.025 M borate buffer (3:1, adjusted to pH 9.2 with 1 N sodium hydroxide) (solvent D). A 1-ml SAX solid phase extraction column was used for the cleanup in all cases except for infant cereals, for which immunoaffinity chromatography was used; fumonisin concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography. Solvent A gave slightly better extraction of fumonisins from one of two samples of naturally contaminated rough rice than solvent B (fumonisin B₁: 4080 ng/g versus 3150 ng/g; fumonisin B₂:1100 ng/ g versus 922 ng/g) and much better extraction than solvent C (1210 ng/g fumonisin B₁ and 315 ng/g fumonisin B₂) or solvent D (372 ng/ g fumonisin B1 and 191 ng/g fumonisin B2). However, spike recoveries on a similar rice naturally contaminated at a lower level were only in the 43–53% range (solvent A). Recovery of fumonisins was very poor from spiked white rice flour but satisfactory from other rice foods. Solvent A similarly gave slightly better extraction of fumonisins from a sample of naturally contaminated white corn flour than solvent B (fumonisin B₁ 1260 ng/g versus 931 ng/g; fumonisin B₂: 511 ng/g versus 447 ng/g ) and better extraction than solvents C and D. Solvent A was also a better solvent for extraction of fumonisins from naturally contaminated tortilla chips and infant cereals. Study of naturally contaminated corn starch was confounded by instability of fumonisins in this food. Recovery of fumonisins from spiked corn meal, tortilla chips, corn flakes, various types of beans and infant cereals with solvent A and/or solvent B (or BB) was satisfactory.     

The use of a monolithic column to improve the simultaneous determination of four cephalosporin antibiotics in pharmaceuticals and body fluids by HPLC after solid phase extraction--a comparison with a conventional reversed-phase silica-based column

The use of a monolithic column (Chromolith, SpeedROD RP-18e, by Merck) was studied on the determination of cephalosporin antibiotics. Results were compared with those from a previously developed analytical method using conventional silica-based analytical column. A rapid, accurate and sensitive method has been developed and validated for the quantitative simultaneous determination of four cephalosporins: Cephalexine and Cephadroxil (first generation), Cefaclor (second generation) and Cefotaxim (third generation) in pharmaceuticals as well as in human blood serum and urine. Hydroflumethiazide (HFM) (3,4-dihydro-6(trifluoromethyl)-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-7-sulfonamide-1,1-dioxide) was used as an internal standard at a concentration of 1.5 ng/microL. A rectilinear relationship was observed up to 5 ng/microL for the four compounds. Analysis time was less than 4 min. The statistical evaluation of the method was examined by means of within-day repeatability (n=8) and day-to-day precision (n=8) and was found to be satisfactory with high accuracy and precision results. The method was applied to the determination of the cephalosporins in commercial pharmaceuticals and in biological fluids: human blood serum after solid phase extraction and urine simply after filtration and dilution. Recovery of analytes in spiked serum samples was in the range from 88.7 to 107.8%, while for urine samples recovery was from 98.0 to 105.6%. By comparing the figures of merit for the monolithic column and the silica-based one, regarding the determination of the four cephalosporins investigated in the present study, the outstanding efficiency of the monolithic column can be noticed.     

Determination of lycopene in tissues and plasma of rats by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with photometric detection

An analytical method for the determination of lycopene in tissues and plasma of rats is described. The method was validated for the determination of lycopene in liver and plasma with respect to selectivity, linearity, accuracy, recovery and precision. Following precipitation of proteins with water–ethanol plasma was extracted with hexane; tissues were extracted with acetone followed by precipitation of proteins with water–ethanol and extraction of lycopene with hexane. Separation and quantification of geometrical isomers of lycopene was achieved by normal-phase HPLC with UV/VIS detection at 471 nm. The method proved to be selective and specific for lycopene in plasma and liver. Detector response was linear in the range from 2 ng/g to 10 μg/g liver and 0.5 ng/ml to 2 μg/ml plasma, respectively. Average recoveries ranged from 96 to 101% in spiked liver samples and from 91 to 94% in spiked plasma samples. Intra-day variability (C.V.) was ≤6% and ≤5% in liver and plasma, respectively. Inter-day precision was ≤9% for liver samples and ≤6% for plasma samples. The procedures were successfully applied to the sample analysis of pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies.     

Simultaneous LC-MS/MS Analysis of Glyphosate,Glufosinate, and Their Metabolic Products in Beer,Barley Tea,and Their Ingredients

Glyphosate and glufosinate are non-selective herbicides that have been extensively used worldwide. Their ionic and water-soluble characteristics often make it difficult to analyze them, especially in food components. A method was developed in this study for the simultaneous analysis of glyphosate, glufosinate, and three metabolic products in beer, barley tea, and their ingredients (malt and corn). The analytical samples were extracted with H₂O, purified with a strong anion-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, and then analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with an anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column. This method enabled a rapid and sensitive analysis [limit of quantification (LOQ) = 10 µg/kg] of the herbicides to be achieved.     

Development of a high-performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantification of four organoarsenic compounds in the feeds of swine and chicken

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of arsanilic acid, roxarsone, nitarsone, and carbarsone in the feeds of swine and chicken. Feed samples were extracted with methanol/1% acetic acid (90:10, v/v) in an ultrasonic bath and the protein was precipitated with 2% Cu(2)SO(4). The samples were further purified by solid phase extraction (SPE) on SAX cartridges. Separation was performed on a Zorbax SB-Aq C18 HPLC column using an isocratic procedure with methanol and 1% acetic acid (3:97, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.7 mL min(-1), and the UV detector was set at a wavelength of 260 nm. The recoveries of organoarsenic compounds spiked at levels of 2, 20 and 200 μg g(-1) ranged from 81.2% to 91.3%; the inter-day relative standard deviation values were less than 7.0%. The limits of quantification for four organoarsenic compounds were 1.0-2.0 μg g(-1). This simple and fast method could be applied to the determination of multi-residues of organic arsenic compounds in animal feeds.     

Determination of apovincaminic acid in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography using solid-phase extraction and ultraviolet detection

A new, simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection has been developed for the determination of apovincaminic acid in human plasma. Apovincaminic acid and internal standard were isolated from plasma samples by solid-phase extraction with OASIS HLB cartridges. The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a reversed-phase C(18) column and UV detection was set at 311 nm. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 2.4-240.0 ng/ml, and the limits of quantification was 2.4 ng/ml. The precision and accuracy ranged from 0.84 to 8.54% and 91.5 to 108.3%, respectively. The developed method was subsequently applied to study the pharmacokinetics of apovincaminic acid in a group of 20 human subjects at a single oral dose of 10mg of vinpocetine tablet.     

Determination of Aconitum alkaloids in blood and urine samples. I. High-performance liquid chromatographic separation, solid-phase extraction and mass spectrometric confirmation

Determination of four toxic Aconitum alkaloids, aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and jesaconitine, in blood and urine samples has been established using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with ultraviolet absorbance detection, solid-phase extraction and mass spectrometry (MS). These alkaloids were hydrolyzed rapidly in alkaline solution (half lives (t_1/2)<one day), were stable in solutions of acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran and diluted hydrochloric acid (t_1/2>five months) and were unstable in solutions of methanol and ethanol (t_1/2<one month). These alkaloids were separated on an octadecylsilica column with isocratic elution using a solvent mixture of tetrahydrofuran and 0.2% trifluoroacetic acid (14:86, v/v), which was found to be the optimal solvent of the elution systems examined. Calibration curves with UV detection were linear on injection of amounts ranging from 2.5 to 500 ng, and the limit of detection was 1 ng (S/N = 3). These four alkaloids in aqueous solution were recovered almost totally by solid-phase extraction using the styrene polymer resin, Sep-Pak Plus PS-1, and were eluted using a mixture of acetonitrile and hydrochloric acid. These Aconitum alkaloids were confirmed by HPLC coupled with fast atom bombardment MS, giving their protonated molecular ions as base peaks. These alkaloids were detected by HPLC with UV detection from blood samples spiked with more than 50 ng ml⁻¹ of alkaloids, but were not detectable from urine samples spiked with 5 μg ml⁻¹ of alkaloids because of severe sample interference.     

Measurement of urinary N-acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine by high-performance liquid chromatography with direct ultraviolet detection

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of urinary N-acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC), the final product of the conjugation reaction between a metabolic intermediate of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and glutathione. Urine samples were purified by C(18) solid-phase extraction and then directly analysed by HPLC with an Aminex Ion Exclusion HPX-87H column maintained at 25 degrees C and a UV detector set at 196 nm. Under isocratic conditions (2.4 mM sulphuric acid, flow-rate=0.6 ml/min) AMCC eluted at 20.2 min. The reproducibility (C.V.%) was 1.3-2.7% (intra- and inter-assay, N = 5); the accuracy was 98.0+/-1.7% at 10 mg/l and 101.9+/-1.5% at 800 mg/l (mean+/-SD, N = 3). AMCC was measured in urine from 22 exposed subjects. A strong correlation was found between AMCC and environmental DMF [AMCC (mg/g creatinine)=3.40xDMF (mg/m(3)) + 3.07; r=0.95], while in the urine of 20 unexposed subjects the concentration of AMCC was constantly below the detection limit of the method (0.9 mg/l in urine). The method described appears to be useful for the biological monitoring of DMF exposure.     

Development and validation of a high-sensitivity assay for an antipsychotic agent,CP-88,059, with solid-phase extraction and narrow-bore high-performance liquid chromatography

An analytical method has been developed and validated for the quantitation of CP-88,059 in human serum. The compound and internal standard were extracted from serum by solid-phase extraction with a weak cation-exchange phase. The analytes were resolved from endogenous interferences using narrow-bore (2.1 mm I.D.) C₁₈ reversed-phase HPLC. Column effluent was monitored by UV absorbance detection at 215 nm. The standard curve range was 1 to 250 ng/ml. The accuracy and precision values for the method were within ±10% and ±15%, respectively. A four-fold detectability enhancement was achieved using a 2.1 mm I.D. HPLC column relative to the more common 4.6 mm I.D. column. A performance comparison was made between the 2.1 mm I.D. column used for validation and a 4.6 mm I.D. column with the same stationary phase.     

Simultaneous determination of three carbapenem antibiotics in plasma by HPLC with ultraviolet detection

A simple, precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using ultraviolet (UV) detection has been developed for simultaneous determination of carbapenem antibiotics: imipenem, meropenem and ertapenem in human plasma. Samples were spiked with ceftazidime as internal standard and proteins were precipitated by acetonitrile. Separation was achieved on a C8 column with a mobile phase composed of phosphate buffer 0.1M (pH 6.8) and methanol in gradient elution mode. Detection was performed at 298 nm. Calibration curves were linear from 0.5 to 80 mg/L for each compound, with correlation coefficients over 0.997. Intra- and inter-day validation studies showed accuracy between -4.5 and 8.1% and precision below 10.4%. Mean recoveries were 82.2, 90.8 and 87.7% for imipenem, meropenem and ertapenem, respectively. This method provides a useful tool for the therapeutic drug monitoring of carbapenems.     

Determination of lorazepam in plasma from children by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection

A simple, sensitive, selective, and reproducible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for the determination of lorazepam (LZP) in human plasma, using oxazepam (OZP) as internal standard. LZP and OZP were extracted from alkalinized (pH 9.5) spiked and clinical plasma samples using a single step liquid-liquid extraction with a mixture of n-hexane-dichloromethane (70:30%; v/v). Chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed-phase Synergi Max RP analytical column (150 mmx4.6 mm i.d.; 4 microm particle size), using an aqueous mobile phase (10 mM KH2PO4 buffer (pH 2.4)-acetonitrile; 65:35%, v/v) delivered at a flow-rate of 2.5 ml/min. Retention times for OZP and LZP were 10.2 and 11.9 min, respectively. Calibration curves were linear from 10 to 300 ng with correlation coefficients (r2) better than 0.99. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 2.5 and 10 ng/ml, respectively, using 0.5 ml samples. The mean relative recoveries at 20 and 300 ng/ml were 84.1+/-5.5% (n=6) and 72.4+/-5.9% (n=7), respectively; for OZP at 200 ng the value was 68.2+/-6.8% (n=14). The intra-assay relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) at 20, 150 and 270 ng/ml of LZP were 7.8%, 9.8% (n=7 in all cases) and 6.6% (n=8), respectively. The inter-assay R.S.D. at the above concentrations were 15.9%, 7.7% and 8.4% (n=7 in all cases), respectively. Intra- and inter-assay accuracy data were within the acceptance interval of +/-20% of the nominal values. There was no interference from other commonly co-administered anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, antipyretic, and antimalarial drugs. The method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of LZP in children with severe malaria and convulsions following administration of a single intravenous dose (0.1 mg/kg body weight) of LZP.     

Chemometrics-assisted simple UV-spectroscopic determination of carbamazepine in human serum and comparison with reference methods

In the present report, carbamazepine is determined on serum samples of real patients by a procedure completely assisted by chemometric tools. First, a response surface methodology based on a mixture design was applied in order to select the best conditions for the extraction step. Finally, partial least squares multivariate calibration (PLS-1) was applied to second-derivative UV spectra, eliminating a shift baseline effect that originated in the extraction procedure. The performance assessment included: (a) a three-level precision study, (b) a recovery study analyzing spiked samples, and (c) a method comparison with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) applied on real patient samples. The obtained results show the potentiality of the presently studied methodology for the monitoring of patients treated with this anticonvulsant.     

Simultaneous determination of 8 HIV protease inhibitors in human plasma by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography with combined use of UV and fluorescence detection: amprenavir, indinavir, atazanavir, ritonavir, lopinavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir and M8-nelfinavir metabolite

A simple, accurate and fast method was developed for determination of the commonly used HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) amprenavir, indinavir, atazanavir, ritonavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, M8-nelfinavir metabolite and saquinavir in human plasma. Liquid-liquid extraction was used with hexane/ethylacetate from buffered plasma samples with a borate buffer pH 9.0. Isocratic chromatographic separation of all components was performed on an Allsphere hexyl HPLC column with combined UV and fluorescence detection. Calibration curves were constructed in the range of 0.025-10 mg/l. Accuracy and precision of the standards were all below 15% and the lowest limit of quantitation was 0.025 mg/l. Stability of quality control samples at different temperature conditions was found to be below 20% of nominal values. The advantages of this method are: (1) inclusion and determination of the newly approved atazanavir, (2) simultaneous isocratic HPLC separation of all compounds and (3) increased specificity and sensitivity for amprenavir by using fluorescence detection. This method can be used for therapeutic drug monitoring of all PIs currently commercialised and is now part of current clinical practice.