Measurement of Linezolid and Its Metabolites PNU-142300 and PNU-142586 in Human Plasma Using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method

: An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantification of linezolid, PNU-142300, and PNU-142586 in human plasma. After protein precipitation using acetonitrile, the protein-free supernatant was separated using reverse-phase chromatography using an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column and monitored at 254 nm. p-Toluic acid was used as the internal standard. No interference peak was observed at the retention times of linezolid, PNU-142300, PNU-142586, and p-toluic acid from blank plasma. The calibration curve of linezolid was linear from 0.2 to 50.0 µg/mL (coefficient of determination (r2) > 0.9999) and those of PNU-142300 and PNU-142586 were linear from 0.2 to 20.0 µg/mL (r2 > 0.9996 and > 0.9998, respectively). The intra- and inter-assay accuracy (%) and precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) %) of the three components were confirmed to meet the criteria of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Tests confirmed the stability of linezolid, PNU-142300, and PNU-142586 in plasma during three freeze-thaw cycles and long-term storage of frozen plasma for up to 30 d; in extracts they were stable in the UPLC autosampler for over 48 h at 4°C. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of linezolid, PNU-142300 and PNU-142586 in patients treated with linezolid could be measured using the UPLC method developed in this study. This assay would be a powerful tool for therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses in the optimization of linezolid treatment.