High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the tyrphostin AG1478, a specific inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in mouse plasma

The tyrphostin 4-(3-chloroanilino)-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (AG1478) is undergoing evaluation as a potential new anticancer agent. We have developed a specific and sensitive reversed-phase HPLC assay for AG1478 in mouse plasma. The method involves a rapid and simple extraction process followed by separation on a Symmetry C8 stationary phase with a gradient of acetonitrile in ammonium acetate buffer. A linear response was achieved over the concentration range of 0.2-100 microM using multilevel calibration with internal standard method of calculation. Inter- and intra-assay accuracy and precision were better than +/-10%. The limit of quantitation was 0.2 microM. We have used this method to study the preclinical pharmacokinetics of this new agent in mice.