Determination of antimalarial compound, ARB-89 (7ß-hydroxy-artemisinin carbamate) in rat serum by UPLC/MS/MS and its application in pharmacokinetics.

Among all the antimalarial agents, artemisinin and its semi synthetic family of analogs are the most potent antimalarials available for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum infections. But these analogs have a few issues such as shorter half-lives and low oral bioavailability values. In order to overcome these inherent problems, novel artemisinin analogs were synthesized from 7ß-hydroxy artemisinin by the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Mississippi using a new synthesis mechanism. Out of all the 7ß-hydroxy artemisinin analogs synthesized, 7ß-hydroxy artemisinin carbamate (ARB-89) was chosen as a lead compound because of its high in vitro and in vivo activity. In this manuscript, a sensitive and rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of ARB-89 in rat serum. The analysis was carried out on an Acquity™ UPLC BEH C(18) column (1.7 µm, 2.1 mm × 50 mm) with a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. The selected mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio transitions used in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for ARB-89 and artemisinin (internal standard) were m/z 778.4>253.4 and m/z 283.4>151.1 respectively. The calibration curve was linear from 1.00 ng/mL to 10.0 µg/mL (r(2)=0.999). A simple protein precipitation method was used for extraction. Moreover, the inter-day and intra-day precision values were found to be less than 15%. The recoveries of the method ranged from 94.0% to 96.7% at three concentrations. ARB-89 in rat serum was found to be stable at room temperature for 12h. This method was successfully used to quantitate the novel antimalarial compound ARB-89 after intravenous and oral administration to rats.

Comparison of fused-core and conventional particle size columns by LC-MS/MS and UV: application to pharmacokinetic study.

The chromatographic performance of fused-core (superficially porous) HPLC packing materials was compared with conventional fully porous particle materials for LC-MS/MS analysis of two pharmaceuticals in rat plasma. Two commercially available antidepressants, imipramine and desipramine, were assayed using a conventional analytical C(18) column (5 microm, 2.0 mm x 30 mm) and a fused-core C(18) column (2.7 microm, 2.1 mm x 30 mm). Retention time, column efficiency, pressure drop, resolution, and loading capacity were compared under the same operating conditions. The fused-core column demonstrated reduced assay time by 34% and 2-3-fold increased efficiency (N). Loading capacity up to 25 microl of extract injected on column showed no peak distortion. The registered back-pressure from a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min did not exceed 3400 psi making it compatible with standard HPLC equipment (typically rated to 6000 psi). Two mobile phases were examined, and morpholine as an organic base modifier yielded a 2-5-fold increase in S/N near the limit of detection over triethylamine. The 2.7 microm fused-core column was applied to the analysis of imipramine and desipramine in extracted, protein precipitated rat plasma by LC-MS/MS. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 0.5-1000 ng/ml for both imipramine and desipramine. Intra-run precisions (%CV) and accuracies (%bias) were within +/-7.8% and +/-7.3% at three QC levels and within 14.7% and 14.4% at the LOQ level for both analytes. Following a single method qualification run, the method was applied to the quantitation of pharmacokinetic study samples after oral administration of imipramine to male rats.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of Artemisinin in rat serum and its application in pharmacokinetics.

A rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to quantify artemisinin in rat serum. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 4 ng/mL. The calibration curve was linear from 4 ng/mL to 10,000 ng/mL (R=0.998). The assay was based on the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions at m/z 305.4-151.10 for artemisinin and m/z 335.2-163.10 for arteether (internal standard). The artemisinin and internal standard can be separated from endogenous interferences in rat serum. Inter- and intra-day assay variation was less than 15%. The extraction recoveries ranged from 80.0 to 107.3% at the three concentrations (5000, 2000, and 200 ng/mL). This method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of artemisinin after intravenous and oral administration to rats.

Urinary excretion study of coenzyme Q10 in rats by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) applying atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in the positive ion mode is developed for the determination of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in rat urine. The assay involves the extraction of crude urine, fast liquid chromatography on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (1.7 microm, 1.0 x 50 mm), and selected ion monitoring detection using mass transition. The calibration range is found to be 0.05-25 microg/mL, with the lower limit of quantitation of 0.05 microg/mL. Intra- and inter-day precision (relative standard deviation) for CoQ10 in rat urine range from 0.7% to 15%, and accuracy expressed in recovery rates in urine is between 83% and 118%. The recovery of this method is found to be between 80% and 95% at three concentrations. The total cumulative recovery of CoQ10 is 1.16 +/- 1.05% (percentage of dose intake, n = 4) from rat urine collected over 30 h after oral administration of the drug. The UPLC-MS method described allows the quick determination of CoQ10 in rat urine with good precision and accuracy. It is suitable for further excretion studies of CoQ10 in animals.

Analysis of CoQ10 in rat serum by ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after oral administration.

A UPLC-MS method for determining Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) levels in rat serum was developed. CoQ(10) was quantitatively extracted into 2-propanol using a fast extraction procedure. The separation of CoQ(10) was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLCtrade mark BEH C(18) column (1.7 microm, 1.0 mm x 50 mm) with the mobile phase containing acetonitrile, 2-propanol, and formic acid (90:10:0.1) over 5 min. The sensitivity of this method allows for the quantitation of 50 ng/mL CoQ(10) in serum (S/N=10). The linearity of this method was found to be from 50 to 20,000 ng/mL. The precision was less than 10% (intra- and inter-day), and the average extraction recovery was between 90 and 105%. This procedure provides a precise, sensitive and direct assay method for the determination of CoQ(10) in rat serum after oral administration. This method could be applied to further pharmacokinetic studies of CoQ(10).