Assays for the quantification of melphalan and its hydrolysis products in human plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Two high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) assays are described for the quantification of melphalan in human plasma. N-phenyldiethanolamine was tested as internal standard. The first assay consisted of a protein precipitation by cold methanol and a reversed-phase HPLC whereas the second one was based on a solid phase extraction and a hydrophilic interaction chromatography. Both provided a very satisfactory mean extraction yield with a small volume of sample. The first method was simple, rapid and used as a routine assay. The second one was developed in order to determine melphalan hydrolysis products and to avoid scarce cases when interferences from biological matrix alter the quantification of melphalan using the first method. The two assays were linear and sensitive in the range of 1–500 ng/mL for the first one and in a range of 25–2000 ng/mL for the second one. Concentrations out of the range fixed with the first method were also validated. The procedure was reliable with precision and accuracy below 10%. All compounds were detected after positive mode electrospray ionization in selected reaction monitoring mode. These new analytical procedures were developed for melphalan pharmacokinetic studies or therapeutic drug monitoring.