title: Determination of meropenem in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and a microbiological method.
abstract: A rapid and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the quantitative determination of meropenem in plasma is described. The drug was separated from plasma after plasma protein precipitation with 15% of trichloroacetic acid. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water-glacial acetic acid (21.2, 78 and 0.8% v/v, respectively) delivered at a flow rate of 1.2 ml/min. Meropenem was quantified using ultraviolet detection at 296 nm. Meropenem and the internal standard (pheniramine) were well separated from plasma components. The drug could be assayed by the HPLC method in the presence of its analogue, imipenem. The detection limit in plasma was 25 ng/ml of meropenem. The results were compared with those of agar for a microbiological diffusion method using Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 as the test organism. The sensitivity of the microbiological assay was less than 5 ng/ml, but this decreased at higher concentrations. Both methods were applied to the determination of the drug in aqueous solutions and in plasma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics and Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: al-Meshal
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ramadan
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lotfi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Shibl
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000097:blood*; D002138:Calibration; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000097:blood; D000077731:Meropenem; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013845:Thienamycins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013845:Thienamycins; D015378:Imipenem; D000077731:Meropenem