Simultaneous quantification method for multiple antiviral drugs in serum using isotope dilution liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

We describe the simultaneous quantification of six antiviral drugs in serum based on high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The target drugs—hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, favipiravir, umifenovir, ritonavir, and lopinavir—were extracted and purified from serum with 75 % v/v methanol as the precipitant reagent. The six analytes were clearly separated within 15min using gradient elution and mixed-mode stationary phase. The measurement accuracy and precision were assured by adopting isotopes as internal standards. The optimized measurement procedure was strictly validated in linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. To confirm the robustness of the method in matrix, the method was additionally applied to various types of serum, namely hyperlipidemic and hyperglycemic serum. The method was then applied to assess the stability of the drugs in serum in order to set sample handling and storage guides for laboratory testing. Lastly, the method was implemented in different LC-MS systems to confirm its applicability across similar equipment commonly used in clinical testing laboratories. The overall results show that the optimized protocol is suitable for the accurate, simultaneous quantification of the six antiviral drugs in serum, and it is anticipated to satisfactorily serve as a reference protocol for the analysis of a wide range of other antiviral drugs for drug monitoring with various purposes.