Numerous medications present a narrow therapeutic window or highly variable inter- or intra-individual serum concentrations, which requires a dosage adjustment. These assays are designed to verify the therapeutic efficacy and/or investigate a possible toxicity.
The pharmacology team assays numerous molecules (neuroleptic, antiepileptic, anti-tuberculosis and immunosuppressive drugs, and benzodiazepines) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which is currently considered the reference method in toxicology, pharmacology, and endocrinology. In fact, this approach combines the high sensitivity and specificity of the mass detector with the high resolution of liquid chromatography. The application of LC/MS-MS to the field of pharmacology allows us to assay active ingredients and their metabolites, with the active ones contributing to the pharmacological effect and the toxicity.
