Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To establish a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) method for quantifying serum concentrations of polymyxin E1 and polymyxin E2 in pediatric patients with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative(MDRGN) infections, using polymyxin B1 as an internal standard, and to characterize the pharmacokinetics of polymyxin E in this population.
METHODS The Waters ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.7 μm) column was used to separate the main components of polymyxin E, and an LC-MS/MS with a time program of 5.0 min was established. Acetonitrile(containing 2% formic acid) was used as precipitator for sample pretreatment of protein precipitation. Positive ion scanning and multiple reaction monitoring mode were used for analyte determination.
RESULTS A linear response was observed for polymyxin E1 in serum concentrations ranging from 0.11 to 4.14 μg·mL−1 (r2>0.9971) and for polymyxin E2 from 0.15 to 5.60 μg·mL−1 (r2>0.9902). The intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy(RSD) were all within 15%. Application of this validated method to characterize the pharmacokinetics of polymyxin E in pediatric patients with MDRGN infections revealed that following an initial loading dose(4 mg·kg−1), the prodrug colistimethate sodium(CMS) rapidly attained its maximum plasma concentration(Cmax) at 0.5 h after the initiation of intravenous infusion. The active metabolite, polymyxin E reached its Cmax at 4 h post-dose, consistent with the known hydrolysis and conversion process of CMS in vivo. The maintenance dose(2.5 mg·kg−1 CMS, q12 h) was initiated starting from the second dose and continued for 10 d. The trough concentration of polymyxin E in the pediatric patient began to approach steady state from day 3 onward. The area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 hours(AUC0–24h), estimated using a limited sampling strategy, was (41.40±1.25)mg·h·L−1.
CONCLUSION In this study, a quantitative assay for polymyxin E was established employing a Waters ACQUITY UPLC I-Class/Xevo TQD IVD LC-MS/MS system. The developed method is rapid, straightforward, and cost-effective, making it well-suited for therapeutic drug monitoring of polymyxin E in pediatric patients with MDRGN infections. This approach serves as a valuable tool for clinicians to precisely monitor polymyxin E therapy in children with MDRGN infections.