Sensitive inexpensive HPLC determination of four antiepileptic drugs in human plasma: application to PK studies.
OBJECTIVE
Recently, polytherapy regimen has been introduced for the treatment of epileptic patients for better seizure control with lesser side effects and better control of multiple seizure types.


METHODS
A simple, sensitive and highly specific reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for simultaneous determination of four antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), levetiracetam, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine and carbamazepine, in real human plasma without interference from endogenous components of plasma.


CONCLUSIONS
The method was proved to be linear in the range of 0.5-50 µg/ml for all drugs. It was successfully applied for clinical PK study of the AEDs in healthy volunteers following single administration. Also, this method was applied for simultaneous determination of the studied drugs in volunteers' plasma receiving synergistic binary combinations from the four AEDs when used as add-on therapy. The good precision and selectivity of the developed method allow it to be used for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of such drugs as a useful tool in epilepsy management.
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt.
Fawzia A
FA
Ibrahim
Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21521, Egypt.
Amira F
AF
El-Yazbi
Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21521, Egypt.
Magda A
MA
Barary
Forensic Medicine Authority, Egyptian Ministry of Justice, El Sayeda Zeinab, Zeinhom 11628, Cairo, Egypt.
Mira M
MM
Wagih
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000592:standards; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D002138:Calibration; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000592:standards; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000592:standards; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D057230:Limit of Detection; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000592:standards; D014227:Triazines / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000592:standards
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D014227:Triazines; D002220:Carbamazepine; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D010889:Piracetam
HPLC; PKs; antiepileptic drug