Frontiers in Veterinary Science (Oct 2023)

Development and validation of an LC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of milbemycin oxime and praziquantel in plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study in cats

  • Shiting Xie,
  • Shiting Xie,
  • Yixing Lu,
  • Yixing Lu,
  • Jun Wang,
  • Jun Wang,
  • Changcheng Lin,
  • Changcheng Lin,
  • Peiyu Ye,
  • Peiyu Ye,
  • Xiaolin Liu,
  • Wenguang Xiong,
  • Wenguang Xiong,
  • Zhenling Zeng,
  • Zhenling Zeng,
  • Dongping Zeng,
  • Dongping Zeng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1285932
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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IntroductionMilbemycin oxime (MBO) and praziquantel (PZQ) have a broad spectrum of biological activity and are commonly used to treat the parasitic infection in the veterinary clinic. In this study, a fast and efficient LC-MS/MS method was established and validated for the simultaneous determination of MBO, PZQ, cis-4-hydroxylated-PZQ (C-4-OH-PZQ) and trans-4-hydroxylated-PZQ (T-4-OH-PZQ) and in cat plasma.MethodsExtraction of analytes and internal standards from cat plasma by acetonitrile protein precipitation, allows rapid processing of large batches of samples. MBO, PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, T-4-OH-PZQ, and internal standard (IS) were eluted for 13.5 min on a C18 column with a 0.1% formic acid water/acetonitrile mixture as the mobile phase.ResultsResults showed that the method had good precision, accuracy, recovery, and linearity. The linearity range was 2.5–250 ng/mL for MBO, and 10–1000 ng/mL for PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, and T-4-OH-PZQ. The intra-day and inter-day precision CV values of the tested components were within 15%. The extraction recoveries of the four components ranged from 98.09% to 107.46%. The analytes in plasma remained stable for 6 h at room temperature, 26 h in the autosampler (4 °C), after freeze–thaw (−20°C) cycles, and 60 days in a −20°C freezer. Method sensitivity sufficed for assessing pharmacokinetic parameters of MBO, PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, and T-4-OH-PZQ in plasma samples with LLOQ of 2.5 ng/mL for MBO and 10 ng/mL for PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, and T-4-OH-PZQ.ConclusionIn this study, a selective and sensitive LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of MBO, PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, and T-4-OH-PZQ in cat plasma was developed and validated.This method had been successfully applied to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of MBO, PZQ, C-4-OH-PZQ, and T-4-OH-PZQ after a single oral administration of 8 mg MBO and 20 mg PZQ in cats.

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