Application of a Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling (VAMS)-Based Method for the Determination of Paracetamol and Four of its Metabolites as a Tool for Pharmacokinetic Studies in Obese and Non-Obese Patients
Boffel et al.
The finding, in our words
Finger-prick VAMS sampling gives results that agree well with venous blood for paracetamol and three of its four metabolites, offering a less burdensome method for pharmacokinetic studies in obese and non-obese patients. Concentrations of APAP-cysteine in dried blood require careful interpretation, as this metabolite showed the largest differences between capillary and venous samples.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In matched clinical samples from rheumatoid arthritis, VAMS and DBS showed strong agreement for methotrexate polyglutamates (slopes 0.95-1.07; bias within -4.21% to 0.36%; SRCC ≥ 0.969), with up to 100% of total MTXPG results within ±20% limits; capillary microsampling agreed closely with whole blood but differed from red blood cells, indicating matrix-specific differences that must be accounted for when interpreting against RBC-based reference values.
A validated LC-MS/MS method for everolimus using Mitra and Capitainer devices found excellent agreement between capillary microsamples and venous whole blood in 33 adult transplant recipients. The results showed high accuracy and negligible haematocrit effects, supporting the use of microsampling for decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring.
A validated offline SPE-LC-MS/MS method using the Mitra microsampling device successfully quantified tacrolimus, cyclosporine A, tryptophan, kynurenine, and creatinine simultaneously. The method met EMA and FDA criteria, showing agreement between capillary and venous sampling, which could facilitate decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring and transplant follow-up through patient self-collection.
In 55 patients, four approaches to convert dried capillary blood concentrations to plasma equivalents were evaluated. All methods except haematocrit-based conversion yielded acceptable analytical and clinical agreement for paracetamol and metabolites, supporting the reliability of capillary microsampling for decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring.
The study validated a VAMS-based LC-MS/MS method for measuring sirolimus levels, showing it was clinically equivalent to the standard whole blood method and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring in paediatric transplant patients, supporting the use of decentralised microsampling for this purpose.