Determining trace amounts and the origin of formaldehyde impurity in Neisseria meningitidis A/C/Y/W-135-DT conjugate vaccine formulated in isotonic aqueous 1× PBS by improved C18-UPLC method

Selective and Sensitive UHPLC Method for the Trace Analysis of Formaldehyde in Drug Substance Using Fused-core Column Technology and Detailed Pre-column Derivatization study

Background:

Formaldehyde is a key intermediate/reagent in the synthesis of many significant pharmaceutical compounds. It is genotoxic as it interacts with the DNA, RNA and hence there is a pressing need to develop sensitive analytical methods for its trace level determination.

Objective:

The present study aims to develop a simple and robust Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (UHPLC) method for the trace level quantification of a carcinogen-formaldehyde, in pharmaceutical drug substance.

Methods:

This method was developed on a conventional pre-column derivatization technique with brady’s reagent followed by fast analysis on fused core C18 Ascentis Express (150 × 4.6 mm, 2.7 μm) column using ultraviolet (UV) detection. Optimization of the derivatization reaction time was conducted in different pH conditions. The optimized analytical method was fully validated in accordance with the current International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Q2 guidelines, which demonstrated the developed method to be fast, specific, linear, sensitive, repeatable, accurate and convenient for routine quality control.

Results:

The developed method was linear, accurate and precise in the concentration of 12.8 ng/mL to 510.7 ng/mL. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 3.8 ng/mL and 12.8 ng/mL, respectively.

Conclusion:

The developed UHPLC can be used effectively for trace level quantification of formaldehyde in drug substances or drug products.

Method for the determination of residual formaldehyde in an inactivated Zika vaccine formulated with aluminum hydroxide gel

A simple method for the determination of low levels of residual formaldehyde in an inactivated Zika vaccine formulated with aluminum hydroxide gel was developed for the assessment of drug product quality. Formaldehyde was reacted with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and the derivatized product was detected by HPLC with an UV detector at 360 nm. The derivatization reaction could be carried out in a 2-mL HPLC vial and the sample was analyzed directly. The method was fully validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization Q2 guidelines. Aluminum hydroxide gel up to 1.0 mg/mL (aluminum concentration) did not interfere with the determination of formaldehyde in drug product. Formaldehyde concentrations of 0.05 μg/mL (quantitation limit) to 1.00 μg/mL in the Zika vaccine could be precisely determined. Hence, this method proved to be suitable for quality control of the Zika vaccine.

Simultaneous Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Determination and Antioxidant Activity of Linarin, Luteolin, Chlorogenic Acid and Apigenin in Different Parts of Compositae Species

Linarin (LA), luteolin (LE), chlorogenic acid (CA) and apigenin (AP) are four major flavonoids with various promising bioactivities found in Compositae (COP) species. A reliable, reproducible and accurate method for the simultaneous and quantitative determination of these four major flavonoids by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) analysis was developed. This method should be appropriate for the quality assurance of COP. The UPLC separation was carried out using an octadecylsilane (ODS) Hypersil (2.1 mm × 250 mm, 1.9 μm) and a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water at a flow rate 0.44 mL/min and ultraviolet (UV) detection 254 nm. Gradient elution was employed. The method was precise, with relative standard deviation below 3.0% and showed excellent linearity (R² > 0.999). The recoveries for the four flavonoids in COP were between 95.49%-106.23%. The average contents of LA, LE, CA and AP in different parts (flower, leave and stem) of COP were between 0.64-1.47 g/100 g, 0.66-0.89 g/100 g, 0.32-0.52 g/100 g and 0.16-0.18 g/100 g, respectively. The method was accurate and reproducible and it can provide a quantitative basis for quality control of COP.