Simultaneous Quantification of Gentamicin and Colistin Sulfate in Pharmaceuticals using Ion-Pairing and Polarity Gradient Chromatography with Low-UV Detection

For the first time, a simple and rapid method for simultaneous determination of gentamicin sulfate and colistin sulfate in two pharmaceutical formulations for children and adults by ion-pairing reverse phase chromatography and low-UV detection at 215 nm has been developed. This simultaneous analysis is thus a challenge due to the multicomponent mixture of high polar, non volatile and non UV absorbing chromophores. Rapid separation required less than 5 min on a Waters X-Terra^® C18 MS column (50 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 2.5 μm) with temperature maintained at 35 °C. A linear gradient from 15/85 to 40/60 acetonitrile/water (v/v) with constant hexafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) concentration of 0.05 % (v/v) was used as pairing reagent at 1.5 mL min^?1. In pharmaceutical analysis, the basic and polar compounds are separated by ion-pairing chromatography and the detection of analytes with weak chromophores requires working at low wavelengths. This application is an example of troubleshooting, i.e. baseline drift, due to gradient elution and absorbance of the ion-pairing agent. Baseline drift was minimized by optimizing the HFBA concentration gradient and its slope. Complete analytical validation was carried out according to the International Conference of Harmonization, and real samples were analyzed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method for routine use.     

Simultaneous Determination of Abacavir,Efavirenz and Valganciclovir in Human Serum Samples by Isocratic HPLC-DAD Detection

A rapid, sensitive, and specific reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection procedure for the simultaneous determination of abacavir, efavirenz and valganciclovir in spiked human serum is described. Separation was performed on a 5 μm Waters Spherisorb column (250 × 4.6 mm ID) with acetonitrile: methanol:KH₂PO₄ (at pH 5.00) (40:20:40 v/v/v) isocratic elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Calibration curves were constructed in the range of 50–30,000 ng mL⁻¹ for abacavir and efavirenz, and 10–30,000 ngmL⁻¹ for valganciclovir in serum samples. The limit of detection and limit of quantification concentrations of the HPLC method were 3.80 and 12.68 ng mL⁻¹ for abacavir, 2.61 and 8.69 ng mL⁻¹ for efavirenz, 1.30 and 4.32 ng mL⁻¹ for valganciclovir. The method has been applied, without any interference from excipients or endogenous substances, for the simultaneous determination of these three compounds in human serum.

     

Simultaneous Determination of Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in Pharmaceutical Formulations by Dual-Mode Gradient LC

A liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin in pharmaceutical formulations. Optimum separation was achieved in less than 10 min using a C₈ column (200 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., particle size 5 μm) and elution was accomplished by the application of a dual-mode solvent and flow-rate gradient system. Detection was carried out using a diode-array detector set at 240 nm. Canrenone was used as internal standard. The method was economical in terms of the time taken and the amount of solvent used for each analysis. It was also validated with respect to system suitability, specificity, limit of quantitation and detection, linearity, precision, accuracy, and recovery, respectively. The limits of quantitation for ezetimibe and simvastatin were 0.2 and 3 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Limits of detections were found to be 0.05 and 0.5 μg mL⁻¹, for ezetimibe and simvastatin, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and simvastatin in pharmaceutical formulations.

     

Simultaneous Quantification of Neomycin and Bacitracin by LC-ELSD

The first simultaneous quantification of neomycin and bacitracin using liquid chromatography evaporative light scattering detection as an alternative to MS detection and pre-/post-column derivatisation, respectively, was the aim of this study. The developed method was validated for two strength of neomycin and one strength of bacitracin in sterile pharmaceutical formulation and is a fast and efficient tool for content uniformity tests in quality control. With this method the separation of neomycin from sulfate and the base line separation of the four major components of bacitracin (bacitracin A, B1, B2 and B3) was achieved. These four components are responsible for 96% of the microbiological activity. A Phenomenex Synergi POLAR analytical column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 4 μm I.D.) in combination with 0.5% perfluoropropionic acid and acetonitrile in gradient mode, the peaks of interest could be separated with high efficiency within 14 min. The calibration was performed using a second order regression with an R ² = 0.9999 for neomycin (B and C) sulfate and R ² = 0.9996 for bacitracin A, B1, B2 and B3. The results of the accuracy evaluation were 99.2 and 99.7%, respectively, for neomycin and 100.8% for bacitracin. Injection precision results are 0.4–1.5 RSD% recorded for six injections. The established method has a high potential for routine high-throughput analyses in the pharmaceutical industry.

     

Determination of Abacavir, Lamivudine and Zidovudine in Pharmaceutical Tablets, Human Serum and in Drug Dissolution Studies by HPLC

A simple, accurate, precise and fully automated method for the simultaneous determination of abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine in pharmaceutical tablets, human serum samples and drug dissolution studies has been developed. Separation was performed on a 5 μm Zorbax^® C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm ID) with methanol:water:phosphate buffer at pH 5.65 (80:10:10; v/v/v) isocratic elution in less than 7 min with a flow rate of 0.6 mL min^?1.Good sensitivity for all analytes was observed with UV detection at 275 nm. The method allowed quantitation over the 500–3,000 ng mL^?1 range for abacavir and 500–5,000 ng mL^?1 range for lamivudine and zidovudine. The method has been applied, without any interference from excipients or endogenous substances, for the simultaneous determination of these three compounds in tablets. Human serum and drug dissolution studies.     

Simultaneous Quantification of Neomycin and Bacitracin by LC-ELSD

The first simultaneous quantification of neomycin and bacitracin using liquid chromatography evaporative light scattering detection as an alternative to MS detection and pre-/post-column derivatisation, respectively, was the aim of this study. The developed method was validated for two strength of neomycin and one strength of bacitracin in sterile pharmaceutical formulation and is a fast and efficient tool for content uniformity tests in quality control. With this method the separation of neomycin from sulfate and the base line separation of the four major components of bacitracin (bacitracin A, B1, B2 and B3) was achieved. These four components are responsible for 96% of the microbiological activity. A Phenomenex Synergi POLAR analytical column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 4 μm I.D.) in combination with 0.5% perfluoropropionic acid and acetonitrile in gradient mode, the peaks of interest could be separated with high efficiency within 14 min. The calibration was performed using a second order regression with an R ² = 0.9999 for neomycin (B and C) sulfate and R ² = 0.9996 for bacitracin A, B1, B2 and B3. The results of the accuracy evaluation were 99.2 and 99.7%, respectively, for neomycin and 100.8% for bacitracin. Injection precision results are 0.4–1.5 RSD% recorded for six injections. The established method has a high potential for routine high-throughput analyses in the pharmaceutical industry.     

Rapid Screening of Volatile Ion-Pair Reagents Using UHPLC and Robust Analytical Method Development Using DoE for an Acetyl Cholinesterase Inhibitor: Galantamine HBr

As over 70% of pharmaceutical compounds are bases, the analysis of these basic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) continues to be of great value and interesting. Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), which contain the basic compounds like Rivastigmine tartrate, Galantamine hydrobromide and Donepezil with different polarities, were chosen for the study. A rapid screening of the volatile ion-pairing reagents was performed using modern techniques like ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The experiments were planned using the ??Design of Experiments?? (DoE) approach to identify the LC?CMS compatible ion-pair reagent. In this study, Heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) has given a very good peak shape with tailing factor at 1.4 and theoretical plates up to ~5,000 were observed, compared to tailing factor at 1.9 and theoretical plates up to ~3,000 with non-volatile ion-pair reagent sodium heptane sulphonate (SHS). Similarly retention with HFBA was optimum as ~5 min in short run time method compared to ~13 min with SHS. This ion-pair reagent has proved to be good replacement of sodium alkyl sulphonate modifiers. HFBA can also be used for semi-preparative work for isolation of impurities by just evaporating the solvents. It avoids the extraction of other inorganic modifiers.     

Simultaneous Identification and Quantification of Dextran 20 and Sucrose in Lyophilized Thrombin Powder by Size Exclusion Chromatography with ELSD

A rapid and accurate size exclusion chromatography method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of dextran 20 and sucrose with optical activity in the lyophilized thrombin powder was developed and validated. The assay was conducted on a Hitachi model D-2000 Elite HPLC system with a TOSOH TSKgel G3000 PWxl column (30 cm × 7.8 mm, 7 μm particle size) and an Alltech 3300 evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). The mobile phase was acetonitrile–water (46:54, v/v) mixture delivered at a flow rate of 0.7 mL min⁻¹ at 25 °C. The ELSD was operated at a nebulizer-gas flow rate of 2.0 L min⁻¹ and drift tube temperature of 90 °C, and the gain was set at one. Afterward, method validation system for the size exclusion chromatography analysis was developed. The linear range was 0.1–1.6 and 0.1–1.0 g L⁻¹ for dextran 20 and sucrose, respectively, and the detection limits were <0.02 g L⁻¹ for dextran 20 and <0.015 g L⁻¹ for sucrose. Inter-day and intra-day variabilities showed that RSD ranged from 0.27 to 4.20%. Recovery validation showed that average recovery was between 96.00 and 103.98%. The developed analytical procedure was successfully applied to determine the contents of dextran 20 and sucrose in the lyophilized thrombin powder.

     

RP-LC and HPTLC Methods for the Determination of Olmesartan Medoxomil and Hydrochlorothiazide in Combined Tablet Dosage Forms

Two new, rapid, precise, accurate and specific chromatographic methods were described for the simultaneous determination of olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide in combined tablet dosage forms. The first method was based on reversed phase liquid chromatography using an Eurosphere 100 RP C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm ID, 5 μm). The mobile phase was methanol–0.05% o-phosphoric acid (60:40 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. Commercially available tablets and laboratory mixtures containing both drugs were assayed and detected using a UV detector at 270 nm. The second method involved silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ high performance thin layer chromatography and densitometric detection at 254 nm using acetonitrile–ethyl acetate–glacial acid (7:3:0.4 v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Calibration curves ranged between 200–600 and 125–375 ng spot^?1 for olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively.     

Stability-Indicating HPLC and RP-TLC Determination of Cefpirome Sulfate with Kinetic Study

Two sensitive and selective stability-indicating methods were developed for the determination of the antibiotic cefpirome sulfate in bulk powder, pharmaceutical formulation and in presence of its acid, alkaline, photo- and oxidative degradation products. Method A was based on HPLC separation of cefpirome sulfate in the presence of its degradation products on a reversed phase column C18, 250 × 4.6 mm, 5-μm particle size and mobile phase consisting of 0.1 M disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate pH 3.9 adjusted with phosphoric acid–acetonitrile (85:15, v/v). Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 270 nm. The linear calibration curve was in the range 5.0–50.0 μg mL^?1. Method B was based on reversed phase TLC separation of the cited drug in the presence of its degradation products followed by densitometric measurement of the intact drug at 270 nm. The separation was carried out using disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate 2.0 g %w/v, at pH 3.5 adjusted with phosphoric acid–acetone (15:10, v/v) as a developing system. The calibration curve was in the range of 1.0–10.0 μg/spot. The HPLC method was used to study the kinetic of cefpirome sulfate acid degradation. The results obtained were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained by applying the official Japanese method.     

RP-LC and HPTLC Methods for the Determination of Olmesartan Medoxomil and Hydrochlorothiazide in Combined Tablet Dosage Forms

Two new, rapid, precise, accurate and specific chromatographic methods were described for the simultaneous determination of olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide in combined tablet dosage forms. The first method was based on reversed phase liquid chromatography using an Eurosphere 100 RP C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm ID, 5 μm). The mobile phase was methanol–0.05% o-phosphoric acid (60:40 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. Commercially available tablets and laboratory mixtures containing both drugs were assayed and detected using a UV detector at 270 nm. The second method involved silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ high performance thin layer chromatography and densitometric detection at 254 nm using acetonitrile–ethyl acetate–glacial acid (7:3:0.4 v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Calibration curves ranged between 200–600 and 125–375 ng spot⁻¹ for olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively.

     

Validated Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Process Related Toxic Impurities in Pantoprazole Sodium

A GC–MS method for the simultaneous determination of two process related toxic impurities viz. 2-(chloromethyl)-3,4-dimethoxypyridine hydrochloride (CDP) and dimethyl sulfate (DMS) and RP-LC for the routine determination of CDP in pantoprazole sodium (PPS) are presented. In GC–MS, a temperature gradient program was performed on a capillary DB-624 column (60 m × 0.32 mm × 1.8 μm). LC analysis of CDP was done on a Novaflex C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column using mobile phase containing buffer (0.02 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 0.0025 M di potassium hydrogen phosphate) and acetonitrile in 46:54 v/v ratio. The flow rate was 1.0 mL min^?1 and the elution was monitored at 220 nm. Both methods were validated as per International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. GC–MS is able to quantitate up to 3.0 ppm of CDP and DMS whereas with RP-LC up to 9.0 ppm of CDP could be quantitated.     

Determination of Nimesulide by Ion Pair High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Using Tetrabutylammonium as the Counterion

A new method for nimesulide was developed using ion-pair reversed phase liquid chromatography and tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as the ion-pairing reagent. The influence of the ion pair forming reagent concentration, pH, and mobile phase composition on the retention time of nimesulide were studied. The optimum experimental conditions included a C18 column, a mobile phase of a 50/50 (v/v) mixture of acetonitrile and 15 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8.00) containing 6 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, 25°C, isocratic elution, a flow rate of 1 mL/min, a run time of 10 minutes, and photodiode array detection at 404 nm. From the analysis of the results, the mechanism for the separation of nimesulide was also established. The retention time for nimesulide was 4.76 ± 0.05 min. The method was linear between concentrations of 9 µg/mL to 64 µg/mL, with limits of detection and quantification of 1.111 µg/mL and 3.390 µg/mL, respectively. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, and precise, and successfully applied for the determination of nimesulide in pharmaceutical products.     

Development and Validation of a UHPLC UV Method for the In-Process Control of Bosentan Monohydrate Synthesis

Bosentan monohydrate (4-tert-butyl-N-[6-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-5-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-2-(pyrimidin-2-yl) pyrimidin-4-yl]benzene-1-sulfonamide monohydrate) is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) applied in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. To achieve effective process control of the bosentan monohydrate synthesis, it was necessary to develop a selective and not highly time-consuming method for ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The method is characterized by adequate sensitivity, reproducibility and selectivity for the determination of bosentan monohydrate and related compounds from all synthetic stages. The UHPLC separation was carried out by reversed phase chromatography on the Acquity BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) with a mobile phase composed of solvent A (0.1 %, v/v, acetic acid in water) and solvent B (methanol), in the gradient mode at the flow rate of 0.4 mL min⁻¹. Limits of detection and quantification for the compounds were ≤0.1 µg mL⁻¹ and 0.3 µg mL⁻¹, respectively. The linearity for all related compounds was investigated as in the range for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and as in the range for the in-process control. The developed method was validated according to the current guidelines, proving the suitability of the method for its intended purpose.

     

A Sensitive and Selective RP-LC Method for the Simultaneous Determination of the Antihypertensive Drugs,Enalapril, Lercanidipine,Nitrendipine and Their Validation

A RP-LC method is presented, which is sensitive and selective for the simultaneous determination of enalapril–lercanidipine and enalapril–nitrendipine binary mixtures in their pharmaceutical dosage forms. The analyte peaks were detected using the LC method with the mobile phase ratio of methanol: water (70:30 v/v, pH 3.0) and a 1.0 mL min⁻¹ flow rate. The detection wavelength was selected at 210 nm using photo diode array detector and column temperature was optimized to 30 °C. Linearity was obtained at different concentration ranges for all working pharmaceutically active compounds between 0.5 and 25 μg mL⁻¹. The proposed methods were extensively validated according to USP 27 requirements and ICH guidelines. The methods were applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical dosage forms containing binary mixtures of enalapril–lercanidipine and enalapril–nitrendipine. Moreover, the proposed methods were applied for the degradation studies of the selected compounds. Degradation studies were conducted using stress conditions such as UV light, acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation and heat in oven, to evaluate the ability of the separation of the response of standard compounds from their degradation products.

     

Simultaneous Determination of Diclofenac Sodium and Rabeprazole Sodium in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form by LC

A simple, selective, rapid, precise and accurate reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of diclofenac sodium and rabeprazole sodium from pharmaceutical formulations. The method was developed using a HiQ SiL C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.) column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol:water, (80:20 v/v), at a flow rate of 1.25 mL min⁻¹. Detection was carried out at 284 nm. Indapamide was used as an internal standard. The developed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection and limit of quantitation. The proposed method can be used for the estimation of these drugs in combined dosage forms.

     

Simultaneous Determination of Diclofenac Sodium and Rabeprazole Sodium in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form by LC

A simple, selective, rapid, precise and accurate reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of diclofenac sodium and rabeprazole sodium from pharmaceutical formulations. The method was developed using a HiQ SiL C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.) column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol:water, (80:20 v/v), at a flow rate of 1.25 mL min^?1. Detection was carried out at 284 nm. Indapamide was used as an internal standard. The developed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection and limit of quantitation. The proposed method can be used for the estimation of these drugs in combined dosage forms.     

Simultaneous RP-LC Determination of Artesunate and Amodiaquine in Pharmaceutical Preparations

A simple, fast and precise reversed phase liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of artesunate (AS) and amodiaquine (AD) in combined pharmaceutical dosage form. Chromatographic separation of the two drugs was performed on a BDS Hypersil C18, 100 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 μm particle size column as stationary phase with a mobile phase comprising of phosphate buffer (pH 3.0 with orthophosphoric acid) and acetonitrile in the proportion of 50:40 (v/v), at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min^?1 and UV detection at wavelength 210 nm for AS and 300 nm for AD using photo diode array detection. The proposed method was validated for specificity, accuracy, linearity, range, precision and was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of AS and AD in the combined fixed dosage form without any excipient’s interference.     

Preparation and characterization of in situ carbon paste and screen-printed potentiometric sensors for determination of econazole nitrate: surface analysis using SEM and EDX

The construction and performance characteristics of new sensitive and selective in situ carbon paste (ICPE) and screen-printed (ISPE) potentiometric sensors modified with ion-pairing agents such as phosphotungstic acid, sodium tetraphenylborate, phosphomolybdic acid and ammonium reineckate for determination of econazole nitrate (ECN) have been developed. The reaction mechanism between ECN and ion-pairing agents at the electrode surface was studied through scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The electrodes under investigation showed potentiometric response for ECN in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10^?6 to 5.0 × 10^?3 mol L^?1 and from 1.0 × 10^?6 to 1.0 × 10^?2 mol L^?1 for ISPE (electrode I) and ICPE (electrode II) potentiometric sensors, respectively, at 25 °C. The electrode response was pH independent in the range 2.5–7.5 and 2.5–6.5 for electrodes I and II, respectively. These sensors have Nernstian slope values of 59.4 ± 0.2 and 59.10 ± 0.2 mV decade^?1 with detection limit of 1.0 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 for electrodes I and II, respectively. The electrodes showed fast response time of 4 and 9 s for electrodes I and II, respectively. The ISPE (electrode I) showed lifetime of 28 days, and this was considered as advantage over ICPE (electrode II). Selectivity for ECN with respect to a number of interfering materials was also investigated. The proposed electrodes were applied for determination of ECN in pure and pharmaceutical formulation using calibration, potentiometric titration and standard addition methods. The results showed good agreement with those obtained using official method. The t and F values indicated no significant difference between the suggested and reported methods. Method validation parameters were optimized according to ICH recommendations.     

Simultaneous LC Estimation of Glimepiride and Metformin in Glimepiride Immediate Release and Metformin Sustained Release Tablets

In the present study, a simple, rapid and precise liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of glimepiride and metformin in sustained release formulation. The separation was achieved on a Nucleosil 100-5SA column, 250 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm using a mobile phase composed of 1.7 % ammonium dihydrogen phosphate buffer pH 3.0: acetonitrile (70:30 v/v).The instrumental settings were a flow rate of 1.0 ml min^?1 and a detector wavelength of 230 nm. The retention time of glimepiride and metformin were 5.1 and 11.3, respectively. The developed method was validated in terms of specificity, sensitivity, linearity, range, accuracy, precision and ruggedness. The proposed method was successfully applied to the sustained release pharmaceutical dosage form for the simultaneous determination of glimepiride and metformin without any interference by excipients.