Determination of plasma ziprasidone using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A liquid chromatographic procedure was developed for the determination of a new antipsychotic agent ziprasidone in plasma using fluorescence detection. A one-step liquid-liquid extraction from 1 ml of alkalinized plasma containing an internal standard alpha-ergocryptine using methyl-t-butyl ether afforded a greater than 84% recovery of ziprasidone. Chromatography was performed using a reversed-phase trimethylsilyl bonded silica column with a mobile phase of 72:28 phosphate buffer:acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. Detection of the eluted peaks was observed using excitation and emission wavelengths of 320 and 410 nm, respectively. Chromatographic run time did not exceed 14 min with no interference from endogenous material. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.5 to 200 ng/ml and the inter- and intra-assay imprecision (CV) was less than 10%. The lower limit of quantitation was assessed at 0.5 ng/ml. Specificity of the method is demonstrated by the lack of interference from a large number of commonly used drugs and their metabolites in clinical use. The utility of the method is exemplified with the presentation of clinical data from patients receiving ziprasidone.