[Determination of salbutamol in human plasma by column-switching HPLC with UV detection].

OBJECTIVE: To make better the RP-HPLC method with column-switching technique for the determination of salbutamol in human plasma. METHODS: A high-pressure flow channel selection valve and Kromasil C18 pretreatment column (20 x 4 mm, 5 microns), Ultrasphere Cyano analysis column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 um, Beckman) were used. To the plasma sample 1.0 ml, 0.5 ml phosphate buffer (2.0 mol/L, pH 9.0) containing 0.4% diphenylboric acid 2-aminoethyl ester was added, then extraction was performed with the use of 4.0 ml chloroform containing 1% tetraoctylammonium bromide. The organic layer was removed and extracted again with 300 microliters (0.08 mol/L) acetic acid. 100 microliters of the acid layer was injected onto the column. The mobile phase of pH 2.8, 0.025 mol/L phosphate buffer-acetonitrile-methanol (95:4:1) was pumped at the rate of 0.9 and 1.0 ml.min-1 through the pretreatment and analysis column, respectively. The column-switching time was from 0.7 min to 1.5 min. The detector at 0.002 aufs was set at 224 nm. RESULTS: The retention time for salbutamol was 6.7 min and that for internal standard (morphine) 7.6 min. The standard curve was linear over the concentration range from 0.5 to 32 micrograms/L. The lowest concentration of detection in plasma was 0.5 microgram/L. The method recovery was 96%-107%; the intra-day RSD less than 5%; the inter-day RSD less than 8%. CONCLUSION: This method was found to be simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate for determination of salbutamol in human plasma.