A validated HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of bleomycin A2 and B2 in human plasma

Abstract

Bleomycin is an anti-neoplastic drug that has recently been used for the treatment of vascular anomalies. The plasma concentration of bleomycin following intralesional injection into vascular lesions is unknown. An expedient method was developed for the determination of plasma bleomycin levels using ion-paired reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Prior to sample analysis using the HPLC, a one-step protein precipitation sample preparation procedure was used to remove proteins from the plasma. The calibration curve was linear over the range 0.1 - 0.8μg/mL bleomycin A2 and 0.2 – 1.0μg/mL bleomycin B2. Recovery was approximately 100%. This method provides a simple and rapid way of determining the levels of bleomycin A2 and B2 in patient plasma.