Simultaneous determination of salbutamol sulphate, bromhexine hydrochloride and etofylline in pharmaceutical formulations with the use of four rapid derivative spectrophotometric methods

Four simple, rapid, accurate, precise, reliable and economical spectrophotometric methods have been proposed for simultaneous determination of salbutamol sulphate (SS), bromhexine hydrochloride (BH) and etofylline (ET) in pure and commercial formulations without any prior separation or purification. They were first derivative zero crossing spectrophotometry (method 1), simultaneous equation method (method 2), derivative ratio spectra zero crossing method (method 3) and double divisor ratio spectra derivative method (method 4). The ranges for SS, BH and ET were found to be 1-35 μg mL⁻¹, 4-40 μg mL⁻¹ and 5-80 μg mL⁻¹. For methods 1 and 2, the values of limit of detection (LOD) were 0.2314 μg mL⁻¹, 0.4865 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.2766 μg mL⁻¹ and the values of limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.7712 μg mL⁻¹, 1.6217 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.9221 μg mL⁻¹ for SS, BH and ET, respectively. For method 3, LOD values were 0.3297 μg mL⁻¹, 0.2784 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.7906 μg mL⁻¹ and LOQ values were 0.9325 μg mL⁻¹, 0.9282 μg mL⁻¹ and 2.6352 μg mL⁻¹ for SS, BH and ET, respectively. For method 4, LOD values were 0.3161 μg mL⁻¹, 0.2495 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.2064 μg mL⁻¹ and LOQ values were 0.9869 μg mL⁻¹, 0.8317 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.6879 μg mL⁻¹ for SS, BH and ET. The precision values were less then 2% R.S.D. for all four methods. The common excipients and additives did not interfere in their determinations. The results obtained by the proposed methods have been statistically compared by means of Student t-test and by the variance ratio F-test.     

Indirect spectrophotometric determination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin in pharmaceutical preparations

An indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin is based on extraction of iodine produced by reduction of potassium iodate in acidic medium, where hydrolytic cleavage of a -lactam is achieved with sodium hydroxide. Beer's law is obeyed within the concentration ranges 0.04–0.8 mg ml^–1 benzylpenicillin and 0.02–0.5 mg ml^–1 cloxacillin. The precision, accuracy of the method and the effect of foreign substances were studied. The results have been statistically compared with those using the ammonium vanadate method. An oxidation mechanism is proposed.     

Stability indicating method for the determination of paracetamol in its pharmaceutical preparations by TLC densitometric method

Simple, sensitive and accurate thin layer procedure was described for a quantitative determination of paracetamol in its bulk powder and in its pharmaceutical dosage forms in the presence of its degradation product. The method consists of dissolving the drug in methanol and then spotting the solution on a thin layer of silica gel G254. Paracetamol was separated on silica gel using the mixture of the mobile phase, ethyl acetate: benzene: acetic acid in a ratio (1:1:0.05 v/v/v).Absorbance measurements (detection of reflectance) of the separated drug were carried out at 250 nm. Calibration curves were established in the concentration range of 5–20 mcg/spot for paracetamol. Quantitation is achieved by comparing the area under the peaks obtained from scanning the thin layer chromatographic plates in a spectrodensitometer. The method has been successfully applied to pharmaceutical preparations (capsules) and the results obtained were statistically compared with those obtained by applying the reference method.     

Spectrophotometric determination of hydrocortisone, nystatin and oxytetracycline in synthetic and pharmaceutical preparations based on various univariate and multivariate methods

Two spectrophotometric methods are described and applied to resolve ternary mixtures of the corticosteroid hydrocortisone (HYD) and the antibiotics nystatin (NYS) and oxytetracycline (OXY). The simultaneous determination of these three compounds was firstly accomplished by a derivative method using the “ratio spectrum-zero crossing derivative” and then by multivariate methods partial least squares (PLS)-1, -2 and principal component regression (PCR). Multivariate calibration methods provide, specially PLS-2 in this case, a clear example of the high resolving powder of these techniques. The two described procedures do not require any separation step. Repeatability and reproducibility studies were achieved over two series of 10 standards for each compound showing no significant differences at 95% confidence level in the four spectrophotometric methods. A comparison of the derivative and multivariate calibration results obtained in pharmaceutical formulations was performed resulting in agreement of the values obtained and the results was confirm by a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.     

Four spectrophotometric methods for determination of nitrofurazone in pharmaceutical formulations

Four simple and sensitive visible spectrophotometric methods (A-D) for the determination of nitrofurazone in bulk samples and pharmaceutical formulations are described. They are based on the formation of colored species by treating either its reduction product with 3-methylbenzothiazolin-2-one hydrazone in the presence of ferric chloride (method A: _max 600 nm) or its hydrolysis product with thiobarbituric acid (method B: _max 520 nm, 440 nm) or barbituric acid (method C: _max 400 nm) or by oxidizing it with excess N-bromosuccinimide and determining the consumed NBS using metol-isonicotinic acid hydrazide (method D: _max 620 nm).     

Stability indicating methods for the determination of some anti-fungal agents using densitometric and RP-HPLC methods

Two chromatographic methods were developed for the determination of some anti-fungal drugs in the presence of either their degradation products or cortisone derivatives. The densitometric method determined mixtures of each of ketoconazole (KT), clotrimazole (CL), miconazole nitrate (MN) and econazole nitrate (EN) with the degradation products of each one. Mixtures of MN with hydrocortisone (HC) and of EN with triamcinolone acetonide (TA) were also successfully separated and determined by this technique. For KT and CL, a mixture of methanol:water:triethylamine (70:28:2 v/v) was used as a developing system and the spots were scanned at 243 nm and 220 nm for KT and CL, respectively. For MN and EN, a mixture of hexane:isopropyl alcohol:triethylamine (80:17:3 v/v) was used as a developing system and the spots were scanned at 225 nm for both drugs. The HPLC method determined mixtures of CL or EN with their degradation products which were separated and quantified on a Zorbax C8 column. Elution was carried out using methanol:phosphate buffer pH 2.5 (65:35 v/v) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min and UV detection at 220 nm for CL. For EN, a mixture of methanol:water containing 0.06 ml triethylamine pH 10 (75:25 v/v) was used as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min and UV detection at 225 nm. The methods were also used to separate mixtures of CL with betamethasone dipropionate (BD) and EN with TA in a laboratory prepared mixture and in pharmaceutical preparations. The methods were sensitive, precise and applicable for determination of the drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

A spectrophotometric method for quantitative determination of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations

A simple spectrophotometric assay for the quantification of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations was developed. The method is based on hydrolysis of lactulose under acidic conditions. The hydrolyzed product reacts with resorcinol, giving absorption peaks at 398 and 480 nm. Both absorption wavelengths can be used for the determination of lactulose. The limit of detection of lactulose at 398 nm and 480 nm was 0.075 μg mL⁻¹ and 0.65 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. The calibration was linear in the range of 5–25 μg mL⁻¹. Analytical conditions were optimized, and the method was validated for analysis of pharmaceutical preparations. The determined amount of lactulose was found to be in good agreement with labeled claims in commercial products. The proposed method is economical, convenient, and suitable for the quantification of lactulose in pharmaceutical preparations. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Comparison of HPLC and UV spectrophotometric methods for the determination of cefuroxime sodium in pharmaceutical products

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a HPLC and UV spectrophotometric methods to quantify cefuroxime sodium in injectables. HPLC analysis were carried out using a C18 Wat 054275 column and a mobile phase composed of methanol and water (70:30), with a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min and UV detection at 280 nm. For the spectrophotometric analysis, water was used as solvent and the wavelength of 280 nm was selected for the detection. Both methods were found to quantify cefuroxime sodium in injectables accurately. Therefore HPLC and UV methods presented the most reliable results for the analyses of injectables.     

Two- and three-way chemometrics methods applied for spectrophotometric determination of lorazepam in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids

In this work, direct determination of lorazepam, an anxiolytic and sedative agent, in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids (urine and human plasma) was accomplished based on ultraviolet spectrophotometry (260-380 nm) using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and partial least squares (PLS). The study was carried out in the pH range from 1.0 to 12.0 and with a concentration range from 0.50 to 8.75 μg ml⁻¹ of lorazepam. Multivariate calibration models using PLS at different pH and PARAFAC were elaborated for ultraviolet spectra deconvolution and lorazepam quantitation. The best models for the system were obtained with PARAFAC and PLS at pH = 2.05 (PLS-PH2). The capabilities of the method for the analysis of real samples were evaluated by determination of lorazepam in pharmaceutical preparations and biological (urine and plasma) fluids with satisfactory results. The accuracy of the method, evaluated through the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), was 0.0429 for lorazepam with best calibration curve by PARAFAC and 0.0467 for lorazepam with PLS model at best pH. The protolytic equilibria of lorazepam at 25 °C and ionic strength of 0.1 M have also been determined spectrophotometrically. Protolytic equilibria of lorazepam were evaluated by DATAN program using the corresponding absorption spectra-pH data. The obtained pK_a values of lorazepam are 1.54 and 11.61 for pK_a1 and pK_a2, respectively.     

Visible spectrophotometric and first-derivative UV spectrophotometric determination of rifampicin and isoniazid in pharmaceutical preparations

Two methods are described for the determination of rifampicin and isoniazid in mixtures by visible spectrophotometry and first-derivative ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The absorbance at 475 nm in buffer solution pH 7.4 was employed to determine rifampicin after applying the three-point correction technique between 420 and 520 nm, while the amplitude of the first-derivative spectrophotometric spectrum at 257 nm in HCl 0.012 M was selected for the determination of isoniazid. The methods are rapid, simple and do not require any separation step. The recovery average was 99.03% for rifampicin and 100.01% for isoniazid. The methods were applied to determine the two compounds in commercial capsules and compared with the official method of the USP XXIII with good agreement between the results.     

Simultaneous determination of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen in pharmaceutical preparations by spectrophotometric and liquid chromatographic methods

A binary mixture of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen was determined by 4 different methods. The first involved determination of hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen using the ratio-spectra first-derivative spectrophotometric technique at 211 and 234 nm over the concentration ranges of 2-14 and 5-45 microg/mL with mean accuracies 99.84 +/-0.92 and 99.98+/- 0.64%, respectively. The second method utilized second-derivative spectrophotometry over the concentration ranges of 2-14 and 5-35 microg/mL with mean accuracies 99.32+/- 1.06 and 99.55+/-1.15%, respectively. The third method was based on the resolution of the 2 components by bivariate calibration depending on a simple and rapid mathematical algorithm and quantitative evaluation of the absorbances at 206 and 254 nm over concentration ranges of 2-16 and 5-35 microg/mL; mean accuracies of 100.21+/-1.30 and 100.19 +/-1.07% were obtained for hyoscine butylbromide and ketoprofen, respectively. The fourth method was reversed-phase liquid chromatography using 0.05 M ammonium dihydrogen phosphate-acetonitrile-methanol (20 + 30 + 6, v/v) as the mobile phase with ultraviolet detection at 220 nm over concentration ranges of 1-90 and 5-70 microg/mL; mean accuracies were 99.92+/-1.02 and 99.61+/- 0.98%, respectively. The suggested procedures were checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures and were successfully applied for the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations. The methods retained their accuracy and precision when the standard addition technique was applied. The results obtained by applying the proposed methods were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by the manufacturer's method.     

Sequential injection spectrophotometric determination of phenylephrine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations

A fully automated sequential injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of phenylephrine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations is reported. The method is based on the condensation reaction of the analyte with 4-aminoantipyrine in the presence of potassium ferricyanide. The absorbance of the condensation product was monitored at 503 nm. A linear relationship between the relative peak height and concentration was obtained in the range 0.5-17.5 mg l⁻¹. The detection limit (as 3σ value) was 0.09 mg l⁻¹ and repeatability was 0.8 and 0.6% at 2.5 and 5 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Results obtained by this method agreed very well with those obtained by the AOAC official method.     

Stability indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic and thin layer densitometric methods for the determination of ziprasidone in bulk powder and in pharmaceutical formulations

Two sensitive and reproducible methods were developed and validated for the determination of ziprasidone (ZIP) in the presence of its degradation products in pure form and in pharmaceutical formulations. The fi rst method was based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), on a Lichrosorb RP C(18) column using water:acetonitrile:phosphoric acid (76:24:0.5 v/v/v) as the mobile phase at a fl ow rate of 1.5 mL min(-1) at ambient temperature. Quantification was achieved with UV detection at 229 nm over a concentration range of 10-500 micro g mL(-1) with mean percentage recovery of 99.71 +/- 0.55. The method retained its accuracy in presence of up to 90% of ZIP degradation products. The second method was based on TLC separation of ZIP from its degradation products followed by densitometric measurement of the intact drug spot at 247 nm. The separation was carried out on aluminium sheet of silica gel 60 F(254) using choloroform:methanol:glacial acetic acid (75:5:4.5 v/v/v) as the mobile phase, over a concentration range of 1-10 micro g per spot and mean percentage recovery of 99.26 +/- 0.39. Both methods were applied successfully to laboratory prepared mixtures and pharmaceutical capsules.     

Comparison of spectrophotometric and HPLC methods for determination of lipid peroxidation products in rat brain tissues

Two methods for determination of lipid peroxidation (LPX) products in rat brain homogenates were compared. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test and HPLC assay for analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) were applied. Rat brain homogenate dissolved in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride (Tris-HCl) was mixed with TBA and H₃PO₄ and heated at 100°C to form colored complex that was extracted into butanol. No significant differences were found between the contents of TBA-reacting substances and their amount deduced from the MDA-TBA analysis. The presented results show that LPX products in brain homogenates can be determined without interferences also by the TBA test. Moreover, a survey of various methods used for the sample preparation before analysis of LPX products originating from different brain areas was made and compared with the obtained results.     

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of mefenamic acid and paracetamol in pharmaceutical preparations

A spectrophotometric procedure for the simultaneous determination of mefenamic acid and paracetamol in a mixture is described. Using 0.01 M methanolic hydrochloric acid as solvent, the absorbance of the mixture is measured at 248, 279 and 351 nm. The concentration of each component can be calculated by solving two equations using two wavelengths, either 248 and 279 nm or 248 and 351 nm.     

A Kinetic spectrophotometric method for determination of amlodipine and Nifedipine in pharmaceutical preparations

A simple, accurate, sensitive and economical procedure for the estimation of amlodipine besylate and nifedipine, both in pure and dosage forms, has been developed. The method is based on the reduction of iron(III) by the studied drugs and subsequent interaction of iron(II) with ferricyanide to form Prussian blue. The reaction develops through a slow kinetics and completes in about 10 min. Both initial slope and fixed time methods were used to derive calibration graphs. The resulted calibration equations were linear in the concentration ranges of 1.0-20.0 and 3.0-19.0 μg ml^-1 for AML and NIF, and the detection limits were 0.10 and 0.19 μg ml^-1, respectively. Seven replicate analyses of solutions containing three different levels of each drug resulted in very low relative error of prediction (less than 1.6%) and relative standard deviation (less than 4%) confirming accuracy and precision of the proposed method. The proposed method was applied to the determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical formulations and excellent recoveries were obtained.     

Development and Validation of HPLC,TLC and Derivative Spectrophotometric Methods for the Analysis of Ezetimibe in the Presence of Alkaline Induced Degradation Products

Reversed phase‐high performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC) densitometry and first derivative spectrophotometry (1D) techniques are developed and validated as a stability‐indicating assay of ezetimibe in the presence of alkaline induced degradation products. RP‐HPLC method involves an isocratic elution on a Phenomenex Luna 5μ C₁₈ column using acetonitrile: water: glacial acetic acid (50:50:0.1 v/v/v) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. and a UV detector at 235 nm. TLC densitometric method is based on the difference in Rf‐values between the intact drug and its degradation products on aluminum‐packed silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ TLC plates as stationary phase with isopropanol: ammonia 33% (9:1 v/v) as a developing mobile phase. On the fluorescent plates, the spots were located by fluorescence quenching and the densitometric analysis was carried out at 250 nm. Derivative spectrophotometry, the zero‐crossing method, ezetimibe was determined using first derivative at 261 nm in the presence of its degradation products. Calibration graphs of the three suggested methods are linear in the concentration ranges 1–10 mcg/mL, 0.1–1 mg/mL and 1–16 mcg/mL with a mean percentage accuracy of 99.05 ± 0.54%, 99.46 ± 0.63% and 99.24 ± 0.82% of bulk powder, respectively. The three proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of ezetimibe in raw material and pharmaceutical dosage form; the results were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by the reported method. Validation parameters were determined for linearity, accuracy and precision; selectivity and robustness and were assessed by applying the standard addition technique.     

Validated spectrophotometric method for quantitative determination of simvastatin in pharmaceutical formulations and human serum

A simple ultraviolet spectrophotometric method for the determination of simvastatin in methanol has been devised and compared with the existing pharmacopoeial RP-HPLC method for the estimation of the drug. Analytical parameters such as stability, selectivity, accuracy, and precision have been established for the method, using SIMS® tablets and human serum samples, and evaluated statistically to assess the application of the method. The method was validated under ICH and USP guidelines and was found to comprise the advantages for simplicity, stability, sensitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy for use as an alternative to existing nonspectrophotometric methods for the routine determination of the drug in pharmaceutical formulations and for pharmaceutical investigations involving simvastatin.