Simultaneous analysis of glucocorticosteroid fluticasone propionate and its metabolite fluticasone propionate 17β-carboxylic acid in human plasma by UPLC–MS/MS at sub pg/mL level

Quantification of fluticasone propionate in human plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application in the pharmacokinetic study of nasal spray at clinical doses

We developed a method for quantifying fluticasone propionate (FP) using general-purpose liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry equipment to measure the plasma concentration of FP for the pharmacokinetic study of FP following the administration of a prescribed nasal spray dose (100 μg). Using ammonium acetate (0.01 M)-formic acid (pH 2.9; 499:1, v/v) and methanol as the mobile phase, 3 pg/mL of FP was quantified. The relative error and standard deviation of the lower limit of quantification were <3.1%. The intra- and interday assay reproducibility was <3.5%. After 15 min of administering 200 μg FP nasal spray as the first dose, the FP concentration detected in the plasma of the two participants was 3.99 and 3.69 pg/mL. Subsequent doses of 100 μg FP were administered twice daily. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve values after 8-10 days of repeated administration of 100 μg of FP were approximately 1.6-fold higher than those achieved following a single administration of 200 μg of FP, which confirmed drug accumulation. The bioavailability of nasal FP was estimated to be 2% and 4%. This knowledge might help in reducing anxiety among patients who avoid using FP nasal spray, fearing its adverse effects.

Quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance method for simultaneous analysis of fluticasone propionate and azelastine hydrochloride in nasal spray formulation

A facile, rapid, accurate and selective quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-qNMR) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of fluticasone propionate (FLP) and azelastine hydrochloride (AZH) in pharmaceutical nasal spray for the first time. The ¹H-qNMR analysis of the studied analytes was performed using inositol as the internal standard and dimethyl sulfoxide-d₆ (DMSO-d₆) as the solvent. The quantitative selective proton signal of FLP was doublet of doublet at 6.290, 6.294, 6.316 and 6.319 ppm, while that of AZH was doublet at 8.292 and 8.310 ppm. The internal standard (inositol) produced a doublet signal at 3.70 and 3.71 ppm. The method was rectilinear over the concentration ranges of 0.25-20.0 and 0.2-15.0 mg ml^-1 for FLP and AZH, respectively. No labelling or pretreatment steps were required for NMR analysis of the studied analytes. The proposed ¹H-qNMR method was validated efficiently according to the International Council on Harmonisation guidelines in terms of linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, specificity and stability. Moreover, the method was applied to assay the analytes in their combined nasal spray formulation. The results ensured the linearity (r ² > 0.999), precision (% RSD < 1.5), stability, specificity and selectivity of the developed method.

Magnetic Micro-Solid-Phase Extraction Using a Novel Carbon-Based Composite Coupled with HPLC-MS/MS for Steroid Multiclass Determination in Human Plasma

A micron-sized sorbent, Magn-Humic, has been prepared by humic acids pyrolysis onto silica-coated magnetite. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area measurements and applied for simultaneous magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of glucocorticoids, estrogens, progestogens, and androgens at ng mL⁻¹ levels from human plasma followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS). Due to the low affinity for proteins, steroids extraction was done with no need for proteins precipitation/centrifugation. As highlighted by a design of experiments, MSPE was performed on 250 µL plasma (after 1:4 dilution) by 50 mg Magn-Humic (reusable for eight extractions) achieving quantitative recovery and satisfying clean-up. This was improved by washing (2 mL 2% v/v formic acid) prior to analytes elution by 0.5 mL 1:1 v/v methanol-acetonitrile followed by 0.5 mL methanol; eluate reduction to 0.25 mL compensated the initial sample dilution. The accuracy was assessed in certified blank fetal bovine serum and in human plasma, gaining satisfactory recovery in the range 65–122%, detection limits in the range 0.02–0.3 ng mL⁻¹ (0.8 ng mL⁻¹ for 17-β-estradiol) and suitable inter-day precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) <14%, n = 3). The method was evaluated in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, matrix-effect, instrumental carry-over, and it was applied to human plasma samples.

HA-C@silica sorbent for simultaneous extraction and clean-up of steroids in human plasma followed by HPLC-MS/MS multiclass determination

Aim and novelty of this work are the development of a simple and straightforward analytical procedure for multiclass determination of steroid hormones in human plasma. The method entails a single pre-treatment step based on solid-phase extraction using a recently proposed sorbent phase (HA-C@silica). This is easily prepared with good reproducibility via pyrolysis of humic acids onto silica, and not yet tested in biological fluids. It proved to be advantageous as it showed poor affinity for the protein matrix constituents while quantitatively extracting and pre-concentrating the target analytes. Indeed, as demonstrated in bovine serum albumin solution, up to ca. 90% protein is not retained by the sorbent, similarly to the behaviour of restricted access carbon nanotubes, tested for comparison. The high albumin exclusion allowed a satisfactory clean-up avoiding protein precipitation and centrifugation before extraction. The extraction procedure, optimized by a chemometric approach (2³ experimental design) in BSA solution, provided quantitative recovery (76-119%, n = 3) for all steroids working with 1:8-diluted plasma (2 mL) and 100 mg HA-C@silica. Before analytes elution by 1 mL methanol-acetonitrile (1:1, v/v), selective washings (2% v/v formic acid and 30% v/v methanol) were applied to remove the small fraction of retained proteins, thus obtaining very clean SPE extracts to be analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. This allowed identification/quantification (MRM mode) at few ng mL^-1 by a single chromatographic run. The procedure was verified in blank-certified foetal bovine serum (spikes 10-100 ng mL^-1), obtaining good recovery and suitable inter-day precision (RSDs < 15%, n = 3). The analytical method, applied to real plasma samples analysis, is appealing in terms of sample throughput, extraction efficiency and clean-up.

Effect of fluticasone propionate on human nasal fibroblasts exposed to urban particulate matter

OBJECTIVE

Particulate matter (PM), which contains organic compounds and toxic metals, is the major cause of air pollution. PM enters the body, causing various health problems. Although the effects of PM on the lower respiratory tract have been extensively investigated, the effects on the upper respiratory tract (including the nasal cavity) require further evaluation. To investigate the effect of fluticasone propionate (FP) on nasal fibroblasts exposed to UPM.

METHODS

Samples of inferior turbinate tissue were obtained from six patients. The fibroblasts isolated from these samples were exposed to UPM and/or FP. The expression of interleukin (IL)-6, CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL) 1, IL-1β, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in nasal fibroblasts was analysed using real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The protein levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were analysed by western blotting.

RESULTS

FP reversed the UPM-induced reduction in cell viability. The mRNA and protein levels of IL-6, CXCL1, IL-1β, and TNF-α were significantly increased by UPM. FP reversed the UPM-induced increases in the protein levels of NF-κB and phosphorylated-STAT3 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, TNF-α, an inducer of NF-κB, reversed the FP-induced reduction in the levels of signalling molecules.

CONCLUSION

UPM induces the expression of IL-6, CXCL1, IL-1β, and TNF-α in nasal fibroblasts and this effect is reversed by FP via the STAT3 and NF-κB signalling pathways. These results suggest that FP has therapeutic potential for nasal diseases related to UPM, such as allergic and chronic rhinitis.

HPLC-UV and spectrofluorimetric methods for simultaneous estimation of fluticasone furoate and vilanterol in rabbit plasma: A pharmacokinetic study

Fluticasone furoate (FF) and vilanterol trifenatate (VT) is a widely prescribed combination in the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the present study, two quantitative methods based on HPLC-UV and spectrofluorimetric analysis had been developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of FF and VT in rabbit plasma using baclomethasone as internal standard (ISTD). Analytes and ISTD were separated from plasma using simple step of protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Spherisorb S5 ODS2 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5.0 µm) column using mobile phase that constitute acetonitrile-0.01% glacial acetic acid in water (70:30, v/v) and then detected on a UV detector at 235 nm wavelength. Spectrofluorimetric detection was performed using absorption/emission wavelength (λ_abs/em) of 286/352 nm and 362/407 nm for FF and VT, respectively. For both analytes, linearity ranged from 4-200 ng/mL to 10-200 ng/mL using HPLC-UV and spectrofluorimetric method, respectively. Methods were validated as per FDA recommendations. Statistical analysis revealed that these detection methods are statistically insignificant difference and can be used interchangeably without any bias. Further, these methods were applied in pharmacokinetic study for simultaneous estimation of FF and VT in rabbit plasma.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for determination of plasma nomegestrol acetate and estradiol in healthy postmenopausal women

A highly sensitive and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method is described for the simultaneous determination of nomegestrol acetate (NOMAC), a highly selective progestogen, and estradiol (E2), a natural estrogen in human plasma. NOMAC was obtained from plasma by solid-phase extraction, while E2 was first separated by liquid-liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether followed by derivatization with dansyl chloride. Deuterated internal standards, NOMAC-d5 and E2-d4 were used for better control of extraction conditions and ionization efficiency. The assay recovery of the analytes was within 90-99%. The analytes were separated on UPLC BEH C₁₈ (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column using a mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile and 3.0 mm ammonium trifluoroacetate in water (80:20, v/v) with a resolution factor (R_s ) of 3.21. The calibration curves were linear from 0.01 to 10.0 ng/mL for NOMAC and from 1.00 to 1000 pg/mL for E2, respectively. The intra- and inter-batch precision was ≤5.8% and the accuracy of quality control samples ranged from 96.7 to 103.4% for both analytes. The practical applicability of the method is demonstrated by analyzing samples from 18 healthy postmenopausal women after oral administration of 2.5 mg nomegestrol acetate and 1.5 mg estradiol film-coated tablets under fasting.