Simultaneous determination of Avanafil and Dapoxetine in human plasma using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based on a protein precipitation technique

A rapid and selective LC-MS/MS method is described for the simultaneous assay of Avanafil and Dapoxetine in human plasma via a protein precipitation (PP) sample preparation technique. Tadalafil was chosen as the internal standard reaching good recovery and reproducibility while diminishing the effects of the matrix. An Agilent Zorbax Eclipse XDB C(18) column (4.6 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) was used for the chromatographic separation and analysis, while 0.1% formic acid : acetonitrile (60 : 40, v/v) was utilized at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min(−1). It was revealed that 6 min stop time accomplished the best separation. The assay was linear over the range of 10–6000 ng mL(−1) for both drugs. The established bio-analytical method validation was demonstrated following US-FDA recommendations including sensitivity, selectivity, linearity, accuracy and precision. Furthermore, other validation parameters were assessed such as the dilution integrity, matrix effect, carryover, and analyte stability during both short- and long-term sample processing and storage. The adopted method was efficaciously applied to a clinical study for the concurrent determination of Avanafil and Dapoxetine in human plasma.