Simultaneous Determination of Eight Hypotensive Drugs of Various Chemical Groups in Pharmaceutical Preparations by HPLC-DAD.

A new sensitive, simple, rapid, and precise HPLC method with diode array detection has been developed for separation and simultaneous determination of hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, torasemide, losartane, quinapril, valsartan, spironolactone, and canrenone in combined pharmaceutical dosage forms. The chromatographic analysis of the tested drugs was performed on an ACE C18, 100 Å, 250×4.6 mm, 5 µm particle size column with 0.0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH=3.00)-acetonitrile-methanol (30+20+50 v/v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The column was thermostatted at 25°C. UV detection was performed at 230 nm. Analysis time was 10 min. The elaborated method meets the acceptance criteria for specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of the studied drugs in the selected combined dosage forms.

Lipophilicity study of eight cephalosporins by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatographic method.

The lipophilicity (R(M0)) and specific hydrophobic surface area for the representatives of four generation cephalosporins have been determined by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography, and the effect of different mobile-phase modifiers (such as methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, 1,4-dioxane and 2-propanol) on the retention has been studied. The compounds studied showed typical retention behavior; their R(M) values decreased linearly with increasing concentration of the organic modifier in the eluent. The linear correlations between the volume fraction of the organic solvent and the R(M) values over a limited range were established for each solute, resulting in high values of correlation coefficients (>0.95 in most cases). R(M) values were determined by various concentrations of organic modifier, and the correlation obtained was extrapolated to 0% of organic modifier. Chromatographically established logP (R(M0)) parameters were compared with computationally calculated partition coefficients values (AClogP, ALOGP, KOWWIN, ALOGPs, XLOGP2, MLOGP and XLOGP3) and experimental octanol-water logP values (measured by the shake flask method). The received results demonstrate that RP-TLC may be a good alternative technique for analytics in describing the lipophilic nature of investigated cephalosporins as well as the activity.

Photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole in aqueous solution using a floating TiO2-expanded perlite photocatalyst.

Photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole (SMX), in aqueous solution using a novel floating TiO2-expanded perlite photocatalyst (EP-TiO2-773) and radiation from the near UV spectral range was studied. The process is important considering that SMX is known to be a widespread and highly persistent pollutant of water resources. SMX degradation was described using a pseudo-first-order kinetic equation according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The products of the SMX photocatalytic degradation were identified. The effect of pH on the kinetics and mechanism of SMX photocatalytic degradation was explained.

Oxidative stress as an etiological factor and a potential treatment target of psychiatric disorders. Part 1. Chemical aspects and biological sources of oxidative stress in the brain.

Oxidative stress is a dysfunctional state of living cells, caused by the disturbance of the pro-/antioxidative equilibrium. This dynamic equilibrium, constitutive for all aerobic organisms, is an inevitable necessity of maintaining the level of oxidative factors on non-destructive value to the cell. Among these factors reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are the best known molecules. This review article shows the current state of knowledge on the chemical specificity, relative reactivity and main sources of ROS and RNS in biological systems. As a Part 1 to the report about the role of oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders (see Smaga et al., Pharmacological Reports, this issue), special emphasis is placed on biochemical determinants in nervous tissue, which predisposed it to oxidative damage. Oxidative stress can be identified based on the analysis of various biochemical indicators showing the status of antioxidant barrier or size of the damage. In our article, we have compiled the most commonly used biomarkers of oxidative stress described in the literature with special regard to potentially effective in the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative processes.

Oxidative stress as an etiological factor and a potential treatment target of psychiatric disorders. Part 2. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and autism.

The pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and autism, is far from being fully elucidated. In recent years, a potential role of the oxidative stress has been highlighted in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. A body of clinical and preclinical evidence indicates that psychiatric diseases are characterized by higher levels of oxidative biomarkers and with lower levels of antioxidant defense biomarkers in the brain and peripheral tissues. In this article, we review current knowledge on the role of the oxidative stress in psychiatric diseases, based on clinical trials and animal studies, in addition, we analyze the effects of drug-induced modulation of oxidative balance and explore pharmacotherapeutic strategies for oxidative stress reduction.

Derivative spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of zofenopril and fluvastatin in mixtures and pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Fast, accurate and precise method for the determination of zofenopril and fluvastatin was developed using spectrophotometry of the first (D1), second (D2), and third (D3) order derivatives in two-component mixtures and in pharmaceutical preparations. It was shown, that the developed method allows for the determination of the tested components in a direct manner, despite the apparent interference of the absorption spectra in the UV range. For quantitative determinations, "zero-crossing" method was chosen, appropriate wavelengths for zofenopril were: D1 λ=270.85 nm, D2 λ=286.38 nm, D3 λ=253.90 nm. Fluvastatin was determined at wavelengths: D1 λ=339.03 nm, D2 λ=252.57 nm, D3 λ=258.50 nm, respectively. The method was characterized by high sensitivity and accuracy, for zofenopril LOD was in the range of 0.19-0.87 µg mL(-1), for fluvastatin 0.51-1.18 µg mL(-1), depending on the class of derivative, and for zofenopril and fluvastatin LOQ was 0.57-2.64 µg mL(-1) and 1.56-3.57 µg mL(-1), respectively. The recovery of individual components was within the range of 100±5%. For zofenopril, the linearity range was estimated between 7.65 µg mL(-1) and 22.94 µg mL(-1), and for fluvastatin between 5.60 µg mL(-1) and 28.00 µg mL(-1).

Determination of neomycin in the form of neomycin derivative with dabsyl chloride by thin layer chromatography and densitometry.

A thin layer chromatographic-densitometric method has been developed for identification and quantitative determination of neomycin derivative with dabsyl chloride. The analysis of antibiotic was achieved on the silica gel TLC plates with fluorescent indicator with n-butanol--2-butanone--25% ammonia--water (10 : 6 : 2 : 2, v/v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The densitometric measurements were made at 460 nm. Under these conditions good separation of chosen aminoglycoside antibiotic from reagent used to make a complex was obtained. The method is characterized by high sensitivity, LOD from 0.1953 µg per band and LOQ from 0.5918 µg per band, wide linearity range from 0.5918 to 2.1960 µg per band for neomycin. The precision of the method was good; RSD varied from 1.17 to 2.05%. Satisfactory results of validation of the method were also confirmed by determination of selected antibiotic in pharmaceutical commercial preparation. The results obtained by TLC-densitometric method were compared with those obtained by spectrophotometric method.

A degradation study of cefepime hydrochloride in solutions under various stress conditions by TLC-densitometry.

A rapid, accurate and sensitive thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method with densitometric detection has been developed and validated for the determination of cefepime in pharmaceuticals. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a silica gel TLC F254 plates with a mobile phase consisting of ethanol-2-propanol-glacial acetic acid 99.5%-water (4:4:1:3, v/v). Densitometric detection was carried out at wavelength of 266 nm in reflectance/absorbance mode. The validation of the method was found to be satisfactory with high accuracy (from 99.24 to 101.37%) and precision (RSD from 0.06 to 0.36%). Additionally, the stability of cefepime in solution was investigated, including the effect of pH, temperature and incubation time. Favorable retention parameters (Rf , Rs, α) were obtained under the developed conditions, which guaranteed good separation of the studied components. The degradation process of cefepime hydrochloride was described by kinetic and thermodynamic parameters (k, t0.1 , t0.5 and Ea ). Moreover, the chemical properties of degradation products were characterized by the Rf values, absorption spectra, HPLC-MS/MS and TLC-densitometry analysis. As the method could effectively separate the active substance from its main degradation product (1-methylpyrrolidine), it can be employed as a method to indicate the stability of this drug.

Reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography technique for the comparison of the lipophilicity of selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The chromatographic behavior of a series of coxibs and oxicams, drugs from a group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, was studied by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography with binary mobile phases containing water and the organic modifiers: methanol, acetone, 1,4-dioxane, acetonitrile and 2-propanol. Linear relationships were obtained between the retention RM values of the compounds and the concentration of organic modifier in the mobile phase. Values of RM0, represent the theoretical RM values at 0% organic solvent in the mobile phase were calculated by extrapolation. These experimental lipophilicity values were correlated with lipophilicity (logP) from databases. The obtained results show that reversed-phase chromatography (experimental parameters) may be a good instrument for analytics in describing the lipophilic nature of investigated compounds as well as the activity.

Development and validation of stability-indicating TLC-densitometric method for determination of betaxolol with LC-ESI/MS analysis of degradation product.

The purpose of this work was to develop a sensitive stability indicating TLC-densitometric method for the determination of betaxolol (Bx) in pharmaceutical preparations and to study the stability of Bx in acidic solutions. The method was developed on TLC aluminium plates precoated with silica gel F254using the mobile phase chloroform-methanol-ammonia 25% (18 : 4: 0.2, v/v/v) which gives compact spots for Bx (R(f) approximately equal to 0.64) and its degradation product (R(f) approximately equal to 0.39). Densitometric analysis was carried out in UV at 280 nm. The developed method is highly sensitive (LOD = 66.6 ng/spot, LOQ = 200 ng/spot), precise (RSD = 2.73%) and accurate (mean recovery = 100.28% at 100% level). Bx was subjected to acidic and alkaline hydrolysis but degradation was observed only in acidic solutions. The degradation process was described with kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Based on LC-ESI/MS analysis, it was found that Bx decomposes in acidic solution to produce ethoxyphenoxy-3-[(1-methylethyl)amino]propan-2-ol.

Photodegradation assessment of ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin in the presence of excipients from tablets by UPLC-MS/MS and DSC.

BACKGROUND: Ciprofloxacin (CIP), moxifloxacin (MOX), norfloxacin (NOR) and ofloxacin (OFL), are the antibacterial synthetic drugs, belonging to the fluoroquinolones group. Fluoroquinolones are compounds susceptible to photodegradation process, which may lead to reduction of their antibacterial activity and to induce phototoxicity as a side effect. This paper describes a simple, sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of CIP, MOX, NOR and OFL in the presence of photodegradation products. RESULTS: Chromatographic separations were carried out using the Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column; (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). The column was maintained at 40°C, and the following gradient was used: 0 min, 95% of eluent A and 5% of eluent B; 10 min, 0% of eluent A and 100% of eluent B, at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min(-1). Eluent A: 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water; eluent B: 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in acetonitrile. The method was validated and all the validation parameters were in the ranges acceptable by the guidelines for analytical method validation. The photodegradation of examined fluoroquinolones in solid phase in the presence of excipients followed kinetic of the first order reaction and depended upon the type of analyzed drugs and coexisting substances. Photodegradation process of analyzed drugs was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, the identification of degradation products was carried out by mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION: The developed UPLC-MS/MS method enables the determination of CIP, MOX, NOR and OFL in the presence of photodegradation products and identification of photodegradation products.

Dependence of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters on hydrophilic-lipophilic character of alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, doxepin and haloperidol in alkaline environment.

Examination of the stability of clonazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, haloperidol, and doxepin in basic solutions was performed, together with an assessment of the kinetic (k, t0.1i t0.5) and thermodynamic (Ea, ΔH(++)i ΔS(++)) stability-indicating parameters, which were compared with the lipophilicity (logP) of the studied drugs. It was observed that the calculated values of Ea, ΔH(++) and ΔS(++) for the studied drugs increased from 41.04 kJ/mol to 125.50 kJ/mol, from 37.82 kJ/mol to 122.24 kJ/mol and from -167.09 J/Kmol to 53.02 J/Kmol, respectively, along with an increase of lipophilicity (logP) from 2.12 to 4.30 for the most hydrophilic alprazolam to the most lipophilic haloperidol. The degradation products were identified using UPLC/MS/MS method.

Separation and characterization of ciprofloxacin, difloxacin, lomefloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin oxidation products under potassium permanganate treatment in acidic medium by UPLC-MS/MS.

A simple, sensitive and reproducible ultra-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of ciprofloxacin, difloxacin, lomefloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin oxidation stability under permanganate treatment in acidic conditions at pH from 3.0 to 6.0, was developed. Chromatographic separations were carried out using the Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column; (2.1×100 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). The column was maintained at 40°C, and eluted under isocratic conditions using 83% of eluent A and 17% of eluent B over 6.5 min, at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min(-1). Eluent A: water/formic acid (0.1 v/v%); eluent B: acetonitrile/formic acid (0.1 v/v%). An oxidation process followed kinetic of the second order reaction and depended upon solution acidity. Oxidation of fluoroquinolones proceeded at piperazine moiety yielding respective hydroxy and oxo analogs, and remaining the quinolone fragment intact. Structures of products formed were assigned on a basis of UPLC/MS/MS fragmentation pathways.

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of moxifloxacin hydrolysis in the presence and absence of metal ions in acidic solutions.

Chromatographic and densitometric method for determination of moxifloxacin in the presence of products of acidic hydrolysis was developed. The established method had suitable specificity, precision, good accuracy, and high sensitivity. In addition, stability of moxifloxacin in acidic solutions at temperature 90 degrees C and 110 degrees C in the presence and absence of metal ions, such as Cu(II), Fe(III), Zn(II), and Al(III) was studied. It was proved that decomposition of moxifloxacin proceeds according to kinetics of the first-order reaction and is dependent on temperature, incubation time and the type of the metal ion. Based on the calculated kinetic (k, t0, and t0.5) and thermodynamic (Ea) parameters, it was observed that among studied ions the highest effect on decomposition process of moxifloxacin had Cu(II) ions. The liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) techniques have been used to identify degradation products for the compound.

Optimization of method for zinc analysis in several bee products on renewable mercury film silver based electrode.

Zinc is an interesting target for detection as it is one of the elements necessary for the proper functioning of the human body, its excess and deficiency can cause several symptoms. Several techniques including electrochemistry have been developed but require laboratory equipment, preparative steps and mercury or complex working electrodes. We here described the development of a robust, simple and commercially available electrochemical system. Differential pulse (DP) voltammetry was used for this purpose with the cyclic renewable mercury film silver based electrode (Hg(Ag)FE) and 0.05 M KNO3 solution as a supporting electrolyte. The effect of various factors such as: preconcentration potential and time, pulse amplitude and width, step potential and supporting electrolyte composition are optimized. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 1.62 ng/mL and 4.85 ng/mL, respectively. The repeatability of the method at a concentration level of the analyte as low as 3 ng/mL, expressed as RSD is 3.5% (n = 6). Recovery was determined using certified reference material: Virginia Tobacco Leaves (CTA-VTL-2). The recovery of zinc ranged from 96.6 to 106.5%. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of zinc in bee products (honey, propolis and diet supplements) after digestion procedure.

Determination of losartan potassium, quinapril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in pharmaceutical preparations using derivative spectrophotometry and chromatographic-densitometric method.

Two methods, spectrophotometric and chromatographic-densitometric ones, were developed for determination of losartan potassium, quinapril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide in pharmaceutical preparations. Spectrophotometric method involved derivative spectrophotometry and zero order spectrophotometry. The measurements were carried out at lambda = 224.0 nm for quinapril, lambda = 261.0 nm for hydrochlorothiazide and lambda = 270.0 nm for losartan when the derivative spectrophotometry was applied and lambda = 317.0 nm when zero order spectrophotometry was applied for the determination of hydrochlorothiazide. In chromatographic-densitometric studies high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates were used as stationary phase and a mixture of solvents n-butanol : acetic acid : water (15 : 5 : 1, v/v/v) as mobile phase. Under the established conditions good resolution of examined constituents was obtained. Retardation factor for quinapril hydrochloride was R(f) - 0.70, for losartan potassium R(f) - 0.85 and for hydrochlorothiazide R(f) - 0.78. The developed methods are characterized by high sensitivity and accuracy. For quantitative analysis, densitometric measurements were carried out at lambda = 218.0 nm for quinapril, lambda = 275.0 nm for hydrochlorothiazide and = 232.0 nm for losartan.

Determination of moxifloxacin and its oxidation products with kinetic evaluation under potassium permanganate treatment in acidic solution by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, sensitive, and reproducible ultra-performance LC method for the determination of moxifloxacin (MOXI) oxidation stability under permanganate treatment in acidic conditions (pH 3.0-6.0) was developed. Besides the MOXI peak [retention time (RT) = 2.58], four additional products (RT = 0.86, 0.91, 1.42, and 1.89) were observed in all conditions tested. The oxidation process followed second-order reaction kinetics and depended upon solution acidity. The highest reaction rate constant was observed at pH 3.0, and this value decreased as the pH was increased to 6.0. The oxidation products were characterized, and their fragmentation pathways, derived from MS/MS data, were proposed. Two of these products were identified as hydroxyl derivatives of MOXI and two others as their oxidation product analogs with molecular ions of 418.4 and 416.4 m/z, respectively.

Stress degradation studies on azithromycin and development of a validated stability-indicating TLC-densitometric method with HPLC/electrospray ionization-MS analysis of degradation products.

The purpose of this work was to develop a sensitive stability-indicating TLC-densitometric method for determination of azithromycin (AZ) in the presence of its impurities E, I, and L, and to study the stability of AZ under different stress conditions. The method was developed on TLC aluminum plates precoated with silica gel F254 using the mobile phase methanol-acetone-ammonia 25% (2+13+0.1, v/v/v), which gives compact zones for AZ (Rf= 0.39) and impurities E, I, and L (Rf = 0.54, 0.20, and 0.05, respectively). Densitometric analysis of AZ and its impurities was carried out at 483 nm after spraying with sulfuric acid-ethanol (1 + 4, v/v) and heating at 100 degrees C for 5 min. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationships with r = 0.9941 for AZ, 0.9987 for impurity E, 0.9989 for impurity I, and 0.9984 for impurity L. AZ was subjected to acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation, and reduction stress. The drug underwent degradation under these conditions. The degradation products were well-resolved from the pure drug, with significantly different Rf values. A plausible degradation pathway of AZ was established by HPLC/electrospray ionization-MS analysis of the products.

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of moxifloxacin hydrolysis in the presence and absence of metal ions in acidic solutions.

Chromatographic and densitometric method for determination of moxifloxacin in the presence of products of acidic hydrolysis was developed. The established method had suitable specificity, precision, good accuracy and high sensitivity. In addition, stability of moxifloxacin in acidic solutions at temperature 90 degrees C and 110 degrees C in the presence and absence of metal ions, such as Cu(II), Fe(III), Zn(II), and Al(III) was studied. It was proved that decomposition of moxifloxacin proceeds according to kinetics of the first-order reaction and is dependent on temperature, incubation time and the type of the metal ion. Based on the calculated kinetic (k, t0.1, and t0.5) and thermodynamic (E(a)) parameters, it was observed that among studied ions the highest effect on decomposition process of moxifloxacin had Cu(II) ions. The liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) techniques have been used to identify degradation products of moxifloxacin.

Determination of Se(IV), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions in homeopathic drugs by inversion voltammetry method.

The conditions for identification and quantification of Se(IV), Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions in homeopathic drugs by inversion voltammetry method with the use of EAGRAPH software were established. The studies proved that the method was of high sensitivity in established conditions. The detection limits were 0.66 microg/mL, 0.08 microg/mL and 0.12 microg/mL for Se(IV), Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively. This method was characterized by repeatability of measurements, a wide range of linearity and satisfactory percent recovery.