Development and optimization of a supercritical fluid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the high-throughput determination of nimodipine in beagle plasma

Matrix effect in bioanalytical assay development using supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Matrix effect (ME) is commonly caused by coelution of compounds with target analytes, resulting in either suppression or enhancement of analyte ionization. Thus, to achieve the desired accuracy, precision, and sensitivity, ME needs to be evaluated and controlled during bioanalytical method development. As the application of supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) for analysis of biological samples has increased, ME using SFC-MS has also been investigated with a focus on the difference in ME in SFC-MS compared to other chromatographic techniques used for achiral separation in biological samples. Here, we provide a summary of the status of ME evaluation and mitigation in SFC-MS methods. This review presents an overview of the phenomenon of ME and methods for evaluating ME in bioanalysis. Next, the factors that can impact ME in SFC-MS-based bioanalytical methods are discussed in detail with an emphasis on SFC. A literature review of the evaluation of ME in targeted bioanalytical methods using SFC-MS is included at the end. Robust instrumentation, effective sample preparation, and superb separation selectivity are the foundations of reliable analytical methods as well as the ability to mitigate detrimental ME in SFC-MS methods.

QuEChERS-Based Approach to the Extraction of Five Calcium Channel Blockers from Plasma Determined by UPLC-MS/MS

Here, a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) pretreatment method was combined with UPLC-MS/MS to facilitate the rapid and reliable simultaneous detection of five calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in human plasma. For this approach, samples were treated with 1 mL of acetonitrile, 350 mg of magnesium sulfate, and 70 mg of PSA adsorbent prior to centrifugation. Supernatants then underwent gradient elution for 8 min with an Agilent C18 column using an acetonitrile-water solution supplemented with 5 mmol⋅L^-1 of ammonium acetate. This technique exhibited a good linear response in the 1-800 ng⋅mL^-1 range for the analyzed drugs, with an R²≥ 0.9921, an accuracy of 87.54-113.05%, a matrix effect (ME) of 91.21-116.39%, a precision of 0.19-11.64%, and stability of no more than 10.05%. This time-saving QuEChERS reagent-based pretreatment technique thus allowed for the simultaneous and accurate detection of five CCBs in human plasma samples, providing a promising new basis for therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with hypertension.