DETERMINATION OF MACROLIDES IN BIOLOGICAL MATRICES BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION

A liquid chromatographic method for the determination of macrolide ant ibiotics is described using a cyanopropyl column which proved to be as efficient or superior to the normally used apolar reversed-phase colu mns. The recovery of the macrolides from water and plasma was 80-90%. Using 0.5 mi of plasma, 30 ng/ml of clarithromycin, 50 ng/ml of roxith romycin and 10 ng/ml of azithromycin could be determined with acceptab le precision and accuracy. The method has been employed in pharmacokin etic studies in humans for the determination of roxithromycin, clarith romycin and azithromycin in plasma, serum and other biological matrice s. The particular selectivity of the cyanopropyl phase may also allow the simultaneous determination of erythromycin and its prodrug esters. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.