An Approach to Transfer Methods from HPLC to UHPLC Techniques in Some Carbapenems

Stability-indicating LC methods were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of doripenem, meropenem and tebipenem in the presence of their degradation products formed during forced degradation studies. Isocratic HPLC and UHPLC separations were performed with a core–shell Kinetex 1.7, 2.6 and 5 µm, all C18, 100A, 100 × 2.1 mm columns and the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 12 mmol L^?1 ammonium acetate in different ratios. The flow rates of the mobile phase were: 0.5 mL min^?1 for 1.7 µm column, and 1.0 mL min^?1 for 2.6 and 5 µm ones. Detection wavelength was 298 nm and temperature was set at 30 °C. All analysed drugs were exposed to stress conditions which caused their hydrolysis and thermal degradation. The methods were validated by evaluation of linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity and robustness. Proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of investigated antibiotics during kinetic studies in aqueous solutions and in the solid state. The advantages of chromatographic procedures which are based on the use of C18 stationary phases with different particle sizes in the analysis of selected carbapenems were discussed.     

Development and Validation of a UHPLC UV Method for the In-Process Control of Bosentan Monohydrate Synthesis

Bosentan monohydrate (4-tert-butyl-N-[6-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-2-(pyrimidin-2-yl) pyrimidin-4-yl]benzene-1-sulfonamide monohydrate) is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) applied in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. To achieve effective process control of the bosentan monohydrate synthesis, it was necessary to develop a selective and not highly time-consuming method for ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The method is characterized by adequate sensitivity, reproducibility and selectivity for the determination of bosentan monohydrate and related compounds from all synthetic stages. The UHPLC separation was carried out by reversed phase chromatography on the Acquity BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) with a mobile phase composed of solvent A (0.1 %, v/v, acetic acid in water) and solvent B (methanol), in the gradient mode at the flow rate of 0.4 mL min⁻¹. Limits of detection and quantification for the compounds were ≤0.1 µg mL⁻¹ and 0.3 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. The linearity for all related compounds was investigated as in the range for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and as in the range for the in-process control. The developed method was validated according to the current guidelines, proving the suitability of the method for its intended purpose.

     

The Development and Validation of a Stability-Indicating UHPLC-DAD Method for Determination of Perindopril l-Arginine in Bulk Substance and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

A stability-indicating ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method with a diode array detector was developed and validated for the determination of cis/trans isomers of perindopril l-arginine in bulk substance and pharmaceutical dosage form. The separation was achieved on a Poroshell 120 Hilic (4.6 × 150 mm, 2.7 µm) column using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile–0.1 % formic acid (20:80 v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. The injection volume was 5.0 µL and the wavelength of detection was controlled at 230 nm. The selectivity of the UHPLC-DAD method was confirmed by determining perindopril l-arginine in the presence of degradation products formed during acid–base hydrolysis and oxidation as well as degradation in the solid state, at an increased relative air humidity and in dry air. The method’s linearity was investigated in the ranges 0.40–1.40 µg mL⁻¹ for isomer I and 0.40–2.40 µg mL⁻¹ for isomer II of perindopril l-arginine. The UHPLC-DAD method met the precision and accuracy criteria for the determination of the isomers of perindopril l-arginine. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.1503 and 0.4555 µg mL⁻¹ for isomer I and 0.0356 and 0.1078 µg mL⁻¹ for isomer II, respectively.

     

Comparison of Two Stability-Indicating Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Mirabegron in Presence of Its Degradation Product

Mirabegron is a novel β₃-adrenoceptor agonist containing an amide group. It was subjected to stress conditions of acidic and alkaline hydrolyses. The hydrolytic degradation product was isolated and its structure was confirmed using mass and IR spectrometry. Two stability-indicating chromatographic methods have been proposed for the determination of mirabegron. TLC method was applied using silica gel as stationary phase and chloroform–methanol–ammonia (9.0:1.0:0.1 by volume) as the mobile phase, and chromatograms were scanned at 250 nm. Accurate determination of the drug was achieved over the concentration range of 2–12 μg per band. In addition, an isocratic HPLC method was developed on Agilent C18 column (150 mm × 4.5 mm I.D., particle size 5 µm) using ethanol-phosphate buffer pH 2.5 (30:70, by volume) as a mobile phase with flow rate of 1 mL min^?1.The intact drug was detected at 250 nm with running time less than 5 min. Mirabegron was determined accurately in a concentration range of 1–25 µg mL^?1. The proposed chromatographic methods were applied successfully for the assay of mirabegron in pharmaceutical dosage form and both methods were validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and statistically compared with a reported gradient HPLC method.     

Determination of the Enantiomeric Purity of Trelagliptin by Pre-Column Derivatization and Liquid Chromatography on a Chiral Stationary Phase

A precise and sensitive LC method for determination of enantiomeric purity of trelagliptin has been developed and validated. Pre-column derivatization was performed before separation. Baseline separation with a resolution factor >2.5 was accomplished within 10 min by use of a Chiralpak AD column (250 × 4.6 mm; particle size 5 µm) and n-hexane–2-propanol (90:10 v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Eluted analytes were monitored by UV detection at 260 nm. The effects of mobile phase composition and temperature on enantiomeric selectivity and on resolution of enantiomers were thoroughly investigated. Calibration curves were plotted within the concentration range 0.005–2 mg mL⁻¹ (n = 12), and recoveries between 98.23 and 101.34 % were obtained, with relative standard deviation (RSD) <1.39 %. LOD and LOQ for the trelagliptin derivative were 1.51 and 5.03 µg mL⁻¹; those for its enantiomer were 1.49 and 4.94 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. The method was evaluated and validated by analysis of bulk samples of trelagliptin of different enantiomeric purity. It was demonstrated that the method was accurate, robust, and sensitive, and enabled practical analysis of real samples.

     

Development and validation of a novel RP-HPLC method for stability-indicating assay of Abiraterone acetate

Abiraterone acetate is a prodrug of Abiraterone widely used for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. In this study, a simple, sensitive, and rapid stability-indicating reverse phase HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of Abiraterone acetate in bulk and its pharmaceutical formulation. The method was developed by HPLC using a Hypersil ODS C-18 (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column in a isocratic mode with mobile phase constituted by potassium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (40:60, v/v%) flow rate was 1.0 mL min^?1, column temperature of 30°C, UV detection wavelength 235 nm, and injection volume of 20 µL. The validated parameters were in accordance with FDA and ICH specifications, assay exhibited a linear range of 25–250 µg mL^?1 with regression (r²) coefficient 0.9998. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.23 and 0.70 µg mL. Accuracy was between 99.34 and 100.07%. The drug was subjected to various stress conditions like acidic, base hydrolysis, oxidation, thermal, and photolytic degradation. Stress study Abiraterone acetate was found susceptible to degrade under hydrolytic (acid and base) conditions. The proposed method has stability indicating the resolution of the main peak from their degradation peaks. The validated method is suitable for quality control application and reduced analysis time.     

Stability-Indicating HPLC Method for the Determination of Cefcapene Pivoxil

The stability-indicating LC assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of cefcapene pivoxil in the presence of degradation products formed during forced degradation studies. An isocratic RP-HPLC method was developed with a Lichrospher RP-18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column and the mobile phase composed of 45 volumes of acetonitrile and 55 volumes of mixture composed of citric acid 10 mmol L^?1 and potassium chloride 18 mmol L^?1. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 1 mL min^?1. Detection wavelength was 270 nm and temperature was 30 °C. Cefcapene pivoxil, similar to other cephalosporins, was subjected to stress conditions of degradation in aqueous solutions including hydrolysis, oxidation, and thermal degradation. The method was validated with regard to linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity, and robustness. The method was applied successfully for the determination of cefcapene pivoxil during kinetic studies in aqueous solutions (pH and thermal degradation) and in solid state (oxidative, thermal, and radiolytic degradation).     

A Sensitive and Selective RP-LC Method for the Simultaneous Determination of the Antihypertensive Drugs,Enalapril, Lercanidipine,Nitrendipine and Their Validation

A RP-LC method is presented, which is sensitive and selective for the simultaneous determination of enalapril–lercanidipine and enalapril–nitrendipine binary mixtures in their pharmaceutical dosage forms. The analyte peaks were detected using the LC method with the mobile phase ratio of methanol: water (70:30 v/v, pH 3.0) and a 1.0 mL min⁻¹ flow rate. The detection wavelength was selected at 210 nm using photo diode array detector and column temperature was optimized to 30 °C. Linearity was obtained at different concentration ranges for all working pharmaceutically active compounds between 0.5 and 25 μg mL⁻¹. The proposed methods were extensively validated according to USP 27 requirements and ICH guidelines. The methods were applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical dosage forms containing binary mixtures of enalapril–lercanidipine and enalapril–nitrendipine. Moreover, the proposed methods were applied for the degradation studies of the selected compounds. Degradation studies were conducted using stress conditions such as UV light, acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation and heat in oven, to evaluate the ability of the separation of the response of standard compounds from their degradation products.

     

RP-HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Sofosbuvir and Ledipasvir in Tablet Dosage Form and Its Application to In Vitro Dissolution Studies

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir in tablet dosage form. The analysis was performed on Luna analytical column 250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm, octyl silica packing (Si–[CH₂]₇–CH₃) C8, using ammonium acetate buffer solution pH 7.0 and acetonitrile 35:65 % v/v as mobile phase at flow rate of 0.7 mL min⁻¹ for isocratic elution. Detection of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir was performed on a UV detector at 245 nm. The retention times of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir were 4.468 ± 0.013 min and 8.242 ± 0.012 min, respectively, and the total run time was 20 min. The method was validated according to the requirements of the United States Pharmacopeia (category I). The overall recovery of both analytes was 100 ± 1 %; the relative standard deviation for precision and intraday precision was less than 2.0 %. The method was linear with correlation coefficient (r) >0.9999, limits of detection 0.485 and 0.175 µg mL⁻¹, and limits of quantification was 1.619 and 0.586 µg mL⁻¹ for sofosbuvir and ledipasvir, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the assay and in vitro dissolution studies of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir in tablet dosage form.

     

Quantitative Analysis of Busulfan in Human Plasma by LC-MS–MS

High-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry has been used for rapid, specific, and sensitive analysis of busulfan in human plasma. Busulfan-d₈ was used as internal standard. Analysis was performed on a C₁₈ column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 3.5-µm particles) with water–methanol 80:20 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow-rate of 0.30 mL min⁻¹. Detection was by tandem triple–quadrupole mass spectrometry with turbo ion-spray ionization. Linear calibration plots were obtained over the concentration range 1.096–1,096 ng mL⁻¹. The assay is ideally suited to monitoring of busulfan and determination of its pharmacokinetic data.

     

Assay of Diastereoisomers of Cefuroxime Axetil in Amorphous and Crystalline Forms Using UHPLC-DAD

A sensitive UHPLC-DAD method was developed for determination of diastereoisomers of cefuroxime axetil in bulk substance in amorphous and crystalline forms as well as in pharmaceutical preparations. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Kinetex C-18 (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) column with mobile phase consisting of 0.1 % formic acid:methanol (88:12, v/v), at the flow rate of 0.7 mL min⁻¹ and total run time of 3 min. The wavelength of the DAD detector was set at 278 nm. Inter-day precision (RSD) was less than 3 % and accuracy level ranged between 98.31 and 104.99 %. Degradation products of cefuroxime axetil in aqueous solutions and in the solid state were identified with a EIS-Q-MS mass spectrometer. The solubility of above-mentioned polymorphic forms of cefuroxime axetil in suitable solvents is a crucial factor during preparation of samples and is essential for chromatographic separation of its diastereoisomers.

     

Simultaneous Determination of Andrographolide and Dehydroandrographolide in Chicken Plasma for Application to Pharmacokinetic Studies

A simple, suitable reverse phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of andrographolide (1) and dehydroandrographolide (2) in chicken plasma after orally administrating the ultra-fine powder of Andrographis paniculata. Plasma samples were extracted with ethyl acetate. Analysis of the extract was performed on a reversed-phase C18 column with gradient eluent composed of acetonitrile and 0.5% acetic acid. The flow rate was kept at 1 mL min⁻¹ and the detection wavelength was set at 225 and 255 nm for 1 and 2, respectively. All calibration curves showed good linear regression (R ≥ 0.9991). The good precision and recoveries with intra-day and inter-day were 3.2–8.7% and 91.1–98.4%, respectively. The limit of detection was 0.016 µg mL⁻¹ and the limit of quantitation was 0.040 µg mL⁻¹ for the target analytes. This validated method has been successfully applied in the pharmacokinetics study of 1 and 2 after orally administrating the Andrographis paniculata ultra-fine powder to chicken.

     

The Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Procedure for the Determination of Dioctyldiethylenetriamine Acetate Residues in Soil,Green and Cured Tobacco Leaves Using a Modified QuEChERS Approach

A liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of dioctyldiethylenetriamine acetate in soil and tobacco. The separation was performed on a Restek Ultra AQ C₁₈ column (2.1?×?100 mm i.d., particle size 3 µm) at 40 °C with a gradient elution. Methanol and trifluoroacetic acid (0.1%) were used as mobile phase, and the flow rate was set at 0.3 mL min^?1. A modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method was used for sample extraction and cleanup pretreatment. The recovery was tested in the real samples and calculated to be 86.3–97.4%, the relative standard deviations were 1.1–11.9%. The limits of detection and quantitation were 3.3–16.7 and 10–50 µg kg^?1, respectively. The method was demonstrated to be reliable for the routine monitoring of dioctyldiethylenetriamine acetate in tobacco samples.     

An LC Ion-Pairing Method for the Determination of Fe(II) in Ferrous Bisglycinate Pharmaceutical Formulation

A reversed-phase ion-pairing liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the assay of Fe(II) in ferrous bisglycinate (Fe-bis-gly) capsules using 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol reagent. The analysis was carried out using a Gemini RP-18 (150 mm × 4.6 mm I.D., particle size 5 μm) analytical column; the mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile–water (28:72 v/v) containing 1 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulfate and 1% phosphate buffer (pH 8.0). The flow rate was 1.0 mL min⁻¹ and the detection was achieved with a photodiode array (PDA) detector at 706 nm. The specificity of the method was proved using stress conditions and evaluated using a PDA detector. The data validation showed that the method is specific, fast, accurate, and reproducible for the determination of Fe-bis-gly in dosage form. The response was linear over a range of 1.0–2.6 μg mL⁻¹ (r = 0.9999). The accuracy of the method ranged from 98.02 to 102.75%. The RSD values for intra- and inter-day precision studies were below 1.3 and 1.1%, respectively. There was no interference of the excipients on the determination of the active pharmaceutical ingredient.

     

Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Extraction and UPLC Determination of Sudan Dyes in Chili Powder

A new method involving matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction and UPLC in conjunction with photodiode array detection was developed for the rapid and simple determination of Sudan dyes in chili powder. Separation of Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III, and Sudan IV was achieved within 2 min on the 1.7 μm Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column by using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–water at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min⁻¹. Optimization of MSPD extraction parameters, such as type of solid sorbent and elution solvent were carried out. Optimal conditions selected for MSPD extraction were 0.25 g of sample, 0.5 g of silica gel as solid sorbent, and 7 mL of acetonitrile–methanol (9:1, v/v) as eluting solvent. Limits of detection ranged between 0.25 and 0.30 mg kg⁻¹ depending on the dye involved. All analytes provided average recoveries from spiked (at 1, 1.5, and 2 mg kg⁻¹) chili powder samples ranging from 81 to 106%. The method was applied to the analysis of chili powder samples obtained from different countries.

     

Development and Validation of Stability Indicating LC Method to Quantify Captopril in Tablets of Controlled Release

An accurate, simple, reproducible, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the captopril determination in controlled release tablets. The analyses were performed at room temperature on a reversed-phase Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm). The mobile phase was composed of water:methanol (45:55; v/v) pH 2.5, and it was eluted isocratically at a 1.0 mL min⁻¹ flow rate. The method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, quantification limit, detection limit, accuracy, precision and robustness. The response was linear in the range 0.3–1.5 mg mL⁻¹ (r ² = 0.9983). The relative standard deviation values for inter-and intra-day precision were 0.77% and 0.50%, respectively. Recoveries ranged between 97.7 and 99.1%. The method was successfully applied for the determination of captopril in the developed formulations.

     

LC Method for Studies on the Stability of Sibutramine in Soft Gelatin Capsules

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatographic method was successfully developed and validated for the determination of sibutramine hydrochloride in bulk and capsules. Sibutramine in the presence of its degradation products was analyzed using UV detection at 225 nm. Chromatography was performed on a reversed-phase C₈ (150 × 4.0 mm I.D., 5 μm) analytical column under isocratic conditions. The mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile:water (aqueous phase containing 0.3% triethylamine and pH adjusted to 7.0) (75:25, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.1 mL min⁻¹. No chromatographic interference was found during the analysis. Light was the stress condition which most contributed to sibutramine degradation. The method showed a linear response (r > 0.999) from 30 to 90 μg mL⁻¹. The mean recovery for capsules was 101.2%. Inter-day assays showed relative standard deviations of 0.42 and 1.62% for bulk and capsules, respectively. The developed method is able to separate sibutramine from its major degradation products and it may be used in the quality control of this active pharmaceutical ingredient in both bulk and capsules.

     

Development and Validation of a Chiral Liquid Chromatographic Method for Quantitative Determination of (+)-OTX015 in (−)-OTX015

A simple, rapid and robust enantioselective method was developed and validated for the quantitation of OTX015 enantiomers [(−)-OTX015 and (+)-OTX015] with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) as per ICH guidelines. The active [(−)-OTX015] and inactive [(+)-OTX015] enantiomers were resolved on a Chiralpak-IA column using methanol consisting of 0.1 % diethyl amine at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. The resolution between the enantiomers was found to be more than 3.7 in the optimized method. The developed method was extensively validated and proven to be robust. The calibration curve for (+)-OTX015 showed excellent linearity over the concentration range of 10–100 µg mL⁻¹. The limit of detection and the limit on quantitation for (+)-OTX015 were 5 and 10 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. The recovery for (+)-OTX015 ranged between 100.7 and 102.5 % in the bulk drug sample of (−)-OTX015. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for quantitative determination of (+)-OTX015 in bulk drug.

     

Determination of Repertaxin Enantiomeric Purity by HPLC on Chiral Stationary Phase

A precise and sensitive LC method for the determination of repertaxin enantiomeric purity has been developed and validated. Baseline separation with a resolution higher than 2.0 was accomplished within 20 min using a Chiralpak AD-H column (250 × 4.6 mm; particle size 5 μm) and n-hexane:2-propanol (90:10 v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Eluted analytes were monitored by UV detection at 260 nm. The effects of mobile phase composition, temperature and flow rate on enantiomeric selectivity and on resolution of enantiomers were investigated. Calibration curves were plotted within the concentration range between 0.002 and 1.0 mg mL⁻¹ (n = 3), and relative standard deviation (RSD) of the inter-batch assay and intra-batch assay was less than 1.27 and 1.16 %. LOD and LOQ for repertaxin were 0.65 and 2.19 μg mL⁻¹; those for its enantiomer were 0.70 and 2.34 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The method was evaluated and validated by analysis of bulk samples of repertaxin of different enantiomeric purity. It was demonstrated that the method was accurate, robust, and sensitive, and enabled practical analysis of real samples.

     

Development of Validated Chromatographic Methods for the Simultaneous Determination of Metronidazole and Spiramycin in Tablets

Two chromatographic methods have been described for the simultaneous determination of metronidazole (MET) and spiramycin (SPY) in their mixtures. The first method was based on a high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) separation of the two drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 240 nm. The separation was carried out on Merck TLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ using methanol: chloroform (9:1, v/v) as a mobile phase. Analysis data was used for the linear regression line in the range of 1.0–2.0 and 0.8–2.0 μg band⁻¹ for MET and SPY, respectively. The second method was based on a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of the cited drugs on a C-18 column (5 μm, 250 × 4.6 mm, i.d.). The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of phosphate buffer of pH 2.4 and acetonitrile (70:30, v/v). The separation was carried out at ambient temperature with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 232 nm based on peak area with linear calibration curves at concentration ranges 0.4–50.0 and 0.5–50.0 μg mL⁻¹ for MET and SPY, respectively. The proposed chromatographic methods were successfully applied to the determination of the investigated drugs in pharmaceutical preparations. Both methods were validated in compliance with ICH guidelines; in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, limits of detection and quantitation and other aspects of analytical validation.