Determination of N-Acetyl-l-cysteine Ethyl Ester (NACET) by Flow Injection Analysis and Spectrophotometric Detection Using Different Thiol-Sensitive Ligands.

A new flow injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of N-acetyl-l-cysteine ethyl ester (NACET) was developed and validated. The method is based on the reduction of Cu(II)-ligand complexes to chromophoric Cu(I)-ligand complexes with the analyte. The studied ligands were neocuproine (NCN), bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and bathocuproine disulfonic acid (BCS). The absorbance of the Cu(I)-ligand complex was measured at 458, 562 and 483 nm for the reactions of NACET with NCN, BCA and BCS, respectively. The method was validated in terms of linear dynamic range, limit of detection and quantitation, accuracy, selectivity, and precision. Experimental conditions were optimized by a univariate method, yielding linear calibration curves in a concentration range from 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 to 2.0 × 10-4 mol L-1 using NCN; 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 to 1.0 × 10-4 mol L-1 using BCA and 6.0 × 10-7 mol L-1 to 1.2 × 10-4 mol L-1 using BCS. The achieved analytical frequency was 90 h-1 for all three ligands. The method was successfully employed for NACET determination in pharmaceutical preparations, indicating that this FIA method fulfilled all the essential demands for the determination of NACET in quality control laboratories, as it combined low instrument and reagent costs with a high sampling rate.

Determination of penicillamine, tiopronin and glutathione in pharmaceutical formulations by kinetic spectrophotometry.

A novel and simple method for the determination of penicillamine (PEN), tiopronin (mercaptopropionyl glycine, MPG) and glutathione (GSH) in pharmaceutical formulations by kinetic spectrophotometry has been developed and validated. It is based on the redox reaction where the thiol compound (RSH) reduces CuII-neocuproine complex to CuI-neocuproine complex. The non-steady state signal of the formed CuI- neocuproine complex is measured at 458 nm. The initial rate and fixed time (at 1 min) methods were validated. The calibration graph was linear in the concentration range from 8.0 × 10‒7 to 8.0 × 10‒5 mol L-1 for the initial rate method and from 6.0 × 10‒7 to 6.0 × 10-5 mol L-1 for the fixed time method, with the detection limits of 2.4 × 10-7 and 1.4 × 10‒7 mol L-1, resp. Levels of PEN, MPG and GSH in pharmaceutical formulations were successfully assayed by both methods. The advantages of the presented methods include sensitivity, short analysis time, ease of application and low cost.

Spectrophotometric sequential injection determination of D-penicillamine based on a complexation reaction with nickel ion.

A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method, based on reaction between Ni(II) ion and D-penicillamine (PEN), was developed. The proposed SIA system enhanced the analytical applicability of the reaction of complexation, and allowed the determination of PEN in the concentration range of 3.0 × 10(-6) - 2.0 × 10(-4) mol L(-1) with a sampling rate of 200 h(-1). With the proposed SIA system, PEN could be accurately determinated up to 0.9 nmol quantity. The method was successfully applied to the determination of PEN in laboratory samples and pharmaceuticals.

Indirect method for spectrophotometric determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical preparations with 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine by flow-injection analysis.

A flow-injection indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) in pharmaceutical preparations is proposed. The method is based on the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) by the AA, and by the subsequent reaction of the produced iron(II) with 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ) in buffered medium (pH=3.6) to form a coloured complex (λ(max)=593nm). The three-line manifold with one reaction coil was used. The linear range of the method is from 0.08 to 10µM of ascorbic acid, with the detection limit 24nM of AA. The proposed method is simple, rapid (sampling rate of 180 samples per hour), sensitive and reproducible (RSD 0.8%, n=100). The proposed method is very selective, because only the reducing substances with standard (formal) potentials lower than 0.6V would have the thermodynamic predisposition to interfere in the proposed method. Tested reducing substances (thiol compounds) did not give serious errors when present at the same concentrations as the ascorbic acid. The proposed method can be applied for the determination of AA in pharmaceutical preparations, down to picomolar quantity.

Simple and rapid method for the determination of uric acid-independent antioxidant capacity.

Determination of the relative contribution of uric acid level increases to the total measured antioxidative activity could be very useful for testing antioxidative products and their effect on human health. The aim of this report is to present a simple spectrophotometric method that combines the measurement of total antioxidative capacity of a sample by ferric reducing/antioxidative power (FRAP) assay, with the uricase-reaction (specific elimination of uric acid), in order to establish and correct for the contribution of uric acid in FRAP values. We measured FRAP values, with (uric acid-independent antioxidant capacity, TAC-UA) and without (total antioxidant capacity, TAC) uricase treatment, and expressed it as µmol/L of uric acid equivalents. In such way, it was possible to determine both total and uric acid-independent antioxidant capacity, plasma uric acid (UA, as the difference between TAC and TAC-UA), and the ratio of the uric acid in total antioxidant capacity (UA/TAC).

Spectrophotometric determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine and N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine in pharmaceutical preparations.

A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)glycine (MPG) in pharmaceutical preparations was developed, validated, and used. The proposed equilibrium method is based on a coupled two-step redox and complexation reaction. In the first step, Fe(III) is reduced to Fe(II) by NAC or MPG. Subsequently, Fe(II) is complexed with 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ). Several analytical parameters of the method were optimized for NAC and MPG analysis in the concentration range from 1.0 µM to 100.0 µM. Regression analysis of the calibration data showed a good correlation coefficient (0.9999). The detection limit of the method was 0.14 µM for NAC and 0.13 µM for MPG. The method was successfully applied to quantify NAC and MPG in pharmaceutical preparations. No interferences were observed from common pharmaceutical excipients.

Kinetic spectrophotometric determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine based on a coupled redox-complexation reaction.

A novel simple kinetic spectrophotometric method for the determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) has been developed and validated. The proposed method is based on a coupled redox-complexation reaction, the first step of which is the reduction of Fe(3+) by NAC; the second one includes the complexation of Fe(2+), resulting from the preceding redox reaction, with 2,4,6-trypyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ). The stable Fe(TPTZ)(2)(2+) complex exhibits an absorption maximum at lambda = 593 nm.The initial rate and fixed-time (at 5 min) methods were utilized for constructing calibration graphs. The graphs were linear in concentration ranges from 4.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for the initial rate method and 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) for the fixed-time method, with detection limits of 1.0 x 10(-6) and 1.7 x 10(-7) mol L(-1), respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of NAC in its commercial pharmaceutical formulations.