Analysis of buprenorphine in rat plasma using a solid-phase extraction technique and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A solid-phase extraction method and sensitive reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis with electrochemical detection of buprenorphine and its metabolite, norbuprenorphine, in rat plasma is described. Adequate separation of the compounds of interest was achieved on a Phenomenex C18 reversed-phase column using a mobile phase comprising phosphate buffer: acetonitrile (75:25, pH 3.0) and 0.25 mM 1-octane-sulfonic acid, at a flow rat of 1 ml/min. Electrochemical detection was performed at a potential of 0.75 V and sensitivity of 2 nA. Buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine were extracted from plasma by solid-phase extraction technique using naltrindole as an internal standard (IS). Recoveries of buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine following the extraction method were high (70%-89%) over the concentration range used (25-100 ng/ml) and no endogenous substances in plasma interfered with any of the sample components. The retention times for norbuprenorphine, IS, and buprenorphine were 8, 12.5, and 30.5 min, respectively. The limits of detection of buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine in spiked plasma samples were 25 and 5 ng/ml, respectively. Using this method, buprenorphine was detected in rat plasma in animals acutely treated with the drug (5 mg/kg, s.c.).