A selective, sensitive, and precise HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of fluoxetine (FL) and its N-demethylated metabolite norfluoxetine (NFL) in human plasma has been developed. Following extraction with n-hexane, FL, NFL, and fluvoxamine (internal standard) were derivatized with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl) under weakly alkaline conditions. NBD derivatives were extracted with chloroform after acidification and chromatographed on a reversed-phase column with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1 mol/L nitric acid (pH 3) solution. Calibration curves were linear over the range of 1.0-100.0 ng/mL and 0.1-50.0 ng/mL for FL and NFL, respectively, with inter- and intraassay precision given by a relative standard deviation (RSD%) of less than 9.2%. The lower limits of quantification were 1.0 ng/mL for FL and 0.1 ng/mL for NFL. Recoveries of FL and NFL from plasma at three different concentrations were assessed. Average recovery was about 100% for both substances. The assay was applied to pharmacokinetic study in 2 healthy volunteers after a single oral administration of 40 mg of FL.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.