DETERMINATION OF ARTEETHER IN PLASMA USING A SIMPLE AND RAPID HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ASSAY

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assa y for the determination of the antimalarial drug arteether in plasma w as developed and validated in this report. Perchloric acid was used in this method as a plasma protein precipitant and to attain an acidic m edium suitable for the decomposition of arteether to a derivative poss essing UV absorption. This derivative and the internal standard (proge sterone) were separated from the plasma on a 10 mu m mu-Bondapack C-18 reversed-phase column at ambient temperature with a mobile phase comp osed of acetonitrile:water (60:40 v/v) and at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/mi n. The effluent was monitored at 254 nm with a UV detector. Linear rel ation between drug concentrations and peak height ratios of arteether derivative to the internal standard was achieved in the range of 0.25- 10 mu g/ml arteether with a detection limit of 50 ng/ml arteether in p lasma. The within-day and between-days precisions were evaluated using 3 different concentrations of arteether. The values of the coefficien ts of variation were 1.35-1.68% and 1.65-2.82% for within-day and betw een-day, respectively. This method was applied to determine some pharm acokinetic parameters of arteether after intramuscular injection of 50 mg/kg arteether oily solution to rabbits.