A Review of Different Analytical Techniques for Fexofenadine Hydrochloride and Montelukast Sodium in Different Matrices.

Fexofenadine hydrochloride is an antihistamine agent used for the treatment of allergic disorders like rhinitis. It is a second generation antihistamine. Montelukast sodium is an anti-asthmatic agent and leukotriene receptor antagonist used in the treatment of respiratory disorders. This article exemplifies the reported analytical methods like electrometric methods, ultraviolet spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, high performance thin layer chromatography and tandem spectroscopy for determination of fexofenadine HCl and montelukast sodium in dosage form and in biological matrices. This review covers almost all the analytical methods for fexofenadine hydrochloride and montelukast sodium form 1968-2018 years. Complete analytical validation parameters reported are discussed in this review for both analytes. Among various analytical methods, HPLC and UV-visible spectrophotometry were found to be the most extensively used methods by the researchers.

Simultaneous quantitation of Ofloxacin, Fexofenadine HCl and Diclofenac Potassium in affixed dose combinative formulation by HPLC-UV method.

A high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV) based simple and specific method for simultaneous quantitative determination of Ofloxacin, Fexofenadine HCl and Diclofenac Potassium has been developed and validated according to ICH guidelines. Chromatographic separation of the three drugs was carried out on 4.6 x 250 mm x 5 µ Licrospher RP Select B Column, using mobile phase constituted of methanol and phosphate buffer pH 3.5 (650: 350), pH adjusted to 3.5 ± 0.05 with dilute ortho-phosphoric acid and delivered at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The eluents were detected at UV wavelength of 220 nm and the retention times for Ofloxacin, Fexofenadine HCl and Diclofenac Potassium were 2.5 minutes, 4 minutes and 11.5 minutes, respectively. This method is suitable and specific for the three drugs and was found to be linear (R² > 0.996), accurate, specific, reproducible and robust over a concentration range of 0.05 to 0.15 mg/ml for Ofloxacin, 0.015 to 0.045 mg/ml for Fexofenadine HCl and 0.0125 to 0.0375 mg/ml for Diclofenac Potassium. The proposed method is simple and convenient, hence easily utilized for the characterization and quantitation of the three drugs in a single formulation for combination therapy of rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, infection with fever and flu.

Determination of Some Non-sedating Antihistamines via Their Native Fluorescence and Derivation of Some Quantitative Fluorescence Intensity - Structure Relationships.

A validated simple, novel, and rapid spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of some non-sedating antihistamines (NSAs); namely cetirizine (CTZ), ebastine (EBS), fexofenadine (FXD), and loratadine (LOR). The method is based on measuring the native fluorescence of the cited drugs after protonation in acidic media and studying their quantitative fluorescence intensity - structure relationships. There was a linear relationship between the relative fluorescence intensity and the concentration of the investigated drug. Under the optimal conditions, the linear ranges of calibration curves for the determination of the studied NSAs were 0.10-2.0, 0.20-6.0, and 0.02-1.0 [Formula: see text] for (CTZ, FXD), (EBS), and (LOR); respectively. The factors affecting the protonation of the studied drugs were carefully studied and optimized. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The suggested method is applicable for the determination of the four investigated drugs in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms with excellent recoveries (97.67-103.80%). Quantitative relationships were found between the relative fluorescence intensities of the protonated drugs and their physicochemical parameters namely: the pKa, log P, connectivity indexes (χ(v)) and their squares. Regression equations (76) were obtained and not previously reported. Six of these equations were highly significant and used for the prediction of RFI of the studied NSAs.

Ultrafast high-resolution mass spectrometric finger pore imaging in latent finger prints.

Latent finger prints (LFPs) are deposits of sweat components in ridge and groove patterns, left after human fingers contact with a surface. Being important targets in biometry and forensic investigations they contain more information than topological patterns. With laser desorption mass spectrometry imaging (LD-MSI) we record 'three-dimensional' finger prints with additional chemical information as the third dimension. Here we show the potential of fast finger pore imaging (FPI) in latent finger prints employing LD-MSI without a classical matrix in a high- spatial resolution mode. Thin films of gold rapidly sputtered on top of the sample are used for desorption. FPI employing an optical image for rapid spatial orientation and guiding of the desorption laser enables the rapid analysis of individual finger pores, and the chemical composition of their excretions. With this approach we rapidly detect metabolites, drugs, and characteristic excretions from the inside of the human organism by a minimally-invasive strategy, and distinguish them from chemicals in contact with fingers without any labeling. The fast finger pore imaging, analysis, and screening approach opens the door for a vast number of novel applications in such different fields as forensics, doping and medication control, therapy, as well as rapid profiling of individuals.

Thin layer chromatography-densitometric determination of some non-sedating antihistamines in combination with pseudoephedrine or acetaminophen in synthetic mixtures and in pharmaceutical formulations.

The combination of certain non-sedating antihistamines (NSA) such as fexofenadine (FXD), ketotifen (KET) and loratadine (LOR) with pseudoephedrine (PSE) or acetaminophen (ACE) is widely used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and chronic urticaria. A rapid, simple, selective and precise densitometric method was developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of six synthetic binary mixtures and their pharmaceutical dosage forms. The method employed thin layer chromatography aluminum plates precoated with silica gel G 60 F254 as the stationary phase. The mobile phases chosen for development gave compact bands for the mixtures FXD-PSE (I), KET-PSE (II), LOR-PSE (III), FXD-ACE (IV), KET-ACE (V) and LOR-ACE (VI) [Retardation factor (Rf ) values were (0.20, 0.32), (0.69, 0.34), (0.79, 0.13), (0.36, 0.70), (0.51, 0.30) and (0.76, 0.26), respectively]. Spectrodensitometric scanning integration was performed at 217, 218, 218, 233, 272 and 251 nm for the mixtures I-VI, respectively. The linear regression data for the calibration plots showed an excellent linear relationship. The method was validated for precision, accuracy, robustness and recovery. Limits of detection and quantitation were calculated. Statistical analysis proved that the method is reproducible and selective for the simultaneous estimation of these binary mixtures.

Development of a validated capillary electrophoresis method for enantiomeric purity control and quality control of levocetirizine in a pharmaceutical formulation.

A chiral capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for the quantification of 0.1% of the enantiomeric impurity (dextrocetirizine) in levocetirizine and determination of both in pharmaceuticals using sulfated-ß-cyclodextrins (CDs) as chiral selector. Several parameters affecting the separation were studied such as the type and concentration of chiral selectors, buffer composition and pH, organic modifier, mixtures of two CDs in a dual system, voltage, and temperature. The optimal separation conditions were obtained using a 50 mM tetraborate buffer (pH 8.2) containing 1% (w/v) sulfated-ß-CDs on a fused-silica capillary. Under these conditions, the resolution of two enantiomers was higher than 3. To validate the method, the stability of the solutions, robustness (two level half fraction factorial design for 5 factors using 19 experiments [2(n-1)+3]), precision, linearity (dextrocetirizine 0.25-2.5 µg/ml, R(2) = 0.9994, y = 0.0375x + 0.0008; levocetirizine 15-100 µg/ml, R(2) = 0.9996, y = 0.0213x + 0.0339), limit of detection (0.075 µg/ml, 0.03% m/m), limit of quantification (0.25 µg/ml, 0.1% m/m), accuracy (dextrocetirizine 84-109%, levocetirizine 97.3-103.1%), filter effect, and different CD batches were examined. The validated method was further applied to bulk drug and tablets of levocetirizine.

Analysis of fexofenadine in pharmaceutical formulations using tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(II) peroxydisulphate chemiluminescence system in a multichip device.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the analysis of fexofenadine (FEX) in pharmaceutical formulations, using a tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(II) [Ru(phen)(3)(2+)] peroxydisulphate chemiluminescence (CL) system in a multichip device. Various parameters that influence the CL signal intensity were optimized. These included pH, flow rates and concentration of reagents used. Under optimum conditions, a linear calibration curve in the range 0.05-5.0 µg/mL was obtained. The detection limit was found to be 0.001 µg/mL. The procedure was applied to the analysis of FEX in pharmaceutical products and was found to be free from interference from concomitants usually present in these preparations.

Stability-indicating micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric method for determination of loratadine and desloratadine in dosage forms.

A highly sensitive and simple spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of loratadine (LRT) and desloratadine (DSL) in their pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is based on investigation of the fluorescence spectral behaviour of LRT and DSL in a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micellar system. In aqueous solution of acetate buffer of pH 4.5, the fluorescence intensities of both LRT and DSL were greatly enhanced (240%) in the presence of SDS. The fluorescence intensity was measured at 438 nm after excitation at 290 nm for both drugs. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range 0.05-2.0 µg/mL for both LRT and DSL, with lower detection limits of 5.13 × 10(-3) and 6.35 × 10(-3) µg/mL for LRT and DSL, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the two drugs in their commercial tablets, capsules and syrups, and the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the official or comparison methods. The proposed method is specific for the determination of LRT in the presence of other co-formulated drugs, such as pseudoephedrine. The application of the proposed method was extended to stability studies of LRT and DSL after exposure to different forced degradation conditions, such as acidic, alkaline and oxidative conditions, according to ICH guidelines.

Development and validation of a novel stability-indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for assay of loratadine and determination of its related compounds.

Loratadine is an important active pharmaceutical ingredient used in a wide variety of prescription and over-the-counter products for the treatment and relief of allergy symptoms. A novel stability-indicating gradient ion-pair RP-HPLC method for assay of loratadine and determination of both of its degradation compounds and process impurities has been developed. This method can separate loratadine from its eight structurally related compounds; it can also separate all of the related compounds from each other in less than 20 min. The stability-indicating capability of this method has been demonstrated by analyzing aged stability samples of loratadine. A 15 cm x 4.6 mm id YMC-Pack Pro C18 HPLC column was the primary column and a 15 cm x 4.6 mm id SunFire C18 column has been identified as an alternate (truly equivalent) column for this method. This gradient method uses mobile phases consisting of acetonitrile and an aqueous solution of 10 mM sodium acetate and 5 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate at pH 5.5. The new HPLC method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and proved to be suitable for routine QC use.

Rapid separation of desloratadine and related compounds in solid pharmaceutical formulation using gradient ion-pair chromatography.

We reported the development of an ion-pair chromatographic method to separate desloratadine and all known related compounds in Clarinex Tablets, which use desloratadine as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). For the first time, baseline separation for desloratadine and all known related compounds was achieved by utilizing a YMC-Pack Pro C(18) column (150 mm x 4.6 mm I.D., 3 microm particle size, 120A pore size) and a gradient elution method. The mobile phase A contains 3 mM sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), 15 mM sodium citrate buffer at pH 6.2, and 40 mM sodium sulfate, while the mobile phase B is acetonitrile. Chromsword, an artificial intelligence method development tool, was used to optimize several key chromatographic parameters simultaneously including buffer pH/solvent strength, and temperature/gradient profile. The resolution of desloratadine and desloratadine 3,4-dehydropiperidine derivative, one of the critical pairs was improved by adding 40 mM sodium sulfate. Ultraviolet detection at 267 nm was used to achieve the detection for desloratadine and all compounds. This method has been successfully validated according to ICH guidelines in terms of linearity, accuracy, quantitation limit/detection limit, precision, specificity and robustness. It could be used as a stability indicating method for desloratadine drug substances or drug products that use desloratadine as active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Structural characterization of in vitro rat liver microsomal metabolites of antihistamine desloratadine using LTQ-Orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer in combination with online hydrogen/deuterium exchange HR-LC/MS.

In vitro drug metabolism study is an integral part of drug discovery process. In this report, we have described the application of LTQ-Orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer in conjunction with online hydrogen (H)/deuterium (D) exchange high resolution (HR)-LC/MS for structural characterization of in vitro rat liver microsomal metabolites of antihistamine desloratadine. Five metabolites M1--M5 have been identified, including three hydroxylated metabolites M1--M3, one N-oxide M4 and one uncommon aromatized N-oxide M5. Accurate mass data have been obtained in both full scan and MSn mode support assignments of metabolite structures with reported mass errors less than 3 ppm. Online H/D exchange HR-LC/MS experiments provide additional evidence in differentiating hydroxylated metabolites from N-oxides. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach in structural characterization of drug metabolites.

MALDI-tandem mass spectrometry imaging of astemizole and its primary metabolite in rat brain sections.

BACKGROUND: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS)/MS is a proven reliable tool for visualizing the spatial distribution of dosed drugs and their primary metabolites in animal tissue sections. MATERIALS & METHODS: The rat brain tissue sections coated with dihydroxybenzoic acid as matrix, were analyzed by MALDI-MS/MS imaging experiments. The potential metabolites of astemizole in rat brain homogenate selected for MALDI-MS/MS imaging experiments were first identified by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an electrospray ionization source and a hybrid-quadrupole-linear-ion-trap mass spectrometer. RESULTS: Astemizole was observed to be heterogeneously distributed to most parts of the brain tissue slices including the cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamic, thalamus and ventricle regions, while its major metabolite, desmethylastemizole, was only found around ventricle sites. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the dosed compound alone might be responsible for the CNS side-effects when drug exposures became elevated.

Water-soluble loratadine inclusion complex: analytical control of the preparation by microwave irradiation.

The majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients are poorly soluble in water. The rate-determining step of absorption is the dissolution of these drugs. Inclusion complexation with cyclodextrin derivatives can lead to improved aqueous solubility and bioavailability of pharmacons due to the formation of co-crystals through hydrogen-bonding between the components. Inclusion complexes of loratadine were prepared by a convenient new method involving microwave irradiation and the products were compared with those of a conventional preparation method. Dissolution studies demonstrated that the solubility and rate of dissolution of loratadine increased in both of the methods used. The interactions between the components were investigated by thermal analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared studies. The microwave treatment did not cause any chemical changes in the loratadine molecule.

Spectrophotometric determination of terfenadine in pharmaceutical preparations by charge-transfer reactions.

A simple, rapid and accurate method for the spectrophotometric determination of terfenadine has been developed. The proposed method based on the charge-transfer reactions of terfenadine, as n-electron donor, with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) or 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid, p-CLA) as pi-acceptors to give highly colored complexes. The experimental conditions such as reagent concentration, reaction solvent and time have been carefully optimized to achieve the highest sensitivity. Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration ranges of 3-72, 3-96, 12-168 and 24-240 microg mL(-1) terfenadine using TCNQ, TCNE, DDQ and p-CLA, respectively, with correlation coefficients 0.9999, 0.9974, 0.9997 and 0.9979 and detection limits 0.3, 0.4, 2.6 and 12.3 microg mL(-1), for the reagents in the same order. DDQ and p-CLA react spontaneously with terfenadine to give colored complexes that can be applied for the flow injection analysis of terfenadine in the concentration ranges 2.4-120 and 24-240 microg with correlation coefficients 0.9990 and 0.9985 and detection limits 0.8 and 2.7 microg for DDQ and p-CLA, respectively, in addition to the high sampling through output of 40 sample h(-1).

Alternative and improved method for the simultaneous determination of fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine in their combined tablet formulation.

An alternative method for the determination of fexofenadine (FEX) and pseudoephedrine (PSE) in their combined tablet formulation has been developed, employing the partial least squares (PLS) analysis of spectral data of the analytes in their pharmaceutical association. A full-factorially designed set of 16 synthetic samples was employed for calibration purposes. The calibration models were constructed with wavelengths selection, in the ultraviolet region, according to their predictive ability. These were validated internally by the leave-one-out procedure and externally, employing appropriate sets of validation samples. The described method was linear for both analytes, over the range 160.6-301.2 mg L(-1) for FEX (R(2)=0.9993) and between 325.6 and 610.5 mg L(-1) for PSE (R(2)=0.9992). It was accurate, exhibiting 99.8% and 99.9% drug recoveries for FEX and PSE, respectively (N=9), while in the intermediate precision experiment relative standard deviations were 1.4% for FEX and 1.2% for PSE. The contents of both analytes were assayed in commercial tablets employing this method and the results were compared with those furnished by HPLC, being in good statistical agreement. The method represents an improvement over the first derivative of spectral ratio (DSR) technique and allows high sample throughput with minimum reagent consumption and waste generation. The obtained results confirm that the method is highly suitable for its intended purpose.

Development of a CZE method for the determination of mizolastine and its impurities in pharmaceutical preparations using response surface methodology.

A fast and selective CZE method for the determination of mizolastine and related impurities is described. Response surface methodology was applied to study the influence of phosphate/triethanolamine (TEA) buffer concentration, heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-CD (TMbetaCD) concentration, voltage and temperature. The optimum conditions were: 105 mM phosphate/TEA buffer (pH 3.0) containing 10 mM TMbetaCD, temperature 19 degrees C and voltage 30 kV. Validation of the method was performed in drug substance and drug product. Robustness was evaluated using a Plackett-Burman design, including pH among the considered factors. Applying the optimal conditions, the nine peaks were baseline separated in about 10 min. The method was applied to the quality control of mizolastine in controlled-release tablets.

Simultaneous determination of loratadine and desloratadine in pharmaceutical preparations using liquid chromatography with a microemulsion as eluent.

A rapid HPLC procedure for analytical quality control of pharmaceutical preparations containing the antihistaminic drug substance loratadine and/or its analog desloratadine (which is also an active metabolite of loratadine) was developed using a microemulsion as the eluent. The separation was performed on a column packed with cyanopropyl bonded stationary phase adopting UV detection at 247 nm using a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The optimized microemulsion mobile phase consisted of 0.1M sodium dodecyl sulphate, 1% octanol, 10% n-propanol and 0.3% triethylamine in 0.02 M phosphoric acid, pH 3.0. The developed method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, lower limit of quantification, lower limit of detection, precision and accuracy. With the proposed method satisfactory resolution between loratadine and desloratadine (resolution factor=3.85). The method requires a minimum of sample handling and is rapid (10 min), and reproducible (R.S.D.<2.0%). The mean recoveries of the analytes in pharmaceutical preparations were in agreement with those obtained from a reference method, as revealed by statistical analysis of the obtained results using the Student's t-test and the variance ratio F-test. Pseudoephedrine, the co-formulated drug substance, did not interference with the assay and was successfully separated using the developed HPLC method.

Chiral separation of cetirizine by capillary electrophoresis.

Chiral separation of cetirizine, a second-generation H(1)-antagonist, was studied by CD-mediated CE. Several parameters, including pH, CD type, buffer concentration, type of co-ion, applied voltage and temperature, were investigated. The best conditions for chiral separation were obtained using a 75 mM triethanolamine-phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) containing 0.4 mg/mL heptakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfato)-beta-CD and 10% ACN. Online UV detection was performed at 214 nm, a voltage of 20 kV was applied and the capillary was temperature controlled at 25 degrees C by liquid cooling. Hydrodynamic injection was performed for 1 s. The method was validated for the quantification of levocetirizine in tablets and for enantiomeric purity testing of the drug substance. Selectivity, linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision and accuracy were evaluated for both methods. The amount of levocetirizine dihydrochloride in the commercially available tablets was quantified and was found to be within the specification limits of the claimed amount (5 mg). The amount of distomer in levocetirizine drug substance was found to be 0.87 +/- 0.09% w/w, which is in agreement with the certificate of analysis supplied by the company.

[Analysis of tablets containing the antihistamine loratadine: a contribution to the identification of impurities]. / Analýza tabliet s obsahom loratadínu (antihistaminikum) príspevok k identifikácii necistôt.

Thin-layer chromatography on silica gel (Merck) was employed to examine potential impurities present in loratadine-containing tablets. A method usable for testing of impurities was elaborated, which suitably supplements the determination of loratadine content using the spectrophotometric method in the UV region. The method was validated for selected pharmaceuticals.

Impurity profile study of loratadine.

Three unknown impurities in loratadine bulk drug at levels below 0.1% (ranging from 0.05 to 0.1%) were detected by a simple isocratic reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These impurities were isolated from mother liquor sample of loratadine using reversed-phase preparative HPLC. Based on the spectral data (IR, NMR and MS) the structures of these impurities were characterized as 11-(N-carboethoxy-4-piperidylidene)-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo(5,6) cyclopenta(1,2-b)-pyridine (I), 8-bromo-11-(N-carboethoxy-4-piperidylidene)-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo(5,6) cyclopenta (1,2-b)-pyridine (II) and 8-chloro-11-(N-carboethoxy-4-piperidylidene)-5H-benzo(5,6) cyclopenta (1,2-b)-pyridine (III). The synthesis of these impurities was discussed.