Analysis of cyclosporine A and its metabolites in rat urine and feces by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of cyclosporine A (CyA) and the identification of its metabolites in rat urine and feces. The analytes were extracted from waste samples via liquid–liquid extraction. A Turboionspray source was used as a detector. It was operated in a positive ion mode with transitions of m / z 1225 →  m / z 1112 for CyA and in a selected multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode with transitions of m / z 1239 →  m / z 1099 for the internal standard (cyclosporine D, CyD). Linear calibration curves were obtained for CyA concentration ranges of 12.5–250 ng mL −1 in urine and 2.5–375 ng mg −1 in feces. The intra- and inter-day precision values (relative standard deviation) obtained were less than 8%, and the accuracy was within ±15% for each of the analytes. Extraction recoveries of CyA and CyD were both over 80%. The identification of the metabolites and elucidation of their structure were performed on the basis of their retention times and mass spectrometry fragmentation behaviors. A total of seven metabolites in rat feces were identified as dimethyl CyA, hydroxy CyA, and dihydroxy CyA after the oral administration of cyclosporine A-Eudragit ® S100 nanoparticles (CyA-NP). Six of these metabolites were also detected in rat urine. A possible metabolic pathway was also proposed. The newly developed method was proven to be sensitive, simple, reproducible, and suitable for the rapid determination of CyA. It was successfully employed to study the excretion of CyA in rats and could be used to better understand the in vivo metabolism of CyA-NP, a potentially effective nanoparticle system.