Improved method for the simultaneous determination of proguanil and its metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography and solid-phase extraction of 100-microl capillary blood samples dried on sampling paper.

An improved method is presented for the determination of proguanil, cycloguanil and 4-chlorophenylbiguanide in 100-microl capillary blood samples applied to sampling paper. This method also utilises a solid-phase extraction technique and high-performance liquid chromatography. Different kinds of sampling paper, such as ion-exchange and cellulose sampling paper were tested. The best elution recovery (70-80%) was obtained after treatment of cellulose sampling paper with a quaternary ammonium compound. The limit of determination was 50 nmol/l for cycloguanil and 4-chlorophenylbiguanide and 125 nmol/l for proguanil using 100 microl capillary blood. The stability of the analytes and elution performance from sampling paper was validated at different temperature and storage time. Venous blood and capillary blood concentrations of proguanil and metabolites were found to be similar.

Improved validated assay for the determination of proguanil and its metabolites in plasma, whole blood, and urine using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography.

An improved and validated method is presented for the determination of proguanil, cycloguanil, and 4-chlorophenylbiguanide in plasma, whole blood, and urine using solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC method uses isocratic elution with acetonitrile:phosphate buffer 0.1 mol/l, pH 2.6 (21.5:78.5 vol/vol) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min for the separation. The recovery of proguanil and metabolites ranged from 82% to 104%. The limit of determination was 20 nmol/l for proguanil and its metabolites in plasma and approximately 50 nmol/l for proguanil and metabolites in whole blood. Different stationary phases for HPLC and SPE were tested and the best chromatographic separation from endogenous constituents and other antimalarial drugs was achieved with cyanopropyl stationary phases.

Comparison between concentrations of racemic mefloquine, its separate enantiomers and the carboxylic acid metabolite in whole blood serum and plasma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare concentrations of the separate enantiomers of mefloquine (MQ), total racemic MQ and the carboxylic acid metabolite in different blood fractions at steady state. SETTING: Human volunteer laboratory, Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute. VOLUNTEERS: Ten healthy adult Caucasian volunteers. METHODS: Drug concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Trough concentrations of the (+)RS enantiomer were higher in venous whole blood than in plasma and serum (mean ratios, 1.41 and 1.38). For the other enantiomer, (-)SR, concentrations were lower in whole blood than in plasma (mean ratio 0.89) and for the metabolite this ratio was 0.5. CONCLUSION: Stereoselective distribution might be important for antimalarial activity and should be considered when pharmacokinetic studies are performed.

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of mefloquine and its carboxylic metabolite in 100-microliters capillary blood samples dried on paper.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the analysis of mefloquine and its carboxylic metabolite in 100-microliters capillary blood spots dried on chromatographic paper. Each spot was cut into small pieces, and mefloquine and its metabolite were eluted with an ammonia-water solution (10:90, v/v). The compounds were extracted simultaneously after alkalization at pH 9.5 using tetrabutylammonium as ion-pairing agent and then separated on a C18 column with ultraviolet detection at 227 nm. The recovery of the drugs from spiked blood applied to paper and dried was 70-80%, and the inter-assay precision at 1.0-5.0 mumol/l (therapeutic range) was less than 10%. The correlation between extractions from venous whole blood and capillary blood applied to chromatographic paper was more than 0.94. The analytes were stable in dried blood spots for at least fifty days at -20 degrees C. The decrease of concentration was less than 10%, when the paper was stored at 37 degrees C for fifty days. The assay is reliable and easy to use for therapeutic monitoring of mefloquine with a lower limit of determination of 0.3-0.5 mumol/l.