Conventional and First Derivative Synchronous Fluorometric Determination of Ethamsylate in Pharmaceutical Preparations and Biological Fluids. Application to Stability Studies

Two simple, accurate and highly sensitive spectrofluorometric methods were developed for the determination of ethamsylate (ETM). Method I is based on measuring the native fluorescence of ethamsylate in water at 354 nm after excitation at 302 nm. The calibration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.05–1 μg/mL for ETM with limits of detection and quantitation of 7.9 and 26 ng/mL, respectively. Method II involved synchronous and first derivative synchronous fluorometric methods for the simultaneous determination of ethamsylate (ETM) and hydroquinone (HQ) which is considered as an impurity and/or acidic degradation product. The synchronous fluorescence of both the drug and its impurity were measured in methanol at Δ λ of 40 nm. The peak amplitudes (¹D) were estimated at 293.85 or 334.17 nm for ETM and at 309.05 nm for HQ. Good linearity was obtained for ETM over the ranges 0.1–1.4 μg/mL and 0.1–1.0 μg/mL at 293.85 and 334.17 nm, respectively. For HQ, the calibration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.01–0.14 μg/mL at 309.05 nm. Limits of detection were 20, 2.01 ng/mL and limits of quantitation were 60, 6.7 ng/mL for ETM and HQ by method II, respectively. Both methods were successfully applied to commercial ampoules and tablets. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by the reference method. Method I was utilized to study the stability of ETM and its degradation kinetics using peroxide. The apparent first-order rate constant, half-life times and activation energy of the degradation process were calculated. Method I was further extended to the in-vitro and in-vivo determination of ETM in spiked and real plasma samples. The mean% recoveries were 99.57 ± 3.85 and 89.39 ± 5.93 for spiked and real human plasma, respectively.     

First Derivative Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy for the Simultaneous Determination of Sulpiride and Mebeverine Hydrochloride in Their Combined Tablets and Application to Real Human Plasma

A rapid, simple and highly sensitive first derivative synchronous fluorometric method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of binary mixture of sulpiride (SUL) and mebeverine hydrochloride (MEB). The method is based upon measurement of the synchronous fluorescence intensity of these drugs at ∆λ = 100 nm in water. The different experimental parameters affecting the fluorescence of the two drugs were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range of 0.05–1 μg/mL and 0.2–3.2 μg/mL for SUL and MEB respectively with lower detection limits (LOD) of 0.006 and 0.01 μg/mL and quantification limits (LOQ) of 0.0.02 and 0.05 μg/mL for SUL and MEB, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of the two compounds in synthetic mixtures and in commercial tablets. The high sensitivity attained by the proposed method allowed the determination of both of SUL and MEB metabolite (veratic acid) in real human plasma samples applying second derivative synchronous fluorometric technique. The mean% recoveries (n = 3) for both MEB metabolite (veratic acid) and SUL were 99.82 ± 2.53 and 98.84 ± 6.20 for spiked human plasma respectively, while for real human plasma, the mean% recoveries (n = 3) were 91.49 ± 4.25 and 91.36 ± 8.46 respectively.     

Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Famotidine in Pharmaceutical Preparations and Biological Fluids. Application to Stability Studies

A simple, economic, selective, and stability indicating spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of famotidine (FMT); is based on its reaction with 9, 10-phenanthraquinone in alkaline medium to give a highly fluorescent derivative measured at 560 nm after excitation at 283 nm. The fluorescence intensity - concentration plot was rectilinear over the concentration range of 50–600 ng/ml with minimum quantification limit (LOQ) of 13.0 ng/ml and minimum detection limit (LOD) of 4.3 ng/ml. The factors affecting the development of the fluorescence intensity of the reaction product were carefully studied and optimized. The method was applied for the determination of FMT in its dosage forms. The stability of the compound was studied, and the proposed method was found to be stability indicating one. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by the official method. Furthermore, the method was applied for the determination of FMT in spiked and real human plasma. The mean % recovery (n = 4) was found to be 99.94 ± 0.24, and 105.13 ± 0.64 for spiked and real human plasma, respectively. The composition of the reaction product as well as its stability constant was also investigated. Moreover, the method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of both alkaline and oxidative induced degradation of the drug. The apparent first order rate constant and half life time of the degradation product was calculated. A proposal of the reaction pathway was postulated.     

Second-derivative Synchronous Fluorometric Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Cinnarizine and Domperidone in Pharmaceutical Preparations. Application to Biological Fluids

A rapid, simple and highly sensitive second derivative synchronous fluorometric method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of binary mixture of cinnarizine (CN) and domperidone (DOM). The method is based upon measurement of the native fluorescence of these drugs at Δλ = 80 nm in aqueous methanol (50% V/V). The different experimental parameters affecting the native fluorescence of the studied drugs were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range of 0.1 to 1.3 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.1–3.0 μg mL⁻¹ for CN and DOM, respectively with lower detection limits of 0.017 and 5.77 × 10⁻³ μg mL⁻¹ and quantification limits of 0.058 and 0.02 μg mL⁻¹ for CN and DOM. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of the studied compounds in synthetic mixtures and in commercial tablets. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained with reference methods. The high sensitivity attained by the synchronous fluorometric method allowed the determination of CN in real and spiked human plasma. The mean % recoveries in case of spiked human plasma (n = 3) were 96.39 ± 1.18 while that in real human plasma (n = 3) was 104.67 ± 4.16.     

Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Oxamniquine in Dosage Forms and Spiked Human Plasma through Derivatization with 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulphonyl chloride

A sensitive, simple and selective spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of oxamniquine (OXM) in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids. The method is based on the reaction between the drug and 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulphonyl chloride (dansyl chloride) in presence of 0.5 M sodium carbonate (pH 10) to yield a highly fluorescent derivative that is measured at 445 nm after excitation at 335 nm. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the reaction product were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.02–0.2 μg ml⁻¹ with a lower detection limit (LOD) of 0.007 μg ml⁻¹ and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.02 μg ml⁻¹. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of commercial capsules. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained using the official spectrophotometric method. Furthermore, the method was applied for the determination of oxamniquine in spiked human plasma, the mean % recovery (n = 4) is 97.77 ± 1.19. A proposal of the reaction pathway was presented.     

Micelle-Enhanced Spectrofluorimetric Method for Determination of Cholesterol-Reducing Drug Ezetimibe in Dosage Forms

A simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of ezetimibe in its pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is based on investigation of the fluorescence spectral behavior of ezetimibe in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micellar system. In aqueous solution of acetate buffer pH 5.0, the fluorescence intensity of ezetimibe was greatly enhanced, 200% enhancement, in the presence of SDS. The fluorescence intensity of ezetimibe was measured at 380 nm after excitation at 268 nm. The fluorescence-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.03–3.0 μg/mL with lower detection limit of 3.08 × 10⁻³ μg/mL. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of ezetimibe in its commercial tablets; the results were in good agreement with those obtained with the reported method. The application of the proposed method was extended to the stability studies of ezetimibe after exposure to different forced degradation conditions, such as acidic, alkaline, photo and oxidative conditions, according to ICH guidelines.     

Validated Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Determination of Lamotrigine in Tablets and Human Plasma Through Derivatization with <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">o</Emphasis>-phthalaldehyde

A sensitive, simple and selective spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of Lamotrigine (LMT) in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids. The method is based on reaction of LMT with o-phthalaldehyde in presence of 2-mercaptoethanol in borate buffer of pH 9.8 to yield a highly fluorescent derivative that is measured at 448 nm after excitation at 337 nm. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the reaction product were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.1–1.0 μg ml⁻¹ with lower limit of detection (LOD) 0.02 μg ml⁻¹ and limit of quantification (LOQ) 0.06 μg ml⁻¹ respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the the analysis of commercial tablets. Statistical comparison of the results obtained by the proposed and reference method revealed no significant difference in the performance of the two methods regarding the accuracy and precision respectively. The proposed method was further extended to the in-vitro and in-vivo determination of the drug in spiked and real human plasma. The mean percentage recoveries in spiked and real human plasma (n = 3) were 95.78 ± 1.37 and 90.93 ± 2.34 respectively. Interference arising from co-administered drugs was also studied. A proposal for the reaction pathway with o-phthalaldehyde was postulated.     

Spectrofluorimetric Protocol for Ceftriaxone in Commercial Formulation and Human Plasma After Condensation with Formaldehyde and Ethyl Acetoacetate

A new spectrofluorimetric method has been developed and validated for the quantification of ceftriaxone in bulk powder, pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma. The developed method is reproducible, accurate, sensitive and cost effective. In this method, ceftriaxone was converted into a fluorescent compound by reacting with 0.8 M ethyl acetoacetate and 25% formaldehyde in a buffered medium (pH = 4.2) at 90 °C. The excitation and emission wavelengths of the fluorescent reaction product are 316 nm and 388 nm respectively. Optimization of the experimental conditions affecting the condensation reaction were carefully carried out and the optimum experimental conditions were incorporated in the procedure. The developed method has a broad linear range (0.2–20 μg mL⁻¹) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 1.94 × 10⁻² μg mL⁻¹ and 6.47 × 10⁻² μg mL⁻¹ respectively. The common excipients and co-administered drugs were investigated for their interferences effect in the assay. The developed method was validated statistically through recovery studies and successfully applied to ceftriaxone determination in bulk powder, pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma samples. The percent recoveries were found to be in the range of 99.04–100.26% for bulk powder, 98.88–99.92% for pharmaceutical formulations and 94.22–98.48% for spiked human plasma. The results were verified by comparing with reference literature HPLC method and were found in good agreement.     

Simultaneous Determination of Labetalol and Furosemide by First-Derivative Synchronous Spectrofluorimetry

A rapid, simple and highly sensitive first derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of a binary mixture of labetalol HCl (LBT) and furosemide (FUR) without prior separation. The method was based upon measuring the first derivative of synchronous fluorescence spectra of the two drugs at Δλ =130 nm in aqueous ethanol (55% V/V). The different experimental parameters affecting the synchronous fluorescence of the studied drugs were carefully studied and optimized. The first derivative amplitude-concentration plots were rectilinear over the range of 0.10 to 1.00 μg/mL and 0.05–0.50 μg/mL with lower detection limits of 0.0149 and 7×10⁻³ μg/mL and quantification limits of 0.045 and 0.021 μg/mL for LBT and FUR, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of the studied drugs in synthetic mixtures. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by the reference methods.     

Determination of Tetracaine Hydrochloride by Fluorescence Quenching Method with Some Aromatic Amino Acids as Probes

A novel fluorescence quenching method for the determination of tetracaine hydrochloride (TA·HCl) concentration with some aromatic amino acids as fluorescence probe has been developed. In pH 6.3 acidic medium, tryptophane (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr) or phenylalanine (Phe) can react with tetracaine hydrochloride to form an ion-association complex by electrostatic attraction, aromatic stacking interaction and Van der Waals’ force, which lead to fluorescence quenching of above amino acids. The maximum fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths of them are located at 278, 274, 258 nm and 354, 306, 285 nm, respectively. The relative fluorescence intensity (F ₀/F) is proportional to the TA·HCl concentration in certain range. The linear ranges and detection limits are 1.2–5.0 μg/mL and 0.37 μg/mL for Tyr-TA·HCl system, 1.3–6.0 μg/mL and 0.38 μg/mL for Trp-TA·HCl system, and 1.4–6.0 μg/mL and 0.41 μg/mL for Phe-TA·HCl system. The optimum reaction conditions, influencing factors and the effect of coexisting substances are investigated. And the results show the method has a good selectivity. Judging from the effect of temperature, the Stern-Volmer plots and fluorescence lifetime determination, the quenching of fluorescence of amino acids by TA·HCl is a static quenching process.     

Synthesis of Functionalized ZnSe Nanoparticles and Their Applications in the Determination of Bovine Serum Albumin

Luminescent quantum dots (QDs)-semiconductor nanocrystals were promising alternative to organic dyes for fluorescence-based applications. In this paper, we developed procedures to use mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) to modify ZnSe nanoparticles and made the nanoparticles to be soluble for the quantitative and selective determination of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Maximum fluorescence intensity was produced at pH 7.0, with excitation and emission wavelengths at 242 and 348 nm, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the straight line equation: ^△ F = 0.38 + 0.34 C (μg/ml) was found between the relative fluorescence intensity and the concentration of BSA in the range of 9.6–124.8 μg/ml, and the limit of detection was 2 μg/ml.     

Study on the Interaction Between Verapamil Hydrochloride and Eosin Y by Absorption,Fluorescence and Resonance Rayleigh Scattering Spectra and Their Analytical Applications

In pH 2.8~3.6 HCl-NaAc buffer solution, eosin Y (EY) can react with verapamil hydrochloride(VP) to form a 1:1 ion-association complex, which not only causes the change of absorption spectra and the quenching of fluorescence, but also results in the great enhancement of resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS). Furthermore, a new RRS spectrum with the maximum wavelength at 324 nm will appear. In this work, the spectral characteristics of absorption, fluorescence and resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra, the optimum conditions for the reaction, the influencing factors and the analytical properties have been investigated. Thereby, a sensitive, simple, rapid and new method for the determination of VP by using eosin Y as a probe has been developed. The detection limit is 0.95 ng/mL for RRS method, 6.4 ng/mL for fluorophotometry and 0.18 μg/mL for spectrophotometric method. The absorbance, RRS and fluorescence intensity is proportional to the concentration of VP in the range of 0.6036~4.0 μg/mL, 0.0032~4.5 μg/mL and 0.0213~4.0 μg/mL, respectively. The effects of the reaction of verapamil hydrochloride and eosin Y on the absorption, fluorescence and resonance Rayleigh scattering spectra have been investigated. Meanwhile, the influences of coexisting substances are tested by RRS method and the results show that this method can be satisfactorily applied to the determination of VP in tablet and human serum samples. The composition and structure of the ion-association complex and the reaction mechanism are discussed. Moreover, the energy transfer among absorption, fluorescence and RRS was investigated briefly in this work.     

Fluorescence Quenching Reaction of Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Eosin Y System for the Determination of Polyvinylpyrrolidone

In pH 1.8 ∼ 2.8 weak acid medium, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Eosin Y reacted to form complex that could result in Eosin Y (EY) fluorescence quenching. The maximum quenching wavelength was at 542 nm. The fluorescence quenching (ΔF) was proportional to the concentration of polyvinylpyrrolidone in a certain range. The linear range, the correlation coefficient and the detection limit were 0.33 ∼ 2.0 μg•mL⁻¹, 0.9994 and 99.6 ng•mL⁻¹, respectively. The influences of the coexistence substances were tested and the results showed that the method had good selectivity. Therefore, a new method based on fluorescence quenching of eosin Y by PVP for the determination of trace PVP was developed. The method was sensitive, simple and rapid, which was applied to the determination of trace PVP in the beer with satisfactory results. The reaction mechanism was also discussed.     

Application of Functionalized ZnSe Nanoparticles to Determinate Heavy Metal Ions

In this paper, ZnSe nanoparticles, which were modified with mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), worked as novel fluorescence sensors for the quantitative determination of copper(II) and nickel(II). Under the optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensities of functionalized ZnSe nanoparticles were quenched by the addtion of copper(II) or nickel(II) ions, there were linear relationships between the relative fluorescence intensity (logF₀/F) and the concentration in the range of 140–2,000 μg/L for copper(II) (R = 0.9973) and 30–1,000 μg/L for nickel(II) (R = 0.9992), the limits of detection were 50 μg/L and 5 μg/L, respectively.     

Spectrofluorimetric Method for Determination and Validation of Cefixime in Pharmaceutical Preparations Through Derivatization with 2-Cyanoacetamide

A simple, sensitive and accurate method has been developed for spectrofluorimetric determination of cefixime in pure form and pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the reaction of cefixime with 2-cyanoacetamide in the presence of 21% ammonia at 100 °C. The fluorescent reaction product showed maximum fluorescence intensity at λ 378 nm after excitation at λ 330 nm. The factors affecting the derivatization reaction were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence intensity versus concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.02 to 4 μg mL⁻¹ with correlation coefficient of 0.99036. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 2.95 ng mL⁻¹ and 9.84 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was validated statistically and through recovery studies. The method was successfully applied for the determination of cefixime in pure and dosage form with percent recoveries from 98.117% to 100.38%. The results obtained from the proposed method have been compared with the official HPLC method and good agreement was found between them.     

Simultaneous Determination of Xanthopterin and Isoxanthopterin in Human Urine by Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy

A simple, rapid, sensitive and selective method for simultaneously determining xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin content in human urine has been developed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy based on their intrinsic fluorescence. The synchronous fluorescence spectra were obtained with Δλ = 65 nm in a pH 8.5 KH₂PO₄-NaOH buffer solution. The detected wavelengths of quantitative analysis were set at 410 nm for xanthopterin and 325 nm for isoxanthopterin, respectively. Pretreatment of urine samples only was filtrated through a 0.45 μm membrane filter, which was free from the tedious separation procedures. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.94 ng/mL for xanthopterin and 0.48 ng/mL for isoxanthopterin. The recoveries ranged from 88.0% to 103.8 % for healthy and cancer urine samples, with coefficient of variation between 2.09% and 7.06%. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the simultaneous analysis for xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin in human urine. The results showed that the average level of isoxanthopterin was significantly elevated in urine excreted by stomach cancer patients (P < 0.01), while no significant change of xanthopterin level was found between stomach cancer patients and healthy individuals. This potentially indicates that an increase in amounts of isoxanthopterin can be associated with the presence of stomach cancer.     

Aqueous Synthesis of CdTe/CdSe Core/Shell Quantum Dots as pH-Sensitive Fluorescence Probe for the Determination of Ascorbic Acid

By controlling the reflux time and the quantity of the shell materials, different sizes of thioglycollic acid (TGA) modified CdTe/CdSe core/shell quantum dots were synthesized in aqueous solution. This type of QDs was used for sensitive and selective determination of ascorbic acid in commercial tablets. Under optimal conditions, a good linearity was observed between the relative fluorescence (FL) intensity and the concentration of ascorbic acid in the range of 4.0 to 64.0 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9968. The limit of detection was 2.4 μg/mL. This method was applied to the determination of the ascorbic acid in Vitamin C tablets and Vitamin C Yinqiao pills, and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Sensitive Spectrofluorimetric Method of Analysis for Venlafaxine in Spiked Rat Plasma and Formulations

A simple, sensitive, accurate and affordable spectrofluorimetric method was developed and validated for the determination of venlafaxine, both in marketed preparations as well as in spiked rat plasma. Venlafaxine depicted strong native fluorescence property in freshly prepared 0.05 M sulphuric acid. The excitation and emission wavelengths were found to be 237.0 nm and 301.0 respectively. Effect of variations in pH, temperature, concentration, change in molarities of different solvents, and effect of excipients were studied. The calibration graph in case of dosage forms and in spiked plasma was found to be rectilinear in the concentrations of 15–600 ng/ml and 20–650 ng/ml respectively. The intra- day and inter-day accuracy measurements of VEN in formulations ranged from 0.29 to 0.44% and 0.27 to 0.49%, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy in measurement of VEN in plasma ranged from 0.062 to 2.26% and 0.52 to 2.32%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 6.0 ng/mL and 4.0 ng/mL in plasma and formulations respectively. The mean recovery of VEN from plasma was 97.46.     

Online Monitoring of Bromate in Ozonized Water Without a Previous Separation Process

The use of ozonation for the purification of drinking water can lead to the formation of bromate. The US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Directive for human drinking water has lowered the regulatory level for bromate down to 10 μg l⁻¹, such that methods must be developed for monitoring the formation of bromate, particularly in on-site situations. In the present work we report a fluorometric method for the determination of bromate based on the reaction with carbostyril-124, a compound that shows florescence mainly at pH values above 4 and, when bromated, generates a non-fluorescent product. The reaction can thus be used as an indirect method for determination of the ion. The proposed method, which uses the flow injection (FI) technique, allows online application and kinetic control of the variables affecting the process, together with shorter reaction times, and it provides maximum sensitivity and selectivity. Under optimum conditions, it is possible to determine the analyte within the 4–200 μg l⁻¹ range, with a limit of detection of 0.9 μg l⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation (n = 12, [] = 5 and 30 μg l⁻¹) of 3.2% and 2.6% respectively. The determination rate was ten samples per hour.     

Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Fluvoxamine in Dosage Forms and Plasma Via Derivatization with 4-Chloro-7-Nitrobenzo-2-Oxa-1,3-Diazole

A highly sensitive and simple spectrofluorimetric method has been developed and validated for the determination of the antidepressant fluvoxamine (FXM) in its dosage forms and plasma. The method was based on nucleophilic substitution reaction of FXM with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole in an alkaline medium (pH 8) to form a highly fluorescent derivative that was measured at 535 nm after excitation at 470 nm. The factors affecting the reaction was carefully studied and optimized. The kinetics of the reaction was investigated, and the reaction mechanism was presented. Under the optimized conditions, linear relationship with good correlation coefficient (0.9995) was found between the fluorescence intensity and FXM concentration in the range of 65–800 ng ml⁻¹. The limits of detection and quantitation for the method were 21 and 64 ng ml⁻¹, respectively. The precision of the method was satisfactory; the values of relative standard deviations did not exceed 2.17%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of FXM in its pharmaceutical tablets with good accuracy; the recovery values were 97.8–101.4 ± 1.08–2.75%. The results obtained by the proposed method were comparable with those obtained by the official method. The high sensitivity of the method allowed its successful application to the analysis of FXM in spiked human plasma. The proposed method is superior to the previously reported spectrofluorimetric method for determination of FXM in terms of its simplicity. The proposed method is practical and valuable for its routine application in quality control and clinical laboratories for analysis of FXM.