Assay of Kanamycin A by HPLC with Direct UV Detection

The development of a simple reversed phase ion pair liquid chromatographic method for the assay of kanamycin A has been described. Because of the lack of a UV chromophore in the structure of kanamycin A, borate complexation was used to allow direct UV detection at 205 nm. Three columns were evaluated in this study: Zorbax Extend C18 (4.6 mm × 250 mm; 5 μm), XBridge C18 (4.6 mm × 250 mm; 5 μm) and apHera C18 (4.6 mm × 250 mm; 5 μm). The mobile phase was a mixture of 0.1 M disodium tetraborate (pH 9.0) and water (20:80, v/v) supplemented with 0.5 g L⁻¹ sodium octanesulphonate. Final chromatographic conditions were achieved on the XBridge column at 50 °C. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines and applied to a commercially available sample. It is much faster and more specific than the current microbiological assay prescribed in the European Pharmacopoeia. No expensive equipment is necessary to perform this assay making it a viable replacement.