Determination of pergolide in horse plasma by UPLC-MS/MS for pharmacokinetic applications.

This research presented the development of an uncomplicated assay for determining pergolide, a treatment for pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in horses, in plasma for pharmacokinetic studies. The method involves simple sample preparation and utilizes UPLC-MS/MS for its analyses.

Objective and Methodology

• The research’s goal was to generate an uncomplicated method, a UPLC-MS/MS assay, to determine the presence of pergolide in plasma. This new method would then be utilised in analysing pergolide’s pharmacokinetics, that is, how the drug moves within the body of horses.
• The researchers utilized a straightforward sample preparation process, involving methanol protein precipitation and injecting the supernatant.
• The UPLC-MS/MS assay was put to the test utilising samples from a horse that had been treated with 10mg of pergolide as a mesylate salt through nasogastric intubation.
• Researchers collected plasma samples over a 48-hour duration to monitor the presence of pergolide.

Findings and Accuracy

• The performance of the assay was adequate for its application to low-level PK studies.
• The precision of the assay, measured by the relative standard deviation (RSD), was found to be less than 10%.
• The assay’s accuracy was determined to be -7.3% at 0.014ng/mL.
• The lower limit of detection of the method was noted to be 0.002ng/mL, while the lower limit for quantification was 0.006ng/mL.

Application and Conclusion

• In the treated horse, the maximum concentration of pergolide (Cmax) was 0.40ng/mL.
• The precision of the assay allowed for the determination of plasma levels during the elimination phase up to 48 hours.
• The researchers concluded that the developed assay using UPLC-MS/MS for detecting pergolide in plasma easily satisfies the challenging demands of analysing pergolide in plasma, especially its need for sensitivity.