A New and Rapid LC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Cysteamine Plasma Levels in Cystinosis Patients

oleh: Raffaele Simeoli, Sara Cairoli, Marcella Greco, Francesco Bellomo, Alessandro Mancini, Chiara Rossi, Carlo Dionisi Vici, Francesco Emma, Bianca Maria Goffredo

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-05-01

Deskripsi

Cystinosis is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the <i>CTNS</i> gene that encodes for the cystine transporter cystinosin, which is expressed on the lysosomal membrane mediating the efflux of cystine. Cysteamine bitartrate is a cystine-depleting aminothiol agent approved for the treatment of cystinosis in children and adults. In this study, we developed and validated a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of cysteamine levels in plasma samples. This LC-MS/MS method was validated according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s guidelines for bioanalytical method validation. An ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) coupled with a 6470 mass spectrometry system was used for cysteamine determination. Our validated method was applied to plasma samples from n = 8 cystinosis patients (median, interquartile range (IQR) = 20.5, 8.5–26.0 years). The samples were collected before cysteamine oral administration (pre-dose) and 1 h after (post-dose). Our bioanalytical method fulfilled the regulatory guidelines for method validation. The cysteamine plasma levels in pre-dose samples were 2.57 and 1.50–3.31 μM (median and IQR, respectively), whereas the post-dose samples reported a cysteamine median concentration of 28.00 μM (IQR: 17.60–36.61). Our method allows the rapid determination of cysteamine plasma levels. This method was successfully used in cystinosis patients and, therefore, could be a useful tool for the evaluation of therapy adherence and for future pharmacokinetic (PK) studies involving a higher number of subjects.