Development of a stability-indicating UPLC method for determining olanzapine and its associated degradation products present in active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical dosage forms

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Autoxidation Propensity of Selected Drugs in Solution State

The C-H bond dissociation energy (BDE) of drug molecules is often used to estimate their relative propensities to undergo autoxidation. BDE calculations based on electronic structures provide a convenient means to estimate the risk for a given compound to degrade via autoxidation. This study aimed to verify the utility of calculated C-H BDEs of a range of drug molecules in predicting their autoxidation propensities, in the solution state. For the autoxidation study, 2,2'-azobis (2-methylpropionitrile) was employed as the solution state stressor, and the experimental reaction rate constants were determined employing ultraperformance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) methods. Reaction rates in the solution state were compared to the calculated C-H BDE values of the respective compounds. The results indicated a poor correlation for compounds in the solution state, and their relative stabilities could not be explained with C-H BDE. On the other hand, a favorable relationship was observed between the relative extent of ionization and the autoxidation rates of the selected compounds. In the solution state, factors such as the type and extent of drug ionization, degree and type of solvation have been shown to contribute to differences in reactivity. By applying the computational method involving the effect of H-atom abstraction and potential ionization sites in the molecule, the calculated C-H BDE should relate better to the experimental autoxidation rates.

UPLC Technique in Pharmacy—An Important Tool of the Modern Analyst

In recent years, ultra-efficient liquid chromatography (UPLC) has gained particular popularity due to the possibility of faster separation of small molecules. This technique, used to separate the ingredients present in multi-component mixtures, has found application in many fields, such as chemistry, pharmacy, food, and biochemistry. It is an important tool in both research and production. UPLC created new possibilities for analytical separation without reducing the quality of the obtained results. This technique is therefore a milestone in liquid chromatography. Thanks to the increased resolution, new analytical procedures, in many cases, based on existing methods, are being developed, eliminating the need for re-analysis. Researchers are trying to modify and transfer the analytical conditions from the commonly used HPLC method to UPLC. This topic may be of strategic importance in the analysis of medicinal substances. The information contained in this manuscript indicates the importance of the UPLC technique in drug analysis. The information gathered highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate drug control tools. We focused on drugs commonly used in medicine that belong to various pharmacological groups. Rational prescribing based on clinical pharmacology is essential if the right drug is to be administered to the right patient at the right time. The presented data is to assist the analyst in the field of broadly understood quality control, which is very important, especially for human health and treatment. This manuscript shows that the UPLC technique is now an increasingly used tool for assessing the quality of drugs and determining the identity and content of active substances. It also allows the monitoring of active substances and finished products during their processing and storage.

Simultaneous Determination of Methocarbamol and Paracetamol in the Presence of Three Related Substances by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography

Introduction:

A rapid, and accurate Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) method was developed to simultaneously analyze Methocarbamol, Paracetamol and the related substances

Materials and Methods:

Waters ACQUITY UPLC® BEH Phenyl C18 column was used in conjunction with UV detection at 225nm. Gradient elution with 0.05M, pH 6 phosphate buffer and acetonitrile flow at 0.3mL /min rate were used to separate the substances. The retention times for 4-Aminopheno, Paracetamol, Guaifenesin, Methocarbamol, and 4-Chloroacetanilide were 1.319 minute, 2.224 minute, 4.467 minute, 4.769 minute and 5.433 minute respectively. The concentration was linear in the range of 2-100 µg/ml for Methocarbamol, and 1-100 µg/mL for Paracetamol. The percentage recoveries were between 99.28±1.23% to 100.57±0.99% for Methocarbamol, and between 99.08±1.23% to 101.23±1.39% for Paracetamol.

Results and Discussion:

The validated optimal protocol is robust and accurate for simultaneous analysis of Methocarbamol, Paracetamol and the related substances, applicable for bulk powder as well as pharmaceutical formulation.

Conclusion:

In this paper, a highly sensitive, accurate, and precise UPLC method with UV-Vis detection was developed and validated for quality control of MET and PAR in bulk as well as in pharmaceutical preparations.

Challenging identification of polymorphic mixture: Polymorphs I, II and III in olanzapine raw materials

Olanzapine (OLZ), a drug for the treatment of schizophrenia, presents in more than 60 crystal forms. Polymorphs I, II and III were reported, however, the preparation conditions for pure II and III have not been reported. Polymorph IV was reported but this form is actually polymorph II described at different temperature. The diversity of solid forms of OLZ, the change in the nomenclature found in the literature and the presence of polymorphic mixture in samples, increase the difficulty for a correct solid state characterization. Therefore, the goal was the polymorphic identification of three OLZ raw materials, highlighting the limitation of conventional techniques (typically used in analytical control) and the necessity to use a combination of advanced ones to solve this challenge. The samples were studied by conventional techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, thermoanalytical techniques, infrared spectroscopy. In apart from that, synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (SPXRD) and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ss-NMR) were used. All samples were in accordance with the pharmacopoeia criteria. However, the conventional techniques were not specific for the complete polymorphic identification. Therefore, a combination of advanced techniques (SPXRD and ss-NMR) was necessary to identify the mixture of polymorphs (I, II and III) in all samples.

Studies on photodegradation process of psychotropic drugs: a review

Consumption of psychotropic drugs is still increasing, especially in high-income countries. One of the most crucial consequences of this fact is significant release of them to the environment. Considerable amounts of atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and their metabolites were detected in river, lake, and sea water, as well as in tissues of aquatic organisms. Their ecotoxicity was proved by numerous studies. It should be noticed that interaction between psychotropic pharmaceuticals and radiation may lead to formation of potentially more toxic intermediates. On the other hand, photo-assisted wastewater treatment methods can be used as an efficient way to eliminate them from the environment. Many methods based on photolysis and photocatalysis were proposed and developed recently; nevertheless, the problem is still unsolved. However, according to recent studies, photocatalysis could be considered as the most promising and far more effective than regular photolysis. An overview on photolytic as well as homogenous and heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation methods with the use of various catalysts is presented. The photostability and phototoxicity of pharmaceuticals were also discussed. Various analytical methods were used for the photodegradation research, and this issue was also compared and summarized. Use of high-resolution multistage mass spectrometry (Q-TOF, ion trap, Orbitrap) was suggested. The combined techniques such as LC-MS, GC-MS, and LC-NMR, which enable qualitative and quantitative analyses in one run, proved to be the most valuable in this case. Assembling of MS/MS spectra libraries of drug molecules and their phototransformation products was identified as the future challenge.

Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for olanzapine recognition: application for solid phase extraction and sustained release

The aim of this study was to prepare efficient imprinted polymer nanoparticles from an olanzapine template for the controlled release of olanzapine as a therapeutic drug for CNS diseases.

The stress stability of olanzapine: studies of interactions with excipients in solid state pharmaceutical formulations

Stress stability testing represents an important part of the drug development process. It is used as an important tool for the identification of degradation products and degradation pathways, as well as for the assessment of changes in physical form of drug molecules. The impact of excipients on the stability of olanzapine confirms that levels of impurities and degradants are limiting parameters and are therefore used for stability evaluation. The major degradation product of olanzapine was identified as 2-methyl-5,10-dihydro-4H-thieno[2,3-b][1,5]benzodiazepine-4-one (III). The structure of III was determined by using LC-MS, IR and NMR. Compatibility and stress stability results demonstrated that tablet formulations of olanzapine are sensitive to temperature and moisture. In samples protected from moisture, the increase in concentration of III was shown to be highly temperature dependent and the degradation followed zero-order kinetics. In addition, studies of olanzapine with excipients and in formulated tablets revealed polymorphic phase changes in some samples, influenced by a combination of stress temperature and humidity conditions. Polymorphic transitions were monitored using x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis and exhibited no correlation between the phase change (appearance of a new polymorph) and the degradation process.

UHPLC: The Greening Face of Liquid Chromatography

Pharmaceutical analysis based on chromatographic separation is an important part of studies aimed at developing routine quality analysis of drugs. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is one of the main analytical techniques recommended for drug analysis. Although it meets many criteria vital for analysis, it is time-consuming and uses a relatively high amount of organic solvents compared to other analytical techniques. Recently, Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) has been frequently proposed as an alternative to HPLC, which means introducing an environment-friendly approach to drug analysis achieved by reducing the consumption of solvents. It also offers greater chromatographic resolution and higher sensitivity as well as requiring less time due to faster analysis. This review focuses on the basics of UHPLC, compares that technique with HPLC and discusses the possibilities of applying UHPLC for the analysis of different pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals.