Development and application of a validated HPLC method for the analysis of dissolution samples of gabapentin drug products

Single step nanospray drying preparation technique of gabapentin-loaded nanoparticles-mediated brain delivery for effective treatment of PTZ-induced seizures

In the present study, gabapentin (GBP)-loaded chitosan nanosized particles were fabricated applying the nanospray drying technique. Different preparation parameters (spray mesh diameter, chitosan concentration and presence of D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) were studied while fixing other parameters (spraying rate, inlet temperature and gas flow rate). An optimized formulation with a particle size 107 ± 13 nm was obtained upon spraying 0.1% (w/v) chitosan solution containing 0.05% (w/v) of TPGS utilizing the small nozzle (4 μm spray mesh hole size). Drug entrapment efficiency and yield were as high as 95% and 83%, respectively. A 98.1 ± 6.1% (w/w) cumulative drug release was recorded after 2 h. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed higher fluorescent dye penetration into brain tissue following intranasal administration of Rhodamine B labeled spray dried chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) as compared to Rhodamine B solution. Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was used to induce convulsions in rats through elevating seizure stages, releasing neuroinflammatory mediators and reducing excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT 2) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) brain contents. Nanospray dried GBP-loaded chitosan NPs reduced seizure score, neuroinflammation; TNF-α and TGF-β, elevated EAAT 2 and GABA as well as decreased degeneration in pyramidal neurons compared to marketed product Conventin® capsules. Thus, it can be concluded from the aforementioned data that nanospray dried GBP-loaded chitosan NPs could comprise an appropriate treatment of epilepsy.

Power function setting in charged aerosol detection for the linearization of detector response - optimization strategies and their application

Charged aerosol detection (CAD) is an universal technique in liquid chromatography that is increasingly used for the quality control of drugs. Consequently, it has found its way into compendial monographs promoted by its simple and robust application. However, the response of CAD is inherently nonlinear due to its principle of function. Thus, easy and rapid linearization procedures, in particular regarding compendial applications, are highly desirable. One effective approach to linearize the detector's signal makes use of the built-in power function value (PFV) setting of the instrument. The PFV is basically a multiplication factor to the power law exponent of the equation describing the CAD's response, thereby altering the detector's signal output to optimize the quasi-linear range of the response curve. The experimental optimization of the PFV for a series of analytes is a time-consuming process, limiting the practicability of this approach. Here, two independent approaches for the determination of the optimal PFV based on an empirical model and a mathematical transformation in each case, are evaluated. Both approaches can be utilized to predict the optimal PFV for each analyte solely based on the experimental results of a series of calibration standards obtained at a single PFV. The approaches were applied to the HPLC-UV-CAD impurity analysis of the drug gabapentin to improve the observed nonlinear response of the impurities in the range of interest. The predicted optimal PFV of both approaches were in good agreement with the experimentally obtained optimal PFV of the analytes. As a result, the accuracy of the method was significantly improved when using the optimal PFV (90 - 105% versus 81 - 115% recovery rate for quantitation by either single-point calibration or linear regression) for the majority of the analytes. The final method with a PFV adjusted to 1.30 was validated with respect to ICH guideline Q2(R1).

Non-Invasive Extraction of Gabapentin for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Reverse Iontophoresis: Effect of pH, Ionic Strength, and Polyethylene Glycol 400 in the Receiving Medium

Background:

Monitoring of plasma concentrations is a necessity for narrow therapeutic index potent drugs. Development of non-invasive methods can save the patients from the trauma of needles and hence is considered as a research priority.

Introduction:

Gabapentin, an anti-epileptic drug requires therapeutic monitoring because of its narrow therapeutic index. The objective of the study was to develop a suitable method for the non-invasive extraction of gabapentin for the same.

Methods:

Transdermal reverse iontophoresis was performed using pig ear skin as a barrier membrane. Three compartment iontophoretic cells were used for the extraction study. Extractions were carried out under low intensity electric field (current intensity- 0.5 mA/cm2, electrical field approximately 5 V). The donor compartment was charged with aqueous gabapentin (10 µg/ml in phosphate buffer of pH 7.4). For studying the effect of receiving vehicle (pH, ionic strength, and enhancer) on the extraction efficiency of gabapentin, the two receiver chambers were charged with media having varying concentration of these factors. Drug content was determined by HPLC.

Results:

Compared to other pHs, cumulative extraction of gabapentin at pH 5 was significantly higher at both anode and cathode (p<0.001). At low ionic strength, extraction of gabapentin increased linearly with the increase in concentration of ions up to a certain value but at very high ionic strength the pattern reversed. Similar results were obtained with enhancer (polyethylene glycol 400). Extraction increased with increase in polyethylene glycol 400 up to 3% and then decreased.

Conclusion:

Extraction flux can be optimized by manipulation of the receiver media.

Gastroretentive raft liquid delivery system as a new approach to release extension for carrier-mediated drug

Gabapentin (GBP), an antiepileptic and anti-neuropathic agent, suffers from short half-life (5-7 h), has narrow absorption window, and is absorbed via carrier-mediated mechanism resulting in frequent dosing, poor compliance, and poor bioavailability (<60%). Moreover, GBP is a freely water-soluble drug, thus it is considered a challenging candidate to be formulated as extended release dosage form. In this study, raft forming systems were investigated as a potential drug delivery system for prolonging gastric residence time of GBP. A 23 full factorial design was adopted to study the effect of formulation variables (% gellan gum, % GMO, and % LM-pectin 101), on the percent of GBP released at different time intervals (1, 5, and 8 h) as well as the gel strength, and thus was achieved an optimized formula with zero-order release profile suitable for once-daily administration. In vivo assessment was performed in rats to evaluate gastric residence of the gel formed. In addition, the oral bioavailability of GBP relative to commercially available Neurontin® immediate release oral solution was also investigated. Significant increase was observed for Cmax, AUC(0-t), and AUC(0-∞). The increase in relative bioavailability of GBP from the optimized formula was 1.7 folds.

A headspace-gas chromatography method for isopropanol determination in warfarin sodium products as a measure of drug crystallinity

Coumadin® a nd s everal generic products of warfarin s odium (WS) contain the crystalline form (clathrate) in which WS and isopropanol (IPA) are associated in a 2:1 molar ratio. IPA is critical in maintaining the WS crystalline structure. Physicochemical properties of the drug and drug product may change when the crystalline drug transforms to amorphous form. A headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) method was developed and validated for IPA determination in the WS drug product. n-propanol (NPA) was used as internal standard and the method was validated for specificity, system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limits of detection and quantification, and robustness. The method was specific, with good resolution between IPA and NPA peaks. Chromatographic parameters (retention time, IPA/NPA area ratio, tailing factor, theoretical plates, USP symmetry, capacity factor, selectivity and resolution) were consistent over three days of validation. The analytical method was linear from 2-200 μg mL-1 (0.1- 10 % IPA present in the drug product). LOD and LOQ were 0.1 and 2 μg mL-1, respectively. Accuracy at low (2 μg mL-1) and high (200 μg mL-1) IPA concentrations of the calibration curve was 103.3-113.3 and 98.9-102.2 % of the nominal value, resp. The validated method was precise, as indicated by the RSD value of less than 2 % at three concentration levels of the calibration curve. The method reported here was utilized to determine accurately and precisely the IPA content in in-house formulations and commercial products. In summary, IPA determination by HS-GC provides an indirect measure of WS crystallinity in the drug product. Nevertheless, it should be confirmed by another analytical method since IPA from the drug substance is not distinguishable from IPA that may be present outside the drug crystals in a dosage form when prepared by wet granulation with IPA.

Development and validation of sensitive spectrophotometric method for determination of two antiepileptics in pharmaceutical formulations

Rapid, sensitive and validated spectrophotometric methods for the determination of two antiepileptics (gabapentin (GAB) and pregabalin (PRG)) in pure forms and in pharmaceutical formulations was developed. The method is based on the formation of charge transfer complex between drug and the chromogenic reagents quinalizarin (Quinz) and alizarin red S (ARS) producing charge transfer complexes in methanolic medium which showed an absorption maximum at 571 and 528 nm for GAB and 572 and 538 nm for PRG using Quinz and ARS, respectively. The optimization of the reaction conditions such as the type of solvent, reagent concentration and reaction time were investigated. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration ranges 0.4-8.0 and 0.5-10 μg mL(-1) for GAB and PRG using Quinz and ARS, respectively. The molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, detection and quantification limits are also calculated. The correlation coefficients were ≥0.9992 with a relative standard deviation (RSD%) of ≤1.76. The methods are successfully applied to the determination of GAB and PRG in pharmaceutical formulations and the validity assesses by applying the standard addition technique, which compared with those obtained using the reported methods.

Pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and tolerability of a once-daily gastroretentive dosage form of gabapentin for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia

Neurontin®, an immediate-release (IR) formulation of gabapentin, was the first drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The effective dosing regimen of gabapentin IR (G-IR) for PHN is 1800 mg/day in three divided doses. In 2011, a gastroretentive (GR) formulation of gabapentin (G-GR, Gralise®) was approved for the treatment of PHN. The effective dosing regimen of G-GR is 1800 mg, once daily taken with the evening meal. Compared with G-IR, G-GR has an apparently better tolerability profile with a 1-2 weeks shorter titration period to reach the same therapeutically effective dose. The differences in the dosing frequency and tolerability between G-IR and GR are mainly because of the difference in formulations and thus pharmacokinetic properties. The GR formulation takes advantage of normal human gastrointestinal (GI) physiology and the unique pharmacokinetic properties of gabapentin. In this review, we compare the IR and GR formulations of gabapentin, overview the GI physiology and GR mechanism of G-GR, and describe the unique pharmacokinetic properties of gabapentin. The effect of GR formulation on efficacy and the incidence of adverse events that are commonly associated with G-IR treatment in PHN patients are also discussed.

"From safe source to safe sink" development of colorimetric assay for gabapentin in bulk drug and capsules using naturally derived genipin

A novel colorimetric assay for gabapentin in bulk drug and capsules has been developed via a safety-and-sustainability concerning concept. The method relied on the reaction of primary amino group of drug with non-toxic and eco-friendly genipin in totally aqueous medium to form the blue product which was subsequently measured by visible spectrophotometry at 590 nm. Under the optimized conditions, Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 0.15-0.50 mM (r(2)=0.9998). It was accurate, precise and insensitive to the interferences from all related compounds specified in the United States Pharmacopeia as well as commonly used excipients. Furthermore, it gave the assay results in agreement with the pharmacopeial chromatographic method. Owing to the environmental concern and responsibility, a fast and facile method was also proposed for the treatment of waste generated from the assay based on the decoloration by using gypsum as a cheap and commonly available adsorbent. After the treatment, more than 95% of the initial blue product was removed from the waste solution and the treated waste was proven to be safe for aquatic organisms, as studied in brine shrimp and guppy fishes. Therefore, this work not only reports for the first time the application of naturally derived genipin to drug analysis, but also presents a new and contemporary paradigm that illustrates the fully benign-by-design development of the analytical methodologies in the era of Green Chemistry, starting from the safe source of reagents toward the safe sink when waste is released into the environment.

The stabilizing effect of moisture on the solid-state degradation of gabapentin

Gabapentin is known to undergo intramolecular cyclization to form a lactam (gaba-L) with concomitant loss of water. Gabapentin was milled in a planetary mill for 15-60 min. Unmilled and milled gabapentin were stored at 50°C with relative humidity ranged between 5% and 90%. The unmilled and milled samples were assayed for gabapentin and gaba-L by reversed phase-high-performance liquid chromatography and also subjected to powder X-ray diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and surface area analyses. The rates of lactamization in the milled gabapentin samples correlated to increased surface area, milling duration, and in-process lactam levels. This effect of milling could not be explained solely by the increase in surface area with increased milling time but was more likely due to increased regions of crystal disorder caused by the mechanical and thermal milling stresses. The lactamization rate of milled gabapentin samples was greatest in the presence of the lowest humidity conditions and dramatically decreased with increasing humidity. In particular, milled gabapentin appeared to be much more stable at humidity levels greater than 31% RH. This finding could not be attributed to the possibility of lactam hydrolysis at high humidity but rather to a competitive annealing process wherein milling-induced crystal defects were lost upon exposure to atmospheric moisture thereby stabilizing the milling-damaged drug substance.

Sensitive and selective spectrophotometric determination of gabapentin in capsules using two nitrophenols as chromogenic agents

Two simple and selective spectrophotometric methods have been proposed for the determination of gabapentin (GBP) in pure form and in capsules. Both methods are based on the proton transfer from the Lewis acid such as 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid; PA) or 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) to the primary amino group of GBP which works as Lewis base and formation of yellow ion-pair complexes. The ion-pair complexes formed show absorption maximum at 415 and 420 nm for PA and 2,4-DNP, respectively. Under the optimized experimental conditions, Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration ranges of 1.25–15.0 and 2.0–18.0 μg mL⁻¹ GBP for PA and 2,4-DNP methods, respectively. The molar absorptivity, Sandell's sensitivity, detection and, quantification limits for both methods are also reported. The proposed methods were applied successfully to the determination of GBP in pure form and commercial capsules. Statistical comparison of the results was performed using Student's t-test and F-ratio at 95% confidence level, and there was no significant difference between the reference and proposed methods with regard to accuracy and precision. Further, the validity of the proposed methods was confirmed by recovery studies via standard addition technique.

Hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of gabapentin in biological samples

Three-phase hollow fiber microextraction technique combined with high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (HPLC-UV) was applied for the extraction and determination of gabapentin in biological fluids. Gabapentin (GBP) was derivatized with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, as a UV absorbent agent in borate buffer (pH 8.2) before extraction. The derivative product of GBP was extracted from the 8.5 mL of acidic solution (source phase) into an organic phase (dihexyl ether) impregnated in the pores of a hollow fiber and finally back-extracted into 24 microL of the basic solution (pH 9.1) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber (receiving phase). The extraction took place due to pH gradient between the inside and outside of the hollow fiber membrane. In order to achieve maximum extraction efficiency, different parameters affecting the extraction conditions were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, preconcentration factor of 95 and detection limit (LOD) of 0.2 microg L(-1) were obtained. The calibration graph was linear within the range of 0.6-5000 microg L(-1). Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method was successfully confirmed by extraction and determination of GBP in human urine and plasma samples in the range of microgram per liter and suitable results were obtained (RSDs<6.3%).

Development and application of a validated HPLC method for the analysis of dissolution samples of mexiletine hydrochloride capsules

The aim of this work was to develop and validate a simple, efficient, sensitive and selective method for the analysis of dissolution samples of mexiletine hydrochloride capsules by HPLC without the necessity of any time-consuming extraction, dilution or evaporation steps prior to drug assay. Separation was performed isocratically on a 5 ?m LiChrospher 60, RP-Select B column (250 x 4 mm ID) using the mobile phase buffer-acetonitrile (60:42, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min-1 and UV detection at 262 nm. The elution occurred in less than 10 minutes. The assay was linear in the concentration range 50-300 ?g mL-1 (r2 = 0.9998). The validation characteristics included accuracy, precision, linearity, specificity, limits of detection and quantification, stability, and robustness. Validation acceptance criteria were met in all cases (the percent recoveries ranged between 100.01 and 101.68 %, RSD < 0.44 %). The method could be used for the determination of mexiletine hydrochloride and for monitoring its concentration in in vitro dissolution studies.

Validation of an HPLC-MS method for rociverine tablet dissolution analysis

The aim of this work was to develop and validate a method to assess the dissolution behaviour of rociverine sugar-coated tablets. In our laboratories, an HPLC-MS in reverse phase method of analysis was developed for the dosage of unknown rociverine solution. This analytical method was applied to determine the dissolution rate of rociverine tablets produced by the industrial procedure, because there is no official method description. Dissolution tests were carried out in sink conditions as follows: dissolution medium HCl 0.01 N, paddle rotation speed 50 rpm and vessel volume 1000 ml. The dissolution test gave satisfactory results: 95% of the drug was dissolved within 30 min and drug dissolution was concluded after 60 min. The method was demonstrated to be adequate for Quality Control of rociverine tablets. Validation was inferred from specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness.