High throughput analysis of vancomycin in human plasma by UHPLC-MS/MS

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Mass Spectrometry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Vancomycin is a critical antibiotic requiring precise therapeutic drug monitoring.
• Existing methods for vancomycin quantification may lack sensitivity or specificity in complex biological matrices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust analytical assay for the absolute quantification of vancomycin.
• To apply the developed assay for therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was employed.
• Micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) was utilized for sample pretreatment.
• Reversed-phase chromatography with gradient elution and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) were used for detection.

Main Results:

• The UHPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated excellent linearity (R² ≥ 0.995) across the 0.5-100 μg/mL range.
• High accuracy (RE within -3.44% to 1.50%) and precision (3.48% to 10.19%) were achieved.
• The μ-SPE efficiently enriched vancomycin and reduced interferences, enhancing method sensitivity and selectivity.

Conclusions:

• A selective, accurate, and reproducible UHPLC-MS/MS assay for vancomycin quantification was successfully developed.
• The assay is suitable for absolute quantification in complex biological matrices.
• The method was effectively applied to therapeutic drug monitoring of vancomycin in clinical samples.