High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of pyrazinamide in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in the rabbit.

A simple procedure for the determination of pyrazinamide in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in the rabbit is described. The assay involves a preliminary extraction of the drug and an internal standard, paracetamol, from the acidified sample (pH 4.2). The extract is evaporated to dryness at 45 degrees C and the residue is redissolved in methanol (50 microliters). A 25-microliters aliquot is injected into the liquid chromatograph and eluted with acetonitrile-10 mM phosphate buffer of pH 3.5 (10:90, v/v) on a 30-microns C8 pre-column linked to a 5-microns C8 reversed-phase column at ambient temperature (25 +/- 1 degree C). The eluate is detected at 215 nm. The method has been used to investigate the disposition of pyrazinamide in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in six rabbits.