Development and validation of HPLC-UV method for quantification of artemether in plasma

The pharmacokinetic knowledge of drug is vital for new drug development and to ensure the improvement in its bioavailability. The artemisinin derivative, artemether is a potent and rapidly acting antimalarial drug recommended by WHO. The objective of the study was to develop a simple and reliable bioanalytical method for the analysis of artemether in plasma. An HPLC-UV method was developed and validated for the quantification of artemether in plasma of mice using artemisinin as internal standard. Artemether was extracted from plasma using protein precipitation method with acetonitrile followed by solid-phase extraction with hypersep C8 cartridges. Artemether and artemisinin were eluted at 8 and 5.3 minutes respectively. The method was found linear over a range of 20-200 μg/ml. The precision was exemplified by relative standard deviation of 1.8021%. System suitability parameters were within the acceptance limits and ideal for the chromatographed sample. The developed bioanalytical method was found precise, easy and reliable.