HPLC determination and pharmacokinetics of sustained-release bupropion tablets in dogs

The pharmacokinetics and bioequivalency of a newly developed sustained-release bupropion tablet was studied in six dogs after single oral administration and compared with a regular tablet (RT) in randomized two-period crossover design. A sensitive and rapid HPLC method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of bupropion in dog plasma. The compound and the internal standard (I.S.) (hydroxyethylfludiazepam) were extracted from the plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction. The extracts were analyzed by a reversed-phase HPLC with 50 mmol/l phosphate buffer (pH 5.5)-methanol (45:55, v/v) as the eluent. The assay was specific for bupropion. The calibration curves were linear in the range between 1 and 750 ng/ml. The validated lower limit of quantification was 1 ng/ml. The overall precision (expressed as R.S.D.) of quality controls were within 15%. The method was successfully applied to the bioequivalency study of bupropion in the two formulations. The Cmax of sustained-release tablet (ST) was significantly lower than that of the RT and the Tmax was significantly longer than that of the RT (P<0.05). The relative bioavailability of the ST was (99.1+/-1.51)%, the results of ANOVA and two one sided tests indicated that the new ST exhibited good sustained release properties and was bioequivalent to the RT.