Nonlinear calibrations on the assay of dilitiazem and two of its metabolites from plasma samples by means of liquid chromatography and ESI/MS(2) detection: application to a bioequivalence study.

The assay of diltiazem (DLTZ) and its active metabolites desacetyldiltiazem (DAcD) and desmethyldiltiazem (DMeD) in plasma samples was achieved by means of an HPLC/(ESI)MS(2) method. The diastereoisomer of diltiazem, namely {(2R,3S)-5-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1,5-benzothiazepin-3-yl acetate} was used as internal standard (IS). Sample preparation was based on protein precipitation by means of organic solvent addition (acetonitrile). The isocratic elution based on a reversed-phase mechanism allows good separation of the analytes within 15 min. Atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization was used. All analytes were monitored in the MS(2)-MRM mode. A fragmentation schema is proposed for the target compounds. As the method was designed for bioequivalence purposes, a full validation procedure was considered. On validation, nonlinear calibrations were observed. Consequently, concentration intervals requiring nonlinear calibrations are discussed. Low limits of quantification in the 0.6-1 ng/mL concentration range were obtained. The analytical method was successfully applied to a single dose (120 mg), open-label, randomized, two-period, two-sequence, crossover bioequivalence study of two commercially available solid oral dosage pharmaceutical formulations (tablets).