Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of febuxostat in dog plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A rapid, sensitive and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of febuxostat in dog plasma. Using paclitaxel as an internal standard (IS), a simple liquid-liquid extraction method with ethyl acetate was adopted for plasma sample pretreatment. Separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (containing 0.2% formic acid). The assay was linear in the concentration ranged from 5 to 5000 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 5 ng/mL for febuxostat. The single run analysis was as short as 2.0 min. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of febuxostat tablets following oral administration at a single dose of 40 mg in beagle dogs.