Development and validation of a UHPLC–MS/MS assay for colistin methanesulphonate (CMS) and colistin in human plasma and urine using weak-cation exchange solid-phase extraction

• A high-throughput pretreatment procedure allows, for the first time, treatment of 96 samples in 2 h and the controlled sample cleaning shortens the run time at 3.5 min.
• The potential interference of the IS to analytes, non-specific adsorption of colistin and CMS in urine to plasticware, and carryover effect of colistin to the LC–MS/MS system were solved.
• It has been successfully used in the analysis of plasma and urine samples from clinical trial in healthy subjects.

A rapid ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) assay method was developed for determination of CMS and formed colistin in human plasma and urine. After extraction on a 96-well SPE Supra-Clean Weak Cation Exchange (WCX) plate, the eluents were mixed and injected into the UHPLC–MS/MS system directly. A Phonomenex Kinetex XB-C18 analytical column was employed with a mobile phase consisting of solution “A” (acetonitrile:methanol, 1:1, v/v) and solution “B” (0.1% formic acid in water, v/v). The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min with gradient elution over 3.5 min. Ions were detected in ESI positive ion mode and the precursor-product ion pairs were m/z 390.7/101.3 for colistin A, m/z 386.0/101.2 for colistin B, and m/z 402.3/101.2 for polymyxin B1 (IS), respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.0130 and 0.0251 mg/L for colistin A and colistin B in both plasma and urine with accuracy (relative error, %) < ± 12.6% and precision (relative standard deviation, %) < ± 10.8%. Stability of CMS was demonstrated in biological samples before and during sample treatment, and in the extract. This new analytical method provides high-throughput treatment and optimized quantification of CMS and colistin, which offers a highly efficient tool for the analysis of a large number of clinical samples as well as routine therapeutic drug monitoring.

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