Rapid and simple determination of the major metabolites of ibuprofen in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography

On-line sample extraction and enrichment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by pre-column in capillary liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive analytical method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 16 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in human plasma by capillary liquid chromatography (LC) and quadrupole mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization operated in the negative ion mode. The sample clean-up and enrichment on a pre-column were accomplished on-line to improve the sensitivity. This method greatly reduced sample preparation time and sample volume compared with off-line sample extraction methods and conventional LC methods, respectively. The recoveries of NSAIDs from human plasma were 56.7-96.9%. The total analytical time for a single analytical run was approximately 15 min. The detection limits of NSAIDs were 0.001-0.075 microg ml(-1) using a selected ion monitoring mode.

Direct determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by column-switching LC–MS

A method for determination of 16 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in human plasma samples without time-consuming sample pre-treatments was developed. The system consisted of two pumps for mobile phase delivery, a six-port switching valve, a pre-column (Oasis HLB Cartridge Column), and a reversed phase analytical column (COSMOSIL 3C18-MS-II). The analytes were trapped on the precolumn and subsequently separated on the analytical column. The present method allowed on-line sample clean-up and enrichment, leading to improved sensitivity without any tedious sample preparation. The recoveries of NSAIDs from human plasma by column-switching were greater than 72.6%. The total analysis time for a single analytical run was approximately 11 min. The detection limits of NSAIDs were 0.0025 to 0.2 microg/mL using the selected ion monitoring mode.

Simultaneous determination of arylpropionic acidic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma by HPLC with UV detection

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) having an arylpropionic acid moiety in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. Isocratic separation was employed on ODS column (250 x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm) at ambient temperature. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile, phosphate buffer (pH 3.5; 50 mM), methanol and tetrahydrofuran. The NSAIDs in the eluent were monitored under a wavelength-programme to provide their maximum absorbance. Mefenamic acid was used as an internal standard. Drugs were found to be 96.8-101.9% of their label claim in pharmaceutical formulations. One hundred microliters of human plasma samples were pretreated with a simple liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. The detection limits of compounds studied at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 11.5-75 ng/ml in human plasma samples. The proposed method is simple, selective and could be applicable for routine analysis of arylpropionic acidic NSAIDs in pharmaceutical as well as in human plasma samples.

Study of the solid-phase extraction of diclofenac sodium, indomethacin and phenylbutazone for their analysis in human urine by liquid chromatography

A selective semi-automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs diclofenac sodium, indomethacin and phenylbutazone from urine prior to high-performance liquid chromatography was investigated. The drugs were recovered from urine buffered at pH 5.0 using C18 Bond-Elut cartridges as solid sorbent material and mixtures of methanol-aqueous buffer or acetonitrile-aqueous buffer as washing and elution solvents. The extracts were chromatographed on a reversed-phase ODS column using 10 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.0)-acetonitrile (58:42, v/v) as the mobile phase, and the effluent from the column was monitored at 210 nm with ultraviolet detection. Absolute recoveries of the anti-inflammatory drugs within the range 0.02-1.0 microg/ml were about 85% for diclofenac and indomethacin, and 50% for phenylbutazone without any interference from endogenous compounds of the urine. The within-day and between-day repeatabilities were in all cases less than 5% and 10%, respectively. Limits of detection were 0.007 microg/ml for diclofenac sodium and indomethacin and 0.035 microg/ml for phenylbutazone, whereas limits of quantitation were 0.02 microg/ml for diclofenac and indomethacin and 0.1 microg/ml for phenylbutazone.

Stereospecific analysis of the major metabolites of ibuprofen in urine by sequential achiral-chiral high-performance liquid chromatography

A sequential achiral-chiral HPLC method has been developed for the stereospecific analysis of the two major urinary metabolites of ibuprofen, namely hydroxyibuprofen and carboxyibuprofen. Achiral analysis was carried out using a Partisil column (250x4.6 mm, 5 microm) and a mobile phase of hexane:ethanol (98.2:1.8, v/v) containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; 0.05%, v/v) at a flow-rate of 2.0 ml/min. The HPLC eluate containing the two metabolites was separately collected, evaporated under nitrogen and the residue dissolved in the mobile phase used for chiral chromatography. Chiral-phase analysis was carried out using a Chiralpak AD CSP (250x4.6 mm, 10 microm) with a mobile phase of hexane:ethanol (92:8, v/v) containing TFA (0.05%, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. In both assays the analytes were quantified by ultraviolet detection at a wavelength of 220 nm. Modification of the mobile-phase composition allowed the resolution of all six analytes in a single chromatographic run but with an increase in run time and consequent band broadening. The analytical method described allows the direct quantitation of the stereoisomers of both metabolites of ibuprofen in urine following the administration of therapeutic doses of the racemic drug to man.

Simultaneous quantitative determination of the major phase I and II metabolites of ibuprofen in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography on dynamically modified silica

Ibuprofen has previously, after ingestion by man, been demonstrated to yield four major phase I metabolites, which are excreted in the urine partly as glucuronic acid conjugates. However, in previous investigations the quantitative determinations of the conjugates were performed by indirect methods. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system for the simultaneous determination of the major phase I and II metabolites of ibuprofen in biological fluids. The separation was performed using bare silica dynamically modified with N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium hydroxide ions contained in the mobile phase. The separation of the metabolites of ibuprofen is greatly improved with this system compared to other published reversed-phase HPLC systems intended for the same purpose. The method developed makes it possible to simultaneously determine the intact glucuronic acid conjugates of ibuprofen as well as its phase I metabolites in human urine. In a study involving four healthy volunteers, a total recovery in urine of the dose given was found to be 58-86% within 8 h. This may be compared to an average of 67% earlier reported in the literature.

Simultaneous analysis of several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with normal solid-phase extraction

A practical and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic method using normal solid-phase extraction has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of twelve non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in human urine. A urine specimen mixed with acetate buffer pH 5.0 was purified by solid-phase extraction on a Sep-Pak Silica cartridge. The analyte was chromatographed by a reversed-phase Inertsil ODS-2 column using a phosphate buffer-acetonitrile at pH 5.0 as the mobile phase, and the effluent from the column was monitored at 230 or 320 nm. Absolute recoveries were greater than 73% for all of the twelve NSAIDs. The present method enabled simple manipulation and isocratic HPLC with UV analysis as well as high sensitivity of 0.005 microg/ml for naproxen, and 0.05 microg/ml for sulindac, piroxicam, loxoprofen, ketoprofen, felbinac, fenbufen, flurbiprofen, diclofenac, ibuprofen and mefenamic acid as the quantitation limit in human urine using indomethacin as an internal standard.

Determination of ibuprofen in erythrocytes and plasma by high performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is described for the determination of ibuprofen in isolated erythrocytes and plasma. Before HPLC analysis ibuprofen was isolated by liquid-liquid extraction from these biological matrices; methylene chloride proved to be the best of the organic solvents tested. For the sample of erythrocytes it was necessary to carry out haemolysis prior to their extraction. HPLC was performed on a C-18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (220:100, v/v) acidified with perchloric acid to pH 3. Ultraviolet detection was at 222 nm. This method has been applied to the quantification of ibuprofen in rabbit erythrocytes and plasma for a pharmacokinetics study.

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for ibuprofen in whole blood using solid-phase extraction

A precise, accurate, reproducible one-step method for the high-performance chromatographic determination of ibuprofen in whole blood is described. Samples were, after haemolysis, prepared by solid-phase extraction. Analyses were performed using reversed-phase chromatography on a Separon SGX C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (pH 3) and ultraviolet detection at 222 nm. The method was used for pharmacokinetic studies in rabbits.

Direct determination of ibuprofen and ibuprofen acyl glucuronide in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography using solid-phase extraction

A method for the simultaneous determination of ibuprofen and its labile, reactive metabolite, ibuprofen acyl glucuronide, in plasma is described. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) employed a C18 column using methanol-10 mM trifluoroacetic acid as the mobile phase with ultraviolet detection at 225 or 214 nm. It is essential that blood is handled rapidly and plasma is acidified upon collection prior to freezing. Plasma samples first are deproteinated with acetonitrile, the supernatant is diluted with phosphate buffer, and ibuprofen, ibuprofen glucuronide, and ibufenac (internal standard) are initially isolated by solid-phase extraction on C18 cartridges. Upon elution, the residue is evaporated, dissolved and injected onto the HPLC system. Recovery is 94 +/- 8 and 70 +/- 9% for ibuprofen glucuronide and ibuprofen, respectively. The measurable concentration range is linear from 0.1 to 10 micrograms/ml for ibuprofen glucuronide and from 0.5 to 100 micrograms/ml for ibuprofen. The method is satisfactory for the analysis of ibuprofen and ibuprofen glucuronide from pharmacokinetic studies in humans. The direct determination of ibuprofen glucuronide allows accurate measurement of this conjugate at low levels relative to the parent compound, ibuprofen, a distinct advantage compared to previously employed indirect methods.

Determination of ibuprofen in ointments by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A selective reversed-phase HPLC method for the determination of ibuprofen in different ointment bases is described. Following a simple dilution step, the drug was separated from interfering compounds on an octadecylsilica column protected by a precolumn. A mobile phase of aqueous tetrahydrofuran buffered by phosphate was used. Detection was monitored at 219 nm. After each 10 injections of lipophilic samples, the columns were washed with tetrahydrofuran and n-hexane. Recoveries of ibuprofen from a new pilot preparation spiked to contain 4, 5, and 6% of the drug were 100.4, 100.3, and 99.7%, respectively. The precision at each concentration was less than 0.8%. The analysis of ibuprofen degeneration products showed that the method also provides an indication of the stability of the drug.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of the stereoisomeric metabolites of ibuprofen

A stereospecific reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed to simultaneously quantitate the stereoisomers of the two major metabolites of ibuprofen: hydroxyibuprofen and carboxyibuprofen. The metabolites were derivatized with S-(alpha)-methylbenzylamine to form diastereomeric amides which were separated and quantified on a C8 column. The validity of the stereoselective assay was confirmed by comparison with a non-stereoselective HPLC method. The stereoselective assay was applied to the quantification of all the stereoisomeric ibuprofen metabolites in urine from human volunteers dosed with racemic ibuprofen or the individual enantiomers of ibuprofen. Significant substrate and product stereo-selectivities were observed in the formation of carboxyibuprofen.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of ibuprofen, its metabolites and enantiomers in biological fluids

An isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method to determine racemic ibuprofen (assay I) and its major metabolites (assay II) in biological fluids (plasma, urine, bile) using a conventional reversed-phase column is described. A third assay using beta-cyclodextrin as stationary phase (Cyclobond I) for the separation of the ibuprofen enantiomers is also described. A wavelength of 220 nm was used to monitor the substances. The sensitivity of the method was 0.1 microgram/ml for all three assays. The method was demonstrated to be suitable for stereoselective pharmacokinetic studies of ibuprofen in humans and animals.

Determination of ibuprofen and its major metabolites in human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for free and total ibuprofen and its major metabolites in human urine is described. Urine is acidified, drug and metabolites are extracted into hexane-propanol, back-extracted into sodium bicarbonate, neutralized and chromatographed. Ibufenac (4-isobutylphenylacetic acid) and 2-phenylpropionic acid were employed as internal standards. The extraction efficiencies were 94-100% for all compounds. The two metabolites and their internal standard were separated using an isocratic chromatographic system, followed by an abrupt step gradient to a second eluent for separation of ibuprofen and its internal standard with a total run time of 18 min. Detection was by a fixed-wavelength detector (214 nm). Sample-to-sample and day-to-day reproducibility studies yielded coefficients of variability of less than 9% for all compounds. The sensitivity was sufficient to determine 2.5 micrograms/ml free ibuprofen in 100 microliters urine.