Quantitative analysis of terbutaline by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Over the past 6 years, several gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods for terbutaline have been developed, each with certain advantages and disadvantages. They all involve monitoring of an ion selected from the mass spectrum of a suitable terbutaline derivative. This technique, often referred to as mass fragmentography or selected ion monitoring, reduces the interference from other drugs and endogenous compounds. Different ionization techniques have been employed to obtain high sensitivity, viz. electron impact and chemical ionization. Typically, the methods can be used to measure terbutaline concentrations down to 0.1-0.3 ng/mL in plasma or serum. Isolation of terbutaline from biological materials is complicated by the low partition of the drug from water to organic solvents. Extraction with a large volume of ethyl acetate, ion pair extraction, or isolation on a cation exchange column have been used. These methods are time consuming, and attempts have therefore been made to modify them. Rapid extraction can be achieved on a disposable reversed-phase octadecylsilyl column with unimpaired sensitivity and selectivity. Preliminary results indicate that negative ion chemical ionization of a fluorine-containing derivative can further increase the sensitivity of the terbutaline assays.