Determination of abacavir, tenofovir, darunavir, and raltegravir in human plasma and saliva using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the determination of abacavir (ABC), tenofovir (TFV), darunavir (DRV), and raltegravir (RAL) in human plasma and saliva was developed and validated to investigate the applicability of saliva as an appropriate specimen for therapeutic drug monitoring. As internal standards, TFV was chosen for ABC, ABC was chosen for TFV, RAL for DRV, and DRV for RAL. Sample preparation involved protein precipitation with acetonitrile, evaporation of solvent using a centrifugal evaporator, and reconstitution by dissolving the residue in mobile phase. Liquid chromatography was performed on a C₁₈ reverse phase column (1.5×50mm, 5μm) isocratically at a flow rate of 0.2mL/min using 5mM formic acid-3% (v/v) acetonitrile as the mobile phase for ABC and TFV and 5mM formic acid-35% (v/v) acetonitrile as the mobile phase for DRV and RAL. The run time was 6min, and the retention time was approximately 2.0min for TFV, 2.5min for RAL, and 4-4.5min for ABC and DRV. Analytes were detected using tandem mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization mode. The precursor/product ion transitions (m/z) were 287.3/191.2 for ABC, 288.5/176.2 for TFV, 548.3/392.3 for DRV, and 445.3/109.5 for RAL, and were monitored on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The linearity of the assay was assessed in the range 1-10,000ng/mL for all four drugs. Within-run and between-run mean accuracy, precision, and the extraction recovery for all drugs were -14.5-18.1%, 1.2-13.1%, and 86.0-111.1%, respectively. The proposed assay is sufficiently sensitive and accurate to quantify these drugs in plasma and saliva, and is suitable for investigating the relationship between drug concentrations in plasma and saliva.