Quantitative analysis of erythromycylamine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and its application in a bioequivalence study of dirithromycin enteric-coated tablets with a special focus on the fragmentation pattern and carryover effect.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of erythromycylamine, which is the predominant active metabolite of dirithromycin in human plasma. After solid-phase extraction, the analyte and internal standard (IS) were separated by using an isocratic mobile phase consisting of 20 mM ammonium acetate (pH 3.9, adjusted with formic acid)-acetonitrile (75:25, v/v) on a Phenyl-Hexyl column (150 × 2.