Automation and validation of HPLC-systems

Summary The automation of chromatographic systems is of increasing interest to industry and research laboratories in routine applications. Besides potentially saving time or making better use of available instrumentation, automation also improves the quality of results by producing more precise and more reproducible HPLC data. The need for the validation of methods and qualification of instruments is increasingly recognised in order to ensure compliance with legal requirements (e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry) and to ensure the reliability of analytical results. Possibilities and requirements for automated HPLC systems are elaborated. Emphasis is placed on defining the goals of validation and on discussing different aspects of the validation of LC methods, system suitability tests, ruggedness of methods and the transfer of LC methods from laboratory to laboratory. Adequate strategies of HPLC method development provide very useful information on the validation and ruggedness of LC methods.     

Ruggedness and robustness testing

Due to the strict regulatory requirements, especially in pharmaceutical analysis, analysis results with an acceptable quality should be reported. Thus, a proper validation of the measurement method is required. In this context, ruggedness and robustness testing becomes increasingly more important. In this review, the definitions of ruggedness and robustness are given, followed by a short explanation of the different approaches applied to examine the ruggedness or the robustness of an analytical method. Then, case studies, describing ruggedness or robustness tests of high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC), capillary electrophoretic (CE), gas chromatographic (GC), supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC), and ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) assay methods, are critically reviewed and discussed. Mainly publications of the last 10 years are considered.     

Expert systems for method development and validation in HPLC

ESCA, Expert Systems Applied to Chemical Analysis, started its research in March 1987, with the aim of building prototype expert systems for HPLC method development. Results of this research have been published as the work has progressed. The project is now completed and this paper summarises some of the overall project conclusions. Seven different expert systems have been built which tackle problems throughout the process of method development, four stand-alone systems and three integrated systems. The object of ESCA was to evaluate the applicability of expert system technology to analytical chemistry and not all the systems were built for commercial uses. Many of the systems tackle problems specific to one or more of the partners and thus may not be useful outside this environment. However, the results of the work are still pertinent to analysts wishing to build their own systems. These results are described, however, the emphasis of the paper is on those systems developed for method validation.Method validation for HPLC is a complex task which requires many characteristics of the method to be tested, e.g. accuracy, precision, etc. The expert systems built within ESCA concern the validation of precision. Two systems were developed for repeatability testing and ruggedness testing. The method validation process can be divided into several discrete stages, these include: (1) The selection of the method feature to test, for instance which factors can influence the ruggedness of a method. (2) The definition of a test procedure, for instance an efficient statistical design. (3) The execution of experiments and the interpretation of results. (4) A diagnosis of any observed problem. This paper describes these two systems in some detail and summarises some of the results obtained from their evaluation. It concludes that expert systems can be useful in solving analytical problems and the integration of several expert systems can provide extremely powerful tools for the analyst.     

Ruggedness testing in analytical chemistry

Very high standards of accuracy and precision are currently expected from analytical methods. This is particularly true for pharmaceutical applications, due not only to the potential toxicity of drugs but also to the strict controls of regulatory bodies. This paper deals with the validation of methods by testing ruggedness to changes in the analytical method conditions. As a ruggedness test examines a number of variables simultaneously and hence a large experimental response surface, the design has to be carefully chosen. Advice is offered on the test design, including the selection of factors and the levels at which to test them. Some results are shown for high-performance liquid chromatography methods.     

The evaluation of measurement uncertainty from method validation studies

 A protocol has been developed illustrating the link between validation experiments, such as precision, trueness and ruggedness testing, and measurement uncertainty evaluation. By planning validation experiments with uncertainty estimation in mind, uncertainty budgets can be obtained from validation data with little additional effort. The main stages in the uncertainty estimation process are described, and the use of trueness and ruggedness studies is discussed in detail. The practical application of the protocol will be illustrated in Part 2, with reference to a method for the determination of three markers (CI solvent red 24, quinizarin and CI solvent yellow 124) in fuel oil samples. Received: 10 April 1999 / Accepted: 24 September 1999     

Method ruggedness studies incorporating a risk based approach: a tutorial

This tutorial explains how well thought-out application of design and analysis methodology, combined with risk assessment, leads to improved assessment of method ruggedness. The authors define analytical method ruggedness as an experimental evaluation of noise factors such as analyst, instrument or stationary phase batch. Ruggedness testing is usually performed upon transfer of a method to another laboratory, however, it can also be employed during method development when an assessment of the method's inherent variability is required. The use of a ruggedness study provides a more rigorous method for assessing method precision than a simple comparative intermediate precision study which is typically performed as part of method validation. Prior to designing a ruggedness study, factors that are likely to have a significant effect on the performance of the method should be identified (via a risk assessment) and controlled where appropriate. Noise factors that are not controlled are considered for inclusion in the study. The purpose of the study should be to challenge the method and identify whether any noise factors significantly affect the method's precision. The results from the study are firstly used to identify any special cause variability due to specific attributable circumstances. Secondly, common cause variability is apportioned to determine which factors are responsible for most of the variability. The total common cause variability can then be used to assess whether the method's precision requirements are achievable. The approach used to design and analyse method ruggedness studies will be covered in this tutorial using a real example.     

Expert system for precision testing in validation of liquid chromatographic methods

After a liquid chromatographic method has been developed, it must be validated to establish its limitations in daily use. Method validation is becoming increasingly important as stricter rules are applied by regulatory authorities. Precision testing is a vital step in this validation; both intralaboratory testing and interlaboratory testing are needed. In an intralaboratory test, repeatability and ruggedness tests are usually done. Expert systems are available for both tests. Here they are integrated to form an intralaboratory precision-testing expert system; special integration architecture is described. Important features of the integrated system are a supervisor containing planning knowledge about the tests and a common data structure containing all the objects necessary for an expert system in this area.     

AOAC International methods committee guidelines for validation of qualitative and quantitative food microbiological official methods of analysis

Responding to a need for a guide for conducting Official Method validation studies of microbiological methods, AOAC utilized the experience of three microbiologists who have been active in the field of method validation. In collaboration, a document was prepared which covered the following areas: terms and their definitions associated with the Official Methods program (e.g., reference methods, alternative methods, and ruggedness testing), protocols and validation requirements for qualitative methods versus those for quantitative methods, the concept of the precollaborative study, ruggedness testing, tests for significant differences, performance indicators, and the approval process. After its preparation, this document was reviewed by the members of the Methods Committee on Microbiology and Extraneous Materials and by members of the Official Methods Board. Herein is presented the approved version of that document.     

From experimental design to uncertainty estimation for the European Pharmacopoeia HPLC analysis of human insulin

In this paper the process from experimental design (e.g. ruggedness test) to uncertainty estimation is described. The uncertainty estimate was calculated for the peak area of insulin plus A21 desamido insulin resulting from an HPLC analysis of a sample of an injectable human insulin preparation, Actrapid HM 100 IU ml(-1) (Novo Nordisk A/S). The analytical method used was the European Pharmacopoeia assay. (4) An expanded uncertainty (1) of 1.8% (of the area from the HPLC analysis) at an approximately 95% confidence level was found and confirmed by a validation study. This uncertainty refers to the peak area of the analyte from a single injection of the sample. The input parameters to the uncertainty estimate were found from a factorial experimental design (e.g. ruggedness test) consisting of 9 factors applied to the HPLC analysis. The input parameters were chosen to cover the probable contributors to the variability of the measured area of the HPLC analysis, including the sample preparation, but excluding uncertainty deriving from the reference material(s).     

Single-laboratory validation of a refined AOAC HPLC method 2005.06 for oysters, cockles, and clams in U.K. shellfish

In 2009, a refined HPLC method based on AOAC Official Method 2005.06 was developed and validated for the determination of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in mussels. A single-laboratory validation study of this method was undertaken here for the analysis of PSP toxins in oysters, cockles, clams, and razor clams. The method was characterized for selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, repeatability, recovery, ruggedness, and uncertainty of measurement. Validation data were utilized to determine method performance characteristics for non-mussel bivalves for all commercially available certified reference toxins, extending the method to dcNEO and dcGTX2,3, where available. A period of parallel testing of oysters, cockles, and clams enabled a comparison of sample toxicities obtained using mouse bioassay (MBA) and HPLC methodologies, although only a very low number of PSP-positive samples were obtained through the United Kingdom official control monitoring program. Results from the MBA and HPLC methods were well-correlated for PSP-negative samples, but the low number of naturally contaminated PSP-positive samples has prevented any comparative statistical assessment of method performance for non-mussels between the two official methods. However, some evidence for potentially significant differences in total saxitoxin equivalents obtained by the two methods in some species has highlighted the need for further comparative testing in non-mussel samples to be conducted prior to implementation of the HPLC method in routine official control monitoring programs.     

Use of optimization software to determine rugged analysis conditions in high-performance liquid chromatography

The ruggedness evaluation of an analytical method is now generally required for further validation. By considering ruggedness at an early stage of method development, major disappointments and amount of work could be avoided. This work shows that the optimization software OSIRIS can be helpful for the chromatographer during a method development, as it takes into account the method ruggedness. The ruggedness of the analysis conditions is then evaluated all along the selectivity optimization procedure. This optimization software belongs to the interpretive methods that consist of predicting the optimum conditions by modeling first the solute retention over the parameter space using a minimum number of preliminary runs. The choice of a response function is studied. This response function must be able to take into account several individual criteria: analysis time, minimal resolution and ruggedness of each parameter. Some optimum separations, determined using a ruggedness criteria or not, are given and compared in terms of long term repeatability.     

Robustness testing of a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay: comparison of fractional and asymmetrical factorial designs

Robustness tests were performed on a reversed-phase HPLC assay for triadimenol. Different experimental designs were compared. Two-level fractional factorial designs with different resolutions were used to study the influence of procedure-related factors. The factors chromatographic column manufacturer at four levels and instrument at three levels were stepwise included in the study using asymmetrical factorial designs. The significance of the factor effects was determined statistically, using two types of error estimates in the calculation of critical effects, and graphically, by means of half-normal plots. The asymmetrical designs turned out to be an efficient and economic method to examine the influence of factors at different numbers of levels in the robustness testing of analytical methods.     

Ruggedness testing of quantitative atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry methods: the effect of co-injected matrix on matrix effects

A number of techniques have been suggested to date for assessing matrix effects on quantitative atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (API-LC/MS) methods. A newly designed experiment has the aim of efficiently simulating the quantitative behavior of an LC/MS method as a function of the amount of co-injected matrix extract. Two sets of mixtures were prepared in different formats to study matrix effects as a function of analyte or matrix amount. Chromatographic conditions were varied as well, to alter the separation between analyte and co-extractants, and thereby provide different matrix effect conditions for testing the same mixtures. Graphical presentation of the results was used to gain insight into the matrix effect phenomenon. The results suggest that ruggedness for API-LC/MS methods may be defined as the absence of significant variation in results as a function of the amount of co-injected matrix. That is, a non-rugged API-LC/MS method may give consistent results only if a fixed amount of matrix is co-injected on a specific instrument. The results also point to the existence of a specific matrix concentration for the onset of matrix effects, below which these effects are not significant. These issues are important to the US FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, which has regulatory authority for methods used to monitor for drug residues in food tissues from animals. The ruggedness testing technique suggested here may be an important factor in determining that a method is ready for multi-laboratory testing on multiple instruments.     

Aflatoxin plate kit. Performance Tested Method 081003

The level of total aflatoxin contamination was analyzed in naturally contaminated and spiked samples of corn and peanut using the Aflatoxin Plate Kit. This kit is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) suitable for rapid testing of grains and peanuts. The assay was evaluated for ruggedness and linearity of the standard curve. The test kit results were then statistically evaluated for accuracy, precision, and correlation to a validated HPLC method (AOAC 994.08). The results were verified by an independent laboratory.     

Development and validation of a method for the detection and confirmation of biomarkers of exposure in human urine by means of restricted access material-liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

The present article describes the development and validation of a LC–MS/MS method for the determination and confirmation of biomarkers of exposure to different types of xenobiotics in human urine. The method combines the use of a restricted access material (RAM) coupled on-line to a LC–IT-MS system; in this way, a rapid and efficient matrix cleanup was achieved, reducing manual sample preparation to freezing and sample filtration. The ion trap (IT) mass spectrometry detector provided the selectivity, sensitivity and ruggedness needed for confirmatory purposes. The on-line RAM-LC–MS/MS method developed here has been validated as a quantitative confirmatory method according to the European Union (EU) Decision 2002/657/EC. The validation steps included the verification of linearity, repeatability, specificity, trueness/recovery, reproducibility, stability and ruggedness in fortified urine samples. Repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility, measured as intraday and interday precisions, were evaluated at two concentration levels, being 12.7% or below at the concentration corresponding to the quantification limits. Matrix effects and non-targeted qualitative analyses were also evaluated in fortified urine samples. Decision limits (CC_α) and detection capabilities (CC_β) were in the range of 3.6–16.5 and 6.0–28.1 ng mL⁻¹ respectively. The results of the validation process revealed that the proposed method is suitable for reliable quantification and confirmation of biomarkers of exposure to xenobiotics in human urine at low ng mL⁻¹ levels. In addition, working in Data-Dependent Scan mode the proposed method can be used for the screening of these compounds in urine samples.     

The evaluation of measurement uncertainty from method validation studies

 A protocol has been developed illustrating the link between validation experiments and measurement uncertainty evaluation. The application of the protocol is illustrated with reference to a method for the determination of three markers (CI solvent red 24, quinizarin and CI solvent yellow 124) in fuel oil samples. The method requires the extraction of the markers from the sample matrix by solid phase extraction followed by quantification by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection. The uncertainties for the determination of the markers were evaluated using data from precision and trueness studies using representative sample matrices spiked at a range of concentrations, and from ruggedness studies of the extraction and HPLC stages. Received: 10 April 1999 · Accepted: 24 September 1999     

Full and fractionated experimental designs for robustness testing in the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of codeine phosphate, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate in a pharmaceutical preparation

This paper describes the testing of a saturated factorial design using a full factorial design. Saturated factorial designs are often used to test the robustness of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods, however they are based on several assumptions. A full factorial design relies on fewer assumptions and hence could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the saturated design. Both designs were used to test a gradient HPLC method for the assay of codeine phosphate, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and chorpheniramine maleate. Six HPLC conditions, including wavelength, mobile phase pH and ion pairing reagent concentration were tested using the saturated design. Three of these factors were selected for full evaluation using a full factorial design. The results showed that the main effects calculated by each design were comparable. However, the saturated design showed higher standard errors, probably due to the effects of changing several more factors. One interaction effect was indicated as a confounding effect by the saturated design and this was confirmed by the calculation of the same interaction effect using the full design. Overall the method was shown to be robust under the variety of HPLC conditions tested.     

The application of experimental design to the robustness testing of a method for the determination of drug-related impurities by capillary electrophoresis

Summary Robustness testing of capillary electrophoresis methods is an important part of method validation. Appropriate use of experimental designs can be employed in this robustness testing. In this study experimental designs were used in the assessment of a capillary electrophoresis method used to determine drug related impurities. Initially a fractional factorial screening design was used to identify the critical parameters which were found to be pH and voltage. A central composite design was then performed to evaluate the response surfaces for pH and voltage which showed operation at the optimum pH and voltage values.     

Spherical coordinate representations of solvent composition for liquid chromatography method development using experimental design

One of the major techniques used for the method development of ternary and quaternary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems has been to use mixture designs, often referred to as "Glajch's Triangle". This technique does not allow for the systematic and simultaneous optimization of other factors such as gradient time, pH and temperature that affect the quality of separations. An alternative approach is to use experimental designs. The condition, however, that the composition of all components of the mobile phase must total 100% presents a problem when trying to mathematically represent ranges of each mobile phase constituent of a ternary or quaternary system. A method is described here, based on spherical coordinate representations, that adheres to the constraints of the mobile phase composition and allows experimental designs, such as central composite and factorial designs, to be applied to the simultaneous optimization of the mobile phase composition. Other factors, in particular temperature and gradient time, can then be included in the design. As a result of applying these designs to the HPLC separation of phenols and corticosteroids, it was found necessary to include three-way interactions between experimental factors in the model. The significance of these interactions shows that they need to be considered in HPLC method development.     

Challenges in the analytical method development and validation for an unstable active pharmaceutical ingredient

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) impurity profile method for the antibiotic ertapenem is developed and subsequently validated. The method utilizes an Inertsil phenyl column at ambient temperature, gradient elution with aqueous sodium phosphate buffer at pH 8, and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The linearity, method precision, method ruggedness, limit of quantitation, and limit of detection of the impurity profile HPLC method are found to be satisfactory. The method is determined to be specific, as judged by resolving ertapenem from in-process impurities in crude samples and degradation products that arise from solid state thermal and light stress, acid, base, and oxidative stressed solutions. In addition, evidence is obtained by photodiode array detection studies that no degradate or impurity having a different UV spectrum coeluted with the major component in stressed or unstressed samples. The challenges during the development and validation of the method are discussed. The difficulties of analyzing an unstable active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) are addressed. Several major impurities/degradates of the API have very different UV response factors from the API. These impurities/degradates are synthesized or prepared by controlled degradation and the relative response factors are determined.