Development and validation of a UPLC-MS/MS method for rapid and simultaneous quantification of BPI-460372 and its metabolites BPI-460444 and BPI-460456 in human plasma

In cancer development and progression, the Hippo signaling pathway functions. The transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) stands out as a pivotal transcription factor within this pathway, and the suppression of TEAD represents a promising approach for cancer treatment. The primary aim of the study was to establish an analytical method for the concurrent quantification of a novel TEAD target inhibitor, BPI-460372, and its principal metabolites, BPI-460444 and BPI-460456, in human plasma. The chromatographic separation utilized a XSelect™ HSS C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 2.5 µm), while quantification was conducted on a SCIEX API 4000 mass spectrometer. 22 plasma samples were tested via the developed method. The calibration curve for BPI-460372 exhibited linearity from 2 to 2000 ng/mL, while its metabolites BPI-460444 and BPI-460456 had linearity between 1 and 1000 ng/mL (r > 0.99). The precision (RSD) was ≤ 17.1 %, and the accuracy (RE) fell within the range of −17.7 % to 15.0 %, all meeting acceptance criteria. The matrix effect was from 101.0 % to 105.8 %. The extraction recovery of analytes fell within the range of 96.8 % to 104.1 % with an RSD of less than 7.4 %. The developed method was effectively utilized in an advanced solid tumor patient, and the concentration trends of the three analytes in plasma were found to be largely consistent. The established analytical method showed great sensitivity, simplicity, accuracy, and reliability for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of the TEAD target inhibitor BPI-460372, alongside its major metabolites BPI-460444 and BPI-460456 in human plasma. This analytical method provided essential support for future clinical investigations and pharmacokinetic analysis.