Determination of lovastatin in human plasma using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection.

The authors have developed a simple, rapid HPLC assay with ultraviolet (UV) detection for the analytical determination of lovastatin and its acid in human plasma for a concentration range of 100-5,000 ng/mL. Sample clean-up involved the use of C10 solid-phase extraction cartridges. Our limit of quantitation was 100 ng/mL. Standard curves were linear from 100 to 5,000 ng/mL, with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.999 +/- 0.0002. Stored samples were stable at -70 degrees C for up to 4 months prior to reversed-phase HPLC analysis. This assay was able to measure steady-state lovastatin concentration (Css) at the initial dose level in a phase I trial of lovastatin as a modulator of apoptosis.