Testing of complementarity of PDA and MS detectors using chromatographic fingerprinting of genuine and counterfeit samples containing sildenafil citrate

HPLC-DAD fingerprinting coupled with chemometric analysis can successfully differentiate Indian Berberis species and its plant parts

Identification of the plant parts and genuine species is one of the most important steps for the quality control of raw material used in herbal medicines. In the present study, comparative analysis of TLC, HPLC and FTIR-ATR fingerprinting in conjunction with chemometric method was done to select the most appropriate fingerprinting method for quality control of Berberis aristata and its related species. To achieve this, extracts were first utilized to obtain TLC, HPLC and FT-IR fingerprinting data. The data was analyzed by chemometric methods and similarity analysis. The PCA model obtained with HPLC fingerprinting method could successfully classify the Berberis species as well plant parts viz. root, stem and leaves which was not possible with the PCA model of TLC or FT-IR fingerprints. Similarity analysis based on the mean HPLC fingerprinting chromatogram could also appropriately assess the chemical variability and identification of different Berberis species.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03644-6.

Multidimensional Chromatographic Fingerprinting Combined with Chemometrics for the Identification of Regulated Plants in Suspicious Plant Food Supplements

The popularity of plant food supplements has seen explosive growth all over the world, making them susceptible to adulteration and fraud. This necessitates a screening approach for the detection of regulated plants in plant food supplements, which are usually composed of complex plant mixtures, thus making the approach not so straightforward. This paper aims to tackle this problem by developing a multidimensional chromatographic fingerprinting method aided by chemometrics. To render more specificity to the chromatogram, a multidimensional fingerprint (absorbance × wavelength × retention time) was considered. This was achieved by selecting several wavelengths through a correlation analysis. The data were recorded using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with diode array detection (DAD). Chemometric modelling was performed by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) through (a) binary modelling and (b) multiclass modelling. The correct classification rates (ccr%) by cross-validation, modelling, and external test set validation were satisfactory for both approaches, but upon further comparison, binary models were preferred. As a proof of concept, the models were applied to twelve samples for the detection of four regulated plants. Overall, it was revealed that the combination of multidimensional fingerprinting data with chemometrics was feasible for the identification of regulated plants in complex botanical matrices.

A NIR, 1H-NMR, LC-MS and chemometrics pilot study on the origin of carvedilol drug substances: a tool for discovering falsified active pharmaceutical ingredients

Falsification of drugs, entailing the use of drug substances from unknown unapproved suppliers, is one of the main concerns for the quality of medicines. Therefore, traceability of active ingredients represents an effective tool to fight the illegal trade of medicinal products. In this view, the present pilot study explores the profile of carvedilol active ingredients and possible differences related to the origin. Sixteen samples were examined by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR spectrometry) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) Q-TOF and the data were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and PLSDA discriminant analysis. The results evidenced that the combined information from the three techniques gave good classification of the samples neatly distinguishing the APIs from European countries from the APIs manufactured out of Europe. In particular, NIR spectroscopy provided effective separation between European and non-European manufacturers and ¹H-NMR or LC-MS added specific information related to the separation. Concerning LC-MS Q-TOF, the analysis of multiple isobaric peaks proved to be highly predictive of the drug substance origin and emerged as a promising tool in the field of medicine traceability.

Facing Counterfeit Medications in Sexual Medicine. A Systematic Scoping Review on Social Strategies and Technological Solutions

Introduction

The counterfeit phenomenon is a largely under-reported issue, with potentially large burden for healthcare. The market for counterfeit drugs used in sexual medicine, most notably type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE5i), is rapidly growing.

Aims

To report the health risks associated with the use of counterfeit medications, the reasons driving their use, and the strategies enacted to contain this phenomenon.

Methods

A systematic scoping review of the literature regarding counterfeit PDE5i was carried between January and June 2021, then updated in August 2021.

Main Outcome Measure

We primarily aimed to clarify the main drivers for counterfeit PDE5i use, the health risks associated, and the currently available strategies to fight counterfeiters.

Results

One hundred thirty-one records were considered for the present scoping review. Production of fake PDE5i is highly lucrative and the lacking awareness of the potential health risks makes it a largely exploitable market by counterfeiters. Adulteration with other drugs, microbial contamination and unreliable dosages make counterfeit medications a cause of worry also outside of the sexual medicine scope. Several laboratory techniques have been devised to identify and quantify the presence of other compounds in counterfeit medications. Strategies aimed at improving awareness, providing antitampering packaging and producing non-falsifiable products, such as the orodispersible formulations, are also described.

Clinical implications

Improving our understanding of the PDE5i counterfeit phenomenon can be helpful to promote awareness of this issue and to improve patient care.

Strengths & Limitations

Despite the systematic approach, few clinical studies were retrieved, and data concerning the prevalence of counterfeit PDE5i use is not available on a global scale.

Conclusion

The counterfeit phenomenon is a steadily growing issue, with PDE5i being the most counterfeited medication with potentially large harmful effects on unaware consumers.

Sansone A, Cuzin B, and Jannini EA. Facing Counterfeit Medications in Sexual Medicine. A Systematic Scoping Review on Social Strategies and Technological Solutions. Sex Med 2021;9:100437.

Current challenges in the detection and analysis of falsified medicines

Falsified medicines affect public health all around the globe. Complex distribution routes, illegal online webshops and reuse of packaging materials make them hard to detect. In order to tackle this problem, detection methods for the recognition of suspicious medicines and subsequent confirmation of falsification by analytical techniques is required. In this review, we focus on the developments and challenges that existed in the last five years (2015-2020) in the detection and analysis of falsified medicines. These challenges might have not been solved yet or arisen with new types of falsifications, new analytical techniques or detection strategies. Detection of suspicious medicines starts with visual inspection of packaging materials. However, re-use of packaging materials and high-quality imitations complicate visual inspection. Recent developments in the analysis of packaging by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy or microscopy, in combination with multivariate analysis show promising results in the detection of falsified medicines. An ongoing big challenge in the analysis of falsified medicines is the affordability of analytical devices. Yet, recent reports showed that lower cost devices, such as Counterfeit Drug Indicator or Counterfeit Detection device version 3 show promising use in the detection of falsified medicines. Furthermore, combining the outcomes of different low-cost analytical techniques, such as Minilab, colorimetry and Counterfeit Drug Indicator significantly increased selectivity and sensitivity in the detection of falsified medicines. Also, recent developments make it possible to link a low-cost technique, such as TLC, to mobile phones. Proper training of personnel has shown room for improvement and remains a challenge, even for relatively simple techniques. With an increased use of analytical fingerprints, an upcoming challenge is the accessibility of the growing pool of data. There is also the need of validated reference libraries on both national and international levels. Developments of the last few years bring us a step closer in the fight against falsified medicines, however challenges remain in the worldwide accessibility of affordable, easily operable and sensitive techniques.

Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019

This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.

LC-MS analysis combined with principal component analysis and soft independent modelling by class analogy for a better detection of changes in N-glycosylation profiles of therapeutic glycoproteins

Therapeutic proteins are among the top selling drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. More than 60 % of the approved therapeutic proteins are glycosylated. Nowadays, it is well accepted that changes in glycosylation may affect the safety and the efficacy of the therapeutic proteins. For this reason, it is important to characterize both the protein and the glycan structures. In this study, analytical and data processing methods were developed ensuring an easier characterization of glycoprofiles. N-glycans were (i) enzymatically released using peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F), (ii) reduced, and (iii) analyzed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to a high-resolution mass spectrometer (HILIC-HRMS). Glycosylation changes were analyzed in human plasma immunoglobulin G samples which had previously been artificially modified by adding other glycoproteins (such as ribonuclease B and fetuin) or by digesting with enzyme (neuraminidase). Principal component analysis (PCA) and classification through soft independent modelling by class analogy (SIMCA) were used to detect minor glycosylation changes. Using HILIC-MS-PCA/SIMCA approach, it was possible to detect small changes in N-glycosylation, which had not been detected directly from the extracted-ion chromatograms, which is current technique to detect N-glycosylation changes in batch-to-batch analysis. The HILIC-MS-PCA/SIMCA approach is highly sensitive approach due to the sensitivity of MS and appropriate data processing approaches. It could help in assessing the changes in glycosylation, controlling batch-to-batch consistency, and establishing acceptance limits according to the glycosylation changes, ensuring safety and efficacy. Graphical abstract N-glycosylation characterization using LC-MS-PCA approach.