Validated HPLC method for determination of cefuroxime in human plasma.

Cefuroxime, (6R,7R)-3-(carbamoyloxymethyl) -7-{[(2Z)-2-(furan-2-yl)-2-methoxyiminoacetyl] amino}-8-oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene2-carboxylic acid (CEF, Fig. 1, R = H), is a secondgeneration cephalosporin used against different kinds of bacterial infections. Cefuroxime axetil (CEFA) is its 1-acetyloxyethyl ester. After oral administration, CEFA is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly hydrolyzed by nonspecific esterases in the intestinal mucosa and blood to CEF, which is subsequently distributed throughout the extracellular fluids. Following oral administration of CEFA tablets, maximum CEF concentration in plasma occurs at 1ñ4 hours. The elimination halflife is 1ñ2 hours (1, 2). The aim of the presented study was to adapt and validate the existing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method [1] for the determination of CEF in human plasma to allow pharmacokinetic studies in humans after oral administration of CEFA tablets. EXPERIMENTAL