title: Determination of citalopram and escitalopram together with their active main metabolites desmethyl(es-)citalopram in human serum by column-switching high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometric detection.
abstract: We established a method for automated quantitative analysis of (es-)citalopram and desmethyl(es-)citalopram in serum using column-switching high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For sample clean-up serum was injected onto a LiChrospher CN 20 microm precolumn using 8% acetonitrile in deionized water. Drugs were eluted by back-flush flow onto the analytical column (LiChrospher CN 5 microm) at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min with phosphate buffer 8 mmol/l pH 6.4/acetonitrile (50/50, v/v). Haloperidol was used as internal standard. Analytes were detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry at 210 nm. Detection limit of (es-)citalopram was 6 ng/ml. The method was found to be suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of patients treated with citalopram or escitalopram.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacology/Psychopharmacology of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy of the University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstrasse 84, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany. christine.greiner@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Greiner
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hiemke
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: Ekkehard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haen
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D015283:Citalopram