A validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to identify the pharmacokinetics of SR8278 in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

There is a relationship between circadian rhythm and metabolic disorders. The active agent, SR8278, could competitively bind to and inhibit the nuclear receptor, REV-ERB (a major modulator of mammalian circadian clock system), to regulate the metabolism in organisms. However, we had limited knowledge of the pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of SR8278. Here, we describe a sensitive and reproducible ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS/MS) method to quantify SR8278 in vivo. The linearity range and the limit of quantification (LOQ) for SR8278 were 30-3000 ng/mL and 6 ng/mL, respectively. The inter-day and intra-day variability were within 10%. This UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully used to characterize the PK behaviors of SR8278 in normal and diabetic rats after intravenous (i.v.) injection at a dosage of 2mg/kg. No significant differences were observed in the PK parameters of SR8278 in normal and diabetic rats. Specifically, the values of areas under plasma concentration time curves (AUC), initial plasma concentrations (C0), elimination half-lives (t1/2), and clearances (CL) were 608.33 ± 295.25 vs. 598.59 ± 276.92 ng·h/mL, 2410.25 ± 202.36 vs. 3742.11 ± 1300.21 ng/mL, 0.17 ± 0.08 vs. 0.11 ± 0.04 h, 3330.83 ± 1609.48 vs. 3364.81 ± 1111.38 mL/kg·h for SR8278 in normal rats vs. diabetic rats, respectively. In conclusion, a UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully developed and validated for the first time, with a wide linearity range, low LOQ, small sample volume (10 μL), rapid analysis (4 min) and excellent recoveries (>80%). It was also used to clarify the PK characteristics of SR8378 in rats. The same PK behaviors of SR8278 in normal and diabetic rats showed that diabetes may have little or no effect on the disposition, metabolism and/or elimination in vivo, which may be of great importance for future clinical studies.