Quantification of the anti-leukemia drug STI571 (Gleevec) and its metabolite (CGP 74588) in monkey plasma using a semi-automated solid phase extraction procedure and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Antineoplastic drugs and their analysis: a state of the art review

We provide an overview of the analytical methods available for the quantification of antineoplastic drugs in pharmaceutical formulations, biological and environmental samples.

Therapeutic drug monitoring and tyrosine kinase inhibitors

The therapeutic activity of drugs can be optimized by establishing an individualized dosage, based on the measurement of the drug concentration in the serum, particularly if the drugs are characterized by an inter-individual variation in pharmacokinetics that results in an under- or overexposure to treatment. In recent years, several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been developed to block intracellular signaling pathways in tumor cells. These oral drugs are candidates for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) due to their high inter-individual variability for therapeutic and toxic effects. Following a literature search on PubMed, studies on TKIs and their pharmacokinetic characteristics, plasma quantification and inter-individual variability was studied. TDM is commonly used in various medical fields, including cardiology and psychiatry, but is not often applied in oncology. Plasma concentration monitoring has been thoroughly studied for imatinib, in order to evaluate the usefulness of TDM. The measurement of plasma concentration can be performed by various analytical techniques, with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry being the reference method. This method is currently used to monitor the efficacy and tolerability of imatinib treatments. Although TDM is already being used for imatinib, additional studies are required in order to improve this practice with the inclusion of other TKIs.

Modern LC in therapeutic drug monitoring and diagnosis of pediatric leukemia

The approaches of combining analytical and pharmacokinetic tools can currently assist clinicians in routinely providing more effective and individualized treatment, including in complicated cases of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Anticancer drug dosing based on synchronized drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic analysis can provide a better estimation of the drug systemic exposure than that obtained with the stable dosing plan. Leukemia is difficult to treat and, in the case of children, has the most dramatic and tragic course. Therefore, it is important to search for new biomarkers of leukemia that will enable early diagnosis. Hence, a completed strategy with chromatographic methods as the core element of analytical procedures provides an efficient tool that is beneficial for clinicians involved in the treatment and diagnosis of leukemia.

Quantification of imatinib in human serum: validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic assays

BACKGROUND

Imatinib mesylate has been a breakthrough treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. It has become the ideal tyrosine kinase inhibitor and the standard treatment for chronic-phase leukemia. Striking results have recently been reported, but intolerance to imatinib and noncompliance with treatment remain to be solved. Molecular monitoring by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction is the gold standard for monitoring patients, and imatinib blood levels have also become an important tool for monitoring.

METHODS

A fast and cheap method was developed and validated using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for quantification of imatinib in human serum and tamsulosin as the internal standard. Remarkable advantages of the method includes use of serum instead of plasma, less time spent on processing and analysis, simpler procedures, and requiring reduced amounts of biological material, solvents, and reagents. Stability of the analyte was also studied. This research also intended to drive the validation scheme in clinical centers. The method was validated according to the requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration and Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency within the range of 0.500-10.0 μg/mL with a limit of detection of 0.155 μg/mL. Stability data for the analyte are also presented.

CONCLUSION

Given that the validated method has proved to be linear, accurate, precise, and robust, it is suitable for pharmacokinetic assays, such as bioavailability and bioequivalence, and is being successfully applied in routine therapeutic drug monitoring in the hospital service.

Determination of serum levels of imatinib mesylate in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: validation and application of a new analytical method to monitor treatment compliance

Objective

The goal of this study was to monitor imatinib mesylate therapeutically in the Tumor Biology Laboratory, Department of Hematology and Hemotherapy, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP). A simple and sensitive method to quantify imatinib and its metabolite (CGP74588) in human serum was developed and fully validated in order to monitor treatment compliance.

Methods

The method used to quantify these compounds in serum included protein precipitation extraction followed by instrumental analysis using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The method was validated for several parameters, including selectivity, precision, accuracy, recovery and linearity.

Results

The parameters evaluated during the validation stage exhibited satisfactory results based on the Food and Drug Administration and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) guidelines for validating bioanalytical methods. These parameters also showed a linear correlation greater than 0.99 for the concentration range between 0.500 µg/mL and 10.0 µg/mL and a total analysis time of 13 minutes per sample. This study includes results (imatinib serum concentrations) for 308 samples from patients being treated with imatinib mesylate.

Conclusion

The method developed in this study was successfully validated and is being efficiently used to measure imatinib concentrations in samples from chronic myeloid leukemia patients to check treatment compliance. The imatinib serum levels of patients achieving a major molecular response were significantly higher than those of patients who did not achieve this result. These results are thus consistent with published reports concerning other populations.

Quantitative determination of imatinib stability under various stress conditions

OBJECTIVE

A simple, rapid, reverse phase and stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the estimation of imatinib in solution and in plasma under forced degradation conditions was developed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The method employed isocratic elution using a Waters Atlantis C18 (5 μ, 4.6 mm × 150 mm) HPLC column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 10 mM KH2PO4 buffer in the ratio of 35:65 (v/v, pH = 4.6), which was delivered using isocratic flow at a rate of 1 mL/min. The injection volume of 50 μL and imatinib was monitored using UV detection 270 nm after a clean-up step with diethyl ether and with a total run time of 6 min.

RESULTS

The method was validated in solution as well as in plasma, and the response was found to be linear in the concentration range of 0.5-20 μg/mL. The coefficient of correlation was found to be >0.99. Forced degradation studies revealed that imatinib undergoes degradation under different stress conditions.

DISCUSSION

The developed HPLC method could effectively resolve degradation product peaks from imatinib except at neutral pH. Further, no interference was found at the retention time of imatinib from any plasma components, indicating selectivity of the developed method. The limits of detection and quantitation of the method were 0.025 and 0.5 μg/mL, respectively.

Absolute Bioavailability of Imatinib (Glivec®) Orally versus Intravenous Infusion

The purpose of this study was to investigate the absolute bioavailability of a single oral dose of imatinib (Glivec), 400 mg (capsules vs. oral solution), compared with imatinib, 100 mg (intravenous [i.v.] infusion), in healthy subjects. Twelve subjects received a single treatment in each treatment period: a 400-mg oral dose of imatinib in capsule form or as a solution or a 100-mg i.v. infusion of imatinib. Plasma imatinib concentrations were measured following each treatment; pharmacokinetic parameters and absolute bioavailability were determined. Absolute bioavailability values (compared with i.v. infusion) for the imatinib capsule and oral solution were 98.3% and 97.2%, respectively. Both the rate and extent of imatinib absorption, as measured by C(max), partial AUC, and total AUC, were similar for the oral solution and the imatinib capsule intended for the market. The 400-mg oral dose of imatinib, as a capsule or a solution, was completely absorbed and was almost completely bioavailable (> 97%).

A non-radioactive assay for precise determination of intracellular levels of imatinib and its main metabolite in Bcr-Abl positive cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is often associated with overexpression of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1). It was demonstrated that the P-gp mediated efflux decreases the drug concentration in cancer cells which results in the failure of chemotherapy. However, the MDR phenotype in cancer cells obviously involves various mechanisms. Therefore, if we want to estimate a contribution of the P-gp expression to the MDR phenotype, a clear quantitative relationship between the intracellular drug level and cell sensitivity must be established. To achieve this goal, a sensitive and non-radioactive assay for precise determination of intracellular levels of imatinib and its main metabolite N-desmethyl imatinib (CGP 74588) has been developed. The assay is based on an optimised extraction of cells with 4% formic acid after their separation from the growth medium by centrifugation through a layer of silicone oil. Cell extracts are subsequently analyzed by LC/MS/MS. Calibration curves were linear from 1 to 500 nmol/l for imatinib and from 2 to 500 nmol/l for CGP 74588, with correlation coefficients (r(2)) better than 0.998 and 0.996, respectively. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 1 nmol/l for imatinib and 2 nmol/l for CGP 74588. Our method has been successfully applied to the determination of intracellular levels of imatinib in sensitive K562 and their resistant variant, K562/Dox cells.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay for the light sensitive tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib in human plasma

A bioanalytical assay for the new tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib was developed and validated. In addition, the light mediated trans to cis isomerization of this drug was investigated. For the quantitative assay, human plasma samples were pre-treated under light protection using protein precipitation with acetonitrile containing erlotinib as the internal standard. The extract was diluted with water and injected into the chromatographic system. The system consisted of a trifunctional bonded octadecyl silica column with isocratic elution using formic acid in a water-methanol mixture. The eluate was transferred into an electrospray interface with positive ionization and the analyte was detected and quantified using the selected reaction monitoring mode of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The assay was validated in a 0.2-200ng/ml concentration range, the lowest level of this range being the lower limit of quantification. Within day precisions were 2.5-6%, between day precisions 4-9% and accuracies were between 91 and 106% for the whole calibration range. Light protected axitinib showed no isomerization and was shown to be chemically stable under all relevant conditions. Finally, the assay was successfully applied for a mouse tissue distribution study using mouse samples diluted with human plasma.

Determination of imatinib plasma levels in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: methods' comparison

The aims of this study were to validate and compare HPLC and LCMSMS analytical methods and their applicability for the quantitation of imatinib in human plasma. A total of 50 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP) receiving 400 mg/day imatinib were enrolled in the study. Drug levels were determined by HPLC-UV and LCMSMS. HPLC intra-day accuracy ranged from 100.51 to 103.19%. LCMSMS accuracy ranged from 89.72 to 106.29%. The correlation coefficient between both methods was r(2)=0.96. HPLC can be used for imatinib levels' determinations in patients accurately and precisely.

Determination of imatinib mesylate and its main metabolite (CGP74588) in human plasma and murine specimens by ion-pairing reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the determination of imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and its main metabolite N-desmethyl-imatinib (CGP74588) in human plasma and relevant murine biological matrices. A simple HPLC assay for the individual quantification of imatinib and CGP74588 in murine specimens has not been reported to date. Sample pre-treatment involved liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl-methyl ether. Imatinib, CGP74588 (metabolite) and the internal standard 4-hydroxybenzophenone were separated using a narrow bore (2.1 x 150 mm) stainless steel Symmetry C(18) column and detected by UV at 265 nm. The mobile phase consisted of 28% (v/v) acetonitrile in 50 mM ammonium acetate buffer pH 6.8 containing 0.005 M 1-octane sulfonic acid and was delivered at 0.2 mL/min. The calibration curve was prepared in blank human plasma and was linear over the dynamic range 10 ng/mL to 10 microg/mL). The accuracy was close to 100% and the within-day and between-day precisions were within the generally accepted 15% range. The validation results showed that the assay was selective and reproducible. This method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of imatinib and its main metabolite in human and mice.

Simultaneous determination of AMN107 and Imatinib (Gleevec®, Glivec®, STI571) in cultured tumour cells using an isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography procedure with UV detection

A reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of imatinib (Gleevec, Glivec, STI571) and AMN107 in cultured tumour cells, using clozapine as an internal standard. The compounds of interest were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction using TOXI-TUBES((R)) A extraction tubes. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex Gemini C18 reversed phase column (150 mm x 2.0 mm, 5 microm particle size), using a mixture of 65% CH(3)OH (methanol) and 35% NH(4)Ac (Ammonium acetate) buffer (20mM, pH 10). Separation was achieved under isocratic conditions at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min. Imatinib, clozapine and AMN107 are detected by UV detection at 260 nm. Calibration curves were linear from 50 to 7500 ng/ml with correlation coefficients (r(2)) better than 0.998. The limit of quantitation (LOD) was 50 ng/ml. The method has been successfully applied to a cellular kinetics study.

Stability-indicating HPTLC determination of imatinib mesylate in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form

A simple, selective, precise and stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method of analysis of imatinib mesylate both as a bulk drug and in formulations was developed and validated. The method employed HPTLC aluminium plates precoated with silica gel 60F-254 as the stationary phase. The solvent system consisted of chloroform:methanol (6:4, v/v). The system was found to give compact spot for imatinib mesylate (R(f) value of 0.53+/-0.02). Densitometric analysis of imatinib mesylate was carried out in the absorbance mode at 276 nm. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r(2)=0.9966+/-0.0013 with respect to peak area in the concentration range 100-1000 ng per spot. The mean value+/-S.D. of slope and intercept were 164.85+/-0.72 and 1168.3+/-8.26 with respect to peak area. The method was validated for precision, recovery and robustness. The limits of detection and quantitation were 10 and 30 ng per spot, respectively. Imatinib mesylate was subjected to acid and alkali hydrolysis, oxidation and thermal degradation. The drug undergoes degradation under acidic, basic, oxidation and heat conditions. This indicates that the drug is susceptible to acid, base hydrolysis, oxidation and heat. Statistical analysis proves that the method is repeatable, selective and accurate for the estimation of said drug. The proposed developed HPTLC method can be applied for identification and quantitative determination of imatinib mesylate in bulk drug and dosage forms.

Imatinib (Gleevec®, Glivec®) tumour tissue analysis by measurement of sediment and by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

The analysis of the signal transduction inhibitor imatinib in patient tumour tissue using LC and MS/MS is described. The anticancer agent is eluted over RP-C18 within 2 mm together with its internal standard STI571-d8. Calibration curves were prepared in red blood cells (RBC). For quantitative isolation of the RBC, measurement of sediment was applied. There were no indications of signal suppression by substances originating in the biological matrix. The limit of determination in tumour tissue was in the range of those recorded for RBC and plasma. The assay is selective and sensitive, with its robustness favouring the experimental application in clinical oncology and its routine use in animal experiments. The LOD was 4.5 ng per gram in tumour tissue.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for the quantitative bioanalysis of anticancer drugs

The monitoring of anticancer drugs in biological fluids and tissues is important during both pre-clinical and clinical development and often in routine clinical use. Traditionally, liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with ultraviolet (UV), fluorescence, or electrochemical detection is employed for this purpose. The successful hyphenation of LC and mass spectrometry (MS), however, has dramatically changed this. MS detection provides better sensitivity and selectivity than UV detection and, in addition, is applicable to a significantly larger group of compounds than fluorescence or electrochemical detection. Therefore, LC-MS has now become the method of first choice for the quantitative bioanalysis of many anticancer agents. There are still, however, a lot of new developments to be expected in this area, such as the introduction of more sensitive and robust mass spectrometers, high-throughput analyses, and further optimization of the coupled LC systems. Many articles have appeared in this field in recent years and are reviewed here. We conclude that LC-MS is an extremely powerful tool for the quantitative analysis of anticancer drugs in biological samples.

Quantification of Imatinib in Human Plasma by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Imatinib, also known as Gleevec or Glivec, is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor currently used for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and for other malignant pathologies. We have developed a LC-MS-MS [corrected] method that could be used for imatinib therapeutic drug monitoring in plasma. After a liquid-liquid extraction, the imatinib and its deuterated internal standard were eluted on an XTerra RP18 column with a gradient of acetonitrile-ammonium formiate buffer 4 mmol/L, pH 3.2. Imatinib was detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with multiple reaction-monitoring mode. The calibration curves were linear over the range 10-5000 ng/mL. The limit of quantification was set at 10 ng/mL. The bias was lower than 8%. Intra-day and inter-day precisions were lower than 8%. The extraction recovery was higher than 90%. This method is simple, adapted to routine application, and allows accurate therapeutic monitoring of imatinib. It can be used to evaluate patient adherence to daily oral therapy, drug-drug interactions, or pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships.

Development of a High-Throughput Format for Solid-Phase Extraction of Enantiomers Using an Immunosorbent in 384-Well Plates

An antibody-based solid-phase extraction method for filtered 384-well plates was developed for a medical drug candidate having two enantiomeric forms in order to demonstrate the potential of the use of recombinant antibody fragments as specific and efficient immunosorbents. An immobilization method using a six-histidine tag of the antibody fragment and mild oxidation was applied in order to immobilize antibody fragments in an oriented and kinetically stable way that ensured high capacity of the antibody support. Phosphate buffer or plasma spiked with enantiomers were used as samples. Selective solid-phase extraction was followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Average recoveries for buffer and plasma samples ranged from 79 to 122% and 80 to 108%, respectively. Good linearity was observed in the concentration range of 30-3000 ng/mL of the enantiomer.

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis method for the analysis of gleevec and its main metabolite in human urine

The viability of nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) was investigated for determination of gleevec and its main metabolite in human urine using a fused-silica capillary. Baseline separation of the studied solutes was obtained using a nonaqueous solution composed of 12 mM ammonium acetate and 87.6 mM acetic acid in methanol-acetonitrile (ACN) (80:20, v:v) providing analysis time shorter than 3 min. Different aspects including stability of the solutions, linearity, accuracy and precision were studied in order to validate the method in the urine matrix. Detection limits of 24 microg L(-1) for gleevec and its metabolite were obtained. A robustness test of the method was carried out using the Plackett-Burman fractional factorial model with a matrix of 15 experiments. The developed method is simple, rapid and sensitive and has been used to determine gleveec and its metabolite at clinically relevant levels in human urine. Before NACE determination, a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure with a C18 cartridge was necessary. Real determination of these analytes in two patient urines were done.

Development and validation of a simple liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection for the determination of imatinib in biological samples

The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and sensitive HPLC method with UV detection for the estimation of imatinib from the plasma of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The robustness of the method was checked by conducting first dose pharmacokinetics on blood samples from four patients who had been administered Gleevec (100 mg) in an oral dose. Samples were prepared in a simple and single step by precipitating the plasma proteins with methanol and injecting 50 microl aliquot from supernatant was subjected for analysis. Assay was conducted using a C8 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm particle size) under isocratic elution with 0.02 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate-acetonitrile (7:3, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min and detected using photodiode array at 265 nm. Calibration plots in spiked plasma were linear in a concentration range of 0.05-25 microg/ml. The inter and intra-day variation of standard curve was <4% (R.S.D.). This method could be a simple and quick method for the estimation of imatinib from the patient's plasma.

The Influence of St. John’s Wort on the Pharmacokinetics and Protein Binding of Imatinib Mesylate

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of St. John's wort on the pharmacokinetics of imatinib mesylate.

DESIGN

Open-label, complete crossover, fixed-sequence, pharmacokinetic study.

SETTING

Clinical research center.

SUBJECTS

Ten healthy adult volunteers.

INTERVENTION

Single 400-mg oral doses of imatinib were administered before and after 2 weeks of treatment with St. John's wort 300 mg 3 times/day.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The pharmacokinetics of imatinib were significantly altered by St. John's wort, with reductions of 32% in the median area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (p=0.0001), 29% in maximum observed concentration (p=0.005), and 21% in half-life (p=0.0001). Protein binding ranged from 97.7-90.3% (mean 94.9%), was concentration independent, and was not altered by St. John's wort. Therapeutic outcomes of imatinib have been shown to correlate with both dose and drug concentrations.

CONCLUSION

Coadministration of imatinib with St. John's wort may compromise imatinib's clinical efficacy.

Biliary Excretion of Imatinib Mesylate and Its Metabolite CGP 74588 in Humans

Imatinib mesylate, licensed to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors, is metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A and undergoes little renal excretion, but its biliary excretion by humans is uncharacterized. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantitate imatinib and its metabolite CGP 74588 in the bile of two patients with biliary stents; the ratio of imatinib:CGP 74588 in each was approximately 9:1. In the first patient, who was receiving long-term therapy with imatinib 400 mg/day and had normal liver function tests, biliary imatinib accounted for 17.7% of the daily dose and CGP 74588 accounted for 2.1%. In the second patient, who had elevated liver function tests and was studied after his first dose of imatinib 300 mg, biliary imatinib accounted for only 1.8% of the daily dose and CGP 74588 accounted for 0.2%. These data show both the qualitative similarities and the quantitative variability in biliary excretion of imatinib and its principal metabolite.

Voltammetric behavior and quantification of the anti-leukemia drug imatinib in bulk form, pharmaceutical formulation, and human serum at a mercury electrode

Imatinib (GleevecTM, ST1571) exemplifies the successful development of a rationally designed molecularly targeted therapy for treatment of a specific cancer. It is a highly promising new drug for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis, in the accelerated or chronic phase after interferon failure or intolerance. The electrochemical behavior of imatinib was studied in Britton–Robinson (B–R) buffers of pH 2 to 11 by means of cyclic voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode. The voltammograms showed a single 2-electron irreversible cathodic peak, which may be attributed to reduction of the C=O double bond of the imatinib molecule. Imatinib exhibited a strong adsorption onto the electrode surface especially in B–R buffers of pH 6 and 7. The adsorptive response of the drug was optimized with respect to the pH of the electrolysis medium, accumulation variables, and instrumental parameters using a square-wave stripping voltammetry technique. A fully validated, simple, sensitive, precise, and selective square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric procedure is described for trace determination of imatinib. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) of the bulk imatinib, following preconcentration for 150 s onto the hanging mercury drop electrode, were found to be 2.6 × 10–10 and 8.7 × 10–10 mol/L, respectively. The proposed procedure was successfully applied for quantitation of imatinib in pharmaceutical formulation (Glivec®) and spiked human serum, without the necessity for sample pretreatment or time-consuming extraction or evaporation steps prior to analysis of the drug. LOD and LOQ of 4.6 × 10–10 and 1.5 × 10–9 mol/L, respectively, were achieved after 120 s of preconcentration of the drug spiked in human serum.Key words: imatinib, GleevecTM, Glivec®, ST1571, cyclic voltammetry, square-wave stripping voltammetry, electrochemical behavior, quantification, pharmaceutical formulation, human serum.

Determination of imatinib (Gleevec®) in human plasma by solid-phase extraction–liquid chromatography–ultraviolet absorbance detection

A sensitive HPLC method has been developed for the assay of imatinib in human plasma, by off-line solid-phase extraction followed by HPLC coupled with UV-Diode Array Detection. Plasma (750 microl), with clozapine added as internal standard, is diluted 3 + 1 with water and subjected to a solid-phase extraction on a C18 cartridge. After matrix components elimination with 2000 microl of water (in two aliquots of 1000 microl), imatinib is eluted with 3 x 500 microl MeOH. The resulting eluate is evaporated under nitrogen at room temperature and is reconstituted in 180 microl 50% methanol. A 50 microl volume is injected onto a Nucleosil 100-5 microm C18 AB column. Imatinib is analyzed using a gradient elution program with solvent mixture constituted of methanol and water containing both 0.05% ammonium acetate. Imatinib is detected by UV at 261 nm. The calibration curves are linear between 0.1 and 10 microg/ml. The limit of quantification and detection are 0.05 and 0.01 microg/ml, respectively. The mean absolute recovery of imatinib is 96%. The method is precise with mean inter-day CVs within 1.1-2.4%, and accurate (range of inter-day deviations -0.6 to +0.7%). The method has been validated and is currently being applied in a clinical study assessing the imatinib plasma concentration variability in a population of chronic myeloid leukemia- and gastro-intestinal stromal tumor-patients.

Experimental design in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of imatinib mesylate and its impurity

For the determination of the optimal RP-HPLC chromatographic conditions for the separation of imatinib mesylate and its impurity STI 509-00 experimental design 2(4) was applied. All the factors that affect imatinib mesylate/STI 509-00 separation, as well as their mutual interactions were investigated. Methanol and triethylamine content in the mobile phase, pH of the mobile phase and column temperature were independent variables or factors to be investigated in two levels: "low" and "high". Capacity factor was chosen as a dependent variable. From the experimentally determined capacity factor values, it was defined the factors that affect to chromatographic system the most. Applying response surface methodology the appropriate graphs were constructed from experimental points and optimal chromatographic conditions for the separation were defined. Optimal conditions for the separation of imatinib mesylate and STI 509-00 were obtained using X Terra 150 mm x 4.6 mm, particle size 5 microm column at 25 degrees C. Mobile phase consisted of 250 ml of methanol, 740 ml of water and 10 ml of triehylamine. pH of water phase was adjusted to 2.4 with 85% orthophosphoric acid and then methanol was added.

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography analysis of imatinib mesylate and impurity product in Glivec® capsules

The reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of imatinib mesylate and of the impurity product in Glivec capsules (Novartis, Switzerland). Separations were performed on a X Terra 150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm particle size column at 25 degrees C. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol-water-triethylamine (25:74:1, v/v/v) with flow rate of 1.0 ml min(-1). pH value of water-triethylamine (TEA) was adjusted to 2.4 with orthophosphoric acid before adding of methanol. UV detection was performed at 267 nm. Acetaminophen was used as an internal standard. The method was validated statistically for its selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness. Due to its speed and accuracy, the method may be used for quality control analyses.

A validated LC method for imatinib mesylate

An isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography method with UV detection has been developed for the purity evaluation of imatinib mesylate in bulk drug. The method is selective and is capable of detecting all process intermediates and other related compounds, which may be present at trace levels in the drug substance. The method was validated on a Symmetry Shield RP18 analytical column (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 microm), mobile phase consisting of 30 mM sodium octane sulphonic acid in 10 mM aqueous KH2PO4 (pH 2.5 with H3PO4): MeOH in the ratio of 42:58 v/v. The flow rate was set at 1.0 ml/min and the column was maintained at room temperature. The injection volume was set to 10 microl and the detector was set at a wavelength of 237 nm. The method was validated in terms of system precision, method precision, linearity, accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification.

Quantification of the anticancer agent STI-571 in erythrocytes and plasma by measurement of sediment technology and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of the revolutionary and promising anticancer agent STI-571 (tradenames Gleevec, Glivec, Imatinib) in blood plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) is described. The method involves measurement of sediment technology for RBCs and a subsequent single protein precipitation step by the addition of acetonitrile to both the RBC isolate and plasma. The sample mixture was centrifuged (10 min, 3600 g), and the supernatant filtered through a HPLC filter (0.45 microm). The analytes of interest, STI-571 and the internal standard [2H8]STI-571 were eluted on a Waters Symmetry C18 column (50x2.1 mm I.D., 3.5 microm particle size) using a methanol-0.05% ammonium acetate (72:28, v/v) mixture. STI-571 and [2H8]STI-571 were detected by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in the positive mode, and monitored in the multiple reaction monitoring transitions 494>394 and 502<394, respectively. The lower limit of quantitation of STI-571 was 2.1 ng/ml in RBCs and 1.8 ng/ml in plasma. The recovery from both plasma and RBCs was between 65 and 70%. The method proved to be robust, allowing simultaneous quantification of STI-571 in RBCs and plasma with sufficient precision, accuracy and sensitivity and is useful in monitoring the fate of this signal transduction inhibitor in whole blood of cancer patients.

Direct and fast capillary zone electrophoretic method for the determination of Gleevec and its main metabolite in human urine

A capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method was investigated for the determination of Gleevec and its main metabolite (N-demethylated piperazine derivative) in human urine using a fused-silica capillary (75 microm I.D.x60 cm total length, 10 cm effective length). The separation was performed with an hydrodynamic injection time of 10 s (0.5 p.s.i.) a voltage of -25 kV, a capillary temperature of 25 degrees C and a 100 mM phosphoric acid adjusted to pH 2 with the addition of triethanolamine. Under these conditions, the analysis takes about 5 min. A linear response over the 0.4-30.0 mg l(-1) concentration range was investigated for two compounds. A dilution of the sample was the only step necessary before the electrophoresis analysis. Detection limits of 0.1 mg l(-1) for Gleevec and its metabolite (S/N=3) were obtained. The developed method is easy, rapid and sensitive and has been applied to determine Gleevec and its main metabolite in clinical urine samples.

Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay for quantitation of imatinib and its main metabolite (CGP 74588) in plasma

Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Glivec, STI571) is a targeted, small molecule inhibitor of the oncogenes, BCR/ABL and c-KIT, and has striking antitumor activity in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia or gastrointestinal stromal tumors. We have developed a liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (LC-MS) method for quantifying imatinib and its main metabolite (CGP 74588) in plasma. The assay uses deuterated imatinib as the internal standard; acetonitrile deproteination; a Phenomenex Luna C(18)(2) (5 microm, 50 x 4.6 mm) reversed-phase analytical column; a gradient mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in methanol and water; and mass spectrometric detection using electrospray positive mode electron ionization. The assay has a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 30 ng/ml and is linear between 30 and 10000 ng/ml for both imatinib and CGP 74588. We demonstrated the suitability of this assay for imatinib using it to quantify the concentrations of imatinib and CGP 74588 in plasma of a patient given a 200-mg dose of imatinib orally. We believe that this LC-MS assay should be an important tool for future pharmacokinetic studies of imatinib.

The CNS is a sanctuary for leukemic cells in mice receiving imatinib mesylate for Bcr/Abl-induced leukemia

The chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-like myeloproliferative disorder observed in the BCR/ABL murine bone marrow transduction and transplantation model shares several features with the human disease, including a high response rate to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (STI571). To study the impact of chronic imatinib mesylate treatment on the CML-like illness, mice were maintained on therapeutic doses of this drug and serially monitored. Unexpectedly, despite excellent systemic control of the CML-like illness, many of the mice developed progressive neurologic deficits after 2 to 4 months of imatinib mesylate therapy because of central nervous system (CNS) leukemia. Analysis of imatinib mesylate cerebral spinal fluid concentrations revealed levels 155- fold lower than in plasma. Thus, in the mouse, the limited ability of imatinib mesylate to cross the blood-brain barrier allowed the CNS to become a sanctuary for Bcr/Abl-induced leukemia. This model will be a useful tool for the future study of novel anti-CML drugs and in better defining the mechanisms for limited imatinib mesylate penetration into the CNS.

Distribution of STI-571 to the brain is limited by P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux

The adequate distribution of STI-571 (Gleevec) to the central nervous system (CNS) is critical for its effective use in CNS tumors. P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux in the blood-brain barrier may play a role in the CNS delivery of this drug. Whether STI-571 is a substrate of P-glycoprotein was determined by examining the directional flux of [(14)C]STI-571 in parental and MDR1-transfected Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) II epithelial cell monolayers. The basolateral-to-apical flux of STI-571 was 39-fold greater than the apical-to-basolateral flux in the MDR1-transfected cells and 8-fold greater in the parental cell monolayers. This difference in directional flux was significantly reduced by a specific P-glycoprotein inhibitor (2R)-anti-5-[3-[4-(10,11-difluoromethanodibenzo-suber-5-yl)piperazin-1-yl]-2-hydroxypropoxy]quinoline trihydrochloride (LY335979). The role of P-glycoprotein in the CNS distribution of STI-571 was examined in vivo, using wild-type and mdr1a/b (-/-) knockout mice that were orally administered 25 mg/kg [(14)C]STI-571. In the wild-type mice, the brain-to-plasma STI-571 concentration ratio at all time points was low (1-3%); however, there was an 11-fold greater brain partitioning of STI-571 at 1 h postdose in the mdr1a/b (-/-) mice compared with the wild-type mice. When 12.5 mg/kg STI-571 was given intravenously, the brain-to-plasma ratio of STI-571 in the mdr1a/b (-/-) mice was approximately 7-fold greater than that of wild-type mice up to 120 min postdose. These data indicate that STI-571 is a substrate of P-glycoprotein, and that the inhibition of P-glycoprotein affects the transport of STI-571 across MDCKII monolayers. Moreover, P-glycoprotein plays an important role in limiting the distribution of STI-571 to the CNS.