Determination of lovastatin acid in serum by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The acid form of lovastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, was analyzed by gas chromatography/negative-ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry after derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl bromide and bis-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA). Mass spectrometry of this derivative produced a dominant [M-181]- ion under chemical ionization conditions using ammonia as the reagent gas. The limit of detection was approximately 2 pg injected on column.