A rapid LC–MS/MS quantification of peramivir using a simple and inexpensive sample precipitation: application to PK

HPLC-MS/MS analysis of peramivir in rat plasma: Elimination of matrix effect using the phospholipid-removal solid-phase extraction method

A simple HPLC-MS/MS method has been developed for the determination of peramivir in rat plasma in the present study. The analytes were separated on a C₁₈ column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) and a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was applied for the detection. A phospholipid-free cartridge solid-phase extraction was used to pretreat the plasma and eliminate the endogenous phospholipid. The in-source collision-induced dissociation approach showed that this pretreatment could result in negligible ion suppression from the extracted sample and could produce cleaner samples when compared with the protein precipitation. The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.12-1200.0 ng/mL for peramivir. The method was validated and successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after peramivir was orally and intravenously administered to Sprague-Dawley rats.

A Simple HPLC-MS/MS Method for Determination of Tryptophan, Kynurenine and Kynurenic Acid in Human Serum and its Potential for Monitoring Antidepressant Therapy

The kynurenine pathway, in which tryptophan is metabolized to kynurenine and kynurenic acid, has been linked to depression. A rapid and highly reproducible liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method were established for determining tryptophan, kynurenine and kynurenic acid in human serum. Biological samples were precipitated with methanol before separation on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18. The stable-isotope-labeled internal standards (kynurenine-¹³C₄¹⁵N and kynurenic acid-d₅) were used for quantification. Detection was performed using multiple reaction monitoring in electrospray ionization mode at m/z 205.1→188.1 for tryptophan, m/z 209.1→146.1 for kynurenine, m/z 190.1→144.1 for kynurenic acid. Good linearity of analyte to internal standard peak area ratios was seen in the concentration range 1,000-50,000 ng/mL for tryptophan, 100-5,000 ng/mL for kynurenine and 1-60 ng/mL for kynurenic acid. Pooled drug-free human serum was purified using activated charcoal and the method was shown to be linear, with validation parameters within acceptable limits. The newly developed method was successfully used to determine concentrations of tryptophan, kynurenine and kynurenic acid in serum from 26 healthy volunteers and 54 patients with depression. Concentrations of tryptophan and kynurenine were lower in serum from depressed individuals than from healthy individuals.