Turbulent flow chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry for directly injecting raw plasma samples derived from pharmacokinetic studies

The use of a temperature-responsive column for the direct analysis of drugs in serum by two-dimensional heart-cutting liquid chromatography

A novel pretreatment method, which was performed using a two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (2D-HPLC) system, was proposed for the direct analysis of drugs in human serum. A temperature-responsive column was used as a pretreatment column. The stationary phase of the temperature-responsive column exhibits temperature-regulated hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics. Controlling the ionic strength of the eluent enables human serum albumin (HSA) to pass through the column without retention. When serum samples containing barbiturates or benzodiazepines were injected into the temperature-responsive column using 10 mM of ammonium acetate (pH 6.5) as the mobile phase and in the temperature range of 10-40 °C, HSA was eluted from the column near the dead time, followed by the individual drugs. When the column temperature was changed, the retention times of the drugs were altered owing to surface property changes within the pretreatment column. These closely eluted compounds were subsequently introduced into the analytical column using a column-switching valve, with a minimal gap time to avoid foreign substance contamination. This new 2D-HPLC method afforded high-quality chromatograms of multiple drugs without unwanted peaks from foreign substances. The present technique could be an attractive choice in selecting the analytical method for drug analysis.

Comparison of the pharmacokinetic properties of bisoprolol and carvedilol in healthy dogs

OBJECTIVE

To compare the pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability following oral and IV administration of bisoprolol, a second-generation beta1-adrenoceptor-selective blocking agent, with those of carvedilol, a third-generation beta1/beta2 and alpha1-adrenoceptor blocking agent, in dogs.

ANIMALS

12 healthy adult Beagles.

PROCEDURES

A prospective, parallel group study was performed. The dogs were allocated to 1 of 2 groups (6 dogs/group) and were administered orally a 1 mg/kg dose of either bisoprolol or carvedilol. Following a 1-week washout period, each cohort received a 1 mg/kg dose of the same drug IV. Blood samples were collected before and after drug administration, and serum concentrations, pharmacokinetic variables, and bioavailability for each agent were assessed.

RESULTS

After oral administration of bisoprolol, the geometric mean value of the area under the concentration-time curve extrapolated to infinity (AUCinf) was 2,195 microg/L (coefficient of variation [CV], 15%). After IV administration of bisoprolol, the dose-normalized geometric mean AUCinf was 2,402 microg/L (CV, 19%). Oral bioavailability of bisoprolol was 91.4%. After oral administration of carvedilol, the geometric mean AUCinf was 70 microg/L (CV, 81%). After IV administration of carvedilol, the geometric mean AUCinf was 491 microg/L (CV, 23%). Oral bioavailability of carvedilol was 14.3%. Total body clearance was low (0.42 L/h/kg) for bisoprolol and high (2.0 L/h/kg) for carvedilol.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

After oral administration, carvedilol underwent extensive first-pass metabolism and had limited bioavailability; bisoprolol had less first-pass effect and higher bioavailability. Collectively, these differences suggested that, in dogs, bisoprolol has less interindividual pharmacokinetic variability, compared with carvedilol.

Methods for the analysis of fluoroquinolones in biological fluids

Methods for the analysis of ten selected fluoroquinolone antibiotics in biological fluids are reviewed. Approaches for sample preparation, detection methods, limits of detection and quantitation, and recovery information are provided for both single analyte and multi-analyte fluoroquinolone methods.

Quantitative determination of a novel dual PPAR α/γ agonist using on-line turbulent flow extraction with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Turbulent flow chromatograph (TFC) is a technique for the direct and efficient analysis of drugs and metabolites in biological matrices. We report here TFC on-line with an HPLC-MS/MS assay for the determination of 5-[2,4-dioxothiazolidin-5-yl)methyl]-2-methoxy-N-[[(4-trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl]benzamide (I, MK-0767, KRP297, Fig. 1) in plasma. Samples were transferred using an automated system followed by the addition of internal standard (II), prepared in 0.1 M ammonium acetate (pH 4.0). The plasma samples were directly injected onto a C18 turbulent flow column on-line with an HPLC-MS/MS system, and the analytical column used was a ThermoHypersil Keystone C18. Detection was achieved by MS/MS, using positive ionization on a TurboIonSpray probe, operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The linear range was 4-2000 ng/mL for I when using 50 microL of plasma. The method exhibited good linearity and reproducibility. The method also showed good selectivity and ruggedness when applied to clinical samples, and was successfully cross-validated with a conventional off-line SPE, LC-MS/MS method.

Restricted access materials and large particle supports for on-line sample preparation: an attractive approach for biological fluids analysis

An analytical process generally involves four main steps: (1) sample preparation; (2) analytical separation; (3) detection; and (4) data handling. In the bioanalytical field, sample preparation is often considered as the time-limiting step. Indeed, the extraction techniques commonly used for biological matrices such as liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) are achieved in the off-line mode. In order to perform a high throughput analysis, efforts have been engaged in developing a faster sample purification process. Among different strategies, the introduction of special extraction sorbents, such as the restricted access media (RAM) and large particle supports (LPS), allowing the direct and repetitive injection of complex biological matrices, represents a very attractive approach. Integrated in a liquid chromatography (LC) system, these extraction supports lead to the automation, simplification and speeding up of the sample preparation process. In this paper, RAM and LPS are reviewed and particular attention is given to commercially available supports. Applications of these extraction supports, are presented in single column and column-switching configurations, for the direct analysis of compounds in various biological fluids.