Chromatographic analysis of phenethylamine-antihistamine combinations using C8, C18 or cyano columns and micellar sodium dodecyl sulfate-pentanol mixtures

The chromatographic behaviour of binary and ternary mixtures of several phenethylamines (phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and methoxyphenamine) and antihistamines (pheniramine, carbinoxamine, doxylamine, chlorpheniramine, dexchlorpheniramine, dexbrompheniramine, diphenhydramine, tripolidine, azatadine and phenyltoloxamine), found in cough-cold pharmaceutical preparations, was studied using C8, C18 and cyano columns, micellar mobile phases of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and pentanol and UV detection. Using a C8 column and mobile phases of 0.05 mol l-1 SDS-6% v/v pentanol or 0.15 mol l-1 SDS-2% v/v pentanol at pH 7, more than 30 different phenethylamine-antihistamine combinations can be resolved in < 15 min. Intra- and inter-day repeatabilities and reproducibilities evaluated at three different drug concentrations (0.5, 5 and 25 micrograms ml-1, n = 10) were below 1.6, 2.5 and 2.4%, respectively. The drug amounts found in 18 formulations agreed with those declared by the manufacturers within the tolerance limits, and with those obtained using a mobile phase of 55% v/v methanol at pH 7. No interference was observed from other accompanying drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid, ascorbic acid, betamethasone, bromhexine, caffeine, codeine, dextromethorphan, paracetamol, prednisolone, salicylamide and tartrazine. The proposed procedure has the advantage over the conventional aqueous-organic procedure of using a small amount of organic solvent, which is highly retained in the SDS solution. The efficiencies are also greater. On the other hand, in the micellar system, the retentions of phenethylamines and antihistamines are similar, although the compounds can be easily resolved. In contrast, using the methanol-water mobile phase, the phenethylamines are weakly retained, whereas the antihistamines usually show a high retention.     

Determination of active ingredients in cough-cold preparations by micellar liquid chromatography

The chromatographic behaviour of some active ingredients in cough-cold pharmaceutical preparations, the antihistamine chlorpheniramine (or the dextro enantiomer dexchlorpheniramine), and the phenethylamines phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine, has been studied using a C(18) column, micellar mobile phases of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and pentanol, and with UV detection. All possible combinations of chlorpheniramine/phenethylamine were resolved and determined using a mobile phase of 0.15 M SDS-6% (v/v) pentanol at pH 7, with analysis time below 7 min. Repeatabilities and within laboratory precisions were evaluated at four different drug concentrations in the range 0.5-25 mug ml(-1) (n=5), resulting RSDs below 1.6%. The drug amounts found in the analysis of 14 commercialised preparations agreed with those declared by the manufacturers within the tolerance limits, and with those obtained using an aqueous 60% (v/v) methanol reference mobile phase. No interference was observed from other accompanying drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid, ascorbic acid, betamethasone, caffeine, codeine phosphate, diphenhydramine, lactose, paracetamol, and prednisolone. The studied combinations required a rather high amount of methanol in conventional RPLC to be eluted from the column. In contrast, the proposed procedure used a much lower amount of organic solvent (pentanol), which is highly retained in the SDS solution, being also less toxic than methanol.     

Determination of some banned stimulants in sports by micellar liquid chromatography

Summary A procedure has been developed for the determination, in <12 min, of several stimulants (amphetamine, ephedrine, methoxyphenamine, phenylephrine and phenylpropanolamine) in spiked urine samples after direct injection, using a hybrid micellar mobile phase of 0.15 M sodium dodecyl sulfate and 3% pentanol at pH 7, on a C₁₈ column with UV detection. Recoveries were 94–102% and limits of detection 4.5 ng·mL⁻¹ for methoxyphenamine and 0.39 μg·mL⁻¹ for amphetamine, similar to those obtained for aqueous solutions. Linearity reached 0.99 and intermediate precision was <8.4 and 5.3, for the two different concentrations tested.     

Simultaneous determination of three opiates in serum by micellar liquid chromatography using direct injection

A simple and reliable micellar liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 3 opiates (codeine, morphine, and thebaine) in serum, using direct injection and ultraviolet detection. The separation of the drugs was optimized on a C18 column, thermostatically controlled at 25 degrees C, by evaluating mobile phases containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and various modifiers (propanol, butanol, or pentanol). Adequate resolution of the opiates was obtained with a chemometrics approach, in which retention was modeled as a first step by using the retention factors for several mobile phases. Next, an optimization criterion that takes into account the position and shape of the chromatographic peaks was applied. The 3 opiates were totally resolved and determined in 12 min with the mobile phase 0.15M SDS-7% (v/v) butanol buffered at pH 7. The limits of detection for codeine and morphine were greatly improved by using fluorimetric detection. Repeatability and intermediate precision were tested for 3 different concentrations of the drugs, and the relative standard deviations were <0.8% for most of the assays. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of morphine and codeine in serum samples.     

Use of micellar mobile phases for the chromatographic determination of clorazepate, diazepam, and diltiazem in pharmaceuticals

An ODS-2 column, a micellar mobile phase of high elution strength containing 0.1M sodium dodecyl sulfate and 3% (v/v) butanol, and ultraviolet detection at 230 nm are used for the determination of either of two benzodiazepines (clorazepate and diazepam) and a benzothiazepine (diltiazem) in pharmaceuticals. The procedure is shown to be competitive against conventional chromatography with methanol-water mobile phases, especially for diltiazem. The composition of the micellar mobile phase is selected using a predictive strategy based on an accurate retention model and assisted by computer simulation. Calibration graphs are linear at least in the 2.5 to 20 microg/mL, 4 to 20 microg/mL, and 5 to 40 microg/mL ranges for clorazepate, diazepam, and diltiazem, respectively. The intra- and interday repeatabilities (%) are clorazepate (1.7, 5.2), diazepam (0.43, 3.7), and diltiazem (0.36, 3.1). Limits of detection are well below the concentrations of the drugs found in the commercial pharmaceutical preparations analyzed. The drug contents evaluated with the proposed procedure are compared with the declared contents given by the manufacturers. The achieved percentages of label claim are usually between 95 and 104%.     

Micellar bile salt mobile phases for the liquid chromatographic separation of routine compounds and optical, geometrical, and structural isomers

Aqueous solutions of bile salts, i.e. sodium cholate (NaC), sodium deoxycholate (NaDC), and sodium taurocholate (NaTC), are characterized and evaluated as reversed-phase liquid chromatographic (RPLC) mobile phases. The separation of the ASTM-recommended RPLC test mix in addition to more than 50 other compounds on a C18 column demonstrates the viability of these bile salts as HPLC mobile phases. The Armstrong-Nome theory was applied and found to adequately describe the partitioning behavior of solutes eluted with these bile salts at low surfactant concentrations. The effect of alcohol additives on chromatographic retention and efficiency was also assessed. Not only are the bile salt molecules rigid and chiral, but they form helical micellar aggregates as well. Consequently, many isomeric compounds can be easily resolved with this mobile phase additive. The base-line resolution of some binaphthyl-type enantiomers with a standard C18 column and the bile salt micellar mobile phases is also demonstrated. In addition, these bile salt mobile phases may be preferable to conventional hydroorganic mobile phase systems for the separation of many classes of routine compounds. A brief prospectus on the future utilization of bile salts in liquid chromatography is presented.     

Micellar liquid chromatography: suitable technique for screening analysis

The screening capability of micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is discussed using the reported chromatographic data of several sets of compounds (amino acids, beta-blockers, diuretics, phenethylamines, phenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, steroids and sulfonamides) and new results (sulfonamides and steroids). The chromatographic data are treated with an interpretive optimisation resolution procedure to obtain the best separation conditions. Usually, the pH and the concentration of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, or cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) for the optimal mobile phase were 2.5-3 and < 0.12 M, respectively. The nature and concentration of organic solvent depended on the polarity of the eluted compounds: a low volume fraction of propanol (approximately 1%, v/v) was useful to separate the amino acids, with log P(o/w) < -1 (where P(o/w) is the octanol-water partition coefficient). A greater concentration of this solvent (approximately 5-7%) was needed for compounds in the range -1 < log P(o/w) < 2, as with the studied diuretics and sulfonamides, and a high concentration of propanol (approximately 15%) or a low concentration of butanol (< 10%) had to be used for less polar compounds with 1 < log P(o/w) < 3, such as the beta-blockers. Pentanol (< 6%) was more suitable for the even less polar compounds with log P(o/w) > 3, such as the steroids. For basic drugs such as the phenethylamines (0 < log P(o/w) < 1.7), eluted with a micellar eluent of anionic SDS, propanol was too weak. A study is also shown for mixtures of sulfonamides (log P(o/w) = -1.2 to 1.7) and steroids (log P(o/w) = 3.0-8.1) eluted from conventional C18 columns with SDS mobile phases containing acetonitrile and 1-pentanol, respectively, which are compared with classical acetonitrile-water and methanol-water mixtures. The results complement a previous study on beta-blockers (log P(o/w) = -0.03 to 2.8) and reveal that MLC is a very competitive technique for the screening of compounds against conventional RPLC, due to its peculiar behaviour with regard to the selectivity and elution strength. The concentration of organic solvent needed to obtain sufficiently low retention times (even for highly hydrophobic steroids with log P(o/w) = 7-8) is also appreciably smaller for MLC, which reduces the environmental impact of the mobile phases.     

Micellar liquid chromatographic method for the determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in human serum by direct inject of the sample with simple dilution

A micellar high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to simultaneously determine ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in human serum. The serum sample pretreatment was a simple dilution in a micellar solution, filtration, and direct injection, thus avoiding time-consuming and tedious steps. Hence, there is no need to use an internal standard. The serum samples were analyzed using a mobile phase containing 1.50?×?10^?1?mol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.02?mol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate with 7.5% (v/v) 1-propanol at pH 3.0, running at 1.0?mL/min by an Inertsil C18 (150?×?4.6?mm, 5?µm) column at 30°C. The UV wavelength was set at 210?nm. The developed method was validated by linearity (r?>?0.9990) and intra- and inter-day precisions of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine (relative standard deviation; RSD%, 0.04–10.40, and RSD %, 0.30–10.25, respectively), LODs for ephedrine and for pseudoephedrine was 2.63 and 2.70?µg/mL, respectively; lower limit of quantification for ephedrine and for pseudoephedrine was 4.38 and 4.51?µg/mL, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was applied to investigate ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in real human serum samples after oral administration of Kechuanning Koufye including Ephedra herb. It is environmentally friendly, easy-to-handle, and feasible method for routine analysis in clinical laboratory.     

Quinolones control in milk and eggs samples by liquid chromatography using a surfactant-mediated mobile phase

Four quinolones (danofloxacin, difloxacin, flumequine and marbofloxacin) were determined in milk and egg samples by a simplified high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure using a micellar mobile phase. No extraction was needed to precipitate the proteins from the matrices since they were solubilised in micelles. The only pretreatment steps required were homogenisation, dilution and filtration before injecting the sample into the chromatographic system. An adequate resolution of the quinolones was achieved by a chemometrics approach where retention was modelled as a first step using the retention factors in only five mobile phases. Afterwards, an optimisation criterion was applied to consider the position and shape of the chromatographic peaks. Analytical separation involved a C18 reversed-phase column, a hybrid micellar mobile phase of 0.05 M sodium dodecyl sulphate, 10% (v/v) butanol and 0.5% (v/v) triethylamine buffered at pH 3 and fluorimetric detection. Quinolones were eluted in less than 15 min without the protein band or other endogenous compounds from the food matrices interfering. The calculated relevant validation parameters, e.g., decision limit (CC(α)), detection capability (CC(β)), repeatability, within-laboratory reproducibility, recoveries and robustness, were acceptable and complied with European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Finally, the proposed method was successfully employed in quantifying the four quinolones in spiked egg and milk samples.     

Micellar liquid chromatography determination of B vitamins with direct injection and ultraviolet absorbance detection

A micellar reversed-phase liquid chromatographic procedure was developed for the control of five water-soluble vitamins, B (nicotinamide), B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine and pyridoxamine), in multivitamin pharmaceutical formulations (capsules, pills and syrups). Optimization procedure includes studies about the composition of the mobile phase (sodium dodecyl sulphate and the modifiers propanol, butanol or pentanol), flow-rate and temperature. Chromatographic analysis of all vitamins was carried out using a single mobile phase of 0.1 M SDS-4% (v/v) pentanol at pH 3, in a C18 column in isocratic mode, and UV-detection at 270, 290 and 325 nm. The flow-rates selected were 1.0 ml/min in the interval 0 to 6 min, and 2.0 ml/min until the end of the chromatogram and temperature was 45 degrees C. In the micellar liquid chromatographic system, the samples were injected without pretreatment, and the analysis time was below 12 min. Repeatabilities and intermediate precision were achieved according to ICH, and were below 5%. When the method is applied to real samples, the amount found with respect to the declared compositions were within the 91-105% range. These results were similar to those obtained with a conventional 60:40 (v/v) methanol-water mixture for some of the vitamins, but with the advantage of use a single mobile phase for the analyses of the five vitamins, with direct injection of the samples and reduced toxicity, flammability, environmental impact and cost of the micellar-pentanol solutions.     

Quantitation of antihistamines in pharmaceutical preparations by liquid chromatography with a micellar mobile phase of sodium dodecyl sulfate and pentanol.

A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic procedure with a micellar mobile phase of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), containing a small amount of pentanol, was developed for the control of 7 antihistamines of diverse action in pharmaceutical preparations (tablets, capsules, powders, solutions, and syrups): azatadine, carbinoxamine, cyclizine, cyproheptadine, diphenhydramine, doxylamine, and tripelennamine. The retention times of the drugs were <9 min with a mobile phase of 0.15M SDS-6% (v/v) pentanol. The recoveries with respect to the declared compositions were in the range of 93-110%, and the intra- and interday repeatabilities and interday reproducibility were <1.2%. The results were similar to those obtained with a conventional 60 + 40 (v/v) methanol-water mixture, with the advantage of reduced toxicity, flammability, environmental impact, and cost of the micellar-pentanol solutions. The lower risk of evaporation of the organic solvent dissolved in the micellar solutions also increased the stability of the mobile phase.     

Use of the Apparent Content Curves for the spectrophotometric identification of substances: identification of amphetamines

The possibility of identification of substances which have similar spectral behaviour by means of Apparent Content Curves has been studied. This study is carried out with absorption, excitation and emission spectra of several amphetamines of widespread pharmaceutical use. Results obtained show that amphetamine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, epinephrine, dopamine and methoxyamphetamine can be identified with a probability of >95%.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of sialooligosaccharides and gangliosides

Glycans were cleaved from gangliosides and separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The columns were packed with bonded stationary phases made of microparticulate, macroporous silica with serotonin, phenylpropanolamine or tryptamine as the biogenic amine ligate. The ganglioside oligosaccharides were eluted in the order of increasing number of sialic acid residues in the molecule and their retention decreased with the ionic strength of the mobile phase. Best selectivity was obtained in the pH range from 3.0 to 4.0. The two major sialic acids, N-acetylneuraminic and N-glycolylneuraminic acids, were separated by lectin affinity chromatography using an HPLC column packed with silica-bound wheat germ agglutinin and 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 4.0, as the eluent. Throughout this study, isocratic elution was used and the column effluent was monitored at 195 nm.     

Selectivity of dansyl amino acids in micellar liquid chromatography with an ion-exchange-induced stationary phase

Summary The retention behavior of dansyl amino acids in micellar liquid chromatography has been examined by using ionexchange-induced stationary phases. Several parameters affected the retention of the analytes, including the type and concentration of micellar agent and modifier ion and the concentration of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. The order of elution of dansyl amino acids obtained with the micellar mobile phase was very different from that observed in conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Fluorescence intensities of some dansyl amino acids were enhanced by the micellar mobile phase.     

Comparison of C18 silica bonded phases selectivity in micellar liquid chromatography

The paper describes a new test designed in micellar LC (MLC) to compare the commercial C18 stationary phase properties. This test provides the total hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, steric selectivity, hydrogen bonding, and ion‐exchange capacity properties calculation of the ODS stationary phases. Both the test compounds and chromatographic separation conditions choice for column characterization in MLC are detailed. The chromatographic performance of several stationary phases that are used in MLC was evaluated with specific chromatographic test comprising nine test compounds, possessing different physico‐chemical properties, which were injected on different supports with two micellar mobile phases: one at pH 7.0 (0.075 mol/L SDS and 1.5% v/v 1‐pentanol), and other at pH 2.7 (0.075 mol/L SDS and 1.5% v/v 1‐pentanol adjusted to pH by TFA). Fundamental column chromatographic properties were obtained under these conditions and were treated by hierarchical cluster analysis. From the results of cluster analysis, two closely related groups of columns are distinguished, and it was shown that the chosen column characteristic parameters allow characterizing both sorbent and micellar chromatographic system properties. Eleven columns were analyzed by this test, which allows a comparison of columns with the aim of the selection of suitable and analogous column for the analysis with MLC.     

Monitoring bronchodilators with direct injection

A procedure was developed for the determination of caffeine and theophylline using a C18 column (5 microm, 250 mm x 4.6 mm) and micellar liquid chromatography using hybrid mobile phases containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and propanol, butanol or pentanol as modifiers. Detection was performed with a variable wavelength UV-vis detector at 272 nm. After the application of an interpretative strategy for the selection of the optimimum mobile phase, caffeine and theophylline can be resolved and determined in serum samples by direct injection, using a mobile phase made up of 50 mM SDS-2.5% (v/v) propanol-10 mM KH2PO4, pH 7, with an analysis time below 5 min. Calibration was linear in the range 0.05 to 50 microg mL(-1) with r > 0.999. The statistical evaluation of the method was examined by performing intra-day (n = 6) and inter-day calibration (n = 7) and was found to be satisfactory, with highly accurate and precise results. The proposed method was suitably validated and applied to the determination of caffeine and theophylline in serum samples of patients treated with bronchodilators.     

Micellar and aqueous‐organic liquid chromatography using sub‐2 μm packings for fast separation of natural phenolic compounds

The objective of the present work was to investigate the chromatographic behavior of natural phenolic compounds in micellar and aqueous‐organic LC using a short column packed with 1.8 μm particles. Firstly, the effect of ACN and SDS on elution strength and selectivity was examined by isocratic submicellar (0–30% ACN/5% 1‐butanol/1–6 mM SDS) and micellar (0–30% ACN/5% 1‐butanol/40–60 mM SDS) systems. The varied concentrations of two modifiers in the mobile phases revealed different eluting power. Then, the application of organic modifier gradient was discussed in both submicellar and micellar LC using mobile phases of 4 mM SDS/5% 1‐butanol or 50 mM SDS/5% 1‐butanol containing ACN gradient from 0 to 30%, respectively. For micellar system, the separation was found to be better in gradient than isocratic elution. Additionally, the sensitivity of aqueous‐organic LC was examined. The mobile phase was a mixture of ACN and water employing gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, with analysis time below 9 min. It was found that separation efficiency was significantly better compared with micellar LC. Besides, the aqueous‐organic LC has been applied to separation of various phenolic compounds in Yangwei granule or Radix Astragali samples.