PROBLEMS AND PITFALLS IN THE ASSAY OF PENTAMIDINE - IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL USE

Of the existing techniques, HPLC analysis of pentamidine allows for the most sensitive and rapid screening of clinical samples. However, it is important to test several extraction and chromatographic procedures to determine which system works consistently well for the particular samples being routinely analysed. Importantly, pentamidine is metabolised in rats and may be metabolised in humans, so an HPLC assay should separate pentamidine and its metabolites adequately. Capillary zone electrophoresis shows promise as a technique that may surpass HPLC for analysing pentamidine, but remains, at this point, unsuitable for routine work due to insufficient validation. © 1992, Adis International Limited. All rights reserved.