Determination of antibacterial flomoxef in serum by capillary electrophoresis

A determination method of flomoxef (FMOX) concentration in serum by capillary electrophoresis is developed. Serum samples are extracted with acetonitrile. After pretreatment, they are separated in a fused-silica capillary tube with a 25 mM borate buffer (pH 10.0) as a running buffer that contains 50mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. The FMOX and acetaminophen (internal standard) are detected by UV absorbance at 200 nm. Linearity (0-200 mg/L) is good, and the minimum limit of detection is 1.0 mg/L (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviations of intra- and interassay variability are 1.60-4.78% and 2.10-3.31%, respectively, and the recovery rate is 84-98%. This method can be used for determination of FMOX concentration in serum.     

碳青霉烯类抗生素亲水作用色谱方法研究及其应用

建立了测定人尿液和自来水中4种碳青霉烯类抗生素(比阿培南、美罗培南、多利培南和厄他培南)的亲水作用色谱方法,所用流动相具有较好的质谱兼容性,可用于色谱-质谱联用。以XAmide为色谱柱,考察了乙腈比例、缓冲盐浓度和pH值对4种抗生素保留的影响,提出了可能的保留机理;所发展的方法对目标样品具有良好的线性响应:比阿培南、多利培南和厄他培南的线性范围为0.1~250 mg/L, R²=0.9999;美罗培南的线性范围为0.5~250 mg/L, R²=0.9998; 4种抗生素的定量限(LOQ)为0.1~0.5 mg/L。尿液样品和自来水样品在5 mg/L和25 mg/L两个水平的加标回收率分别为100.4%~111.9%和79.6%~107.4%,相对标准偏差(RSD)分别不大于1%和5%。该方法准确、灵敏、简便,可用于人尿液和自来水中多种碳青霉烯类抗生素的检测。     

Separation of polythionates and the gold thiosulfate complex in gold thiosulfate leach solutions by ion-interaction chromatography

A method for the separation of the polythionates (SxO6(2-), x = 3-5) in gold thiosulfate leach solutions using ion-interaction chromatography with conductivity and ultraviolet (UV) detection is described. Polythionates were eluted within 18 min using an eluent comprising an acetonitrile step gradient at 0.0 min from 15% v/v to 28% v/v, 3 mM TBAOH, and 2.5 mM sodium carbonate, operated using a Dionex NS1-5 micron column with guard. The developed method was capable of separating the gold thiosulfate complex ion in standard solutions, but quantification of this species in realistic leach solutions proved impractical due to a self-elution effect that caused the gold peak to be eluted as a broad band. Detection limits for polythionates using a 10 microL injection volume ranged between 1-6 mg L(-1) (5-23 microM) for conductivity and 0.8-13 mg L(-1) (4-68 microM) for UV detection, based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. Calibration was linear over the ranges 5-2000, 10-2000 and 25-2500 mg L(-1) for trithionate, tetrathionate and pentathionate, respectively. The technique was applied successfully to leach liquors containing 0.5 M ammonium thiosulfate, 2 M ammonia, 0.05 M copper sulfate and 20 % m/v gold ore.     

Separation and determination of epinephrine and dopamine in traditional Chinese medicines by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with laser induced fluorescence detection

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method with laser-induced fluorescence detection was developed for the analysis of epinephrine and dopamine after derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole. The optimum derivatization conditions were: 30 mM sodium borate (pH adjusted to 8.0 with 1.0 M HCl), reaction time 30 min at 60 degrees C. Baseline separation was achieved within 14 min with a running buffer composed of 10 mM sodium borate + 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH adjusted to 9.5 with 0.1 M NaOH) and an applied voltage of 15 kV. Good linearity relationships (correlation coefficients: 0.9991 for epinephrine and 0.9985 for dopamine) between peak areas and concentrations of the analytes were obtained. The detection limits and quantification limits for epinephrine and dopamine were 0.0038 mg/L and 0.013 mg/L, and 0.065 mg/L and 0.020 mg/L, respectively. The method was applied to the analysis of the two compounds in two Chinese medicines with recoveries in the range of 92.6-108.7%.     

Simultaneous and rapid determination of main lignans in different parts of Schisandra sphenanthera by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Lignans are imporant active ingredients of Schisandra sphenanthera. A micellar electrokinetic chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight lignans--schizandrin, schisandrol B, schisantherin A, schisanhenol, anwulignan, deoxyschizandrin, schizandrin B and schizandrin C--in different parts of S. sphenanthera. The key factors for separation and determination were studied and the best analysis conditions were obtained using a background electrolyte of 10 mM phosphate-37.5 mM SDS-35% v/v acetonitrile (pH 8.0) at the separation voltage of 28 kV and detection at 214 nm, whereby the plant samples could be analyzed within 9.0 min. Analysis yielded good reproducibility (RSD between 1.19-2.28%) and good recovery (between 92.2-103.8%). The detection limits (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were within 0.4-1.2 mg/L and 1.5-4.0 mg/L. This method is promising to improve the quality control of different parts of S. sphenanthera.     

Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C(4) D) for the analysis of amikacin and its related substances

Amikacin is a semisynthetic aminoglycoside antibiotic derived from kanamycin A that lacks a strong UV absorbing chromophore or fluorophore. Due to the physicochemical properties of amikacin and its related substances, CE in combination with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (CE-C(4) D) was chosen. The optimized separation method uses a BGE composed of 20 mM MES adjusted to pH 6.6 by l-histidine and 0.3 mM CTAB that was added as flow modifier in a concentration below the CMC. Ammonium acetate 20 mg.L(-1) was used as internal standard. 30 kV was applied in reverse polarity on a fused silica capillary (73/48 cm; 75 μm id). The optimized separation was obtained in less than 6 min with good linearity (R(2) = 0.9996) for amikacin base. It shows a good precision expressed as RSD on relative peak areas equal to 0.1 and 0.7% for intraday and interday, respectively. The LOD and LOQ are 0.5 mg.L(-1) and 1.7 mg.L(-1) , respectively.     

Lipase from a Brazilian StrainPenicillium citrinum Cultured in a Simple and Inexpensive Medium st]Heat-Denaturation, Kinetics, and pH Stability

This work is a study of lipase production by a Brazilian strain ofPenicillium citrinum using an inexpensive and simple medium without organic nitrogen sources and of some important industrial properties, including thermostability in relation to ionic strength. The maximal lipase activity (1585 U/L) was obtained whenPenicillium citrinum was cultured on 0.75% ammonium sulfate complemented with minerals salts instead of yeast extract. Although this activity was about 55% lower than that produced in medium with yeast extract (2850 U/L), the specific activity (7.8 U/mg proteins) was higher than that obtained with the yeast extract (4.9 U/mg proteins). The morphology of fungus changed totally, with yeast extract there are smooth, solid, and spherical pellets whereas on ammonium sulfate there are small “hairy” pellets uniformly suspended in the medium. The effect of ferrous (Fe⁺⁺) ions was carried out using medium MA with and without Fe⁺⁺ ions. Lipase production byPenicillium citrinum in medium MA requires Fe⁺⁺ ions, the absence of which caused a decreased of about 50% in the specific activity (3.5 U/mg proteins). The utilization of commercial, locally available oils as carbon sources, such as soybean oil (236 U/L) and corn oil (74 U/L) resulted in lower activity compared to olive oil, showing that lipase production byPenicillium citrinum is specifically induced by olive oil. Potassium concentration in the medium can effects the production of lipase (1 mM (1585 U/L), 10 mM (1290 U/L), and 30 mM (1238 U/L), 50 mM (195 U/L), and 100 mM (2 U/L). The crude culture filtered was susceptable to thermal deactivation. It was stable at pH 6.0, but was not stable at the optimum pH (8.0-8.5) at 50 mM. At the low ionic concentration (1-25 mM) this lipase was stable at low pH (3.5-4.0). The activation energy was 22.4 ±2.2 Kcal. mol 1.     

Capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection as an alternative detection mode in CE for the analysis of kanamycin sulphate and its related substances

A method was developed to determine simultaneously kanamycin, its related substances and sulphate in kanamycin sulphate using capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. Kanamycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that lacks a strong UV-absorbing chromophore. Due to its physicochemical properties, CE in combination with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was chosen. The separation method uses a BGE composed of 40 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulphonic acid monohydrate and 40 mM L-histidine, pH 6.35. A 0.6 mM N-cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) solution was added as electroosmotic flow modifier in a concentration below the critical micellar concentration (CMC). Ammonium acetate 50 mg/L was used as internal standard. In total, 30 kV was applied in reverse polarity on a fused-silica capillary (65/41 cm; 75 μm id). The optimized separation was obtained in less than 6 min with good linearity (R(2)=0.9999) for kanamycin. It shows a good precision expressed as RSD on the relative peak areas equal to 0.3 and 1.1% for intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively. The LOD and LOQ are 0.7 and 2.3 mg/L, respectively. Similarly, for sulphate, a good linearity (R(2)=0.9996) and precision (RSD 0.4 and 0.6% for intra-day and inter-day, respectively) were obtained.     

Determination and pharmacokinetic study of meropenem in rat bile using on-line microdialysis and liquid chromatography

Meropenem is a carbapenem antibiotic with a wide spectrum of activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Because of its clinical efficacy, meropenem is an excellent choice for the treatment of serious infections in both adults and children. The knowledge of tissue concentrations of antibiotic in an infection site is valuable for the prediction of treatment outcome. To investigate the biliary disposition of meropenem, we utilized a minimally invasive sampling technique with a shunt linear microdialysis probe for continuous sampling in the biliary excretion studies. Analysis of meropenem in the dialysates was achieved using a LiChrosorb RP-18 column (Merck, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D.; particle size 5 microm) maintained at ambient temperature. The mobile phase was 50 mM monosodium phosphoric acid-methanol (80:20, v/v, pH 3.0). The UV detector wavelength was set at 298 nm. The area under the concentration-time curve and elimination half-lives of meropenem were about 6144 +/- 1494 min microg/ml and 61 +/- 17 min, respectively. This study represents a successful application of the microdialysis technique, which is an effective method for pharmacokinetic and biliary drug excretion studies.     

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography for the separation of retinol, cholecalciferol, delta-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol

A microemulsion electrokinetic chromatographic method was used to separate fat-soluble vitamins. The separation of retinol, cholecalciferol, and delta- and alpha-tocopherol was performed using a microemulsion containing 0.75% (v/v) n-heptane, 30 mM bis(2-ethylhexyl)sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT), 5% (v/v) 1-butanol, 15% (v/v) 1-propanol and 15% (v/v) methanol in 20mM boric acid-sodium borate buffer. The effect of the different microemulsion constituents was studied, including the type and concentration of surfactant, buffer, oil and co-surfactants. The presence of methanol in the microemulsion was found to be necessary to achieve the separation of the tocopherols. Detection was carried out at 200, 265 and 325 nm for the tocopherols, cholecalciferol and retinol, respectively. Calibration curves and precision data were obtained for each analyte. Good linear relationships were found between the analytical signal and the analytes concentration in the 25-500 mg L(-1) for retinol and cholecalciferol, and 25-300 mg L(-1) for tocopherols ranges. The precision of the method afforded relative standard deviations in the 4.0-10% range.     

A rapid, sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of meropenem in pharmaceutical dosage form, human serum and urine.

A new, simple, precise and rapid high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of meropenem in human serum, urine and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Chromatography was carried out on an LC(18) column using a mixture of 15 mM KH(2)PO(4):acetonitrile:methanol (84:12:4; v/v/v), adjusted to pH 2.8 with H(3)PO(4). The proposed method was conducted using a reversed-phase technique, UV monitoring at 307.6 nm and cefepime as an internal standard. The retention times were 5.98 and 7.47 min for cefepime and meropenem, respectively. The detector response was linear over the concentration range of 50-10,000 ng/mL. The detection limit of the procedure was found to be 22 ng/mL. The detection limit for meropenem in human plasma was 108.4 ng/mL and the corresponding value in human urine was 179.3 ng/mL. No interference from endogenous substances in human serum, urine and pharmaceutical preparation was observed. The proposed method is sufficiently sensitive for determination of the concentrations of meropenem and may have clinical application for its monitoring in patients receiving the drug.     

Gentamicin assay in human serum by solid-phase extraction and capillary electrophoresis

We describe the development of a capillary electrophoresis method for the determination of gentamicin C1, C1a, C2a, and C2 components in human serum. Using a weak cation-exchanger with 20 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, 200 mM borate buffer, pH 9.0, and ammonia/methanol, solid-phase extraction (SPE) of gentamicin components from the human sera was performed. The extract was derivatized with 1,2-phthalic dicarboxaldehyde/mercaptoacetic acid reagent. The derivatives were separated with a background electrolyte comprising 60 mM 2-(N-cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid (CHES) buffer at pH 9.5 containing 31.6% m/v methanol, and quantified with UV-light absorption detection at 230 nm. The identity of the gentamicin components was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The SPE recovery of the gentamicin ranged from 78% to 93%. The calibration curves were linear from the concentration limit of quantitation (LOQ) to 30 mg/L for the gentamicin mixture. The LOQ for gentamicin C1 was 0.33 mg/L, for C2a 0.23 mg/L, C2 0.25 mg/L, C1a 0.27 mg/L and the concentration limit of detection (LOD) for C1 was 0.15 mg/L, C2a 0.11 mg/L, C2 0.12 mg/L, C1a 0.13 mg/L. Intra-assay relative standard deviation (RSD) values were for C1 (5%), C1a (7%), C2 (6.5%) and C2a (9%); inter-assay RSD values were for C1 (11%), C1a (13.3%), C2 (15%) and C2a (14%). The Pearson's correlation between capillary electrophoresis and immunoassay revealed a linear relationship between these two techniques with r = 0.9. This method for determination of gentamicin C1, C1a, C2a, and C2 in human serum can thus be used in the entire therapeutic concentrations range of gentamicin.     

Separation of organic and inorganic arsenic species by capillary electrophoresis using direct spectrophotometric detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) with UV detection was used for the determination of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, p-aminophenylarsonic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid, 4-nitrophenylarsonic acid, phenylarsonic acid, and phenylarsine oxide. The electrophoretic mobilities of these anionic species were determined in a 20 mM phosphate buffer in a pH range from 4 to 11, which established pH 10 as the optimum for the separation. The target analytes were then separated in a fused-silica capillary using 20 mM NaHCO(3)-Na(2)CO(3) buffer, pH 10, as electrolyte and detected at 192 nm. Both normal- and reversed electroosmotic flow (EOF) separation modes were investigated and in the latter case, poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) (PDDAC), was used for dynamic coating of the capillary and to provide a stable and reproducible reversed EOF (relative standard deviation RSD, 0.39%). The influence of electrolyte pH and composition, applied voltage, as well as EOF reversal protocols upon the method performance criteria were investigated. The optimised method provided limits of detection for the target analytes of 1.62, 6.22, 1.45, 1.83, 0.34, 0.40, 0.40, 0.18, and 0.30 mg/L As, respectively. Linearity was obtained in the range of 0.5-40 mg/L As (for aryl compounds) and from 5-100 mg/L As (for the remaining analytes). Reproducibility of peak areas was in the range of 0.8-5.5% RSD. The method was applied to the determination of four aryl arsenic compounds used as additives in animal feed. Analytes were extracted with 40 mM hydrochloric acid - acetonitrile 4:1 v/v, and then cleaned up by passing through a C(18) solid-phase extraction cartridge before analysis by CE with detection at 200 nm. Recoveries for the four analytes were in the range of 78.8-108.3%.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new dipicolylamine zinc chelators as metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors

Antibiotics are key drugs in modern healthcare, especially in hospitals, where multiresistant bacteria resides and is a potential threat to human health. In the present work, a new series of adjuvants working synergistically with the carbapenem meropenem, in which a selective zinc-chelating agent was covalently linked to the small bacterial peptide D-Ala-D-Ala, was synthesized and tested against VIM-2 and NDM-1 metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). The nature of the linker was modified in a structure-activity relationship study. Compound 1i, having an ethyl piperidine linker, lowered the MIC of meropenem from 32 to 64?mg/L to 2 and 1–2?mg/L against VIM-2- and NDM-1-producing clinical isolates, respectively. The IC₅₀ value of 1i against VIM-2 was 9.8 and 2.2?μM after 5 and 20?min, respectively. Compound 1i also showed intrinsic toxicity against three eukaryotic human tumoral cell lines between 50 and 120?μM.     

Analysis of choline and atropine in hairy root cultures of Cannabis sativa L. by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray mass spectrometry

We describe a capillary zone electrophoresis method coupled to electrospray ionization (ion trap) mass spectrometry (CZE-ESI-MS) for the identification and determination of choline and atropine compounds in hairy root extracts from Cannabis sativa L. Fused-silica capillary and an alkaline solution of 20 mM ammonium acetate at pH 8.5 are used being the most suitable for the analysis of choline and atropine in less than 10 min. Under the optimized conditions, including CE and ESI-MS parameters, the method resolved both compounds with very high sensitivity. The system exhibited good linear response in the range of 25-500 mg/L and 500-1000 microg/L for choline and atropine, respectively. The detection limit of choline was 18 mg/L and 320 microg/L for atropine. Finally, the developed method was applied to the analysis of these compounds in transgenic root cultures of Cannabis sativa L.     

高效液相色谱法测定吡啶、2-氨基吡啶、2-甲基吡啶和2-吡啶甲酸

建立了以磷酸氢二钾-磷酸盐缓冲溶液中添加甲醇为流动相，以反相高效液相色谱同时测定吡啶、2-氨基吡啶、2-甲基吡啶和2-吡啶甲酸的新方法。在流动相为甲醇-0．1mol／L磷酸氢二钾和磷酸缓冲溶液、pH为6．0的最佳条件下，吡啶、2-氨基吡啶、2-甲基吡啶和2-吡啶甲酸的加标回收率分别为98．2％～102．1％、99．1％～101．3％、97．8％～100．7％和99．1％～102．4％；线性范围分别为20～980、18～913、19～943和18～902mg／L；检出限分别为2．0、1．8、1．9和1．8mg／L。本法可同时测定电氧化2一甲基吡啶过程中电解液。     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection for the determination of dapsone and its hydroxylated metabolite in human plasma

A validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection for the quantitative determination of dapsone (4,4'-diaminodifenyl sulfone, DDS) and a metabolite, hydroxylaminodapsone (4-amino-4-hydroxylaminodiphenyl sulfone, DDS-NOH), in human plasma is described. Human plasma was deproteinized with acetone and the clear supernatant solution after centrifugation was evaporated to dryness under a gentle stream of nitrogen at 70 degrees C. The residue was dissolved in a mixture of HPLC eluent and acetone (18:5 v/v) and an aliquot of this solution (50 microL) was injected onto the HPLC column. Dapsone, hydroxylaminodapsone and diazoxide as internal standard, were separated within 10 min by isocratic elution with water:acetonitrile:glacial acetic acid:triethylamine (80:20:1.0:0.5 by volume) as eluent. Detection was by ultraviolet at the wavelength of 295 nm. The within-day repeatability coefficients of variation were 3-5% for dapsone (0.301-20.0 mg/L, n = 5) and 3-5% for hydroxylaminodapsone (0.0948-6.32 mg/L, n = 5), whereas the between-day repeatability coefficients of variation were 3-8% (0.301-20.0 mg/L, n = 5) for dapsone and 4-10% for hydroxylaminodapsone (0.0948-6.32 mg/L, n = 5). The mean recoveries -were 92-107% (0.301-20.0 mg/L, n = 2), 80-82% (0.0948-6.32 mg/L, n = 2) and 88% (0.0200 mg/mL, n = 5), for dapsone, hydroxylaminodapsone and diazoxide, respectively. The average correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.99988 (n = 5) for dapsone at a concentration range of 0.301-20.0 mg/L, whereas the average correlation coefficient of the hydroxylaminodapsone calibration curve was 0.99981 (n = 5) at a concentration range of 0.0948-6.32 mg/L. The limits of detection were 0.00200 and 0.0470 mg/L for dapsone and hydroxylaminodapsone, respectively. The method is suitable for drug level monitoring and for pharmacokinetic studies.     

Determination of arsenic species by capillary zone electrophoresis with large-volume field-amplified stacking injection.

Determination of arsenic species by large-volume field amplified stacking injection-capillary zone electrophoresis (LV-FASI-CZE) is reported in this paper. Whole column injection was employed. The optimum buffer pH for the separation of weak acids was discussed. It was found that the optimum buffer to analyze the stacked arsenate (As(V)), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) was 25 mM phosphate at pH 6.5. However, the optimum buffer to analyze the concentrated arsenite (As(III)) was 20 mM phosphate - 10 mM borate at pH 9.28. The limits of detection of the method developed were 0.026 mg/L for As(III), 0.023 mg/L for As(V), 0.043 mg/L for MMA, and 0.018 mg/L for DMA. An enrichment factor of 34-100 for several arsenic species was obtained. In the end, this method was applied to determine the arsenic concentration in the environmental reference materials to show the usefulness of the method developed.     

Determination of glycyrrhizin in liqueurs by on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis with capillary zone electrophoresis

An on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis method for the determination of glycyrrhizin in liqueurs is described. The optimised electrolyte system was 5 mM HCl+11 mM varepsilon-aminocaproic acid+0.05% hydroxyethylcellulose+30% methanol (leading electrolyte), 5 mM caproic acid+30% methanol (terminating electrolyte) and 20 mM caproic acid+10 mM histidine+0.1% hydroxyethylcellulose+30% methanol (background electrolyte). Method characteristics, i.e., linearity (20-500 ng/ml), accuracy (recovery 99+/-4%), intra-assay repeatability (2%), intermediate repeatability (3.8%) and detection limit (8 ng/ml) were determined. Speed of analysis, low laboriousness, high sensitivity and low-running cost are the typical attributes of the capillary isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis method. Developed method was successfully applied to analysis of liqueurs with liquorice extract and some foods (sweets and food supplements) containing liquorice. Found levels of glycyrrhizin in liqueurs, sweets and food supplements varied between 1-16 mg/l, 850-1050 mg/kg and 1.6-1.8 g/kg, respectively.     

Voltammetric determination of coenzyme Q10 in pharmaceutical dosage forms

A simple and rapid voltammetric method has been developed for the quantitative determination of coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) in pharmaceutical preparations. Studies with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were carried out using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in a mixed solvent containing 80 vol.% acetic acid and 20 vol.% acetonitrile. A well-defined reduction peak of CoQ(10) was obtained at -20 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. The voltammetric technique applied provides a precise determination of CoQ(10) using the multiple standard addition method. The statistical parameters and the recovery study data clearly indicate good reproducibility and accuracy of the method. The accuracy of the results assessed by recovery trials was observed to be within the range of 101.1% to 102.5%. The detection and quantification limits were found to be 0.014 mM (12 mg L(-1)) and 0.046 mM (40 mg L(-1)), respectively. An analysis of real samples containing CoQ(10) showed no interferences with common additives and excipients, such as unsaturated fatty acids and soya lecithin. The method proposed does not require any pretreatment of the pharmaceutical dosage forms. A spectrophotometric determination of CoQ(10) in real samples diluted in mixtures containing ethanol and n-hexane was also performed for comparison.