Development of a UHPLC method for the assessment of the metabolic profile of cinitapride

An ultra high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to study the cinitapride metabolism. Metabolites were generated from the incubation of cinitapride with human liver microsomes. Cinitapride and its metabolites were separated by reversed-phase mode using a formate aqueous solution (pH 6.5) and acetonitrile as the components of the mobile phase. Chromatographic conditions, including the establishment of an elution gradient, were optimized for obtaining the maximum number of resolved components in the minimum analysis time. Experimental design and multicriteria decision-making strategies were utilized to facilitate the optimization of chromatographic conditions. Figures of merit were evaluated with cinitapride standards and incubated samples. Limits of detection are about 0.03 μmol/L, and repeatabilities are better than 0.06% for retention times and better than 3.5% for concentrations. The method was applied to characterize the in vitro cinitapride metabolism with human liver microsomes.