Development and validation of LC–MS/MS methods for the determination of mirabegron and its metabolites in human plasma and their application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

Mirabegron is being developed for the treatment of overactive bladder. To support the development of mirabegron, including pharmacokinetic studies, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry methods for mirabegron and eight metabolites (M5, M8, M11–M16) were developed and validated for heparinized human plasma containing sodium fluoride. Four separate bioanalytical methods were developed for the analysis of: (1) mirabegron; (2) M5 and M16; (3) M8; and (4) M11–M15. Either solid-phase extraction or liquid–liquid extraction was used to extract the analytes of interest from matrix constituents. For mirabegron, an Inertsil C8-3 analytical column was used and detection was performed using a triple-quad mass spectrometer equipped with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface. For the metabolite assays, chromatographic separation was performed through a Phenomenex Synergi Fusion-RP C18 analytical column and detection was performed using a triple-quad mass spectrometer equipped with a Heated Electrospray Ionization interface. The validation results demonstrated that the developed liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry methods were precise, accurate, and selective for the determination of mirabegron and its metabolites in human plasma. All methods were successfully applied in evaluating the pharmacokinetic parameters of mirabegron and metabolites in human plasma.