Fast simultaneous quantification of gabapentin and cetirizine in cell lysates by means of HPLC-MS/MS

Abstract

A high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was successfully developed for the simultaneous detection of gabapentin (GBP) and cetirizine (CTZ) in cell lysates. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions were found for GBP, CTZ and deuterated internal standards of both, allowing a selective and sensitive detection. Limits of detection (LODs) of 0.04 ng/mL and 0.07 ng/mL were achieved for CTZ and GBP respectively, and a linear range could be confirmed to the highest tested concentration of 50 ng/mL. Furthermore, with a total runtime of 2.5 min, this method allows a high throughput analysis. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by using it for the quantification of CTZ and GBP in cell lysates to examine the effects of renal transporters on these two analytes.

Keywords: Cell lysate; Cetirizine; Deuterated standard; Gabapentin; HPLC-MS/MS; Pharmacokinetics.