Validated HPLC-MS-MS method for simultaneous determination of atorvastatin and 2-hydroxyatorvastatin in human plasma-pharmacokinetic study

Cholesterol-reducing statin drugs are the most frequently prescribed agents for reducing morbidity and mortality related to coronary heart disease. In this publication a validated, highly sensitive, and selective isocratic HPLC method is reported for quantitative determination of the major statin drug atorvastatin (ATV) and its metabolite 2-hydroxyatorvastatin (HATV). Detection was performed with an electrospray ionization triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an ESI interface operating in positive-ionization mode. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used for MS-MS detection. The calibration plot was linear in the concentration range 0.10-40.00 ng mL(-1) for both ATV and HATV. Inter-day and intra-day precision and accuracy of the proposed method were characterized by measurement of relative standard deviation (RSD) and percentage deviation, respectively; both were less than 8% for both analytes. The limit of quantitation was 0.02 ng mL(-1) for ATV and 0.07 ng mL(-1) for HATV. The method was used for pharmacokinetic study of ATV and HATV. Pharmacokinetic data for all analytes are also reported.