Development and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for topotecan determination in beagle dog plasma and its application in a bioequivalence study

Topotecan (TPT) is an important anti‐cancer drug that inhibits topoisomerase I. A sensitive and robust liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method that potentially determines TPT in beagle dog plasma is needed for a bioequivalence study of TPT formulations. We developed and validated LC‐MS/MS to evaluate TPT in beagle dog plasma in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, stability, extraction recovery and matrix effect. Plasma samples were treated with an Ostro^TM sorbent plate (a robust and effective tool) to eliminate phospholipids and proteins before analysis. TPT and camptothecin (internal standard) were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (1.7 µm, 2.1 × 50 mm) with 0.1% formic acid and methanol as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. TPT was analyzed using positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple‐reaction monitoring mode. The obtained lower limit of quantitation was 1 ng/mL (signal‐to‐noise ratio > 10). The standard calibration curve for TPT was linear (correlation coefficient > 0.99) at the concentration range of 1–400 ng/mL. The intra‐day and inter‐day precision, accuracy, stability, extraction recovery and matrix effect of TPT were within the acceptable limits. The validated method was successfully applied in a bioequivalence study of TPT in healthy beagle dogs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.