LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of the anti-cancer agent infigratinib: Application for estimation of metabolic stability in human liver microsomes

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2021 Aug 1:1179:122806. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122806. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Abstract

Infigratinib (INF) is a novel small molecule, administered orally, which acts as a human fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) inhibitor. FGFRs are a family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) reported to be upregulated in various tumor cell types. In 1 December 2020, BridgeBio Pharma Inc. announced FDA approval of INF as a New Drug Application, granting it Priority Review for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Thus, the current study aimed to establish a validated LC-MS/MS method to estimate the INF concentration in the HLM matrix. In silico prediction of INF metabolism was done using the StarDrop® WhichP450™ module to verify its metabolic stability. An accurate and efficient LC-MS/MS analytical method was developed for INF metabolic stability evaluation. INF and duvelisib (DVB) (internal standard; IS) were eluted using an isocratic mobile phase with a C18 column as a stationary reversed phase. The established LC-MS/MS method showed a linear range over 5-500 ng/mL (r2 ≥ 0.9998) in human liver microsomes (HLMs). The sensitivity of the method was confirmed at its limit of quantification (4.71 ng/mL), and reproducibility was indicated by inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision (within 7.3%). The evaluation of INF metabolic stability was assessed, which reflected an intrinsic clearance of 23.6 µL/min/mg and in vitro half-life of 29.4 min. The developed approach in the current study is the first LC-MS/MS method for INF metabolic stability assessment. Application of the developed method in HLM in vitro studies suggests that INF has a moderate extraction ratio, indicating relatively good predicted oral bioavailability.

Keywords: In vitro half-life; Infigratinib; LC-MS/MS; Metabolic stability assessment.

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods*
  • Drug Stability
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Microsomes, Liver / metabolism*
  • Phenylurea Compounds / analysis*
  • Phenylurea Compounds / metabolism
  • Pyrimidines / analysis*
  • Pyrimidines / metabolism
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*

Substances

  • Phenylurea Compounds
  • Pyrimidines
  • infigratinib