Assay of methotrexate and 7-hydroxymethotrexate by gradient-elution high-performance liquid chromatography and its...

A paired-ion high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of methotrexate (MTX) and its major metabolise, 7-hydroxymethotrexate (7-OH-MTX), in plasma and urine. In addition, this technique permits the separation of other known metabolites of MTX, such as DAMPA and MTX-polyglutamates. After selective extraction on an anion-exchange resin column, both compounds and the internal standard, aminopterin, were separated on a reversed-phase octadecylsilane column with UV-detection at 313 nm. The detection limits for plasma and urine samples were approximately 40 ng/ml (8.8 x 10(-8) M) for MTX and 100 ng/ml (2.1 x 10(-7) M) for 7-OH-MTX. This method was applied in pharmacokinetic studies following 24-h infusion of high-dose MTX in four patients during two successive treatments. After the end of the infusion, the mean apparent half-life for the metabolite was 19.1 h, while that for MTX was 8.8 h. A stepwise increase in the plasma concentrations of both MTX and its metabolite was observed during the second MTX infusion. This increase was reflected in the cumulative urinary excretion of both drug and its metabolite.