Kinetic study of the degradation of forskolin in aqueous systems by stability-indicating HPLC method and identification of its degradation products

The degradation kinetics of forskolin in aqueous solution was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. Two degradation products were isolated and identified as isoforskolin and forskolin D by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantification of forskolin and its degradation products. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Luna C₁₈ column with acetonitrile–water (65:35, v/v) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was kept at 1 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was 210 nm. The kinetic study of forskolin was carried out in aqueous solutions of pH 1.5–8.5 at 37, 50, 65, and 80°C. The degradation rate of forskolin increases with increasing temperature. Forskolin is relatively stable in the pH range 3.5–6.5, but its stability decreases when the pH is outside this range. In the pH range 6.5–8.5, the forskolin degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. Based on the structural identification and quantitative analysis of the degradation products, a possible pathway for forskolin degradation is proposed. Forskolin can be converted to isoforskolin rapidly, and both forskolin and isoforskolin can further decompose to forskolin D.     

A Validated, Specific, Stability-Indicating RP-LC Method for Analysis of Gatifloxacin in the Presence of Degradation Products and Process-Related Impurities

A validated, specific, stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for quantitative analysis of gatifloxacin, its degradation products, and its process-related impurities in bulk samples and in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Forced degradation of gatifloxacin bulk sample was conducted in accordance with ICH guidelines. Acidic, basic, neutral, and oxidative hydrolysis, thermal stress, and photolytic degradation were used to assess the stability-indicating power of the method. Substantial degradation was observed during oxidative hydrolysis. No degradation was observed under the other stress conditions. The method was optimized using samples generated by forced degradation and sample solution spiked with impurities. Good resolution of the analyte peak from peaks corresponding to process-related impurities and degradation products was achieved on a C₁₈ column by use of a simple linear mobile-phase gradient prepared from mixtures of acetonitrile and an aqueous solution of sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate dihydrate and triethylamine adjusted to pH 6.5 with orthophosphoric acid. Detection was performed at 240 nm. Limits of detection and quantification were established for gatifloxacin and its process-related impurities. When the stressed test solutions were assayed by comparison with gatifloxacin working standard the mass balance was always close to 99.3%, indicating the method was stability-indicating. Validation of the method was performed in accordance with ICH requirements. The method was found to be suitable for checking the quality of bulk samples of gatifloxacin at the time of batch release and also during storage.     

A Validated, Specific Stability-Indicating RP-LC Method for Moxifloxacin and Its Related Substances

A validated, specific, stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed for quantitative analysis of moxifloxacin and its related substances in bulk samples and pharmaceutical dosage forms in the presence of degradation products and process-related impurities. Forced degradation studies were performed on bulk samples of moxifloxacin, in accordance with ICH guidelines, using acidic, basic, and oxidizing conditions, and thermal and photolytic stress, to show the stability-indicating power of the method. Significant degradation was caused by oxidative stress and by basic conditions; no degradation was observed under the other stress conditions. The method was optimized by analysis of the samples generated during the forced degradation studies and sample solutions spiked with the impurities. Good resolution between the analyte peak and peaks corresponding to process-related impurities and degradation products was achieved on a C₁₈ column with a simple linear mobile phase gradient prepared from aqueous sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate dihydrate containing triethylamine, pH adjusted to 3.0 with orthophosphoric acid, and methanol. Detection was performed at 240 nm. Limits of detection and quantification were established for moxifloxacin and its process related impurities. When the stressed test solutions were assayed against moxifloxacin working standard solution the mass balance was always between 99.3 and 100.1%, indicating the method was stability-indicating. The method was validated in accordance with ICH guidelines, and found to be suitable for checking the quality of bulk samples of moxifloxacin at the time of release of a batch and during storage (long term and accelerated stability testing was conducted).     

Photodegradation Kinetics of Fexofenadine Hydrochloride Using a LC Method

The kinetics of photodegradation of the antihistamine fexofenadine hydrochloride using a stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is demonstrated. The degradation was carried out in methanol and in water solutions, prepared from coated tablets, in quartz cells under UV light at 254 nm. The kinetics parameters of order of reaction and the rate constants of the degradation were determined for both solvents. The degradation process of fexofenadine hydrochloride in solutions can be described by second-order kinetics under the experimental conditions used in this study. The obtained results show that the HPLC method is satisfactory in the determination of the kinetics of degradation of fexofenadine hydrochloride in the presence of its photolytic degradation products.     

Application of a Validated, Stability-Indicating LC Method to Stress Degradation Studies of Ramipril and Moexipril.HCl

A stability-indicating reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) method has been established for analysis of ramipril (RAM) and moexipril hydrochloride (MOEX.HCl) in the presence of the degradation products generated in studies of forced decomposition. The drug substances were subjected to stress by hydrolysis (0.1 m NaOH and 0.1 m HCl), oxidation (30% H₂O₂), photolysis (254 nm), and thermal treatment (80 °C). The drugs were degraded under basic and acidic conditions and by thermal treatment but were stable under other stress conditions investigated. Successful separation of the drugs from the degradation products was achieved on a cyanopropyl column with 40:60 (v/v) aqueous 0.01 m ammonium acetate buffer (pH 6)–methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹. Detection was by UV absorption at 210 nm. Response was a linear function of concentration over the range 5–50 μg mL⁻¹ (r > 0.9995), with limits of detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ) of 0.04 and 0.09 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, for RAM and 0.014 and 0.32 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, for moexipril. The method was validated for specificity, selectivity, solution stability, accuracy, and precision. Statistical analysis proved the method enabled reproducible and selective quantification of RAM and MOEX as the bulk drug and in pharmaceutical preparations. Because the method effectively separates the drugs from their degradation products, it can be used as stability-indicating.     

Stability-Indicating LC Determination of Nitazoxanide in Bulk Drug and in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

A novel stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay method was developed and validated for quantitative determination of nitazoxanide in bulk drugs and in pharmaceutical dosage form in the presence of degradation products generated from forced decomposition studies. An isocratic, reversed phase LC method was developed to separate the drug from the degradation products, using an Ace5- C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, and 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH 5.5 by acetic acid) and acetonitrile (55:45 v/v) as a mobile phase. The detection was carried out at a wavelength of 240 nm. The nitazoxanide was subjected to stress conditions of hydrolysis (acid, base), oxidation, photolysis and thermal degradation. Degradation was observed for nitazoxanide in base, acid and in 30% H₂O₂ conditions. The drug was found to be stable in the other stress conditions attempted. The degradation products were well resolved from the main peak. The percentage recovery of nitazoxanide was from (100.55 to 101.25%) in the pharmaceutical dosage form. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy (recovery), precision, system suitability, specificity and robustness. The forced degradation studies prove the stability indicating power of the method.     

A stability-indicating reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous assay of two corticosteroids and estimation of their related compounds in a pharmaceutical injectable formulation

Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate and Betamethasone Acetate are the two corticosteroids active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that are present in the injectable formulation, Celestone Chronodose^® Injection. It is extremely challenging to develop a Quality Control friendly HPLC method to separate all the potential impurities and degradation products of the two APIs from each other using a single HPLC method. A novel stability-indicating reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) method using two oxo-cyclic organic modifiers in the mobile phase was developed and validated. This method can separate a total of 32 potential impurities and degradation products from the two APIs and also from each other. Peak symmetry and separation efficiency were enhanced by using two chaotropic agents (trifluoroacetic acid and potassium hexafluorophosphate) in the mobile phases of this method. The stability-indicating capability of this method has been demonstrated by analyzing aged and stressed degraded stability samples of the drug product. This method uses an ACE 3 C18 (15 cm × 4.6 mm) HPLC column. The method was validated per ICH guidelines and proved to be suitable for routine QC use.     

Development of Novel Stability-Indicating Method for the Determination of Dimethindene Maleate and Its Impurities

A novel and selective stability-indicating liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the analysis of dimethindene maleate, the related substance 2-ethylpyridine, and three degradation products. Dimethindene maleate was subjected to forced degradation study by acid and basic hydrolysis, oxidation, and thermal decomposition. Three degradation products that were formed during the forced degradation study were separated from dimethindene using a Zorbax SB CN column (150 × 4.6 mm; 5 μm); cyanopropyl-bonded stationary phase was applied for the first time for the separation of dimethindene and its impurities. The proposed method was validated and was found suitable for quality control and stability tests of pharmaceuticals containing dimethindene maleate.     

Development of Novel Stability-Indicating Method for the Determination of Dimethindene Maleate and Its Impurities

A novel and selective stability-indicating liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the analysis of dimethindene maleate, the related substance 2-ethylpyridine, and three degradation products. Dimethindene maleate was subjected to forced degradation study by acid and basic hydrolysis, oxidation, and thermal decomposition. Three degradation products that were formed during the forced degradation study were separated from dimethindene using a Zorbax SB CN column (150 × 4.6 mm; 5 μm); cyanopropyl-bonded stationary phase was applied for the first time for the separation of dimethindene and its impurities. The proposed method was validated and was found suitable for quality control and stability tests of pharmaceuticals containing dimethindene maleate.

     

Stress degradation study and structure characterization of oxidation degradation product of dexlansoprazole using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/time of flight,liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance

The present study deals with the forced degradation behavior of dexlansoprazole under International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) prescribed stress conditions. The drug was found to be more labile under acid, base, neutral, oxidative hydrolysis and thermal stress, while it was moderately stable under photolytic conditions. The known and unknown degradation products were separated on a C-18 column using a stability-indicating method. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis was performed for all the degradation studies. Isolation and structure characterization of oxidation degradation products were executed using sophisticated tools, viz. preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/time of flight (LC-MS/TOF), liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This study demonstrates an ample methodology of degradation studies and structure elucidation of unknown degradation products of dexlansoprazole, which helps in the development and stability study of active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulated products.     

Development and validation of a reversed phase HPLC method for quantitative analysis of bis-isoxazolylnaphthoquinone

The goal of this study was to determine the kinetic parameters involved in the decomposition of 2-(5-methyl-4-isoxazolylamino)-N-(5-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone-4-imine (1) in aqueous solution and to identify the main degradation products. An isocratic HPLC assay was used to study the degradation rate of 1. The products of hydrolysis were identified by comparison of their retention times with those of authentic samples. The amount of 1 and the two degradation products resulting from storage of 1 in various buffer solutions was followed in function of time by a reversed-phase HPLC stability-indicating method. The observed degradation rates followed pseudo-first-order kinetics at constant pH, temperature and ionic strength. The log k–pH-profile was constructed at 35°C from the first-order rate constants obtained from studies at pH values ranging from 0.88 to 10.80 (μ=0.5 M). Hydrolysis in the acidic and alkaline media resulted in the formation of two degradation products in each case. The pH-rate profile of 1 in buffer solution was adequately described using a four-term rate equation. The obtained pH-rate profile indicated specific acid–base catalysis with a region of maximum stability between pH 6.40 and 7.40 which can be adequate for formulations of 1.     

Structural Elucidation of Alkali Degradation Impurities of Favipiravir from the Oral Suspension: UPLC-TQ-ESI-MS/MS and NMR

A novel stability-indicating, reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the determination of favipiravir in an oral suspension. The effective separation of favipiravir and its degradation products was achieved on a Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column (5 μm particle size, 150 mm length × 4.6 mm diameter). The mobile phase was prepared by mixing 5 mM of phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) and methanol in a 75:25 v/v ratio delivered at a 1.0 mL/min flow rate. The eluents were monitored using a photodiode array detector at a wavelength of 322 nm. The stability-indicating nature of this method was evaluated by performing force degradation studies under various stress conditions, such as acidic, alkali, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic degradation. Significant degradation was observed during the alkali stress degradation condition. The degradation products generated during various stress conditions were well separated from the favipiravir peak. In addition, the major degradation product formed under alkali stress conditions was identified using UPLC-ESI-TQ-MS/MS and NMR. Method validation was performed according to the ICH Q2 (R1) guideline requirements. The developed method is simple, accurate, robust, and reliable for routine quality control analysis of favipiravir oral suspensions.     

Green micellar stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of rupatadine fumarate in the presence of its main impurity desloratadine: Oxidative degradation kinetics study

A green micellar stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for rupatadine fumarate determination in existence with its main impurity desloratadine. Separation was attained using Hypersil ODS column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), the micellar mobile phase consisted of 0.13 M sodium dodecyl sulfate, 0.1 M disodium hydrogen phosphate adjusted by phosphoric acid to pH 2.8 and 10% n-butanol. The column was maintained at 45^◦C and detection was carried out at 267 nm. A linear response was achieved over the range of 2–160 μg/ml for rupatadine and 0.4–8 μg/ml for desloratadine. The method was applied for rupatadine determination in alergoliber tablets and alergoliber syrup without the interference of methyl paraben and propyl paraben present as main excipients. Rupatadine fumarate revealed pronounced susceptibility to oxidation; further study of oxidative degradation kinetics was carried out. Rupatadine was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics when exposed to 10% H₂O₂ at 60 and 80°C and the activation energy was found to be 15.69 Kcal/mol. At a lower temperature (40°C), degradation kinetics regression was best fitted as a polynomial quadratic relationship, thus rupatadine oxidation at a lower temperature tends to adopt a second-order kinetics rate. Oxidative degradation product structure was revealed using infrared and found to be rupatadine N-oxide at all temperature values.     

Validated stability-indicating densitometric thin-layer chromatography: application to stress degradation studies of minocycline

A simple, stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer liquid chromatographic (HPTLC) method for analysis of minocycline was developed and validated. The densitometric analysis was carried out at 345 nm using methanol-acetonitrile-isopropyl alcohol-water (5:4:0.5:0.5, v/v/v/v) as mobile phase.The method employed TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 as the stationary phase. To achieve good result, plates were sprayed with a 10% (w/v) solution of disodium ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), the pH of which was adjusted to 9.0. Compact spots of minocycline were found at R_f = 0.30 ± 0.02. For proposed procedure, linearity (r = 0.9997), limit of detection (3.7 ng spot⁻¹), recovery (99.23-100.16%), and precision (% R.S.D. ≤ 0.364) was found to be satisfactory. The drug undergoes acidic and basic degradation, oxidation and photodegradation. All the peaks of degradation products were well resolved from the pure drug with significantly different R_f values. The acidic and alkaline degradation kinetics of minocycline, evaluated using this method, is found to be of first order.     

Aspects of Degradation Kinetics of Azithromycin in Aqueous Solution

The chemical stability of azithromycin (AZM) in aqueous solution has been investigated utilizing a stability-indicating LC assay with ultraviolet detection. The degradation kinetics were studied as functions of pH (4–7.2), buffer composition (phosphate, acetate, and citrate), buffer concentration, ionic strength, drug concentration and temperature. The observed rate obtained by measuring the remaining intact AZM was shown to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The maximum stability of AZM occured at an approximate pH 6.3 in 0.05 M potassium phosphate. The observed degradation rate increased with ionic strength, buffer concentration and obeyed the Arrhenius equation over the temperature range investigated (70–100 °C). The apparent energy of activation (E _a) for AZM in solution was found to be 96.8 kJ mol^?1 and by application of the Arrhenius equation the stability at 25 °C (k ₂₅) and 40 °C (k ₄₀) had been predicted. Moreover, the degradation rate of AZM was independent on its initial concentration. Trace metal ions are unlikely to be involved in the degradation of AZM in aqueous solution. The major degradation product of AZM in aqueous solution was isolated and identified by LC–MS–MS and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra.     

A validated stability-indicating RP-HPLC assay method for Amsacrine and its related substances

A validated specific stability indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the quantitative determination of Amsacrine as well as its related substances determination in bulk samples, in presence of degradation products, and its process related impurities. Forced degradation studies were performed on bulk samples of Amsacrine as per International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human use (ICH) prescribed stress conditions using acid, base, oxidative, thermal stress, and photolytic degradation to show the stability indicating power of the method. Significant degradation was observed during basic hydrolysis, slight degradation was observed in oxidative and thermal stress, and no degradation was observed in other stress conditions. The chromatographic method was optimized using the samples generated from forced degradation studies and the impurity spiked solution. Good resolution between the peaks corresponds to process-related impurities and degradation products from the analyte were achieved on Inertsil ODS column using the mobile phase consists a mixture of 1.0% triethyl amine in 20 mM potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate, with pH adjusted to 6.5, with ortho phosphoric acid in water and acetonitrile using a simple linear gradient. The detection was carried out at wavelength 248 nm. The mass balance in each case was in between 99.4% to 99.9%, indicating that the developed method was stability-indicating. Validation of the developed method was carried out as per ICH requirements. The developed method was found to be suitable to check the quality of bulk samples of Amsacrine at the time of batch release and also during its stability studies.     

Development of the Validated Stability-Indicating Method for the Determination of Vortioxetine in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Formulation by HPLC-DAD,Stress Degradation Kinetics Studies and Detection of Degradation Products by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS

Vortioxetine (VOR) is a new antidepressant drug used to treat major depressive disorder. In this work, a novel, simple, rapid, accurate, precise, selective, stability-indicating, and fully validated high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed to determine VOR in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations. A Polar-RP column was used, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (ACN), methanol (MeOH), acetate buffer pH 3.5, and addition of diethylamine (DEA) in the isocratic elution mode. Assessing the stability of the VOR is fundamental to guarantee the efficacy, safety, and quality of drug products. In this study, the VOR active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and tablets were subjected to a detailed study of forced degradation, using several degrading agents (acid, alkaline, water, heat, light, and oxidation agents). The developed HPLC-DAD method allows the collection of all the essential data to determine degradation kinetics. It was found that the decomposition of vortioxetine is fragile towards oxidative conditions and photolysis, yielding the first-order and second-order kinetic reaction in the above stress conditions, respectively. The degradation products (DPs) were identified by the high-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) method. The HPLC-DAD method was successfully applied for the quantification of VOR in tablets. Additionally, in silico toxicity prediction of the DPs was performed.     

Degradation kinetics of telithromycin determined by HPLC method

The degradation kinetics of the antibiotic telithromycin using a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is demonstrated. The photodegradation is performed by UVC lamp-254 nm (15W), installed in a chamber internally coated with mirrors, where telithromycin solutions prepared from coated tablets are placed in quartz cells. To promote oxidation, the reaction between the telithromycin solution and 3% hydrogen peroxide solution is carried out. The kinetics parameters of order of reaction and the rate constants of the degradation are determined for both conditions. The degradation process of telithromycin can be described by first-order kinetics under both experimental conditions used in this study. The results reveal the photo and oxidation lability of the drug and confirm the reliability of HPLC method for telithromycin in the presence of its degradation products.     

Discerning the stability behaviour of mavacamten availing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: In silico toxicity and mutagenicity prediction of degradation products

The present study aimed to separate, identify, and characterise the degradation products formed when mavacamten is exposed to stress degradation as well as the stability of the drug in various environments and also to understand its degradation chemistry. Prediction of in silico toxicity and mutagenicity was aimed at the observed degradation products. Stress degradation along with stability studies and degradation kinetics were performed on mavacamten, and separation of degradation products was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography. Tandem mass spectrometry studies were executed to characterise the structures of degradation products using product ion fragments. Orthogonally, nuclear magnetic resonance experiments were conducted to elucidate the structures having ambiguity in characterising them. Deductive Estimation of Risk from Existing Knowledge and Structure Activity Relationship Analysis using Hypotheses software were used to establish in silico toxicity and mutagenic profiles of mavacamten and its degradation products. Two degradation products of mavacamten found in acidic hydrolytic stress conditions were separated, identified, characterised, and proposed as 1-isopropylpyrimidine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione and 1-phenylethanamine. Mavacamten was found to be stable under different pH and gastrointestinal conditions. The degradation kinetics of mavacamten under 1 N acidic condition followed zero-order kinetics, and it was degraded completely within 6 h. In silico toxicity and mutagenicity studies revealed that 1-phenylethanamine can be a skin sensitiser. A high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the separation of degradation products of mavacamten and characterised by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. During the manufacturing and storage of drug product, precautions need to be taken when dealing with acidic solutions as the drug is prone to hydrolysis in acidic conditions. The formation of 1-phenylethanamine under these conditions is to be monitored as it is a skin sensitiser.     

Application of a validated stability-indicating densitometric thin-layer chromatographic method to stress degradation studies on moxifloxacin

A simple, sensitive, selective, precise and stability-indicating high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method for densitometric determination of moxifloxacin both as a bulk drug and from pharmaceutical formulation was developed and validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The method employed TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 as the stationary phase and the mobile phase consisted of n-propanol-ethanol-6 M ammonia solution (4:1:2, v/v/v). Densitometric analysis of moxifloxacin was carried out in the absorbance mode at 298 nm. Compact spots for moxifloxacin were found at R_f value of 0.58 ± 0.02. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r = 0.9925 in the working concentration range of 100-800 ng spot⁻¹. The method was validated for precision, accuracy, ruggedness, robustness, specificity, recovery, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ). The LOD and LOQ were 3.90 and 11.83 ng spot⁻¹, respectively. Drug was subjected to acid and alkali hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat, wet heat treatment and photodegradation. All the peaks of degradation products were well resolved from the standard drug with significantly different R_f values. Statistical analysis proves that the developed HPTLC method is reproducible and selective. As the method could effectively separate the drug from its degradation products, it can be employed as stability-indicating one. Moreover, the proposed HPTLC method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of the acidic and alkaline degradation processes at different temperatures. Arrhenius plot was constructed and apparent pseudo-first-order rate constant, half-life and activation energy were calculated. In addition the pH-rate profile for degradation of moxifloxacin in constant ionic strength buffer solutions within the pH range 1.2-10.8 was studied.