A novel quantification method for sulfur-containing biomarkers of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde exposure in human urine and plasma samples.

A novel method for the quantification of the sulfur-containing metabolites of formaldehyde (thiazolidine carboxylic acid (TCA) and thiazolidine carbonyl glycine (TCG)) and acetaldehyde (methyl thiazolidine carboxylic acid (MTCA) and methyl thiazolidine carbonyl glycine (MTCG)) was developed and validated for human urine and plasma samples. Targeting the sulfur-containing metabolites of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in contrast to the commonly used biomarkers formate and acetate overcomes the high intra- and inter-individual variance. Due to their involvement in various endogenous processes, formate and acetate lack the required specificity for assessing the exposure to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, respectively. Validation was successfully performed according to FDA's Guideline for Bioanalytical Method Validation (2018), showing excellent performance with regard to accuracy, precision, and limits of quantification (LLOQ). TCA, TCG, and MTCG proved to be stable under all investigated conditions, whereas MTCA showed a depletion after 21 months. The method was applied to a set of pilot samples derived from smokers who consumed unfiltered cigarettes spiked with 13C-labeled propylene glycol and 13C-labeled glycerol. These compounds were used as potential precursors for the formation of 13C-formaldehyde and 13C-acetaldehyde during combustion. Plasma concentrations were significantly lower as compared to urine, suggesting urine as suitable matrix for a biomonitoring. A smoking-related increase of unlabeled biomarker concentrations could not be shown due to the ubiquitous distribution in the environment. While the metabolites of 13C-acetaldehyde were not detected, the described method allowed for the quantification of 13C-formaldehyde uptake from cigarette smoking by targeting the biomarkers 13C-TCA and 13C-TCG in urine.Graphical abstract.

2-(3-Hydroxy-5-phosphonooxymethyl-2-methyl-4-pyridyl)-1,3-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic Acid, Novel Metabolite of Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate and Cysteine Is Present in Human Plasma-Chromatographic Investigations.

It is well-established that aminothiols, to which cysteine (Cys) belongs, are highly reactive towards aldehydes in an aqueous environment, forming substituted thiazolidine carboxylic acids. This report provides evidence that formation of the product containing a thiazolidine ring through non-enzymatic condensation of Cys and an active form of vitamin B6 pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) occurs in vivo in humans. To prove this point, a new method, based on a gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), has been designed to identify and quantify Cys and PLP adduct, 2-(3-hydroxy-5-phosphonooxymethyl-2-methyl-4-pyridyl)-1,3-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (HPPTCA) in human plasma. The GC-MS assay relies on sample deproteinization by ultrafiltration over cut-off membranes and preconcentration by drying under vacuum, followed by treatment of the residue with derivatization mixture containing anhydrous pyridine, N-trimethylsilyl-N-methyl trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) and trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS). The method quantifies HPPTCA in a linear range from 1 to 20 µmol L-1, where the lowest standard on the calibration curve refers to the limit of quantification (LOQ). The validity of the method was demonstrated. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to plasma samples donated by apparently healthy volunteers and breast cancer patients. The GC-MS assay provides a new tool that will hopefully facilitate studies on the role of HPPTCA in living systems.

Development of a liquid chromatography/tandem-mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous determination of teneligliptin and its active metabolite teneligliptin sulfoxide in human plasma.

Teneligliptin is a recently developed dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. To study simultaneous pharmacokinetics of teneligliptin and its major active metabolite, teneligliptin sulfoxide in human plasma, we developed and validated a LC-MS/MS method. The analytes were detected in the positive mode using multiple reaction monitoring (teneligliptin: m/z 427.2→243.1; teneligliptin-d8 : m/z 435.2→251.3; teneligliptin sulfoxide: m/z 443.2→68.2). The method demonstrated accuracy, precision, and linearity over the concentration range of 5 to 1000 ng/mL for teneligliptin and 2.5 to 500 ng/mL for teneligliptin sulfoxide. The developed method is the first fully validated method capable of simultaneous determination of teneligliptin and its active metabolite, teneligliptin sulfoxide in plasma. The suitability of the method was successfully demonstrated in terms of quantification of teneligliptin and teneligliptin sulfoxide pharmacokinetics in plasma samples collected from healthy volunteers. The measurement of plasma metabolite/parent ratio of teneligliptin was feasible by this method.

Metabolism of Cyanide by Glutathione To Produce the Novel Cyanide Metabolite 2-Aminothiazoline-4-oxoaminoethanoic Acid.

The direct analysis of cyanide (HCN or CN- inclusively symbolized as CN) to confirm exposure has major limitations due to cyanide's volatility, reactivity, and short half-life in biological fluids. These limitations have led to the exploration of cyanide detoxification products for indirect verification of cyanide exposure. Although cyanide interacts strongly with sulfur-containing molecules, to date, biomarkers resulting from the interaction of cyanide with glutathione (GSH; i.e., a biologically abundant sulfur-donating biomolecule) have yet to be discovered. In this study, we studied the interaction of CN and GSH to produce 2-aminothiazoline-4-oxoaminoethanioc acid (ATOEA). An LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to analyze ATOEA from plasma, producing a linear range of 0.5-50 µM, a limit of detection of 200 nM, and excellent precision and accuracy. ATOEA concentrations were significantly elevated in the plasma of animals following cyanide exposure. Moreover, the production of ATOEA from cyanide exposure was confirmed by detection of both ATOEA and ATOEA-13C15N in rabbit plasma ( N = 11 animals) following administration of NaCN:K13C15N (1:1), with a similar amount of ATOEA and ATOEA-13C15N formed ( R2 = 0.9924, p < 0.05). The concentration of ATOEA increased with cyanide dose and then decreased rapidly when an antidote was administrated. This study definitively showed that ATOEA is produced from interaction of CN and GSH and can serve as a biomarker of cyanide exposure.

Metabolite profiling of plasma in patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

BACKGROUND: Metabolomics is one of the "omics" technologies, and is a comprehensive analysis of small molecule metabolites which include amino acid, nucleotides, carbohydrates and fatty acid. The purpose of the present study was to compare the differences of metabolite profiling between patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and control subjects. METHODS: We analyzed plasma metabolites in patients with cervical OPLL (n = 10) and in control subjects (n = 10). Ionic metabolites were analyzed using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS) and lipophilic metabolites were analyzed using liquid chromatograph time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS). RESULTS: A total of 259 metabolites (144 metabolites in CE-TOFMS and 115 metabolites in LC-TOFMS) were detected. Among the 259 metabolites, six metabolites, namely acylcarnitine (AC) (14:0), palmitoylcarnitine, AC (18:2), fatty acid (FA) (24:2), thyroxine, thiaproline were significantly larger in OPLL group, even in analyzes excluding patients with diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: We examined the metabolite profiling in patients with OPLL for the first time and detected six metabolites showing suggestive association with disease. These results of the present study could lead to new insights into clarifying the molecular pathomechanisms of OPLL.

Confirmation of the Cardiac Safety of PGF2α Receptor Antagonist OBE022 in a First-in-Human Study in Healthy Subjects, Using Intensive ECG Assessments.

OBE022, a new orally active prostaglandin F2α  receptor antagonist (OBE022) with myometrial selectivity is being developed to reduce uterine contractions during preterm labor. This first-in-human study evaluated the effect of OBE022 following multiple doses on the QT interval in 23 healthy postmenopausal women, using the effect of a meal on QTc to demonstrate assay sensitivity. We report the cardiac safety outcome performed during the multiple ascending part of this trial. OBE022 was administered after a standardized breakfast on day 1 and in the fasted state from day 3 to day 9 wth a standardized lunch 4 hours after administration. Concentration-effect modeling was used to assess the effect of prodrug OBE022 and parent OBE002 on QTc after a single dose (days 1 and 3) and multiple doses (day 9). The concentration-response analysis showed the absence of QTc prolongation at all doses tested. Two-sided 90% confidence intervals of the geometric mean Cmax  for estimated QTc effects of OBE022 and OBE002 of all dose groups were consistently below the threshold of regulatory concern. The sensitivity of this study to detect small changes in the QTc was confirmed by a significant shortening of the QTc on days 1, 3, and 9 after standardized meals. This study establishes that neither prodrug OBE022 nor parent OBE002 prolong the QTc interval. The observed food effect on the QT interval validated the assay on all assessment days. Both the change from predose, premeal and the change from premeal, postdose demonstrated the specificity of the method.

Pharmacokinetics of pidotimod in broiler chickens by UHPLC-MS/MS after oral and intravenous administration.

Pidotimod is widely used in children as an immune promoter but it has not been fully evaluated in animals. The pharmacokinetics of pidotimod and its oral bioavailability have not been described in broiler chickens. We developed a simple and sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS assay for rapid determination of pidotimod levels in chicken blood. Recoveries were nearly 100% and the coefficients of accuracy and precision were minimal. Healthy broiler chickens were given 10 mg/kg pidotimod either orally or intravenously. The oral pidotimod was rapidly absorbed (time to reach maximum concentration, 1.25 h) and rapidly eliminated (the mean residence time was 3.2 h). A noncompartmental analysis of the intravenous route indicated a mean plasma clearance of 2.2 L (h kg)-1 with an estimated mean volume of distribution at steady state of 12.69 L/kg. The bioavailability of pidotimod after oral dosing was 27%.

Sensitive analysis and pharmacokinetic study of epalrestat in C57BL/6J mice.

Epalrestat is clinically applied for the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, yet its pharmacokinetic properties are not well understood. In this study, a rapid and sensitive LC-MS/MS method was established for assaying epalrestat in bio-samples of mice. The method was validated and it showed a good linearity over the range of 2-5000ng/mL, a precision of less than 12.3%, and recovery and matrix effects of 112.5-123.6% and 87.9-89.5%, respectively. After administration of a single dose of epalrestat administered, the exposure level of AUC0-∞ was positively dose-dependent and the mean Cmax, AUC0-12h, T1/2, and MRT were 36.23±7.39µg/mL, 29,086.5µg/Lh, 1.2h and 1.8h, respectively. Epalrestat was highly exposed in stomach, intestine, liver and kidney, and only a small amount was detected in brain, urine and feces. Multi-dose of epalrestat significantly increased MRT and apparent volume of distribution (Vd) relative to those of a single-dose.

Simultaneous determination of epalrestat and puerarin in rat plasma by UHPLC-MS/MS: Application to their pharmacokinetic interaction study.

In the present study, a simple, rapid and reliable ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to determine simultaneously epalrestat (EPA) and puerarin (PUE) in rat plasma for evaluation of the pharmacokinetic interaction of these two drugs. Both the analytes and glipizide (internal standard, IS) were extracted using a protein precipitation method. The separation was performed on a C18 reversed phase column using acetonitrile and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate in water as the mobile phase with a gradient elution program. The analytes, including IS, were quantified with multiple reaction monitoring under negative ionization mode. The optimized mass transition ion pairs (m/z) were 318.1 → 274.0 for EPA, 415.1 → 266.9 for PUE and 444.2 → 166.9 for IS. The linear calibration curves for EPA and PUE were obtained in the concentration ranges of 10-4167 and 20-8333 ng/mL, respectively (r > 0.99). The current method was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic interaction study in rats following administration of EPA and PUE alone or co-administration (EPA 15 mg/kg, oral; PUE 30 mg/kg, intravenous). The results showed that the combination of EPA and PUE could increase t1/2 of EPA and reduce Tmax of EPA. These changes indicated that EPA and PUE might cause drug-drug interactions when co-administrated.

Investigation of Potential Pharmacokinetic Interactions Between Teneligliptin and Metformin in Steady-state Conditions in Healthy Adults.

PURPOSE: We assessed the effects of coadministration of metformin and teneligliptin on their pharmacokinetics in steady-state conditions relative to the administration of either drug alone. METHODS: This was a Phase I, single-center, open-label, 2-way parallel-group study in healthy male and female subjects. Subjects in group 1 (n = 20) were administered 40 mg of teneligliptin once daily for 5 days, and 850 mg of metformin BID was added to ongoing teneligliptin for an additional 3 days. The subjects in group 2 (n = 20) were administered 850 mg of metformin BID for 3 days, and 40 mg of teneligliptin once daily was added to ongoing metformin for an additional 5 days. Pharmacokinetic outcomes were the AUC0-τ and Cmax of metformin and teneligliptin when administered alone or in combination. FINDINGS: Ten male and 10 female subjects participated in each group (mean ± SD age 39.2 ± 11.6 years [range, 19-63 years] in group 1, 47.6 ± 11.9 years [27-64] in group 2; mean ± SD BMI 23.36 ± 2.45 in group 1, 24.56 ± 2.54 in group 2). One female subject in each group was withdrawn because of an adverse event (AE) (vomiting). All 20 subjects in each group were included in the safety analyses, and 19 subjects in each group were included in the pharmacokinetic analyses. The geometric least square means ratio (teneligliptin plus metformin/teneligliptin alone) for Cmax and the AUC0-τ for teneligliptin were 0.907 (90% CI, 0.853-0.965) and 1.042 (90% CI, 0.997-1.089), respectively. The geometric least square means ratio (metformin plus teneligliptin/metformin alone) for the Cmax and AUC0-τ for metformin were 1.057 (90% CI, 0.974-1.148) and 1.209 (90% CI, 1.143-1.278). The 90% CIs were within the prespecified threshold for equivalence (0.80-1.25), except for the AUC0-τ for metformin, which was increased by teneligliptin by 20% relative to metformin alone. In group 1, nine subjects experienced 25 AEs during treatment with teneligliptin alone and 10 subjects experienced 15 AEs during treatment with teneligliptin plus metformin. In group 2, eight subjects experienced 11 AEs during treatment with metformin alone and 11 subjects experienced 18 AEs during treatment with metformin plus teneligliptin. Two AEs in each treatment group were rated as severe. Results of in vitro experiments suggest that teneligliptin-mediated inhibition of organic cation transporter-2 does not increase metformin exposure. IMPLICATIONS: Coadministration of teneligliptin and metformin was well tolerated by these healthy subjects during the 8-day treatment period. Coadministration with metformin did not affect the pharmacokinetics of teneligliptin. Although coadministration with teneligliptin increased exposure to metformin, this change is unlikely to be clinically relevant. European Clinical Trials Database identifier: 2007-001511-29.

Human pharmacokinetic profiling of the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor teneligliptin using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling.

Teneligliptin is a type 2 diabetes drug that has an inhibitory effect on dipeptidyl peptidase-4. The aim of this study was to establish a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to elucidate in detail the pharmacokinetics of teneligliptin. A PBPK model of teneligliptin was developed using the population-based Simcyp simulator incorporating the results of in vitro and in vivo studies. Model validation was conducted by comparison of simulated teneligliptin plasma concentrations with those from clinical trials. Using the PBPK model, predicted drug-drug interactions with concomitant medication were examined. The robustness of the PBPK model was demonstrated by the accurate simulation of clinically measured plasma concentrations of teneligliptin after oral administration in different ethnic groups, in subjects belonging to different age groups and in patients with kidney or liver impairment; none of these factors were incorporated during model development. The fraction absorbed and intestinal availability of teneligliptin predicted by the model were 0.62 and 0.99, respectively. The predicted ratios of areas under the time-concentration curves (AUCs) in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment who were concomitantly administered ketoconazole, a potent inhibitor of P450 3A4, were, respectively, 2.1- and 2.2-fold those in healthy adults who were given teneligliptin alone. A robust PBPK model reflecting the pharmacokinetic properties of teneligliptin was constructed. The final optimized PBPK model enabled us to elucidate in detail the factors affecting the pharmacokinetics of teneligliptin and to predict changes in exposure in drug-drug interactions or in specific populations.

Metabolism and disposition of the dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor teneligliptin in humans.

1. The absorption, metabolism and excretion of teneligliptin were investigated in healthy male subjects after a single oral dose of 20 mg [(14)C]teneligliptin. 2. Total plasma radioactivity reached the peak concentration at 1.33 h after administration and thereafter disappeared in a biphasic manner. By 216 h after administration, ≥90% of the administered radioactivity was excreted, and the cumulative excretion in the urine and faeces was 45.4% and 46.5%, respectively. 3. The most abundant metabolite in plasma was a thiazolidine-1-oxide derivative (designated as M1), which accounted for 14.7% of the plasma AUC (area under the plasma concentration versus time curve) of the total radioactivity. The major components excreted in urine were teneligliptin and M1, accounting for 14.8% and 17.7% of the dose, respectively, by 120 h, whereas in faeces, teneligliptin was the major component (26.1% of the dose), followed by M1 (4.0%). 4. CYP3A4 and FMO3 are the major enzymes responsible for the metabolism of teneligliptin in humans. 5. This study indicates the involvement of renal excretion and multiple metabolic pathways in the elimination of teneligliptin from the human body. Teneligliptin is unlikely to cause conspicuous drug interactions or changes in its pharmacokinetics patients with renal or hepatic impairment, due to a balance in the elimination pathways.

Pharmacokinetics and safety of teneligliptin in subjects with hepatic impairment.

The pharmacokinetics of teneligliptin was compared in 3 groups of 8 subjects assigned according to their degree of hepatic impairment (mild, moderate, or matched healthy subjects). Hepatic impairment was associated with an increase in maximal plasma concentration (Cmax ) and overall exposure (AUC0-∞ ) to teneligliptin. Geometric least square mean ratios for Cmax in subjects with mild and moderate hepatic impairment were 25% and 38% higher than in healthy subjects, and those for AUC0-∞ were 46% and 59% higher than in healthy subjects, respectively. For both parameters, the upper limit of the 90% confidence intervals was outside the 80%-125% "no effect" limit, but below the FDA-recommended "dose-adjustment" boundary of 200%. The lower mean total clearance in subjects with mild (9.79 L/h) or moderate (8.57 L/h) hepatic impairment resulted in longer mean half-lives (27.9 and 30.9 hours, respectively) than in healthy subjects (clearance: 13.11 L/h, half life: 24.8 hours). Protein binding ranged between 36.9% and 47.5% in subjects with hepatic impairment and between 32.5% and 34.5% in healthy subjects. Overall, teneligliptin was well tolerated by subjects with hepatic impairment. These results may indicate that caution will be needed when administering teneligliptin to subjects with hepatic impairment.

Toxicokinetic profiles of α-ketoglutarate cyanohydrin, a cyanide detoxification product, following exposure to potassium cyanide.

Poisoning by cyanide can be verified by analysis of the cyanide detoxification product, α-ketoglutarate cyanohydrin (α-KgCN), which is produced from the reaction of cyanide and endogenous α-ketoglutarate. Although α-KgCN can potentially be used to verify cyanide exposure, limited toxicokinetic data in cyanide-poisoned animals are available. We, therefore, studied the toxicokinetics of α-KgCN and compared its behavior to other cyanide metabolites, thiocyanate and 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (ATCA), in the plasma of 31 Yorkshire pigs that received KCN (4mg/mL) intravenously (IV) (0.17 mg/kg/min). α-KgCN concentrations rose rapidly during KCN administration until the onset of apnea, and then decreased over time in all groups with a half-life of 15 min. The maximum concentrations of α-KgCN and cyanide were 2.35 and 30.18 µM, respectively, suggesting that only a small fraction of the administered cyanide is converted to α-KgCN. Although this is the case, the α-KgCN concentration increased >100-fold over endogenous concentrations compared to only a three-fold increase for cyanide and ATCA. The plasma profile of α-KgCN was similar to that of cyanide, ATCA, and thiocyanate. The results of this study suggest that the use of α-KgCN as a biomarker for cyanide exposure is best suited immediately following exposure for instances of acute, high-dose cyanide poisoning.

LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of aldose reductase inhibitor-epalrestat and application to pharmacokinetic study.

A simple and rapid LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the quantification of epalrestat, an aldose reductase inhibitor for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Following protein precipitation epalrestat and IS were eluted with 10mM ammonium acetate and acetonitrile using a rapid gradient program on reverse phase column. Multiple reaction monitoring mode was used to monitor the transitions of m/z 318→58 for epalrestat and m/z 410→348 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 2-5,000 ng/mL for epalrestat in rat plasma. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The within batch accuracy was in the range of 101.3-108.0% with precision in the range of 3.0-12.3%. All the other validation parameters were within the acceptable limits. Validated method was applied to analyze rat plasma samples obtained from a pharmacokinetic study. After oral administration of epalrestat at 10mg/kg to wistar rats (n=3) mean C(max), AUC(0-24) (ngh/mL) and t(1/2) were found to be 4077 ± 1327 ng/mL, 8989 ± 1590 ngh/mL and 2.9 ± 1.4h, respectively. Bioavailability was found to be 90 ± 14% for epalrestat in male wistar rats.

Determination of the active metabolite of moguisteine in human plasma and urine by LC-ESI-MS method and its application in pharmacokinetic study.

In this study, a sensitive and reproducible electro-spray ionization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method was established to determine the concentration of M1, the main active metabolite of moguisteine in human plasma and urine. The analysis was performed on a Diamonsil® C18(2) column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile (57:43, v/v, pH=3.0) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹. The pseudo-molecular ions [M+H]+ (m/z 312.2 for M1 and 446.3 for glipizide) were selected as the target ions for quantification in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Plasma samples were analyzed after being processed by acidification with formic acid and protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Urine samples were appropriately diluted with blank urine for analysis. Calibration curve was ranged from 0.02 to 8 µg mL⁻¹. The extraction recovery in plasma was over 90%. Both the inter- and intra-day precision values were less than 7.5%, and the accuracy was in the range from -6.0% to 6.0%. This is the first reported LC-ESI-MS method for analyzing M1 in human plasma and urine. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of single-dose and multiple-dose of moguisteine tablets in healthy Chinese subjects.

Quantitative determination of pidotimod in human plasma by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry: application to a bioequivalence study.

A highly sensitive and simple LC-MS/MS method after one-step protein precipitation was developed and validated for determination of pidotimod (CAS 121808-62-6) in human plasma using dextrophan (CAS 125-73-5) as internal standard (IS). Pidotimod and IS were separated on a YMC-ODS-AQ C18 column using 0.5% formic acid and methanol as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Detection was performed on positive ion mode of the transitions at 245.0→134.0 for pidotimod and 258.1→157.0 for IS by selected reaction monitoring (SRM). The assay exhibited a linear range of 0.05-10.0 µg/mL. The lower limit of quantification were 0.05 µg/mL. Validation results indicated that the accuracy as determined from quality control samples was in the range of - 4.00-6.48%. Intra-day and inter-day precision was ≤ 8.35% and ≤ 8.00%, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study in 20 healthy Chinese volunteers following a single oral dose of 800 mg pidotimod. The simple, inexpensive protein precipitation and high-throughput method makes it a suitable and valuable tool in the investigation of the clinical pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence.

Development of a novel LC-MS/MS method for the determination of letosteine in human plasma and its application on pharmacokinetic studies.

Letosteine has been found to be effective in treating patients with chronic bronchopneumopathies in clinical practice. To provide robust support for its pharmacokinetic and clinical studies, a rapid and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the analysis of letosteine in plasma samples. After protein precipitation, the plasma samples were separated on a reversed-phase C(18) column in less than 1.5 min. The LC-MS/MS system was performed in the positive ion multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode to produce intensive product ions of m/z 280.1→160.0 for letosteine and m/z 248.1→121.1 for the internal standard, tinidazole. The method was found to have excellent linearity (r ≥ 0.9974), precision (RSD ≤ 5.83%), extraction recovery (71.8-73.0%) and stability (RE, -8.45% to 9.03%) over a concentration range of 0.1140-152.0 µgL(-1). Compared to the previous published radioactive method, LC-MS/MS method showed many advantages including shorter analysis time, simpler preparation procedure, increased sensitivity as well as lower safety risks. In addition, this method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of letosteine following a single and multiple dose oral administration in Chinese healthy volunteers.

Water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions: an excellent delivery system for improving the oral bioavailability of pidotimod in rats.

The aims of this study were to prepare fine pidotimod-containing water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions and to investigate the possibility of those emulsions as a delivery system for promoting the oral bioavailability of pidotimod. A modified two-step emulsification procedure was applied to prepare the double emulsions using medium-chain triglyceride as the oil phase, Tween 80 as the hydrophilic emulsifier, and Span 80 alone or in combination with different amount of phospholipids as the lipophilic emulsifiers. A fine W/O/W emulsion, with the encapsulation efficiency of 82 ± 3.4%, mean oil-droplet diameter of 3.93 ± 0.25 µm, and viscosity of 36.4 ± 0.93 mPa · s at 25 °C and 300 s(-1), was stable for 1 month at 4 °C. In addition, the oral bioavailability of pidotimod in rats, after intragastric administration of W/O/W double emulsions, was significantly higher than that of pidotimod control solution. Moreover, the maximum uptake time was significantly prolonged, suggesting an extra absorption pathway for W/O/W emulsions: a lymphatic circulation pathway. Those results demonstrated that W/O/W emulsions could become a potential formulation for improving the oral bioavailability of poorly absorbable drugs and suggested an important technology platform for the oral administration of peptide and peptidomimetic drugs.

Determination of a dipeptidyl peptidase IV agonist, ß-aminoacyl containing thiazolidine derivatives (KR-66223) in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for a novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV agonist (DDP-IV) agonist, KR-66223, in rat plasma. It involves liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by HPLC separation and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. KR-66223 and imipramine (IS) was separated on Gemini-NX C18 column with mixture of acetonitrile-ammonium formate (10mM) (90:10, v/v) as mobile phase. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 553.2→206.2 for KR-66223, m/z 281.3→86.1 for imipramine in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The linear ranges of the assay were 0.003-10µg/ml with a correlation coefficient (R(2)) greater than 0.99 and the lower limit of quantification was 3ng/ml. The average recovery was 78.9% and 87.1% from rat plasma for KR-66223 and imipramine, respectively. The coefficients of variation of intra- and inter-assay were 3.9-14.4% and the relative error was 0.8-11.5%. The method was validated and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of KR-66223 in rat.