Bromperidol radioimmunoassay: human plasma levels

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate quantification of antipsychotic drug levels is crucial for effective therapeutic drug monitoring.
• Bromperidol is an antipsychotic medication requiring precise measurement in patient plasma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for quantifying bromperidol in human plasma.
• To assess the assay's performance characteristics, including sensitivity, variability, and recovery.
• To report preliminary plasma bromperidol levels in schizophrenic patients.

Main Methods:

• Development of a RIA using rabbit-generated antisera against a haloperidol-bovine serum albumin conjugate.
• Use of tritiated haloperidol as the radioligand.
• Single ether extraction of alkalinized plasma to isolate bromperidol.
• Validation of the assay using quality control plasma samples.

Main Results:

• The RIA demonstrated a lower limit of detection of approximately 0.5 ng/mL.
• Within- and between-assay variability were approximately 9% and 14%, respectively.
• High recovery (103-106%) and excellent correlation (0.9999) were observed in quality control samples.
• Potential interference from dehydrobromperidol was noted, though it's not a known metabolite.

Conclusions:

• A validated and sensitive RIA procedure for bromperidol in human plasma has been established.
• The assay is suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies.
• The study provides initial data on plasma bromperidol concentrations in schizophrenic patients.