DETERMINATION OF FELODIPINE AND ITS METABOLITES IN PLASMA USING CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ELECTRON-CAPTURE DETECTION AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION BY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A novel method for the determination of felodipine and its metabolites in plasma by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection was developed. Felodipine and its oxidized metabolite were assayed by capillary GC after solid-phase extraction with the aid of a cool on-column injection technique. Acid metabolites, methyl monoacid and ethyl monoacid and diacid, were extracted with diethyl ether and propylated with 1-n-propyl-3-p-tolyltriazene before being submitted to capillary GC. These methods were very sensitive and useful for the pharmacokinetic study of felodipine. Felodipine and its metabolites were identified by GC-mass spectrometry. The mass spectral patterns of the peaks of extracts from human plasma samples after oral administration of felodipine were in good agreement with those of reference compounds.