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Radix Bupleuri (RB) has been widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine with a long history. Saikosaponins (SSs), the major constituents of RB, are assumed to be transformed into saikogenins (SGs) by human intestinal microflora prior to absorption and then exert pharmacological effects. There have been detailed reports on the deglycosylation of SSs in the gastrointestinal tract. But to date, there is very limited research addressing the further absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of these deglycosylated derivatives in vivo. In this study, a rapid UFLC-MS/MS method was established and fully validated for simultaneously determining four SGs (SGF, SGA, SGD, and SGG) in rat plasma. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetics of three SGs (SGF, SGD, and SGG) in rats after oral and intravenous administrations. Finally, the absolute bioavailabilities were calculated at 0.71% for SGF and 0.66% for SGD. However, the oral bioavailability of SGG was not obtained due to the extremely poor absorption in rats., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A method for monitoring l-asparagine (ASN) depletion in patients' serum using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with precolumn o-phthalaldehyde and ethanethiol (ET) derivatization is described. In order to improve the signal and stability of analytes, several important factors including precipitant reagent, derivatization conditions and detection wavelengths were optimized. The recovery of the analytes in biological matrix was the highest when 4% sulfosalicylic acid (1:1, v/v) was used as a precipitant reagent. Optimal fluorescence detection parameters were determined as λex = 340 nm and λem = 444 nm for maximal signal. The signal of analytes was the highest when the reagent ET and borate buffer of pH 9.9 were used in the derivatization solution. And the corresponding derivative products were stable up to 19 h. The validated method had been successfully applied to monitor ASN depletion and l-aspartic acid, l-glutamine, l-glutamic acid levels in pediatric patients during l-asparaginase therapy.

To better understand different traditional uses of the stems (known as Mahuang) and roots (known as Mahuanggen) of Ephedra sinica, their chemical difference should be investigated. In this study, an ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry untargeted metabolomics approach was established to reveal global chemical difference between Mahuang and Mahuanggen. Clear separation was observed in scores plots of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Twenty two chemical markers responsible for such separation were screened out and unambiguously/tentatively characterized. Then chemical markers of pharmacologically important ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were absolutely quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry under multiple reaction monitoring mode. The results showed that Mahuang was rich in ephedrine-type alkaloids, while Mahuanggen was rich in macrocyclic spermine alkaloids. Additionally, different types of flavan-3-ols and flavones exist in Mahuang and Mahuanggen extracts. This research facilitates a better understanding of different traditional uses of Mahuang and Mahuanggen and provides references for chemical analysis of other medicinal plants., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A simple, selective and sensitive LC-MS-MS method has been developed and validated to simultaneously quantify zofenopril and its active metabolite zofenoprilat in human plasma, using diazepam as internal standard. 1,4-Dithiothreitol was used as a reducer to release and stabilize the thiol group of zofenoprilat from dimer and mixed forms with endogenous thiols in the treatment of plasma samples. After a liquid-liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether under acidic conditions, the post-treatment samples were analyzed on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C8 column interfaced with a triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometer using positive electrospray ionization. A solution of methanol and 0.1% formic acid solution (85 : 15, v/v) was used as the isocratic mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The method was validated to demonstrate the specificity, lower limit of quantitation, accuracy and precision of measurements. The validated LC-MS-MS method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of zofenopril calcium in healthy Chinese volunteers., (© Crown copyright 2014.)

The mechanism for the separation of matrine-type alkaloids (sophoridine, sophoramine, sophocarpine, matrine, and oxymatrine) on a C(18) column with a mobile phase containing room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as additive was studied in the current work by investigating several factors that influenced chromatographic behavior, including mobile phase pH, buffer solution concentration, ionic liquid concentration, and length of alkyl groups in RTILs. Peak efficiency was selected as the criterion for chromatographic efficiency whereas peak efficiency was also selected for triethylamine (TEA). The addition of RTILs in a mobile phase demonstrated superior effects on the separation of these basic compounds because of the increase in peak efficiency. The difference between RTILs and TEA and the changes in retention factors caused by the additives concentration, depending on the acidity of the mobile phase, showed the dual nature of the ionic liquids. This allowed both the constituting anion and cation to participate in the retention mechanism. Furthermore, the chromatographic behaviors of analytes with a mobile phase containing RTILs having different lengths of alkyl groups at different concentrations, complied with the stoichiometric displacement model for retention (SDM-R). This clarified the significant role of competitive adsorption between solutes and additives on the stationary phase., (Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A rapid and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of codeine, ephedrine, guaiphenesin and chlorpheniramine in beagle dog plasma has been developed and validated. Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated on a reversed-phase C(18) column (150 mm × 2.0 mm, 3 μm) using formic acid:10 mM ammonium acetate:methanol (0.2:62:38, v/v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min and analyzed by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The method was linear for all analytes over the following concentration (ng/mL) ranges: codeine 0.08-16; ephedrine 0.8-160; guaiphenesin 80-16,000; chlorpheniramine 0.2-40. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. It is the first time that the validated HPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study in 6 healthy beagle dogs., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The integration of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with derivatization is a relatively new and unique strategy that could add value and could enhance the capabilities of LC-MS-based technologies. The derivatization process could be carried out in various analytical steps, for example, sampling, storage, sample preparation, HPLC separation, and MS detection. This review presents an overview of derivatization-based LC-MS strategy over the past 10 years and covers both the general principles and applications in the fields of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, biomarker and metabolomic research, environmental analysis, and food-safety evaluation. The underlying mechanisms and theories for derivative reagent selection are summarized and highlighted to guide future studies., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used for separation and identification of metabolites in rat urine, bile and plasma after oral administration of rhubarb decoction. Based on the proposed strategy, 91 of the 113 potential metabolites were tentatively identified or characterized. Besides anthraquinones metabolites, gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin metabolites were also detected and characterized in these biological samples. Our results indicated that glucuronidation and sulfation were the main metabolic pathways of anthraquinones, while methylation, glucuronidation and sulfation were the main metabolic pathways of gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin. Phase I reactions (e.g., hydroxylation and reduction) played a relatively minor role compared to phase II reactions in metabolism of phenolic compounds of rhubarb decoction. The identification and structure elucidation of these metabolites provided essential data for further pharmacological and clinical studies of rhubarb and related preparations. Moreover, the results of the present investigations clearly indicated the relevance and usefulness of the combination of chromatographic, spectrophotometric, and mass-spectrometric analysis to detect and identify metabolites., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Differences in the contents of sixteen bioactive components (three tannins, five anthraquinones, six flavonoids and two neolignans) between Da-Cheng-Qi decoction (DCQD) and its three constitutional herbal medicines (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Cortex Magnoliae officinalis, and Fructus Aurantii Immaturus) were compared using validated HPLC/DAD methods. The results indicated that there existed some kinds of interactions between these constitutional natural medicines during the DCQD preparation procedure, which could either enhance or depress the extractive rates of bioactive components.

This paper describes a novel method that combines dansyl chloride (DNS-CL) derivatization with high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) for the sensitive and selective determination of piperazine phosphate in human plasma. After addition of ondansetron hydrochloride as internal standard (IS), piperazine phosphate was derivatized and then extracted with ethyl acetate. After being evaporated and reconstituted, the sample was analyzed using LC-ESI/MS/MS. Separation was achieved using an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C(18) (150 mm x 2.1 mm I.D., 3.5 microm) column and isocratic elution with 10 mM ammonium acetate solution (pH 3.0)-methanol (50: 50, v/v). Detection was performed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operating in positive ion and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor to product ion transitions m/z 320-->171 for DNS-CL-piperazine phosphate and m/z 294-->170 for the IS. The method was fully validated for its selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect and stability. The coefficient (r) of piperazine phosphate with a linear range of 0.1-15 microg mL(-1) was 0.9974-0.9995. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantification in human plasma were 0.01 and 0.1 microg mL(-1), respectively. The validated LC-ESI/MS/MS method has been successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of piperazine phosphate trochiscus in Chinese healthy male volunteers., (2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A rapid, sensitive and selective high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination and pharmacokinetic investigation of dexmedetomidine (DMED) in human plasma. Dexmedetomidine and the internal standard (ondansetron) were extracted in a single step with diethyl-ether from 1.0 mL of alkalinized plasma. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.5% formic acid solution (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL min(-1). The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode using the respective [M+H]+ ions m/z 201.0-->95.1 for DMED and m/z 294.1-->170.1 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 5-5000 pg mL(-1) with the correlation coefficient above 0.9995. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 pg mL(-1) with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The validated HPLC-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of three level doses of DMED in Chinese healthy volunteers.

A sensitive and reliable method has been developed to determine synephrine in a famous purgative Chinese medicinal prescription, da-cheng-qi decoction. After purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE), the decoction was derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate in borate buffer and analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode-array detector. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Shimadzu shim-pack VP-ODS column using acetonitrile-water as mobile phase. This method was validated in terms of linearity, recovery, precision, accuracy, and repeatability. Calibration curves were linear (r(2) > 0.99) over the concentration range of 0.78-100 microg/mL, and the mean recovery was 93.28%. The intra- and inter-batch precisions were less than 2% in terms of relative standard deviations. The accuracy and repeatability were well within the acceptable range. The limit of detection was 0.25 microg/mL. This validated method also can be used for assays of herbal products, fruits, dietary supplements, and biological samples containing synephrine.

This work concentrates on the in vitro metabolism of anthraquinone derivatives from rhubarb. Different metabolic reactions for anthraquinone derivatives were dependent on the substituent group in the skeleton. Monohydroxylation in the exocyclic methyl group was the major metabolic modification for emodin. Aloe-emodin containing a hydroxymethyl group was mainly metabolized through a methylation reaction. For rhein, both hydrogenation and methyl substitution on the benzene ring were the major metabolic reactions. Hydroxyl substitution on the benzene ring was the predominant metabolic reaction for chrysophanol. For physcion, demethylation of the exocyclic methoxy group was the most important metabolic reaction., (Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of rupatadine in human plasma using estazolam as internal standard (IS). Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated using a mobile phase of methanol-ammonium acetate (pH 2.2; 5mM) (50:50, v/v) on a reverse phase C18 column and analyzed by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in the positive ion and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, m/z 416-->309 for rupatadine and m/z 295-->267 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1-100 ng/ml for rupatadine in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.1 ng/ml with a relative standard deviation of less than 20%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The validated LC-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of rupatadine in healthy volunteers.

A rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of five active constituents (including magnolol, honokiol, rhein, emodin and aloe-emodin) from Da-Cheng-Qi decoction (DCQD) in rat plasma. After the addition of gliquidone as the internal standard (IS), plasma samples were prepared by one-step protein precipitation using methanol and separated by HPLC on a short reversed phase C(18) column packed with smaller particles (100 mm x 3.0 mm, 3.5 microm) using a mobile phase of methanol-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (70:30, v/v). Analytes were determined in a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in the selected reaction-monitoring (SRM) mode using electrospray source with negative mode. The method was proved to be rapid, sensitive, specific, accurate and reproducible and has been successfully applied to the determination of the five compounds in rat plasma after oral administration of low dose DCQD for pharmacokinetic study.

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method is developed and validated for the identification and quantitation of azithromycin in human plasma. After the addition of the internal standard and 1.0M sodium hydroxide solution, plasma samples are extracted with a methylene chloride-ethyl acetate mixture (20:80, v/v). The organic layer is evaporated under a stream of nitrogen at 40 degrees C. The residue is reconstituted with 200 microL of the mobile phase. The compounds are separated on a prepacked Shimadzu Shim-pack VP-ODS C18 (5 microm, 150 mm x 2.0 mm) column using a mixture of acetonitrile-water (65:35) (0.5% triethylamine, pH was adjusted to 6.2 with acetic acid) as the mobile phase. Detection is performed on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer by selected ion monitoring mode via electrospray ionization source. The method is fully validated and linear calibration curves are obtained in the concentration ranges from 5 to 2000 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-batch relative standard deviations at four different concentration levels are all < 10%. The limit of detection and quantitation are 2 ng/mL and 5 ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method enables the unambiguous identification and quantitation of azithromycin for pharmacokinetic, bioavailability, or bioequivalence studies.

A selective and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry method has been developed for the determination of balofloxacin (BLFX) in human plasma. The sample preparation was a liquid-liquid extraction, and chromatographic separation was achieved with an Agilent ZORBAX 300SB C18 2.1 mm x 150 mm column using a mobile phase comprised of methanol-water (10 mM CH(3)COONH(4), pH 3.0)=40:60 (v/v). Standard curves were linear (r=0.9992) over the concentration range of 0.03-3 microg/ml and had good accuracy and precision. The within- and between-batch precisions were within 10% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.02 microg/ml. The validated HPLC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS method has been used successfully to study balofloxacin pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers.

An assay based on protein precipitation and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of lisinopril in human plasma. After the addition of enalaprilat as internal standard (IS), plasma samples were prepared by one-step protein precipitation using perchloric acid followed by an isocratic elution with 10 mm ammonium acetate buffer (pH adjusted to 5.0 with acetic acid)-methanol (70:30, v/v) on a Phenomenex Luna 5 mu C(18) (2) column. Detection was performed on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface operating in positive ion and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor to product ion transitions m/z 406 --> 246 for lisinopril and m/z 349 --> 206 for enalaprilat. Calibration curves of lisinopril in human plasma were linear (r = 0.9973-0.9998) over the concentration range 2-200 ng/mL with acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantification in human plasma were 1 and 2 ng/mL, respectively. The validated LC-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to a preliminary pharmacokinetic study of lisinopril in Chinese healthy male volunteers., ((c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

ZLR-8 is a nitric oxide releasing derivative of diclofenac for the treatment of inflammation. In this paper, a sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of ZLR-8 and its active metabolite diclofenac in the plasma of beagle dogs has been developed and validated. After the addition of ketoprofen as the internal standard (IS), plasma samples were extracted with n-hexane-isopropanol (95:5, v/v) mixture solution and separated by HPLC on a reversed-phase C(18) column with a mobile phase of gradient procedure. Analytes were determined by the UV detector which was set at 280 nm. The method was proved to be sensitive and specific by testing six different plasma batches. Calibration curves of ZLR-8 and diclofenac were linear over the range 0.05-4.0 microg/mL. The within- and between-batch precisions (RSD%) were lower than 10% and accuracy ranged from 85 to 115%. The lower limit of quantification was identifiable and reproducible at 0.05 microg/mL. The proposed method has been readily implemented in preclinical pharmacokinetics studies of ZLR-8 and its active metabolite diclofeance. Representative plasma concentration vs time profiles resulting from administration of ZLR-8 to beagle dogs are presented in this communication., ((c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A selective and sensitive method employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry is developed and validated for the determination of emedastine difumarate in human plasma. With naphazoline hydrochloride as the internal standard, emedastine difumarate is extracted from plasma with ethyl acetate. The organic layer is evaporated, and the residue is redissolved in the mobile phase. An aliquot of 10 microL is chromatographically analyzed on a prepacked Phenomenex Luna 5u CN 100A (150 x 2.0-mm i.d.) column, using a mobile phase comprised of methanol-water (20 mM CH(3)COONH(4), pH 4.0) (80:20, v/v). Standard curves are linear (r(2) = 0.9990) over the concentration range of 0.05-30 ng/mL and had good accuracy and precision. The within- and between-batch precisions did not exceed 15% for the relative standard deviation. The lower limit of detection is 0.01 ng/mL. The validated HPLC-ESI-MS method is successfully used to study emedastine difumarate pharmacokinetics in 12 healthy volunteers.

This paper describes a novel method for the sensitive and selective determination of fudosteine in human plasma. The method involves a derivatization step with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) in borate buffer and detection based on high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS). After acetonitrile-induced protein precipitation of plasma samples, fudosteine was derivatized with FMOC-Cl, then extracted by ethyl acetate, evaporated, reconstituted and injected using an LC/ESI/MS instrument. Separation was achieved using an ODS column and isocratic elution. Excellent linearity was obtained for the entire calibration range from 0.05 to 20 microg/ml. Validation assays of the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) as well as for the intra- and inter-batch precision and accuracy met the international acceptance criteria for bioanalytical method validation. Using the developed analytical method, fudosteine could be detected for the first time in human plasma with a low limit of detection (LLOD) of 0.03 microg/ml. The proposed method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of fudosteine in healthy Chinese volunteers after single and multiple oral administration.

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of spironolactone and its active metabolite canrenone in human plasma has been developed and validated. After the addition of estazolam as the internal standard (IS), plasma samples were extracted with methylene chloride : ethyl acetate mixture (20 : 80, v/v) and separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a reversed-phase C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (57 : 43, v/v). Analytes were determined in a single quadrupole mass spectrometer using an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source. LC-APCI-MS was performed in the selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode using target ions at m/z 341.25 for spironolactone and canrenone, m/z 295.05 for estazolam. The method was proved to be sensitive and specific by testing six different plasma batches. Calibration curves of spironolactone and canrenone were linear over the range 2-300 ng/ml. The within- and between-batch precisions (relative standard deviation (RSD)%) were lower than 10% and the accuracy ranged from 85 to 115%. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was identifiable and reproducible at 2 ng/ml. The proposed method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of spironolactone and its major metabolite in healthy male Chinese volunteers., (Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A rapid, sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) method was developed and validated for the first time to determine the concentration of lafutidine in human plasma. After the addition of diazepam (the internal standard, IS) and 1 M sodium hydroxide solution to 0.5-ml plasma sample, lafutidine was extracted from plasma with n-hexane : isopropanol (95 : 5, v/v). The organic layer was evaporated and the residue was redissolved in 200-microl mobile phase. The analyte was chromatographically separated on a prepacked Shimadzu Shim-pack VP-ODS C(18) column (250 x 2.0 mm i.d.) using a mixture of methanol-water (20 mM CH(3)COONH(4)) = 80 : 20 (v/v) as mobile phase. Detection was performed on a single quadrupole mass spectrometer using an electrospray ionization interface and the selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method showed excellent linearity (r = 0.9993) over the concentration range of 5-400 ng/ml and had good accuracy and precision. The within- and between-batch precisions were within 10% relative standard deviation. The limit of detection was 1 ng/ml. The validated LC/ESI-MS method has been successfully applied to the bioequivalence study of lafutidine in 24 healthy male Chinese volunteers.

A selective and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method has been developed for the determination of tolterodine tartrate in human plasma. With oxybutynin as internal standard, tolterodine tartrate was extracted from plasma with n-hexane: isopropanol (95:5, v/v). The organic layer was evaporated and the residue was redissolved in mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile-water (10 mM CH3COONH4, pH 3.0)=50:50 (v/v). An aliquot of 10 microl was chromatographically analyzed on a prepacked Shimadzu Shim-pack VP-ODS C18 column (150 mmx2.0 mm I.D.) by means of selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode mass spectrometry. Standard curves were linear (r=0.9993) over the concentration range of 0.1-30.0 ng/ml and had good accuracy and precision. The within- and between-batch precisions were within 10% relative standard deviation. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.05 ng/ml. The validated LC-ESI-MS method has been used successfully to study tolterodine tartrate pharmacokinetic, bioavailability and bioequivalence in 20 healthy male volunteers.

A selective and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) for the determination of nisoldipine in human plasma is first presented. With nimodipine as the internal standard, nisoldipine is extracted from plasma with ethyl acetate. The organic layer is evaporated and the residue is resuspended in the mobile phase of methanol-water (80:20, v/v). An aliquot of 40 microL is chromatographically analyzed on an Agilent ODS C18 reversed-phase column (5 microm, 250- x 4.6-mm i.d.) by means of selected-ion monitoring mode MS. The calibration curve of nisoldipine in plasma exhibits a linear range from 0.5 to 20.0 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9995. The limit of detection is 0.2 ng/mL. The within- and between-day variations (relative standard deviation) are less than 9.28% and 11.13% (n = 5), respectively. The developed method is validated through successful use for the analysis of nisoldipine contained in biological fluids resulting from a phase-I human pharmacokinetic study.