Simultaneous determination of acyclovir, ganciclovir, and ( R )‐9‐[4‐hydroxy‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine in human plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography

Acyclovir, ganciclovir and ( R )‐9‐[4‐hydroxy‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine are active in vitro against the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) but their in vivo anti‐EBV activity is not well understood. We developed a novel, sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography assay with ultraviolet detection for measuring acyclovir, ganciclovir and ( R )‐9‐[4‐hydroxy‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine in human plasma to identify quantitative relationships between in vitro anti‐EBV activity and therapeutic response. Characteristics of the assay include a low plasma volume (200 µL), perchloric acid protein precipitation, use of penciclovir as the internal standard, run times less than 8 min and a 50 ng/mL lower limit of quantification. The within‐ and between‐assay variability is 0.7–4.8 and 1.0–7.9%, respectively. Accuracy for all three drugs ranges from 89.5 to 106.4% for four quality controls (50, 100, 1000 and 10,000 ng/mL). This assay supports pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of candidate anti‐EBV drugs in children and adults with EBV infections. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.