A new and specific HPLC-DAD method for the direct determination of Prulifloxacin and its active metabolite, Ulifloxacin, in human plasma has been developed. Plasma samples were analysed after a simple solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up using a new HILIC stationary phase based high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column and an ammonium acetate buffer (5 mM, pH 5.8)/acetonitrile (both with 1% Et(3)N, v/v) mobile phase in isocratic elution mode, with Danofloxacin as the internal standard. Detection was performed using DAD from 200 to 500 nm and quantitative analyses were carried out at 278 nm. The LOQ of the method was 1 μg/mL of the cited analytes and the calibration curve showed a good linearity up to 25 μg/mL. For both analytes the precision (RSD%) and the trueness (bias%) of the method fulfil with International Guidelines. The method was applied for stability studies, at three QC concentration levels, in human plasma samples stored at different temperature of + 25, + 4 and -20 °C in order to evaluate plasma stability profiles.
Keywords: Extraction procedure; HPLC–DAD; Prulifloxacin; Ulifloxacin; stability profile.