LC-MS/MS method for nine different antibiotics

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antibiotics offers significant benefits for patient care and healthcare economics.
• Developing efficient multi-analyte methods is crucial for optimizing antibiotic TDM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multi-analyte liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitative determination of nine diverse antibiotics in human plasma.
• To assess the method's applicability in routine TDM and clinical studies, including the analysis of unbound drug concentrations.

Main Methods:

• Antibiotic quantification in plasma using a validated LC-MS/MS technique.
• Sample preparation involved protein precipitation and online extraction.
• Deuterated antibiotics served as internal standards for accurate measurement.

Main Results:

• Successfully quantified nine antibiotics, including cephalosporins, ertapenem, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
• Determined unbound concentrations of ertapenem and cefazolin in plasma water.
• Demonstrated the method's applicability through routine TDM and a clinical study.

Conclusions:

• The developed LC-MS/MS method is precise, accurate, and suitable for rapid TDM of multiple antibiotics.
• Implementation in a university hospital facilitates efficient antibiotic monitoring.
• The method's utility was confirmed in a clinical study measuring free and total cefazolin concentrations.