Maged Kharouba, Asma Aboelezz, Adham Elshamy and Dr. Sherif Mahmoud article published in Separation Science Plus

Congratulations to Maged Kharouba, Asma Aboelezz, Adham Elshamy, Dr. Sherif Mahmoud & coauthors for the publication of their recent paper in Separation Science Plus.

Title: Development and Validation of an HPLC-UV Method for the Quantification of Cefepime in Human Plasma for Routine Clinical Monitoring

Authors: Maged Kharouba, Asma Aboelezz, Adham Elshamy, Aaron M. Cook, Melissa L. Thompson Bastin, Sherif Hanafy Mahmoud

Abstract: Cefepime, a broad-spectrum fourth-generation cephalosporin, is widely used to treat nosocomial infections. Dependence upon renal elimination makes its pharmacokinetics highly susceptible to changes in renal function, which are common in critically ill patients. Both acute kidney injury and augmented renal clearance can significantly alter cefepime concentrations. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a rapid, sensitive, selective, and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the quantification of cefepime in human plasma. Herein, we utilized a reverse-phase HPLC method that was developed using isocratic elution with a water/acetonitrile mobile phase (92:8, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Cefepime was detected by UV absorbance at 260 nm. The method was validated for linearity, selectivity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy, carryover, extraction recovery, and greenness. The developed method was linear in the range of 2.5–100 mg/L, and the total run time was 12 min. It also demonstrated selectivity, linearity (r2 > 0.99), negligible carryover, and safety to the environment. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were within acceptable limits. The extraction recovery ranged from 74% to 81%, and there was no significant matrix effect among the tested quality control samples. Cefepime plasma samples were stable for at least 1 month in −80°C. In conclusion, this rapid, sensitive, and selective HPLC method provides a reliable technique for cefepime quantification in human plasma, suitable for both research and routine therapeutic drug monitoring. Its ability to accurately quantify both subtherapeutic and supratherapeutic concentrations makes it particularly useful for managing critically ill patients with altered renal function.

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