Quantification of amikacin and kanamycin in serum using a simple and validated LC–MS/MS method

Background: Amikacin and kanamycin are frequently used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB. The current commercially available immunoassay is unable to analyze kanamycin and trough levels of amikacin. The objective was therefore to develop a LC–MS/MS method for the quantification of amikacin and kanamycin in human serum. Materials & methods: Using apramycin as internal standard, selectivity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effects and stability were evaluated. Results: The presented LC–MS/MS method meets the recommendations of the US FDA with a low LLOQ of 250 ng/ml for amikacin and 100 ng/ml for kanamycin. No statistical significant difference was found between the LC–MS/MS...