Jingkai Gu

Simultaneous quantitation of paracetamol, caffeine, pseudoephedrine, chlorpheniramine and cloperastine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous quantitation of paracetamol, caffeine, pseudoephedrine, chlorpheniramine and cloperastine in human plasma has been developed and validated. After sample preparation by liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes and internal standard (diphenhydramine) were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC on a Venusil Mp-C(18) column (50mmx4.6mm, 5microm) using formic acid:10mM ammonium acetate:methanol (1:40:60, v/v/v) as mobile phase in a run time of 2.6min. Detection was carried out by electrospray positive ionization mass spectrometry in the multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The method was linear for all analytes over the following concentration (ng/ml) ranges: paracetamol 5.0-2000; caffeine 10-4000; pseudoephedrine 0.25-100; chlorpheniramine 0.05-20; cloperastine 0.10-40. Intra- and inter-day precisions (as relative standard deviation) were all < or =11.3% with accuracy (as relative error) of +/-5.0%. The method was successfully applied to a study of the pharmacokinetics of the five analytes after administration of a combination oral dose to healthy Chinese volunteers.

Simultaneous quantitation of hydrochlorothiazide and metoprolol in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous quantitation of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and metoprolol (MET) in human plasma based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated. MS/MS detection involved switching the electrospray ionization (ESI) mode during chromatography from negative to detect HCT and its internal standard (I.S.) 5-bromouracil to positive to detect MET and its I.S. tramadol. Sample preparation by liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether-dichloromethane (60:40, v/v) was followed by chromatography on a Venusil MP-C18 column using methanol-ammonium acetate (10mM)-formic acid (pH 3.4) (50:50:0.05, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8mL/min. The method was linear in the concentration range 3-1000ng/mL for both HCT and MET using 100microL human plasma. Intra- and inter-day precisions (as relative standard deviation) for HCT were 2.9-3.9% and 3.9-4.7%, respectively and for MET were 2.4-4.1% and 4.7-6.2%, respectively. Accuracies (as relative error) were +/-3.8% and +/-2.6% for HCT and MET, respectively. The assay was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study involving a single oral dose of a combination tablet (25mg HCT, 50mg MET) in healthy volunteers.

Liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous quantitation of telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma

A rapid and sensitive method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous determination of telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma. Sample preparation involved liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether-dichloromethane (60:40, v/v). The analytes and internal standard, probenecid, were separated on a Venusil XBP-C(8) column using gradient elution with acetonitrile-10 mM ammonium acetate-formic acid at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. Detection was by electrospray negative ionization mass spectrometry using multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions at m/z 513.0-->469.4 for telmisartan, m/z 295.9-->268.9 for hydrochlorothiazide and m/z 283.9-->239.9 for probenecid. For both analytes, the method was linear in the range 1.00-600 ng/mL with intra- and inter-day precision (as relative standard deviation) <or=10.6% and accuracy (as relative error) <or=4.2%. The assay was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in 9 healthy volunteers given a single oral dose of a combination tablet containing telmisartan 80 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg.

Sensitive liquid chromatographic assay for the simultaneous determination of 5-fluorouracil and its prodrug, tegafur, in beagle dog plasma.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its prodrug, tegafur (TF), in dog plasma. 5-FU, the internal standard, 5-bromouracil, and TF were separated on a C18 Spherisorb ODS2 column using isocratic elution with retention times of 4.4, 8.0 and 21.2 min, respectively. Detection by UV absorption at 260 nm gave a limit of quantitation of 4 microg/l for 5-FU in plasma. Calibration curves for 5-FU and TF were linear over the ranges of 4-160 microg/l and 0.48-19.2 mg/l, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision over these concentration ranges were <10.9 and <13.6% for 5-FU and TF, respectively, with good accuracy for both compounds. The method was successfully applied to define plasma concentration-time curves of TF and 5-FU in dogs administered a single oral dose containing TF (100 mg) and uracil (224 mg).

Characterization of the pharmacokinetics of dioscin in rat.

Dioscin (diosgenyl 2,4-di-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside) is an important constituent of some traditional Chinese medicines with several bioactivities. We have investigated the pharmacokinetics of dioscin in rat after intravenous and oral administrations. Compartmental methods were used to perform pharmacokinetic data analysis. The dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of dioscin was characterized after intravenous administrations (0.064, 0.16, 0.4 and 1.0mg/kg) to rats. There was significant decrease in clearance with increasing dose (4.67+/-0.09 ml/min/kg (0.064 mg/kg) versus 3.49+/-0.23 ml/min/kg (1.0 mg/kg), P<0.05), and the plot of reciprocal clearance values versus the doses was linear (r=0.909, P<0.05). After an I.V. dose of 1mg/kg, simultaneous oral gavage of activated charcoal did not change the pharmacokinetic parameters indicating enterohepatic recycling of dioscin is not important in rat. The absolute oral bioavailability was very low (0.2%). In tissue distribution and bile excretion studies after I.V. and oral administrations, dioscin was shown to undergo a prolonged absorption from the intestinal tract and slow elimination from organs, and only a small amount of drug was recovered in bile. The cumulative amounts of dioscin in feces and urine indicated that the parent drug is mainly excreted in the feces.

Ternary system of dihydroartemisinin with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and lecithin: Simultaneous enhancement of drug solubility and stability in aqueous solutions

The purpose of this study was to simultaneously improve the solubility and stability of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in aqueous solutions by a ternary cyclodextrin system comprised of DHA, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and a third auxiliary substance. Solubility and phase solubility studies were carried out to evaluate the solubilizing efficiency of HP-β-CD in association with various auxiliary substances. Then, the solid binary (DHA-HP-β-CD or DHA-lecithin) and ternary systems were prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and power X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The effect of the ternary system on the solubility, dissolution and stability of DHA in aqueous solutions was also investigated. As a result, the soybean lecithin was found to be the most promising third component in terms of solubility enhancement. For the solid characterization, the disappearance of the drug crystallinity indicated the formation of new solid phases, implicating the formation of the ternary system. The dissolution rate of the solid ternary system was much faster than that of the drug alone and binary systems. Importantly, compared with binary systems, the ternary system showed a significant improvement in the stability of DHA in Hanks balanced salt solutions (pH 7.4). The solubility and stability of DHA in aqueous solutions were simultaneously enhanced by the ternary system, which might be attributed to the possible formation of a ternary complex. For the ternary interactions, results of molecular docking studies further indicated that the lecithin covered the top of the wide rim of HP-β-CD and surrounded around the peroxide bridging of DHA, providing the possibility for the ternary complex formation. In summary, the ternary system prepared in our study, with simultaneous enhancement of DHA solubility and stability in aqueous solutions, might have an important pharmaceutical potential in the development of a better oral formulation of DHA.

A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of escin Ia and escin Ib in human plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study after intravenous administration

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of escin Ia and escin Ib in human plasma. After a solid-phase extraction (SPE), the analytes were separated on a Zorbax Extend C(18) column by isocratic elution with a mobile phase of methanol-acetonitrile-10 mm ammonium acetate (27:27:46, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and analyzed by mass spectrometry in the positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode. The precursor to product ion transitions of m/z 1131.8 → 807.6 was used to quantify escin Ia and escin Ib. Good linearity was achieved over a wide range of 2.00-900 ng/mL for escin Ia and 1.50-662 ng/mL for escin Ib. The intra- and inter-day precisions (as relative standard deviation) were less than 11% for each QC level of escin Ia and escin Ib. The accuracies (as relative error) were within ±5.27% for escin Ia and within ±4.07% for escin Ib. The method was successfully employed in a pharmacokinetic study after a single intravenous infusion administration of sodium aescinate injection containing 10 mg escin to each of the 10 healthy volunteers.

Determination of silodosin in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of silodosin in human plasma. Silodosin and internal standard (IS) were extracted from human plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using methyl t-butyl ether and analyzed on an Agilent C(8) column with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-10 mM ammonium acetate (40:60, v/v) adjusted to pH 4.5 with acetic acid. Detection was carried out by MS/MS using TurboIonSpray (TIS) ionization and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in the positive-ion mode. The mass transitions monitored were m/z 496.3-->261.4 and m/z 440.4-->259.3 for silodosin and IS, respectively. The standard curve was linear in the range of 0.50-50.0 ng/ml with intra- and inter-day precision of 3.2-7.2% and 2.0-7.5%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for silodosin was 0.50 ng/ml using 500 microl plasma sample. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers.

Simultaneous quantitation of dexamethasone palmitate and dexamethasone in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantitation of dexamethasone palmitate and dexamethasone in human plasma was developed. After sample preparation by protein precipitation and liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes and internal standard (IS) were separated on a Venusil XBP-C8 column using gradient elution. Multiple reaction monitoring of dexamethasone palmitate, dexamethasone and IS used the precursor to product ion transitions at m/z 631.8-->373.1, m/z 393.2-->147.1 and m/z 264.2-->58.1, respectively. The method was linear over the ranges 1.5-1000ng/mL for dexamethasone palmitate and 2.5-250ng/mL for dexamethasone with intra- and inter-day precisions of <10% and accuracies of 100+/-7%. The assay was applied to a clinical pharmacokinetic study involving the injection of dexamethasone palmitate to healthy volunteers.

Quantitative analysis of cytochrome P450 isoforms in human liver microsomes by the combination of proteomics and chemical probe‐based assay

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is one of the most important drug‐metabolizing enzyme families, which participates in the biotransformation of many endogenous and exogenous compounds. Quantitative analysis of CYP expression levels is important when studying the efficacy of new drug molecules and assessing drug–drug interactions in drug development. At present, chemical probe‐based assay is the most widely used approach for the evaluation of CYP activity although there are cross‐reactions between the isoforms with high sequence homologies. Therefore, quantification of each isozyme is highly desired in regard to meeting the ever‐increasing requirements for carrying out pharmacokinetics and personalized medicine in the academic, pharmaceutical, and clinical setting. Herein, an absolute quantification method was employed for the analysis of the seven isoforms CYP1A2, 2B6, 3A4, 3A5, 2C9, 2C19, and 2E1 using a proteome‐derived approach in combination with stable isotope dilution assay. The average absolute amount measured from twelve human liver microsomes samples were 39.3, 4.3, 54.0, 4.6, 10.3, 3.0, and 9.3 (pmol/mg protein) for 1A2, 2B6, 3A4, 3A5, 2C9, 2C19, and 2E1, respectively. Importantly, the expression level of CYP3A4 showed high correlation (r = 0.943, p < 0.0001) with the functional activity, which was measured using bufalin—a highly selective chemical probe we have developed. The combination of MRM identification and analysis of the functional activity, as in the case of CYP3A4, provides a protocol which can be extended to other functional enzyme studies with wide application in pharmaceutical research.