Detection of nevirapine in plasma using thin-layer chromatography.
BACKGROUND
Nevirapine (NVP) is widely prescribed in resource-poor settings to pregnant women for treatment and prevention of HIV infection. High rates of misreported adherence, however, have compelled clinicians to find alternative methods to ensure systemic drug exposure. This report describes a fast, inexpensive thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method to detect the presence of NVP in human plasma.


METHODS
Human plasma was spiked with various concentrations of NVP. NVP was subsequently isolated using solid-phase extraction and visualized with TLC. Clinical samples with NVP concentrations predetermined by high-performance liquid chromatography were used to validate the TLC method.


RESULTS
NVP was detected at concentrations as low as 60 ng/mL. The lower limit of detection was set at 100 ng/mL due to the clear spot definition at this concentration. The turnaround time for assay results averages several hours, and costs associated with the assay are considerably below standard drug quantitation techniques.


CONCLUSIONS
TLC provides a rapid, sensitive, and economical tool to qualitatively measure NVP in plasma. This method offers clinicians in resource-poor settings an alternative approach for measuring adherence, particularly in developing-world regions where NVP use is common and there is an immediate need to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Dubuisson
Jeffrey G
JG
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, USA.
King
Jennifer R
JR
Stringer
Jeffrey S A
JS
Turner
Michele L
ML
Bennetto
Chantelle
C
Acosta
Edward P
EP
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000097:blood*; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer / Q000379:methods; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D019829:Nevirapine / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000097:blood; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019829:Nevirapine