A Versatile HPLC Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Bromhexine, Guaifenesin, Ambroxol, Salbutamol/Terbutaline, Pseudoephedrine, Triprolidine, and Chlorpheniramine Maleate in Cough–Cold Syrups

Green highly sensitive and selective spectroscopic detection of guaifenesin in multiple dosage forms and spiked human plasma

Guaifenesin (GUA) is determined in dosage forms and plasma using two methods. The spectrofluorimetric technique relies on the measurement of native fluorescence intensity at 302 nm upon excitation wavelength "223 nm". The method was validated according to ICH and FDA guidelines. A concentration range of 0.1-1.1 μg/mL was used, with limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) values 0.03 and 0.08 µg/mL, respectively. This method was used to measure GUA in tablets and plasma, with %recovery of 100.44% ± 0.037 and 101.03% ± 0.751. Furthermore, multivariate chemometric-assisted spectrophotometric methods are used for the determination of GUA, paracetamol (PARA), oxomemazine (OXO), and sodium benzoate (SB) in their lab mixtures. The concentration ranges of 2.0-10.0, 4.0-16.0, 2.0-10.0, and 3.0-10.0 µg/mL for OXO, GUA, PARA, and SB; respectively, were used. LOD and LOQ were 0.33, 0.68, 0.28, and 0.29 µg/mL, and 1.00, 2.06, 0.84, and 0.87 µg/mL for PARA, GUA, OXO, and SB. For the suppository application, the partial least square (PLS) model was used with %recovery 98.49% ± 0.5, 98.51% ± 0.64, 100.21% ± 0.36 & 98.13% ± 0.51, although the multivariate curve resolution alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) model was used with %recovery 101.39 ± 0.45, 99.19 ± 0.2, 100.24 ± 0.12, and 98.61 ± 0.32 for OXO, GUA, PARA, and SB. Analytical Eco-scale and Analytical Greenness Assessment were used to assess the greenness level of our techniques.

Two green and sensitive spectrofluorimetric approaches for determination of Ambroxol and guaifenesin in their single and combined pharmaceutical formulations

Ambroxol hydrochloride (AMX) and guaifenesin (GFN) are approved drugs utilized to treat coughs through their potent mucolytic and expectorant properties. Due to their massive, combined administration in many illnesses, there is a persistent need for their concurrent estimation in different pharmaceutical formulations. Two sensitive, environmentally friendly spectrofluorimetric methods were developed. AMX was determined using the first method (I) without interference from GFN. This method depends on the quenching of Erythrosine B (EB) native fluorescence at 552 nm after excitation at 527 nm due to the formation of a non-fluorescent AMX-EB ion-pair complex in Britton-Robinson buffer (BRB) solution pH (3.5). The concentration plot is linear over the 0.25-5.0 μg/mL range, with a mean percent found value of 99.74%. Method (II) depends on measuring the native fluorescence of aqueous GFN solution at two analytical wavelengths, either 300 or 600 nm, after excitation at 274 nm. Relative fluorescence intensity (RFI)-concentration plots are linear over the ranges of 0.02-0.5 and 0.1-2.0 μg/ml, with mean percent found at 99.96% and 99.91% at dual wavelengths, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied to assay both drugs in raw materials and different single and combined pharmaceutical formulations. These methods have been thoroughly validated following International Committee on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. National Environmental Methods Index, Analytical Eco-Scale, and Green Analytical Procedure Index were used to prove greenness, thereby enhancing their applicability. The proposed techniques provide straightforward, precise, and cost-effective solutions for routine formulation analysis in quality control laboratories.

Chromatographic analysis of triple cough therapy; bromhexine, guaiafenesin and salbutamol and pharmaceutical impurity: in-silico toxicity profile of drug impurity

Bromhexine (BR), guaiafenesin (GUF) and salbutamol (SAL) are formulated as Ventocough syrup® (with and without sugar), labeled to contain propyl paraben and sodium benzoate as inactive ingredients. They are used to make coughing more productive and easier. A crucial element and a major issue in the pharmaceutical industry is the control of organic related impurities to obtain safe and effective treatment. Guaiacol (GUL) is reported to be GUF related impurity that was proved to be extremely toxic (toxic rating class 5), and its use should be banned. In this work, In-Silico study and ADMET estimation were conducted to predict GUL pharmacokinetic properties and its toxicity profile. Additionally, two chromatographic methods were conducted to analyze the studied components along with GUF impurity in the presence of the labeled dosage form excipients. The In-Silico study assured that GUL has oral rat acute toxicity and it is considered to be skin sensitizer. On the other hand, the developed TLC- densitometeric method depended on using a mobile phase mixture of hexane: methylene chloride: triethylamine (5.0:6.0:0.3, by volume) as a developing system. UV-Scanning was performed immediately at 275 nm for SAL, GUF and GUL, while scanning at 310 nm was used for scanning BR. Linearity was established in the ranges of 0.25-4.0, 0.25-4.0, 0.5-8.0 and 0.1-1.6 µg/band for BR, SAL, GUF and GUL, respectively. In the developed HPLC method, separation was performed on X-Bridge® C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using a solvent mixture of 0.05M disodium hydrogen phosphate pH 3 with aqueous phosphoric acid: methanol (containing 0.3%, v/v triethylamine) (40:60, v/v). Detection was done at 225 nm and separation was achieved within 10 min. Linearity was proved in the range of 2-50 µg/mL for the proposed drugs. Validation of the developed methods was done and all the calculated parameters were within the acceptable limits recommended by ICH guidelines. After that, methods were used to examine the potency of the selected marketed dosage forms and concentrations of all drugs were within the acceptable limits. Additionally, complete separation between the studied drugs and the additives were observed. The developed methods can be used during routine quality control analysis of the proposed drugs when the required issues concern on sensitivity, selectivity and analysis time.

A Chemometric Strategy in the Development of a RP-UPLC Method for the Quantitative Resolution of a Two-Component Syrup Formulation

A novel chemometric strategy was implemented in the development of a new ultraperformance liquid chromatography method for the quantitative estimation of guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in a two-component syrup formulation with minimal experimental effort, time and reagent. A full factorial design with three factors was investigated to find optimal working conditions of chromatographic factors (column temperature, flow rate, and 0.1 M H3PO4% in mobile phase) that affect the chromatographic separation. Then, optimum experimental conditions providing adequate separation of the analyzed drug substances within the short runtime were determined. Under optimal experimental conditions, the retention times for guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride were obtained as 0.817 and 1.430 min, respectively. In the optimized RP-UPLC method, chromatographic response was reported as a linear function of concentration between 5.0 and 80.0 μg/mL for guaifenesin and 10.0-90.0 μg/mL for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. The proposed method was carefully validated and successfully applied to quality control and analysis of a cough syrup preparation containing guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Consequently, the proposed reversed-phase ultraperformance liquid chromatography method provided an opportunity to quantify relevant drugs with small amount of reagents and short runtime.

Micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric method for the rapid determination of bronchodilator terbutaline and its prodrug bambuterol: Application for content uniformity test

A novel, simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric approach for determination of terbutaline sulphate (TER) and its prodrug bambuterol (BAM) in their pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms was developed. The suggested approach depends on enhancing the native fluorescence of either TER or BAM at 315 and 297.2 nm after excitation at 277 and 259 nm, respectively, using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as a micellar media. In the presence of 0.7% w/v SDS, about 1.38-fold and 1.18-fold enhancement is achieved in the relative fluorescence intensity (RFI) of TER and BAM, respectively. The fluorescence-concentration curves were rectilinear over the concentration range of 0.8-16 μg mL^-1 , with detection limits (LOD) of 0.252 and 0.26 (μg mL-1), quantitation limits (LOQ) of 0.76 and 0.79 (μg mL-1), determination coefficients (r2) of 0.9981, and slopes of 45.92 and 10.44 for TER and BAM, respectively. The suggested approach was validated in accordance with ICH criteria and was effectively applied in the analysis of the studied drugs in their commercial tablets. The high sensitivity of the proposed approach allows its application in evaluating the content uniformity testing of the studied drugs in their tablets through using the official United States Pharmacopeia criteria (USP). Statistical analogies of the findings with that of the reported methods showed really good harmony and indicated no major differences in precision and accuracy.

Electrochemical sensor to detect terbutaline in biological samples by a green agent

In this research, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) which is a form of graphene oxide (GO) was formed through a reduction process using a "green agent" called Ascorbic acid (AA). RGO was then modified on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to generate RGO/GCE (an advanced electrode). The RGO/GCE was then used to detect Terbutaline (TB) in urine samples of volunteer athletes (n = 5) using well-known spectrophotometric analyses including X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Raman and electrochemical methods using voltammetric analyses such as differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DP-ASV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Comparing various analysis methods using RGO/GCE to detect TB in human urine samples, voltammetric analysis specifically DP-ASV demonstrated higher sensitivity and selectivity in detecting TB than spectrophotometric analyses. Thus, in this study, several factors that would affect the voltammetric signals such as pH and interferents were evaluated and the electroactive surface area was also calculated. Our findings indicated that the RGO/GCE showed excellent repeatability, reproducibility, and long-term stability suggesting that TB could be detected more effectively using RGO/GCE than bare GCE. The detection limit of 0.0052 μM achieved in this study indicated that RGO/GCE can effectively detect TB in human urine while demonstrating reasonable selectivity and sensitivity.

A highly selective and simple fluorescent probe for salbutamol detection based on thioglycolic acid-capped CdTe quantum dots

In this paper, a highly fluorescent water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (CdTe QDs) stabilized with thioglycolic acid (TGA) were synthesized for the quantitative and selective determination of salbutamol (SAL). When ten different of 2.09 × 10^-6 mol L^-1 alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist were added to 4.38 × 10^-4 mol L^-1CdTe QDs solution, the fluorescence signal of the CdTe QDs quenched obviously by SAL with 57.32% and 0.815% - 7.00% for other nine kinds of veterinary medicine, such as tulobuterol, fenoterol, phenylethanamine A, simatero, penbutolol, clenbuterol, ractopamine, terbutaline and clorprenaline. The result shows that the CdTe QDs is highly sensitive sensor for SAL. The quenching mechanism has been investigated by absorption spectroscopy and K_SV at different temperatures, and shew a static quenching process than dynamic quenching. Under the optimal conditions, respectively the straight line equation (F₀/F = 0.1491 × 10⁶ C + 1.3078) was found between the relative fluorescence intensity and the concentration of SAL was in the range of 6.27 × 10^-8 to 2.09 × 10^-7 mol L^-1, and the limit of detection was 4.2 × 10^-8 mol L^-1. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of SAL in pig urine samples.

Determination of bromhexine and its metabolites in equine serum samples by liquid chromatography - Tandem mass spectrometry: Applicability to the elimination study after single oral dose

Bromhexine (BH), expectorant used in the treatment of respiratory disorders associated with viscid or excessive mucus, is not permitted for use in the competing horse by many authorities in horseracing and Olympic disciplines. Metabolic studies are of the great importance in anti-doping field because they allow for updating the selection of the most appropriate markers for prohibited substances, such as metabolites present at higher concentration levels and/or lasted for a longer period of time in biological samples than a parent drug. This study describes LC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneous determination of BH and its metabolites, including 4-(2-amino-3,5-dibromobenzylamino)cyclohexanol (4-HDMB), 3-(2-amino-3,5-dibromobenzylamino)cyclohexanol (3-HDMB), in equine serum samples. The 2-(2-amino-3,5-dibromobenzylamino)cyclohexanol (2-HDMB) was monitored as well. The assay was validated in terms of linearity (R2 greater than 0.9951), intra- and inter-assay accuracy (91.6 - 109.1%) and precision (CV < 9.6%) as well as recovery (94.8 - 105.65%). The LODs were 0.0052, 0.0053, 0.0056 and 0.0043 ng/mL for BH, 2-HDMB, 3-HDMB and 4-HDMB, respectively. The developed method was applied to determine the time curses of BH and its metabolites concentrations in equine serum collected for 95.25 h following a single oral administration of BH to two healthy mares (in dose of 0.8 mg/kg). The parent drug was found at higher concentration levels than 3-HDMB (major metabolite) and 4-HDMB (minor metabolite), however, both BH metabolites lasted for a longer period of time in equine serum than the parent drug. Thus, both metabolites of BH can be considered as BH abuse markers.

Bilinear and trilinear algorithms utilizing full and selected variables for resolution and quantitation of four components with overlapped spectral signals in bulk and syrup dosage form

Spectrophotometric-assisted chemometric techniques are beneficial for resolving spectral overlapping and are considered comparable to traditional chromatographic methods. In this work, different chemometric approaches were applied for simultaneous determination of Bromhexine HCl (BRHX), Guaifenesin (GUA) and Salbutamol sulphate (SALB) in the presence of Guaiacol (GUAIA), without any prior separation. Two-way and three-way techniques were applied. The resolving power of genetic algorithm (GA-PLS), trilinear partial least square (N-PLS) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR-ALS) were investigated. A set of 17 synthetic samples in the concentration range 10.0-30.0 μg/mL of BRHX, GUA and SALB and 6.0-10.0 μg/mL of GUAIA were used in the construction of the calibration models. Commercially available syrup dosage form was successfully analyzed by the developed methods without interference from formulation additives. The developed models were evaluated through calculation of root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP), the obtained values were 0.263, 0.419 and 0.342 for BRHX, 0.254, 0.318 and 0.503 for GUA and 0.298, 0.268 and 0.302 for SALB using N-PLS, MCR-ALS and GA-PLS, respectively. The resolving power of the developed models was emphasized through comparison with a reported HPLC method, where no significant difference was found regarding both accuracy and precision.

Robust Chromatographic Methods for the Analysis of Two Quaternary Mixtures Containing Paracetamol, Codeine, Guaifenesin and Pseudoephedrine or Phenylephrine in their Dosage Forms

Two simple validated and highly selective methods for analysis of paracetamol, codeine, guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine quaternary mixtures were developed. The first method is a high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method where separation was successful using Agilent C18 (150 × 4.6 mm) column, gradient elution of phosphate buffer pH 3, methanol and acetonitrile and diode-array detection at 210 nm. The second method is a HPTLC method followed by densitometric measurement of the spots at 257 nm. Separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel using methylene chloride: methanol: glacial acetic acid: ammonia (17.8: 1.68: 0.4: 0.12, v/v) mobile phase. The methods were applied successfully for analysis of both quaternary mixtures in laboratory-prepared tablets and also validated in regards to linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity and stability.

A Green Liquid Chromatographic Method For The Simultaneous Determination of Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride and Propyphenazone

Background:

The concept of green analytical chemistry prevails due to the growing environmental pollution.

Objective:

Our attempts are to develop simple and eco-friendly method which is non-harmful to the environment by producing minimal waste. In this context, a green liquid chromatographic method was applied for the simultaneous determination of chlorpheniramine maleate, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and propyphenazone in their combined dosage form.

Methods:

Separation was carried out using X select HSS RP C18 analytical column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5μm) using methanol - 0.02 M phosphate buffer pH 3 - triethylamine (60:40: 0.1, by volume) as a mobile phase. The separated peaks were detected at 215 nm at a flow rate 1.0 mL/min.

Results:

Quantification was done over the concentration ranges of 1-25 µg/mL for chlorpheniramine maleate, 5-35 µg/mL for pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and 10-120 µg/mL for propyphenazone. The suggested method was validated with regard to linearity, accuracy and precision according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines with good results.

Conclusion:

It could be used as a safer alternative for routine analysis of the mentioned drugs in quality control laboratories.

Analytical methods for the determination of paracetamol, pseudoephedrine and brompheniramine in Comtrex tablets

Comtrex^® tablets composed of paracetamol, pseudoephedrine and brompheniramine are widely used for relieving symptoms related to common cold. This study has overcome the challenging dosage form ratio (250:15:1) and proposed chromatographic methods for analyzing the ternary combination were utilized displaying different apparatus, solvents and sensitivity ranges. Three chromatographic methods namely thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography with ultra-violet detection (HPLC–UV) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) were developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of the three drugs. Concerning the TLC method, aluminum TLC plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F₂₅₄ were used and methanol:water:ammonia (9:1:0.1, v/v/v) was applied as a mobile phase; scanning of the plates was carried out at 254 nm. For the HPLC–UV method C₁₈ column was used with an isocratic elution mobile phase composed of water:acetonitrile (75:25, v/v; pH 3.2) and the detection was at 210 nm. For the UPLC-MS/MS method; separation was performed on a UPLC-BEH C₁₈ column with methanol: 0.1% ammonium formate (60:40, v/v) as the mobile phase utilizing diphenhydramine as an internal standard and mass spectrometry was used for detection. The methods were simple, sensitive, accurate and precise. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference from the reported methods in regard to accuracy and precision.

RP-HPLC-UV method development and validation for simultaneous determination of terbutaline sulphate, ambroxol HCl and guaifenesin in pure and dosage forms

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present work was to develop and validate a simple, sensitive, rapid and stable reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for a combination of Terbutaline sulphate (TSL), Ambroxol hydrochloride (AML) and Guaifenesin (GFN).

METHOD

The combination of these drugs was analyzed by using Shimadzu LC 2010 CHT high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Successful separation was achieved by isocratic elution on a reverse-phase C₁₈ column (sun fire) (250mm, 4.6mm, 5μ), using a mobile phase consisting of buffer: acetonitrile in the ratio 80: 20 (buffer - 0.1% v/v triethyleamine pH-3.0) followed by 1.0mL/min flow rate. The wavelength of detection was at 220nm.

RESULT

The chromatographic retention times were consistent at 3.0, 10.5 and 13.8minutes for TSL, AML and GFN respectively. For these three compounds, the lower limit of detection was 1.0, 1.25, and 1.5μg/mL and lower limit of quantification was 3.3, 4.1 and 5.0μg/mL respectively. The linearity concentrations established for TSL, AML and GFN were 1.0-7.0, 1.5-7.5 and 4.0-14.0μg/mL respectively. The correlation coefficients for all the drugs were found to be greater than 0.999. The relative standard deviation of inter- and intra-day were less than 2.0%.

CONCLUSION

This method provides a necessary tool for quantification of the selected drugs for their assay. The proposed method is simple, accurate, reproducible and applied successfully to analyze three compounds in pure as well dosage form.

An electrochemical sensor based on poly(procaterol hydrochloride)/carboxyl multi-walled carbon nanotube for the determination of bromhexine hydrochloride

Poly(procaterol hydrochloride) (p-ProH) polymeric film was successfully deposited onto the carboxyl multi-walled carbon nanotube (CMWCNT) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) to construct a p-ProH/CMWCNT composite modified GCE. Due to the synergistic effect of p-ProH and CMWCNT in the composite, the developed sensor can enormously enhance the oxidation peak current of bromhexine hydrochloride (BrH) at ca. + 0.90 V. Based on this appearance, an electrochemical method was established for the sensitive and selective determination of BrH with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Various conditions affecting the peak current response of BrH were studied and optimized. Under the best conditions, the oxidation peak current of BrH is linear to its concentration in two linear dynamic ranges of 0.2–1.0 μmol L⁻¹ (R = 0.9948) and 1.0–8.0 μmol L⁻¹ (R = 0.9956), with a detection limit of 0.1 μmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). Interference experiment indicated that the as-prepared electrochemical sensor showed wonderful selectivity to the recognition of BrH and was free from disturbance of many other electro-active substances such as dopamine, ascorbic and uric acid. Finally, the practicability of the BrH sensor was verified by the satisfactory results acquired from the BrH determination in pharmaceutical preparation and human serum.

The fabrication process of the p-ProH/CMWCNT/GCE.

Use of continuous wavelet transform approach for simultaneous quantitative determination of multicomponent mixture by UV-Vis spectrophotometry

In the present paper, a multicomponent analysis approach based on spectrophotometry method was developed for simultaneous determination of Guaifenesin (GU), Chlorpheniramine (CHL) and Pseudoephedrine (PSE) without any separation steps. The method under study is signal processing method based on Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) coupled with zero cross point technique. In this paper, CWT method was tested by synthetic ternary mixtures and was applied to the commercial cough syrup as a real sample and assessed by applying the standard addition technique. For demonstrate the accuracy of the results, other applications of signal processing, such as Derivative Transform (DT), Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression and Principal Components Regression (PCR) were used as comparative methods. Afterwards, the obtained results from analyzing the cough syrup by all methods were compared to the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as a reference method. One-way analysis of variance test at 95% confidence level showed no significant differences between CWT and other applications.