Stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography determination of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol in human plasma after pre-column derivatization

A stereoselective reversed-phase HPLC assay to quantify S-(−) and R-(+) enantiomers of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol in human plasma was developed. The method involved liquid–liquid extraction for sample clean-up and employed 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate as a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent. The internal standard used was 4-methylpropranolol. The derivatized products were separated on an Altex C₁₈ column using a mixture of acetonitrile–water–phosphoric acid–triethylamine (58:42:0.1:0.06 and 50:50:0.15:0.06, v/v, for propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol, respectively) as mobile phase. The detection of propranolol derivatives was made at λ_ex=280 nm and λ_em=325 nm, and the corresponding 325 and 400 nm were used for 4-hydroxypropranolol derivatives. The assay was linear from 1 to 100 ng/ml and from 2 to 50 ng/ml using 0.5 ml of human plasma for propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol enantiomers, respectively. The present assay is used to quantify the enantiomers of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol, respectively, in human plasma for pharmacokinetic studies.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of finasteride in human plasma using direct injection with column switching

A fully automated column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the quantification of finasteride [N-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-oxo-4-aza-5α-androst-1-ene-17β-carboxamide] in human plasma. Plasma samples were diluted with an equal volume of ethylene glycol-water (40:60, v/v), then the diluted sample (150 μl) was injected into the HPLC system without clean-up. The analyte was retained on a pretreatment column, whereas plasma proteins and other endogenous components were washed out to waste. The analyte was transferred to the analytical column in the heart-cut mode and then detected at 210 nm. A quantification limit of 1 ng/ml was attained. There was a linear relationship between peak height and drug concentration in plasma in the range 1–50 ng/ml. This method was validated and applied to the assay of plasma samples to characterize pharmacokinetic parameters in clinical studies.     

Simultaneous determination of nimesulide and hydroxynimesulide in rat plasma,cerebrospinal fluid and brain by liquid chromatography using solid-phase extraction

A liquid chromatographic method with UV detection for the quantification of nimesulide (N) and hydroxynimesulide (M1) in rat plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain tissue is reported. Plasma samples (250 microl) and brain homogenates added with the right amount of the internal standard (I.S., 2'-(cyclohexyloxy)-4'-nitrophenyl methanesulphonanilide, NS398) are extracted on C(18) disposable cartridges by solid-phase extraction (SPE), while CSF samples are analyzed without any extraction. The separation is performed at room temperature on a Waters Symmetry C(18) 3.5 microm (150x4.6 mm I.D.) column with acetonitrile-sodium citrate buffer pH 3.00 (53:47, v/v) as mobile phase, at a flow-rate of 1.1 ml/min and detection at 240 nm. The retention times are 3.3, 6.0 and 9.9 min for M1, N and I.S., respectively. The lower limits of quantitation for either nimesulide and M1 are 25 ng/ml for plasma, 20 ng/ml for CSF and 25 ng/g for brain tissue. The calibration curves are linear up to 10,000 ng/ml for plasma, 5000 ng/ml for CSF and 5000 ng/g for brain tissue. This new assay can be applied to the study of the role of nimesulide in the modulation of neuroinflammatory processes.     

Determination of a new non-narcotic analgesic, DA-5018, in plasma, urine and bile by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of a new non-narcotic analgesic, DA-5018 (I), in rat plasma, urine and bile samples, using propranolol for plasma samples and protriptyline for urine and bile samples as internal standards. The method involved extraction followed by injection of 100 μl of the aqueous layer onto a C₁₈ reversed-phase column. The mobile phases were 5 mM methanesulfonic acid with 10 mM NaH₂PO₄ (pH 2.5)-acetonitrile, 70:30 (v/v) for plasma samples and 75:25 (v/v) for urine and bile samples. The flow-rates were 1.0 ml/min for plasma samples and 1.2 ml/min for urine and bile samples. The column effluent was monitored by a fluorescence detector with an excitation wavelength of 270 nm and an emission wavelength of 330 nm. The retention time for I was 4.8 min in plasma samples and 10.0 min in urine and bile samples. The detection limits for I in rat plasma, urine and bile were 20, 100 and 100 ng/ml, respectively. There was no interference from endogenous substances.     

Assay of timolol in human plasma using gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

A simple and sensitive gas chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of timolol in plasma using electron-capture detection and propranolol as internal standard. Timolol was extracted using butyl chloride and derivatized using trifluoroacetic anhydride in butyl acetate. The lower detection limit for the assay was found to be 1 ng/ml from 1 ml of plasma. Extracted standards gave within-day precision of 12.55, 9.68 and 3.78% for 1, 20 and 100 ng/ml plasma samples, respectively. A recovery of at least 80% of timolol was found using the extraction method described. The assay was used in a randomized cross-over bioequivalence trial using an oral administration of 20 mg of timolol. Pharmacokinetic parameters compare favourably with other literature values.     

Determination of mivacurium in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

An assay has been developed and validated for the routine monitoring of mivacurium in plasma. It consists of liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection (excitation and emission wavelengths 220 nm and 320 nm, respectively). A Spherisorb C₁ 5 μm column and a mobile phase containing acetonitrile, KH₂PO₄ and methanol are used. At a flow-rate of 1 ml/min, a concentration gradient is applied. The detection limit is approximately 1 ng/ml in plasma. For the separation of stereoisomeres, the Spherisorb SCX 10 μm column and acetonitrile-Na₂SO₄ as a mobile phase can be used. The assay shows good linearity over the range 1–1000 ng/ml. The accuracy and precision allows the utilisation in clinical pharmacokinetic studies.     

Liquid chromatographic method for the determination of rosiglitazone in human plasma

A robust, accurate and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of rosiglitazone (I) in human plasma has been developed. Pioglitazone (II) was used as internal standard. Both I and II are extracted from plasma using a liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Isocratic separation of I and II is carried out using a reversed-phase Zorbax SB C(18), 15-cm column with mobile phase consisting of methanol and a mixed phosphate buffer (10 mM monobasic sodium phosphate and dibasic sodium phosphate, pH adjusted to 2.6 with ortho-phosphoric acid) in the ratio 30:70 (v/v) and quantified by UV detection at 245 nm. Linearity was established over the range 5-1250 ng/ml using 1 ml human plasma. The method is specific, the endogenous components in plasma do not interfere with I and II. C.V. (%) of intra-day samples is less than 5.0% at four concentrations tested namely 5, 10, 500 and 1000 ng/ml. Similarly, over the same nominal concentrations, the precision of inter-day (5 days) samples also results in C.V. (%) less than 5.0%. The recoveries of I and II from human plasma were about 79 and 60%, respectively. This method can be used for routine clinical monitoring of I.     

Two reproducible and sensitive liquid chromatographic methods to quantify atenolol and propranolol in human plasma and determination of their associated analytical error functions

Two liquid chromatography (LC) methods with fluorimetric detection have been developed to measure atenolol and propranolol in human plasma. The same 5 μm Nucleosil RP-18 column, extraction procedure and mobile phase (containing acetonitrile, water, triethylamine and phosphoric acid, pH 3) were used. The linearity ranges were 25–800 ng/ml for atenolol and 3.13–100 ng/ml for propranolol. The coefficients of variation for validation assays were lower than 15% at the concentration assayed. The functions of the analytical error were linear: SD (ng/ml)=7.698+0.037C for atenolol and SD (ng/ml)=0.126+0.036C for propranolol.     

Measurement of bumetanide in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography and application to bumetanide disposition

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the measurement of bumetamide in plasma and urine is described. Following precipitation of proteins with acetonitrile, bumetanide was extracted from plasma or urine on a 1-ml bonded-phase C₁₈ column and eluted with acetonitrile. Piretanide dissolved in methanol was used as the internal standard. A C₁₈ Radial Pak column and fluorescence detection (excitation wavelength 228 nm; emission wavelength 418 nm) were used. The mobile phase consisted of methanol—water—glacial acetic acid (66:34:1, v/v) delivered isocratically at a flow-rate of 1.2 ml/min. The lower limit of detection for this method was 5 ng/ml using 0.2 ml of plasma or urine. Nafcillin, but not other semi-synthetic penicillins, was the only commonly used drug that interfered with this assay. No interference from endogenous compounds was detected. For plasma, the inter-assay coefficients of variation of the method were 7.6 and 4.4% for samples containing 10 and 250 ng/ml bumetanide, respectively. The inter-assay coefficients of variation for urine samples containing 10 and 2000 ng/ml were 8.1 and 5.7%, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range 5–2000 ng/ml.     

The use of a pre-column for the direct high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of the anti-depressants clovoxamine and fluvoxamine in plasma

A high-performance liquid chromatographic system for the direct determination of the antidepressants clovoxamine and fluvoxamine in plasma is described. The primary amines are derivatized with the fluorogenic reagent fluorescamine in order to increase the sensitivity and selectivity, but also to decrease the polarity of the amines. The band broadening of some combinations of pre-column and analytical column is compared for the fluorescamine derivative of fluvoxamine. The combination of a pre-column containing RP-2 and an analytical column containing RP-8 has been successfully used for the determination of the two antidepressants in plasma. At relatively low concentrations of the drugs, a simple step-gradient elution is required for the removal of a large proportion of the more polar components of the samples. Concentrations in the range of 10—1000 ng clovoxamine per ml plasma were determined by means of external standardization and show a good correlation with the data of a more laborious gas chromatographic method. The detection limits for clovoxamine and fluvoxamine are approximately 3 ng/ml in plasma.     

Oral platelet aggregation inhibitor Ro 48-3657: Determination of the active metabolite and its prodrug in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using automated column switching

A sensitive and highly automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column-switching method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the active metabolite III and its prodrug II, both derivatives of the oral platelet inhibitor Ro 48-3657 (I), in plasma and urine of man and dog. Plasma samples were deproteinated with perchloric acid (0.5 M), while urine samples could be processed directly after dilution with phosphate buffer. The prepared samples were injected onto a pre-column of a HPLC column switching system. Polar plasma or urine components were removed by flushing the precolumn with phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 3.5). Retained compounds (including II and III) were backflushed onto the analytical column, separated by gradient elution and detected by means of UV detection at 240 nm. The limit of quantification for both compounds was 1 ng/ml (500 μl of plasma) and 25 ng/ml (50 μl of urine) for plasma and urine, respectively. The practicability of the new method was demonstrated by the analysis of about 6000 plasma and 1300 urine samples from various toxicokinetic studies in dogs and phase 1 studies in man.     

Determination of endogenous levels of 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin), all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) and their 4-oxo metabolites in human and animal plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with automated column switching and ultraviolet detection

A highly sensitive HPLC method with automated column switching was developed for the simultaneous determination of endogenous levels of 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin), all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) and their 4-oxo metabolites in plasma samples from man, Cynomolgus monkey, rabbit, rat and mouse. Plasma (0.4 ml) was deproteinated by adding ethanol (1.5 ml) containing the internal standard acitretin. After centrifugation, 1.4 ml of the supernatant were directly injected onto the precolumn packed with LiChrospher 100 RP-18 (5 μm). 1.25% ammonium acetate and acetic acid-ethanol (8:2, v/v) was used as mobile phase during injection and 1% ammonium acetate and 2% acetic acid-ethanol (102:4, v/v) was added, on-line, to decrease the elution strength of the injection solution. After backflush purging of the precolumn, the retained components were transferred to the analytical column in the backflush mode, separated by gradient elution and detected at 360 nm. Two coupled Superspher 100 RP-18 endcapped columns (both 250×4 mm) were used for the separation, together with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water-10% ammonium acetate-acetic acid: (A) 600:300:60:10 (v/v/v/v), (B) 950:20:5:20 (v/v/v/v), and (C) 990:5:0:5 (v/v/v/v). The method was linear in the range 0.3–100 ng/ml, at least, with a quantification limit of 0.3 ng/ml. The mean recoveries from human plasma were 93.2%–94.4% and the mean inter-assay precision was 2.8%–3.2% (range 0.3–100 ng/ml). Similar results were obtained for animal plasma. The analytes were found to be stable in the plasma of all investigated species stored at −20°C for 4.3 months and at −80°C for 9 months, at least. At this temperature, human plasma samples were even stable for 2 years. The method was successfully applied to more than 6000 human and 1000 animal plasma samples from clinical and toxicokinetic studies. Endogenous levels determined in control patients and pregnant women were similar to published data from volunteers.     

Determination of the active metabolite of sibutramine by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific method for the determination of the active primary amine metabolite of sibutramine, N-di-desmethylsibutramine (BTS 54,505), in human plasma was developed, based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). The samples were extracted from plasma with methyl tert.-butyl ether, followed by separation and evaporation after addition of the internal standard, propranolol, and basification with sodium hydroxide. The residue was reconstituted in mobile phase and injected into the HPLC-MS-MS system. Chromatography was performed on an ODS MS column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, v/v)-0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (55:45, v/v) at a flow-rate of 0.3 ml/min. Multiple reaction monitoring using precursor-->product ion combinations at m/z 252.00-->125.00 and 260.00-->115.70 was applied to determine BTS 54,505 and propranolol, respectively. Linearity was confirmed in the concentration range 0.328-32.8 ng/ml in human plasma and the imprecision of this assay was less than 19.90% over the entire concentration range. The method is sufficiently sensitive and repeatable to be used in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection for simultaneous quantitation of indinavir and propranolol from ex-vivo rat intestinal permeability studies

A simple, rapid, sensitive and specific reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method involving ultraviolet detection (lambda = 210 nm) was developed for analysis of indinavir along with propranolol in samples obtained from ex vivo intestinal permeability studies. Chromatography was carried out on C-18 column with mobile phase comprising of phosphate buffer-acetonitrile (68:32, v/v) pumped at flow rate of 1 ml/min. The proposed method has a short run time of 12 min and involves a simple sample preparation for the purpose of reducing permeability model artifacts and to concentrate the samples. Fluorescein was used as internal standard. The proposed method has been validated with regard to specificity, detection limit, recovery, accuracy and precision. For both the drugs, method was found to be selective, linear (R(2) approximately 0.999), accurate (recovery = 100-105%) and precise (<3% R.S.D.) in the range of 2-20 microg/ml. The limit-of-detection and limit-of-quantification of the method were 40 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml for indinavir, and 30 and 80 ng/ml for propranolol, respectively. Indinavir, a widely prescribed HIV protease inhibitor, suffer from bioavailability problems where involvement of P-glycoprotein mediated drug efflux may play a significant role. The proposed method was successfully applied for intestinal permeability of indinavir to estimate the contribution of P-glycoprotein in limiting its oral bioavailability. The advantage of the developed method lies in the simultaneous determination of propranolol, a passive integrity marker, routinely employed in permeability studies and its selectivity in presence of various P-gp modulators and permeability markers.     

Control of propranolol intake by direct chromatographic detection of alpha-naphthoxylactic acid in urine

A rapid chromatographic procedure with a C18 column, a mobile phase of 0.15 M sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-10% (v/v) 1-propanol at pH 3 (0.01 M phosphate buffer), and fluorimetric detection, is reported for the control of propranolol (PPL) intake in urine samples, which are injected directly without any other treatment than filtration. The peak of PPL was only observed in samples taken a few hours after ingestion of the drug due to its extensive conjugation and metabolisation. The detection of several unconjugated PPL metabolites was therefore considered: desisopropylpropranolol (DIP), propranolol glycol (PPG), alpha-naphthoxylactic acid (NLT) and alpha-naphthoxyacetic acid (NAC). NLT showed the best characteristics: it eluted at a much shorter retention time than PPL, its concentration in urine samples was greater and it did not present any interference from endogeneous compounds in urine, common drugs or drugs administered in combination with PPL. The limit of quantification, measured as the concentration of analyte providing a relative standard deviation of 20%, was 24 ng/ml, and the day-to-day imprecision was below 4% for concentrations above 200 ng/ml. The procedure allows the routine control of PPL at therapeutic urine levels. Urinary excretion studies showed that the detection of NLT is possible at least up to 20-30 h after oral administration.     

Quantitative analysis of retinoids in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography using column switching : I. Determination of isotretinoin and tretinoin and their 4-oxo metabolites in plasma

A fully automated gradient high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of isotretinoin, tretinoin and their 4-oxo metabolites in plasma was developed, using the column-switching technique. After dilution with an internal standard solution containing 20% acetonitrile, 0.5 ml of the sample was injected onto a precolumn (17x4.6 mm I.D.), filled with C₁₈ Corasil 37–53 μm. Proteins and polar plasma components were washed out using 1% ammonium acetate-acetonitrile (9:1, v/v) as mobile phase 1. After valve switching, the retained components were transferred to the analytical column in the backflush mode, separated by gradient elution and detected at 360 nm by UV detection. Using two coupled reversed-phase columns (125 mm long), the separation of cis and trans isomers was possible, and all four compounds could be quantified down to 2 ng/ml of plasma. The inter-assay precision in the concentration range 20-1000 ng/ml was between 1.0 and 4.7% for all compounds.     

Simultaneous quantitation of plasma doxorubicin and prochlorperazine content by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and tested for simultaneous extraction, elution and determination of doxorubicin and prochlorperazine content in human plasma samples. The procedure consists of extraction through a conditioned C₁₈ solid-phase extraction cartridge, elution from a Spherisorb C₈ reversed-phase column by an isocratic mobile phase (60% acetonitrile, 15% methanol and 25% buffer) followed by detection with electrochemical and fluorescence detectors. Recovery of doxorubicin and prochlorperazine from pooled human plasma samples (n=3) containing 100 ng/ml of the two drugs was 77.8±3.5% and 89.1±6.0%, respectively. The lower limits of quantitation for doxorubicin and prochlorperazine in plasma samples were 6.25 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml, respectively. A linear calibration curve was obtained for up to 2 μg/ml of doxorubicin and prochlorperazine. This combination method may be of particular value in clinical studies where phenothiazines such as prochlorperazine are used to enhance retention of doxorubicin in drug resistant tumor cells.     

A column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for a novel cytotoxic thioxanthone derivative (WIN 33377) in mouse plasma with toxicokinetic results from a mouse LD10 study

WIN 33377 (I) is a member of a novel class cytotoxic antitumor agents, 4-aminomethyl thioxanthane derivatives. A simple, rapid and reproducible method has been developed for the assay of I in mouse plasma using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method utilizing a column-switching technique. The method involves direct injection of buffered plasma to the extraction column for sample clean-up followed by switching onto an analytical column for analysis with UV detection at 256 nm. The method has demonstrated accuracy and precision over the range 10–2500 ng/ml using a 100-μl plasma sample with a minimum quantifiable level at 10 ng/ml. Stability of mouse plasma samples was demonstrated after storage for 4 weeks at −15 to −20°C, as was the ability of samples to be accurately quantified after a maximum of three freeze-thaw cycles. Recovery was greater than 87% for the compound and the internal standard. The assay was accurate and reproducible with measured values lying within the limits of defined acceptance criteria. The utility of the method was demonstrated by analyzing plasma samples obtained from mice dosed with I as part of a pre-clinical safety study intended to assist in the design of a pharmacokinetically guided dose escalation strategy.     

Chlorpheniramine : I. Rapid quantitative analysis of chlorpheniramine in plasma,saliva and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A method was developed for the rapid quantitative analysis of chlorpheniramine in plasma, saliva and urine using high-performance liquid chromatography. A diethyl ether or hexane extract of the alkalinized biological samples was extracted with dilute acid which was chromatographed on a reversed-phase column using mixtures of acetonitrile and ammonium phosphate buffer as the mobile phase. Ultraviolet absorption at 254 nm was monitored for the detection and brompheniramine was employed as the internal standard for the quantitation. The effects of buffer, pH, and acetonitrile concentration in the mobile phase on the chromatographic separation were investigated. A mobile phase 20% acetonitrile in 0.0075 M phosphate buffer at a flow-rate of 2 ml/min was used for the assays of plasma and saliva samples. A similar mobile phase was used for urine samples. The drug and internal standard were eluted at retention volumes of less than 17 ml. The method can also be used to quantify two metabolites, didesmethyl- and desmethylchlorpheniramine, in the urine. The method can accurately measure chlorpheniramine levels down to 2 ng/ml in plasma or saliva using 1 ml of sample, and should be adequate for biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic studies. Various precautions for using the assay are discussed.     

Plasma Propranolol Levels Associated with Suppression of Ventricular Ectopic Beats

The plasma propranolol levels associated with the abolition of chronic, stable ventricular ectopic beats have been studied. Racemic propranolol (DL) suppressed the ectopic foci at plasma levels of 40-85 ng/ml in eight patients, but levels of 70-200 ng/ml were unsuccessful in four patients. Dextro-(D) propranolol levels of 180-310 ng/ml were ineffective in four patients who had previously responded at levels of 60-75 ng/ml of racemic propranolol. The significance of the sympathetic nervous system in the genesis of ectopic beats is discussed. It is concluded that propranolol is clinically effective by virtue of its beta-adrenergic blocking activity.