A high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous quantification of metformin and ferulic acid in solid dosage forms.

Metformin is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, while ferulic acid is a molecule that stands out for its antioxidant potential. Recent studies demonstrate hypoglycemic synergy between these molecules. The objective of this study is to develop and validate an analytical methodology by high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous quantification of these drugs in pharmaceutical formulations. The method used an octadecylsilane column and a mobile phase composed of 6 mM sodium lauryl sulfate in 15 mM phosphate buffer:ACN (65:35). Ferulic acid and metformin were monitored at 232 nm, with a mobile phase flow rate of 1 ml/min and oven temperature at 40°C. The method was linear in the range of 5-25 µg/ml for both molecules. In the presence of degradation products, satisfactory selectivity was achieved. Accuracy values were close to 100% and standard deviations in precision were less than 2%. In the robustness evaluation, the proposed variations did not interfere with the quantification. Therefore, it is concluded that the present method can be safely applied to the quality control of ferulic acid and metformin raw materials, as well as when they are combined in pharmaceutical formulations.

Antinociceptive activity of Sargassum polyceratium and the isolation of its chemical components

Abstract Marine algae have been the focus of important studies over the past fifty years, with a considerable number of components important to chemists and taxonomists having been isolated and characterized. The scientific data available on Sargassum polyceratium are extremely limited. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of an ethanol extract of S. polyceratium and to isolate its components. Intraperitoneal treatment with ethanol extract of S. polyceratium reduced the number of acetic acid-induced writhes and the amount of time spent in paw-licking in the second phase of the formalin test. Ethanol extract of S. polyceratium also reduced the amount of time spent in paw-licking in the glutamate test; however, there was no difference in the reaction time in the hot plate test at any of the doses tested. The chemical components isolated from ethanol extract of S. polyceratium were identified using one- and two-dimensional spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The analytical results were also compared with data obtained in the literature. The following porphyrin derivatives were isolated from S. polyceratium: 132-hydroxy-(132-R)-pheophytin-a, 132-hydroxy-(132-S)-pheophytin-a, pheophytin-a, and the steroid fucosterol. The present results indicate that the ethanol extract of S. polyceratium has antinociceptive activity. In addition, four new substances were isolated from the species evaluated.