A Simple and Rapid Reversed Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for Quantification of Alprazolam and α-Hydroxyalprazolam in Plasma

Abstract

A simple and rapid reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method for the determination of alprazolam and a-hydroxyalprazolam in plasma is described. Flunictrazepam was used as internal standard. Plasma samples were buffered with sodium borate and extracted with dichloromethane /n-pentane 4:6 v/v for 60 sec on a vortex apparatus. Extraction solvent was evaporated to dryness and extraction residues were reconstituted in the mobile phase. Samples were chromatographed on a 5μ Lichrospher RP-18 column (25cm × 4mm i. d) using acetonitrile/water 40:60 v/v as the mobile phase. The column effluent was monitored at 230nm. The lower limit of detection was 1ng/ml for alprazolam and a-hydroxyalprazolam while the lower limit of quantification was 2ng/ml for both compounds. Peak height and plasma