Determination of plasma concentrations of SCH 44643 by a GC method and correlation of plasma concentration and anti-PAF activity in cynomolgus monkeys

Inhibiting the action of platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of allergic disorders. SCH 44643 is a new orally-active antagonist of response to both PAF and histamine. This study was done to determine plasma drug concentrations using a GC method and to compare them to ex-vivo anti-PAF activity in the plasma of cynomolgus monkeys following a single oral (12.5 mg kg-1) administration. The GC method involved organic solvent extraction of monkey plasma followed by a GC analysis in a RTX-1 capillary column with a nitrogen/phosphorus detector. The method showed good precision (RSD < 8%) and accuracy (bias < 9%) with a limit of quantitation of 20 ng ml-1. The plasma profiles of SCH 44643 concentration and anti-PAF activity were very similar in each of the six monkeys. There was an excellent correlation (r = 0.9003) between anti-PAF activity and plasma concentration of SCH 44643, suggesting that the anti-PAF activity in cynomolgus monkeys was primarily due to unchanged SCH 44643, rather than its potential metabolite(s).