title: Determination of picogram levels of midazolam, and 1- and 4-hydroxymidazolam in human plasma by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.
abstract: Midazolam is a widely accepted probe for phenotyping cytochrome P4503A. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-negative chemical ionization method is presented which allows measuring very low levels of midazolam (MID), 1-OH midazolam (1OHMID) and 4-OH midazolam (4OHMID), in plasma, after derivatization with the reagent N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide. The standard curves were linear over a working range of 20 pg/ml to 5 ng/ml for the three compounds, with the mean coefficients of correlation of the calibration curves (n = 6) being 0.999 for MID and 1OHMID, and 1.0 for 4OHMID. The mean recoveries measured at 100 pg/ml, 500 pg/ml, and 2 ng/ml, ranged from 76 to 87% for MID, from 76 to 99% for 1OHMID, from 68 to 84% for 4OHMID, and from 82 to 109% for N-ethyloxazepam (internal standard). Intra- (n = 7) and inter-day (n = 8) coefficients of variation determined at three concentrations ranged from 1 to 8% for MID, from 2 to 13% for 1OHMID and from 1 to 14% for 4OHMID. The percent theoretical concentrations (accuracy) were within +/-8% for MID and 1OHMID, within +/-9% for 4OHMID at 500 pg/ml and 2 ng/ml, and within +/-28% for 4OHMID at 100 pg/ml. The limits of quantitation were found to be 10 pg/ml for the three compounds. This method can be used for phenotyping cytochrome P4503A in humans following the administration of a very low oral dose of midazolam (75 microg), without central nervous system side-effects.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biochimie et Psychopharmacologie Clinique, Département Universitaire, de Psychiatrie Adulte, Hôpital de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland. Chin.Eap@inst.hospvd.ch
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Eap
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bouchoux
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Powell Golay
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008874:Midazolam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: C042940:4-hydroxymidazolam; C040081:1-hydroxymethylmidazolam; D008874:Midazolam