LC–MS/TOF, LC–MSn and H/D Exchange Studies on Solifenacin Succinate Targeted to Characterize its Forced Degradation Products

Facile Access to Solifenacin Impurity K: One-Step Synthesis and an HPLC-MS Method for Its Determination

Solifenacin (SFC) is a potent muscarinic antagonist that effectively reduces bladder muscle contraction, thereby alleviating symptoms such as frequency of micturition and urgency. Oxidation of SFC leads to the formation of impurities like Impurity K. Effective analysis and control of this impurity is crucial for ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and safeguarding patient health. To address these challenges, we propose a novel one-step synthesis of Impurity K from SFC. Impurity K was synthesized using cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) in water/acetonitrile as the solvent. Additionally, we describe a new HPLC-MS method for the detection of Impurity K in solifenacin succinate tablets.

Expeditive Chromatographic Methods for Quantification of Solifenacin Succinate along with its Official Impurity as the Possible Acid Degradation Product

Two selective stability-indicating procedures were adopted for the quantification of Solifenacin succinate (SOL) along with its acid degradant, in its powder form or in pharmaceutical tablet. Under stress conditions, the acid degradation pathway of SOL was investigated, its official impurity (SOL imp-A) was obtained as the possible acid degradation product, also. A densitometric technique based on the separation of SOL from SOL imp-A employing HPTLC plates prelaminated with silica gel 60 F254 as the stationary phase and a developing solution containing methanol:chloroform:ammonia (8:1:1, v/v/v) and UV scanning of the developed bands at 220 nm. Linear regression analysis data for the calibration plot of SOL showed perfect linear relationships throughout the range of concentration 10-60 μg/band. A reversed phase C18 analytical column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) was also used to separate the mixture at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, using acetonitrile:0.05 M phosphate buffer (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase and phosphoric acid to set pH = 3.5. Quantification was obtained at 220 nm using peak area and linear calibration curve across a concentration range of 10-70 μg/mL. The recommended procedures were applied to the existing dosage form, and they generated satisfactory results.

Novel Bioequivalent Tablet of Solifenacin Succinate Prepared Using Direct Compression Technique for Improved Chemical Stability

We designed a bioequivalent tablet form of solifenacin succinate (SOL) with an improved storage stability using a direct compression (DC) technique. An optimal direct compressed tablet (DCT) containing an active substance (10 mg), lactose monohydrate, and silicified microcrystalline cellulose as diluents, crospovidone as a disintegrant, and hydrophilic fumed silica as an anti-coning agent was constructed by evaluating the drug content uniformity, mechanical properties, and in vitro dissolution. The physicochemical and mechanical properties of the DCT were as follows: drug content 100.1 ± 0.7%, disintegration time of 6.7 min, over 95% release within 30 min in dissolution media (pH 1.2, 4.0, 6.8, and distilled water), hardness > 107.8 N, and friability ~0.11%. The SOL-loaded tablet fabricated via DC showed an improved stability at 40 °C and RH 75%, exhibiting markedly reduced degradation products compared to those fabricated using ethanol or water-based wet granulation or a marketed product (Vesicare^®, Astellas Pharma). Moreover, in a bioequivalence study in healthy subjects (n = 24), the optimized DCT offered a pharmacokinetic profile comparable to that of the marketed product, with no statistical differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters. The 90% CIs for the geometric mean ratios of the test to the reference formulation for the area under the curve and the maximum drug concentration in plasma were 0.98-1.05 and 0.98-1.07, respectively, and satisfied the FDA regulatory criteria for bioequivalence. Thus, we conclude that DCT is a beneficial oral dosage form of SOL with an improved chemical stability.

Metabolism of Du Zhong Formula in rats using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS

Du Zhong Formula (DZF), a traditional Chinese medicine formula derived from BeiJiQianJinYaoFang, is used to treat kidney deficiency and lumbago. In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) technique combined with pattern recognition analysis was applied for analysis of metabolic profiles of the bioactive components of the DZF in rat biological samples. In this experiment, a total of 73 compounds, including 53 prototype components and 20 metabolites, were identified tentatively in vivo compared with blank urine, plasma, feces, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The prototype ingredients in DZF include terpenoids, gingerols, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, phenanthrenes, bibenzyls, organic acids, and other ingredients. The metabolic pathways of DZF involved reduction, demethylation, hydroxylation, desugarization, deoxygenation, glucuronidation, sulfation, and methylation. The proposed method could develop an integrated template approach to analyze screening and identification of the bioactive components in plasma, urine, feces, and CSF after oral administration of herb medicines. Additionally, this investigation might provide helpful chemical information for further pharmacology and activity mechanism of DZF.

Eco-friendly Spectrophotometric Methods for Assessment of Alfuzosin and Solifenacin in their new Pharmaceutical Formulation; Green Profile Evaluation via Eco-scale and GAPI Tools

Background:

Alfuzosin is recently co-formulated with solifenacin for relieving two coincident urological diseases, namely; benign prostate hyperplasia and overactive bladder.

Objective:

Herein, green, simple and rapid spectrophotometric methods were firstly developed for simultaneous determination of the two cited drugs in their co-formulated pharmaceutical capsule

Methods:

Alfuzosin, which is the major component in the dosage form, was directly assayed at its extended wavelength at 330.0 nm. The challenging spectrum of the minor component, solifenacin, was resolved by five spectrophotometric methods, namely; Dual Wavelength (DW) at 210.0 & 230.0 nm, first derivative (1D) at 222.0 nm, Ratio Difference (RD) at 217.0 - 271.0 nm, derivative ratio (1DD) at 223.0 and mean centering of ratio spectra (MC) at 217.0 nm.

Results:

The proposed methods were successfully validated as per ICH guidelines. Alfuzosin showed linearity over the range of 4.0 - 70.0 μg/mL, while that of solifenacin were 4.0 - 50.0 μg/mL for DW, 2.0 - 70.0 μg/mL for 1D and RD methods, 1.0 - 70.0 μg/mL for 1DD and 4.0 - 70.0 μg/mL for MC method. Statistical comparison with their official ones showed no noticeable differences. The methods showed good applicability for assaying drugs in their newly combination. Besides the eco-scale, the greenness profile of the methods was assessed and compared with the reported spectrophotometric one via the newest metric tool; Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI).

Conclusions:

The proposed methods are superior in not only being smart, accurate, selective, robust and time-saving, but also in using distilled water as an eco-friendly and cheap solvent.

Insights into the degradation chemistry of tazarotene, a third generation acetylenic retinoid: LC-HRMS (Orbitrap), LC-MSn and NMR characterization of its degradation products, and prediction of their physicochemical and ADMET properties

Tazarotene is a prodrug that belongs to the acetylenic class of retinoids. The drug was subjected to hydrolytic, oxidative and photolytic stress testing to establish its comprehensive degradation chemistry. The drug proved to be unstable under acidic and basic hydrolytic conditions, yielding tazarotenic acid, which is a known major degradation product (DP) and an active metabolite. Additionally, two DPs each were generated upon interaction of drug and tazarotenic acid with HCl, used as an acid stressor. These were experimentally proven as pseudo DPs, as they did not originate when H₂SO₄ was employed as the stressor. The drug was also unstable under oxidative and photolytic conditions, yielding six DPs. All the products were separated on reversed phase (C18) column, using mobile phase composed of 10 mM ammonium formate (pH 3.5) and acetonitrile, which was run in a gradient mode. The separated DPs were subjected to LC-HRMS and LC-MSⁿ studies for their initial characterization. Seven hydrolytic and oxidative DPs that could be isolated using semi-preparative column were subjected to extensive 1D (¹H, ¹³C and DEPT-135) and 2D (COSY, HSQC and HMBC) NMR studies to confirm their structures. In total, five novel DPs were characterized, apart from two previously reported DPs, viz., tazarotenic acid and tazarotene sulfoxide, and four additional pseudo DPs. The complete degradation pathway of the drug was established. In silico ADMET properties of the drug and its DPs were evaluated using ADMET Predictor™.

A novel HPLC-DAD method for simultaneous determination of alfuzosin and solifenacin along with their official impurities induced via a stress stability study; investigation of their degradation kinetics

Stability and impurity profiling are in high demand to guarantee the potency, safety and efficacy of new formulations along with their shelf-life. In this study, stability testing of alfuzosin (ALF) and solifenacin (SOL) in their newly co-formulated capsules was conducted under different stress conditions. The obtained degradation products were structurally elucidated and found to be their official impurities, namely; ALF impurity-D and SOL impurities-A, E & I. A selective and reliable stability-indicating HPLC method was developed for assaying the cited drugs along with three of those official impurities. Chromatographic separation was accomplished within 8 minutes using a XBridge® C18 column as the stationary phase and acetonitrile : phosphate buffer (pH 8) : triethylamine (60 : 40 : 0.02, by volume) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.3 mL min-1. Quantification of the analytes was performed at 210 nm using a diode array detector through which peak purity was assessed. The proposed method was validated as per ICH guidelines and it was successfully applied for the determination of the cited drugs in their combined pharmaceutical formulation with percent recoveries of 100.47 and 100.15 for ALF and SOL, respectively. Moreover, the proposed method was exploited for the assessment of the two drugs' stability in Solitral® capsules under accelerated storage conditions. The method was further extended for studying the degradation kinetics of the two drugs.