A novel, simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of insulin glargine and its metabolites (M1 and M2)

Glargine and its active metabolites (M1 and M2) were analyzed in human plasma using a solid phase extraction method in MRM mode on LCMS-8060. The developed method is novel, simple and sensitive for simultaneous estimation of glargine and its active metabolites in human plasma. Insulin Glargine is a recombinant human insulin analog with long-acting, blood glucose-lowering activity. Insulin glargine differs from human insulin by replacing asparagine with glycine in position 21 of the Achain and by carboxy-terminal extension of B-chain by 2 arginine residues. After subcutaneous injection, glargine undergoes an enzymatic removal of the basic arginine pair at positions 30B and 31B to yield 21AGly- human insulin (metabolite 1 [M1]), analogous to prohormone activation, with some further loss of threonine to 21A-Gly-des-30B-Thr-human insulin (metabolite 2 [M2]).