Detection of anti-ulcer drugs and their metabolites in horse urine by liquid chromatography - Mass spectrometry

This paper describes a convenient method for the extraction and detection of eight anti-ulcer drugs simultaneously in horse urine, a relatively complex and viscous matrix, using a single-step liquid-liquid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Anti-ulcer drugs were isolated from horse urine by salting out and liquid-liquid extraction. Detection of these drugs at concentrations below 1 ng mL(-1) could be achieved using LC-MS-MS in the positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mode. The above analysis was also extended to elimination studies of horses administered with ranitidine and omeprazole. The urinary elimination data of these two drugs suggest that ranitidine was eliminated from horse urine at a much slower rate than omeprazole. In addition, three ranitidine metabolites and six omeprozole metabolites were identified for the first time in equine urine samples.