Single quadrupole mass spectrometry for pre-clinical pharmacokinetic analysis: quantitation of carvedilol in dog plasma.

The pharmaceutical industry standard for bioanalysis is LC/MS/MS. There are, however, many instances where a single quadrupole detector could successfully be used to provide adequate sensitivity and selectivity for quantitation of drug substances in biological matrices. This paper presents one example of how a single quadrupole detector can be employed in a sensitive and selective analytical method for quantitation of carvedilol. A Synergi Hydro-RP (50 mm x 2 mm i.d.; 4 microm) column was used with acetonitile:water:formic acid mobile phase (32:68:0.01, v/v) at a flow rate of 200 microL/min into a single quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray interface in the positive SIM mode. Using a 300 microL plasma aliquot and a liquid-liquid extraction procedure the limit of quantitation for the assay was 1 ng/mL. The assay utility was demonstrated in the analysis of carvedilol pharmacokinetic profiles in beagle dogs following oral carvedilol administration.

A simple and efficient high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for etomidate in plasma.

The development and validation of an effective and simplified LC assay for the quantitation of etomidate in beagle plasma is described. The methodology employs a rapid and simple protein precipitation procedure in combination with previously reported chromatographic conditions. Using a 0.3 ml aliquot of plasma, the assay is linear in the concentration range of 50 to 5000 ng/ml, with an extraction efficiency between 97 to 104% and accuracy between 98 and 105%.

Differences in the lipoprotein binding profile of halofantrine in fed and fasted human or beagle plasma are dictated by the respective masses of core apolar lipoprotein lipid.

Halofantrine hydrochloride (Hf) is an orally active, highly lipophilic antimalarial indicated for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum. In this study, we have examined the binding profile of Hf to the various classes of human and beagle plasma lipoproteins as such interactions have been implicated in a post-prandial plasma lipoprotein-induced decrease in the total clearance and volume of distribution of Hf. The distribution of Hf within plasma was dominated by interaction with the various classes of plasma lipoproteins, and the characteristics and extent of binding were markedly different between species and between pre- and post-prandial plasma. In an attempt to understand the basis for the differential binding of Hf to the various lipoprotein fractions, the relationship between the proportion of Hf associated with each lipoprotein fraction (as a function of the respective mass of protein, triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid) was investigated. The data indicated that the distribution of Hf between plasma lipoproteins was highly correlated with the apolar lipid load of individual plasma lipoprotein fractions suggesting that the mechanism of association was primarily via solubilization in the lipoprotein apolar lipid core. These data suggest that acute changes in plasma lipoprotein profiles, such as encountered post-prandially or in disease states such as malaria, will likely have an impact on the plasma lipoprotein binding of Hf.

Differences in the lipoprotein distribution of halofantrine are regulated by lipoprotein apolar lipid and protein concentration and lipid transfer protein I activity: in vitro studies in normolipidemic and dyslipidemic human plasmas.

The purpose of these studies was to determine the distribution of a lipophilic antimalarial agent, halofantrine hydrochloride (Hf), in fasted plasma from hypo-, normo-, and hyperlipidemic patients that displayed differences in lipoprotein concentration and lipid transfer protein I (LTP I) activity. To assess the influence of modified lipoprotein concentrations and LTP I activity on the plasma distribution of Hf, Hf at a concentration of 1000 ng/mL was incubated in either hypo-, normo-, or hyperlipidemic human plasma for 1 h at 37 degreesC. Following incubation, the plasma samples were separated into their lipoprotein and lipoprotein-deficient plasma (LPDP) fractions by density gradient ultracentrifugation and assayed for Hf by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The activity of LTP I in the dyslipidemic plasma samples was determined in terms of its ability to transfer cholesteryl ester from low-density lipoproteins (LDL) to high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Total plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol (esterified and unesterified), triglyceride, and protein levels in the dyslipidemic plasma samples were determined by enzymatic assays. When Hf was incubated in normolipidemic plasma for 1 h at 37 degreesC, the majority of drug was found in the LPDP fraction. When Hf was incubated in human plasma of varying total lipid, lipoprotein lipid, and protein concentrations and LTP I activity, the following relationships were observed. As the triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) lipid and protein concentration increased from hypolipidemia through to hyperlipidemia, the proportion of Hf associated with TRL increased (r > 0.90). As the HDL lipid and protein concentration increased, the proportion of Hf associated with HDL decreased (r > 0.70). As the total and lipoprotein lipid levels increased, the LTP I activity of the plasma also proportionally increased (r > 0.85). Furthermore, with the increase in LTP I activity, the proportion of Hf associated with the TRL fraction increased (r > 0.70) and the proportion of Hf associated with the HDL fraction decreased (r > 0.80). In addition, a positive correlation between the proportion of apolar lipid and Hf recovered within each lipoprotein fraction was observed within hypo- (r > 0.80), normo- (r = 0.70), and hyperlipidemic (r > 0.90) plasmas. These findings suggest that changes in the HDL and TRL lipid and protein concentrations, LTP I activity, and the proportion of apolar lipid within each lipoprotein fraction may influence the plasma lipoprotein distribution of Hf in dyslipidemia.