Simple simultaneous determination of moxifloxacin and metronidazole in complex biological matrices.

A simple, sensitive and rapid RP-HPLC method is presented, for the first time, for the simultaneous determination of moxifloxacin hydrochloride and metronidazole in different biological fluids including saliva and plasma without any matrix interference. The separation was performed using ACN and phosphate buffer (30 : 70% v/v) as the mobile phase on a Zorbax Eclipse Plus-C18 column attached to a guard column. The method was validated according to the FDA guidelines for bioanalytical method validation and was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of the studied drugs in saliva and plasma samples. The good precision and selectivity of the developed method allow it to be used for routine therapeutic drug monitoring of such drugs and it presents a simple and sensitive analytical tool for performing versatile pharmacokinetics and bioavailability studies. A DAD detector is valuable to determine each drug at its maximum wavelength to ensure high sensitivity. Determination of such a combination in saliva introduces a quick and non-invasive alternative to blood analysis.

Green analytical methods for simultaneous determination of compounds having relatively disparate absorbance; application to antibiotic formulation of azithromycin and levofloxacin.

Green validated spectrophotometric methods are developed for simultaneous determination of Azithromycin (AZI) and Levofloxacin (LEVO) antibiotic mixture. Determination of AZI presents a real analytical challenge as its structure lacks any chromophore, and hence it cannot be determined by direct spectrophotometry. However, the reaction of AZI with perchloric acid produces a green product that can be accurately determined spectrophotometrically. Thus, the work presented demonstrates simple green and sensitive methods for the simultaneous determination of AZI and LEVO mixture. Method I depends on direct measurement of absorbance of azithromycin and levofloxacin in perchloric acid methanolic solution at 482 nm and 224 nm, respectively. While, Method II depends on measuring the first derivative spectrophotometric peak-to-peak amplitudes of AZI and LEVO in perchloric acid methanolic solution at 475-490 nm and 280-253 nm, respectively. Regression analysis shows good linearity for AZI and LEVO over the concentration ranges of 5-50 and 2.5-20 µg/mL for method I and 5-50 and 5-40 µg/mL for method II for AZI and LEVO, respectively. The proposed methods were validated in compliance with ICH guidelines. The suggested procedures are successfully applied for the assay of AZI and LEVO mixture in bulk powder and laboratory-prepared tablets. Greenness profile of the proposed methods were compared with other published methods through applying the Eco-scale protocol. Assessment results demonstrated that the proposed methods are greener than other reported methods. Moreover, upon comparison with other methods, the proposed methods showed better or comparable sensitivity in addition to being selective and rapid with no requirement for laborious extraction techniques. These advantages encourage the application of the proposed methods in routine analysis of AZI and LEVO in quality control laboratories as green and simple analytical tool.

Robust Chromatographic Methods for the Analysis of Two Quaternary Mixtures Containing Paracetamol, Codeine, Guaifenesin and Pseudoephedrine or Phenylephrine in their Dosage Forms.

Two simple validated and highly selective methods for analysis of paracetamol, codeine, guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine quaternary mixtures were developed. The first method is a high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method where separation was successful using Agilent C18 (150 × 4.6 mm) column, gradient elution of phosphate buffer pH 3, methanol and acetonitrile and diode-array detection at 210 nm. The second method is a HPTLC method followed by densitometric measurement of the spots at 257 nm. Separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel using methylene chloride: methanol: glacial acetic acid: ammonia (17.8: 1.68: 0.4: 0.12, v/v) mobile phase. The methods were applied successfully for analysis of both quaternary mixtures in laboratory-prepared tablets and also validated in regards to linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity and stability.

A novel voltammetry offline coupled MALDI/TOF MS characterization of electrochemical reaction products and the voltammetric determination of febuxostat in human plasma.

A simple offline coupling voltammetry-MALDI/TOF MS procedure is presented for studying electrochemical reactions. It was utilized for the characterization of the electro-reduction products of febuxostat in methanolic acetate buffer (0.1 M, pH 5). The MS analysis reveals that the carboxylic and nitrile groups are the electro-reducible groups at -0.9338 and -1.5503 V with the conversion to aldehydic and amino groups, respectively. The developed voltammetric method was validated and applied successfully for the drug determination in pharmaceutical tablets and real plasma samples within the linearity ranges 0.03-2 and 0.4-5 µg mL-1, respectively.

Simultaneous determination of methocarbamol and aspirin in presence of their pharmacopeial-related substances in combined tablets using novel HPLC-DAD method.

Objective and Significance: Methocarbamol (MET) and aspirin (ASP) are widely used as a muscle relaxant combination. The USP reports guaifenesin (GUA) and salicylic acid (SAL) as related substances and hydrolytic products of MET and ASP, respectively. This work aimed at developing and validating a simple and sensitive RP-HPLC method for the determination of both drugs as well as their related substances (at their pharmacopeial limits) in their bulk powders, laboratory prepared mixtures, and MET-ASP combined tablets. Methods and Results: Chromatographic separation was achieved in less than 9 min with the required resolution, peak symmetry, and accuracy on C18 column using isocratic elution system of diluted acetic acid (pH 3.2): acetonitrile at the ratio of 79: 21, v/v, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Detection was achieved with photodiode array at 233 nm for MET, GUA, and SAL and at 273 nm for ASP. The developed method has been validated as per ICH guidelines and the calibration plots were linear over the concentration ranges of 2-150, 0.4-30, 25-450, and 0.2-27 µg/mL for MET, GUA, ASP, and SAL, respectively. Conclusion: The optimized method proved to be specific, robust and precise for the quality control of the studied drugs in pharmaceutical preparations to ascertain that their related substances are not exceeding the permitted pharmacopeial limits.

A novel HPLC-DAD method for simultaneous determination of febuxostat and diclofenac in biological samples: pharmacokinetic outcomes.

AIM: To develop a simple HPLC-DAD method for simultaneous determination of febuxostat (FEB) and diclofenac (DIC) in biological samples to assess pharmacokinetic outcomes of their coadministration. Methodology & results: Sample preparation was performed by liquid-liquid extraction. Drugs analysis was done on C18 column using methanol-formic acid pH 2.1 (76:24, v/v) as mobile phase and time-programmed UV detection. Lower limits of quantitation for FEB and DIC were 10 and 20 ng/ml, respectively. Baseline pharmacokinetics were similar to published data on either drug alone. Coadministration led to more than twofold increase in FEB Cmax and AUC together with a reduced hepatic uptake in rats. CONCLUSION: DIC interfered with initial distribution and terminal clearance of FEB potentially due to reduced FEB hepatic uptake.

Sensitive inexpensive chromatographic determination of an antimicrobial combination in human plasma and its pharmacokinetic application.

This study represents simple inexpensive chromatographic determination of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tinidazole (TIN) simultaneously in human plasma using HPLC-DAD followed by a pharmacokinetic application. C18 column was used as stationary phase with isocratic elution of a mobile phase composed of acetic acid solution (2%) and acetonitrile (85: 15, v/v) and ornidazole as internal standard (IS) with UV detection at 318 nm. The two drugs and the IS were separated at 6.55, 7.91 and 11.07 min for CIP, TIN and IS, respectively, with good selectivity and sensitivity for their analysis in presence of plasma matrix components and the drugs' metabolites. Sample preparation involved only protein precipitation without any complicated extraction procedures decreasing analysis time. For method validation, FDA regulations for analysis in biological fluids were followed. Pharmacokinetic (PK) study on six healthy volunteers was conducted after single oral dose administration of 500 and 600 mg of CIP and TIN, respectively. Dugs' plasma levels were followed for 12 or 72 h post dosing for CIP and TIN, respectively, and different PK data for the two drugs were calculated and they were comparable to the reported values demonstrating successful future application of the presented method in PK, bioequivalence and bioavailability studies.

High-performance thin-layer chromatographic methods for the determination of febuxostat and febuxostat/diclofenac combination in human plasma.

Two simple, sensitive and specific high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methods were developed for the determination of febuxostat (FEB) individually, and simultaneously with diclofenac (DIC) in human plasma. Method A presents the first HPTLC-ultraviolet attempt for FEB determination in human plasma. FEB was separated from endogenous plasma components (at hRF = 70) with ethyl acetate-methanol-water (9:2:1, v/v) mixture as mobile phase and quantified by densitometry at its λmax (315 nm). Method B is considered the first attempt for the simultaneous determination of FEB and DIC in human plasma. A mixture of petroleum ether-chloroform-ethyl acetate-formic acid (7.5:1:2.5:0.25, v/v) was used as the mobile phase. The two drugs were separated at hRF of 39 and 60 for FEB and DIC, respectively. FEB and DIC were quantified by densitometry at their isoabsorptive point (289 nm). FEB calibration plots were linear between 0.1 and 7 µg mL-1 in both methods A and B. In method B, DIC showed linear response in the range of 0.08-8 µg mL-1. Sample preparation was performed by liquid-liquid extraction using diethyl ether. Both methods did not record any interference from plasma matrix, the studied drugs' metabolites or their decomposition products. They were successfully applied for the determination of the studied drugs in healthy male volunteers after oral administration of FEB or FEB/DIC dosage forms. FEB plasma concentration increased significantly when given with DIC. The proposed methods provided very simple, rapid and cheap approaches that might be attractive for the future pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies of FEB and/or DIC.

Enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of two novel combination therapies for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia containing tamsulosin hydrochloride.

Two novel combination therapies for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia were analyzed using simple and enhanced spectrofluorimetric methods based on derivative and derivative ratio techniques. The two combinations contained tamsulosin hydrochloride (TAM) as a minor component with tolterodine tartrate (TOL) or solifenacin succinate (SOL). The fluorescence of the three drugs under study was measured in methanolic water solution. For the TAM and SOL mixture, successful resolution between both drugs was achieved by derivative manipulation of both ratio and zero-order emission spectra with good linearity in the ranges of 0.75-3.50 and 2.5-15.0 µg ml-1 for TAM and SOL, respectively. Extensive emission spectral overlap was observed for the TAM and TOL mixture. Therefore, only derivative application of the ratio emission spectra resolved such overlap and quantitated TAM and TOL simultaneously in the ranges 0.75-3.50 and 2.5-20.0 µg ml-1 for TAM and TOL, respectively. Optimization of various experimental parameters that affected the fluorescence intensity of the three drugs was performed. Successful application of all proposed methods was achieved for analysis of the two drugs in each combination therapy in their laboratory-prepared mixtures and dosage forms with good accuracy and precision.

Least median of squares and iteratively re-weighted least squares as robust linear regression methods for fluorimetric determination of α-lipoic acid in capsules in ideal and non-ideal cases of linearity.

This study outlines two robust regression approaches, namely least median of squares (LMS) and iteratively re-weighted least squares (IRLS) to investigate their application in instrument analysis of nutraceuticals (that is, fluorescence quenching of merbromin reagent upon lipoic acid addition). These robust regression methods were used to calculate calibration data from the fluorescence quenching reaction (∆F and F-ratio) under ideal or non-ideal linearity conditions. For each condition, data were treated using three regression fittings: Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), LMS and IRLS. Assessment of linearity, limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ), accuracy and precision were carefully studied for each condition. LMS and IRLS regression line fittings showed significant improvement in correlation coefficients and all regression parameters for both methods and both conditions. In the ideal linearity condition, the intercept and slope changed insignificantly, but a dramatic change was observed for the non-ideal condition and linearity intercept. Under both linearity conditions, LOD and LOQ values after the robust regression line fitting of data were lower than those obtained before data treatment. The results obtained after statistical treatment indicated that the linearity ranges for drug determination could be expanded to lower limits of quantitation by enhancing the regression equation parameters after data treatment. Analysis results for lipoic acid in capsules, using both fluorimetric methods, treated by parametric OLS and after treatment by robust LMS and IRLS were compared for both linearity conditions.

Novel Validated HPTLC Method for the Analysis of Two Binary Mixtures Containing Tamsulosin Hydrochloride with Antimuscarinic Agents.

A validated and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the analysis of mixures of tamsulosin hydrochloride (TAM) with either tolterodine tartrate (TOL) or solifenacin succinate (SOL) in bulk drug and in combined dosage forms. The proposed method is based on HPTLC separation of the three drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 224 nm. Separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F254 using ethyl acetate-methanol-ammonia (6:4:0.05, v/v) as mobile phase. The linear regression analysis data were used for the regression line in the range of 0.1-0.7, 0.4-4 and 1-6 µg band-1 for TAM, TOL and SOL, respectively. The proposed method was validated and successfully applied for the analysis of their pharmaceutical formulations and laboratory-prepared mixtures containing the two bicomponent combinations. The method was validated and showed good performances in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability.

Stability indicating HPLC-DAD method for analysis of Ketorolac binary and ternary mixtures in eye drops: Quantitative analysis in rabbit aqueous humor.

Ketorolac tromethamine (KTC) with phenylephrine hydrochloride (PHE) binary mixture (mixture 1) and their ternary mixture with chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) (mixture 2) were analyzed using a validated HPLC-DAD method. The developed method was suitable for the in vitro as well as quantitative analysis of the targeted mixtures in rabbit aqueous humor. The analysis in dosage form (eye drops) was a stability indicating one at which drugs were separated from possible degradation products arising from different stress conditions (in vitro analysis). For analysis in aqueous humor, Guaifenesin (GUF) was used as internal standard and the method was validated according to FDA regulation for analysis in biological fluids. Agilent 5 HC-C18(2) 150×4.6mm was used as stationary phase with a gradient eluting solvent of 20mM phosphate buffer pH 4.6 containing 0.2% triethylamine and acetonitrile. The drugs were resolved with retention times of 2.41, 5.26, 7.92 and 9.64min for PHE, GUF, KTC and CPM, respectively. The method was sensitive and selective to analyze simultaneously the three drugs in presence of possible forced degradation products and dosage form excipients (in vitro analysis) and also with the internal standard, in presence of aqueous humor interferences (analysis in biological fluid), at a single wavelength (261nm). No extraction procedure was required for analysis in aqueous humor. The simplicity of the method emphasizes its capability to analyze the drugs in vivo (in rabbit aqueous humor) and in vitro (in pharmaceutical formulations).

Analysis of Closely Related Antioxidant Nutraceuticals Using the Green Analytical Methodology of ANN and Smart Spectrophotometric Methods.

Two new, simple, and specific green analytical methods are proposed: zero-crossing first-derivative and chemometric-based spectrophotometric artificial neural network (ANN). The proposed methods were used for the simultaneous estimation of two closely related antioxidant nutraceuticals, coenzyme Q10 (Q10) and vitamin E, in their mixtures and pharmaceutical preparations. The first method is based on the handling of spectrophotometric data with the first-derivative technique, in which both nutraceuticals were determined in ethanol, each at the zero crossing of the other. The amplitudes of the first-derivative spectra for Q10 and vitamin E were recorded at 285 and 235 nm respectively, and correlated with their concentrations. The linearity ranges of Q10 and vitamin E were 10-60 and 5.6-70 µg⋅mL-1, respectively. The second method, ANN, is a multivariate calibration method and it was developed and applied for the simultaneous determination of both analytes. A training set of 90 different synthetic mixtures containing Q10 and vitamin E in the ranges of 0-100 and 0-556 µg⋅mL-1, respectively, was prepared in ethanol. The absorption spectra of the training set were recorded in the spectral region of 230-300 nm. By relating the concentration sets (x-block) with their corresponding absorption data (y-block), gradient-descent back-propagation ANN calibration could be computed. To validate the proposed network, a set of 45 synthetic mixtures of the two drugs was used. Both proposed methods were successfully applied for the assay of Q10 and vitamin E in their laboratory-prepared mixtures and in their pharmaceutical tablets with excellent recovery. These methods offer advantages over other methods because of low-cost equipment, time-saving measures, and environmentally friendly materials. In addition, no chemical separation prior to analysis was needed. The ANN method was superior to the derivative technique because ANN can determine both drugs under nonlinear experimental conditions. Consequently, ANN would be the method of choice in the routine analysis of Q10 and vitamin E tablets. No interference from common pharmaceutical additives was observed. Student's t-test and the F-test were used to compare the two methods. No significant difference was recorded.

HPTLC and Spectrophotometric Estimation of Febuxostat and Diclofenac Potassium in Their Combined Tablets.

An accurate, precise, rapid, specific and economic high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of febuxostat (FEB) and diclofenac potassium (DIC). The chromatographic separation was performed on precoated silica gel 60 GF254 plates with chloroform-methanol 7:3 (v/v) as the mobile phase. The developed plates were scanned and quantified at 289 nm. Experimental conditions including band size, mobile phase composition and chamber-saturation time were critically studied, and the optimum conditions were selected. A satisfactory resolution (Rs = 2.67) with RF 0.48 and 0.69 and high sensitivity with limits of detection of 4 and 7 ng/band for FEB and DIC, respectively, were obtained. In addition, derivative ratio and ratio difference spectrophotometric methods were established for the analysis of such a mixture. All methods were validated as per the ICH guidelines. In the HPTLC method, the calibration plots were linear between 0.01-0.55 and 0.02-0.60 µg/band, for FEB and DIC, respectively. For the spectrophotometric methods, the calibration graphs were linear between 2-14 and 4-18 µg/mL for FEB and DIC, respectively. The simplicity and specificity of the proposed methods suggest their application in quality control analysis of FEB and DIC in their raw materials and tablets. A comparison of the proposed methods with the existing methods is presented.

Development and Validation of a High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Two Binary Mixtures Containing Ketorolac Tromethamine with Phenylephrine Hydrochloride and with Febuxostat.

A validated and highly selective high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the determination of ketorolac tromethamine (KTC) with phenylephrine hydrochloride (PHE) (Mixture 1) and with febuxostat (FBX) (Mixture 2) in bulk drug and in combined dosage forms. The proposed method was based on HPTLC separation of the drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 273 and 320 nm for Mixtures 1 and 2, respectively. The separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F254 using chloroform-methanol-ammonia (7:3:0.1, v/v) and (7.5:2.5:0.1, v/v) as mobile phase for KTC/PHE and KTC/FBX mixtures, respectively. Linear regression lines were obtained over the concentration ranges 0.20-0.60 and 0.60-1.95 µg band(-1)for KTC and PHE (Mixture 1), respectively, and 0.10-1.00 and 0.25-2.50 µg band(-1) for KTC and FBX (Mixture 2), respectively, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.999. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the two drugs in their synthetic mixtures and in their dosage forms. The mean percentage recoveries were in the range of 98-102%, and the RSD did not exceed 2%. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines and showed good performances in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability.

Development and validation of spectrophotometric and HPTLC methods for simultaneous determination of rosiglitazone maleate and metformin hydrochloride in the presence of interfering matrix excipients.

Two simple methods have been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of rosiglitazone maleate (ROS) and metformin hydrochloride (MET) in synthetic mixtures and coated tablets in a ratio of 1:250 (ROS:MET). The first method was a spectrophotometric one. The minor component, ROS was determined by measuring the values of absorbance at λmax 312 nm and the D1 amplitudes at 331 nm where MET shows no absorption contribution. However, absorbance interferences from tablet excipients were successfully corrected by D1 at 331 nm zero-crossing technique. Study of spectral interference from tablet excipients was included in the text. Standard curves for Amax and D1 methods were in the concentration range 20.0-80.0 µg mL(-1). The major component, MET was determined both in binary mixtures and tablets by measuring its Amax at 236 nm. Extensive dilution eliminated any absorption contribution from the coexisting ROS or tablet matrix. Standard curves showed linearity in the concentration range 4.0-12.8 µg mL(-1). The second method was based on high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) separation of the two drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 230 nm. The separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminium sheets of silica gel 60 F254 using methanol:water:NH4Cl 1% w/v (5:4:1 v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Linear calibration graphs of peak area values were obtained versus concentrations in the range of 0.4-2.0 µg band(-1) and 20.0-100.0 µg band(-1) for ROS and MET, respectively. According to International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines, different validation parameters were verified for the two methods and presented.

Kinetic spectrophotometric methods for the determination of artificial sweetener (sucralose) in tablets.

Two simple and sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric methods for the determination of sucralose are described. The first method is based upon a kinetic investigation of the oxidation reaction of the drug with alkaline potassium permanganate at room temperature for a fixed time of 30 min. The absorbance of the green coloured manganate ions produced was measured at 610 nm. The second method is based on the reaction of sucralose with cerium (IV) ammonium sulfate in the presence of perchloric acid with the subsequent measurement of the excess unreacted cerium (IV) ammonium sulfate at 320 nm at a fixed time of 30 min in a thermostated water bath at 60 ± 1 °C. This principle is adopted to develop a kinetic method for sucralose determination. The absorbance concentration plots in both methods were rectilinear over the range 4-16 and 10-30 µg ml(-1) , for the first and second methods, respectively. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the colours were carefully studied and optimized. The determination of sucralose by rate constant method, fixed concentration method, and fixed-time method was also feasible with calibration equations obtained but the latter method was found to be more applicable. The two methods have been applied successfully to commercial tablets.

Development of a differential pulse voltammetric method for the determination of Silymarin/Vitamin E acetate mixture in pharmaceuticals.

Differential pulse voltammetric method was developed for determination of Silymarin (SMR)/Vitamin E acetate (VEA) mixture in pharmaceuticals. SMR and VE gave well-resolved diffusion-controlled anodic peaks at +756 and +444mV, respectively (versus Ag/AgCl) in Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 2.8. The solution conditions and instrumental parameters were optimized for their quantitative determination. The linear response was obtained in the range 0.1-4.0mgL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.03mgL(-1) for SMR and 0.05-4.0mgL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.01mgL(-1)for VEA.

Differential pulse, square wave and adsorptive stripping voltammetric quantification of tianeptine in tablets.

Differential pulse polarographic (DPP) and square wave polarographic (SWP) techniques were applied at hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) for quantitative determination of tianeptine (TIA) in tablets. The adsorptive stripping voltammetric (ASV) behavior of TIA was also studied. TIA gave a sensitive reduction peaks at -1256, -1244 and -1072 mV for DPP, SWP and ASV, respectively (versus Ag/AgCl) in Britton-Robinson buffer (B-R buffer) at pH 11. The solution conditions and instrumental parameters were optimized for the determination of TIA in tablets. Calibration plots and regression data validation, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and other aspects of analytical merit are presented.