Progress in densitometry for quantitation in planar chromatography

The improvement of routine drug quality control analysis of some antihypertensive drugs using high-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometry method with greenness profile evaluation

The common antihypertensive drugs are B-blockers and diuretics. For the determination of beta-blocker medicines (bisoprolol fumarate and carvedilol) and diuretic drug (Furosemide), new and accurate chromatographic method has been developed. The separation was achieved using a developing system that includes chloroform:methanol:ethyl acetate:ammonia (6:2:2:0.2 by volume) as a mobile phase and the bands were detected at 240 nm. The concentration ranges were 5-25, 1-7, and 1-3.5 μg/band for bisoprolol fumarate, carvedilol, and furosemide, respectively. This chromatographic approach is the first methodology for simultaneously determining bisoprolol fumarate, carvedilol, and furosemide in their pure forms and in their pharmaceutical dosage forms. The advantages of using known analytical procedures are their simplicity, speed, cost effectiveness, lack of laboriousness, and ability to save time as the three tablets are determined in one step and can be used for routine analysis of the investigated combinations in quality control laboratories. According to International Conference of Harmonization guidelines, the established procedures have been validated, and the results were statistically compared to those obtained by the reported reversed-phase-high-performance liquid chromatography methods using Student's t-test and F-test, with no significant difference between them, indicating that the proposed methods can be used for routine drug quality control analysis.

Green TLC-Densitometric Method for Simultaneous Determination of Antazoline and Tetryzoline: Application to Pharmaceutical Formulation and Rabbit Aqueous Humor

Ophthalmic pharmaceutical preparation containing antazoline (ANT) and tetryzoline (TET) is prescribed widely as an over the counter medication for allergic conjunctivitis treatment. Development of a selective, simple and environmentally friendly thin-layer chromatographic method established to determine both ANT and TET in their pure forms, pharmaceutical formulation and spiked aqueous humor samples. By using silica gel plates and means of a developing system consists of ethyl acetate:ethanol (5:5, by volume), the studied drugs separation was achieved, and scanning was carried out at 220.0 nm for the separated bands with a 0.2-18.0 μg/band concentration range for each of ANT and TET. Standard addition technique application was carried out to determine the proposed method validity. Statistical comparison was made between the proposed method and the official methods ANT and TET showing no significant difference concerning accuracy and precision. Furthermore, greenness profile assessment was accomplished by means of four metric tools, namely, analytical greenness, green analytical procedure index, analytical eco-scale and national environmental method index.

Highlights.

Planar chromatography - Current practice and future prospects

Planar chromatography, in the form of thin-layer or high-performance thin-layer chromatography (TLC, HPTLC), continues to provide a robust and widely used separation technique. It is unrivaled as a simple and rapid qualitative method for mixture analysis, or for finding bioactive components in mixtures. The format of TLC/HPTLC also provides a unique method for preserving the separation, enabling further investigation of components of interest (including quantification/structure determination) separated in both time and space from the original analysis. The current practice of planar chromatography and areas of development of the technology are reviewed and promising future directions in the use of TLC/HPTLC are outlined.

Thin-layer chromatography: challenges and opportunities

The purpose of this article is to identify core technologies with the potential to influence the development of thin-layer chromatography over the next decade or so. Core technologies are identified as: (i) methods to provide a constant and optimum mobile phase velocity (forced flow and electroosmotically-driven flow), (ii) video densitometry for recording multidimensional chromatograms, (iii) in situ scanning mass spectrometry, and (iv) bioactivity monitoring for selective detection. In combination with two-dimensional, multiple development and coupled column-layer separation techniques these core technologies could dramatically increase the use of thin-layer chromatography for the characterization of complex mixtures. It is also demonstrated that thin-layer chromatography has strong potential as a surrogate chromatographic model for estimating biopartitioning properties. To convert these opportunities into practice the current state-of-the-art of the core technologies is described and the principle obstacles to progress identified.

Determination of thiocolchicoside in its binary mixtures (thiocolchicoside-glafenine and thiocolchicoside-floctafenine) by TLC-densitometry

The proposed method is based on TLC separation of thiocolchicoside from its binary mixtures (thiocolchicoside-glafenine and thiocolchicoside-floctafenine) followed by densitometric measurement at 375 nm. Separation was carried out on silica gel plates GF(254) using ethyl acetate:methanol:acetic acid (84:13:3%, v/v/v). Various conditions affecting separation and measurement were studied and optimized. Calibration was performed using third-order polynomial equation. It was found superior to first-order with respect to quantification range (0.25-25 microg per spot), correlation coefficient and standard error of estimation. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of thiocolchicoside in its synthetic binary mixtures and commercial tablets. Results were compared with those obtained by reference methods and non-significant difference was obtained regarding accuracy and precision. Assay precision using two-way ANOVA was performed on results of inter- and intra-day applications of the method.

Spectrophotometric and chromatographic determination of rabeprazole in presence of its degradation products

Three methods were presented for the determination of rabeprazole (RA) in presence of its degradation products. The first method was based on high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation of RA from its degradation products on a reversed phase, ODS column using a mobile phase of methanol-water (70:30, v/v) and UV detection at 284 nm. The second method was based on HPTLC separation followed by densitometric measurement of the spots at 284 nm. The separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC sheets of silica gel 60 F 254, using acetone-toluene-methanol (9:9:0.6 v/v) as mobile phase. The third method depends on first derivative of the ratio spectra (1DD) by measurement of the amplitudes at 310.2 nm. Moreover, the proposed HPLC method was utilized to investigate the kinetics of the oxidative and photo degradation processes. The pH-rate profile of degradation of RA in Britton-Robinson buffer solutions within the pH range 3-11 was studied. In addition, the activation energy of RA degradation was calculated in Britton-Robinson buffer solution pH 7.

Application of LC and HPTLC-densitometry for the simultaneous determination of benazepril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide

Two methods are described for the simultaneous determination of benazepril HCl and hydrochlorothiazide in binary mixture. The first method was based on HPTLC separation of the two drugs followed by densitometric measurements of their spots at 238 and 275 nm for benazepril HCl and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The separation was carried out on Merck HPTLC aluminum sheets of silica gel 60 F(254,) using ethyl acetate-methanol-chloroform (10:3:2 v/v) as mobile phase. Second order polynomial equation was used for the regression line in the range 2-20 and 2.5-25 microg/spot for benazepril HCl and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The second method was based on HPLC separation of the two drugs on reversed phase, ODS column at ambient temperature using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (35:65 v/v) and adjusting to pH 3.3 with acetic acid. Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 240 nm based on peak area with linear calibration curves at concentration ranges 10-60 and 12.5-75 microg ml(-1) for benazepril HCl and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The two proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of both drugs in laboratory prepared mixtures and in commercial tablets. No chromatographic interference from the tablets excipients was found.

Practitioner's guide to method development in thin-layer chromatography

The authors provide a personal perspective of method development in thin-layer chromatography for the novice and more experienced chromatographer alike. No attempt has been made at a comprehensive survey of the literature. Instead we provide an overview with insights into a smaller number of approaches that the authors have found useful in their own work and indicate the factors responsible for the variation in retention and their control. The main topics covered are the relationship between sorbent chemistry and retention, the selection of primary solvents for mobile phase optimization and mobile phase optimization using the PRISMA and solvation parameter models.

Planar chromatography at the turn of the century

An overview of the state-of-the-art of modern thin-layer chromatography (planar chromatography) is presented with emphasis on the complementary features of thin-layer and column liquid chromatographic separations. The reasons for selecting thin-layer chromatography for a particular analysis are identified by its attributes: a disposable stationary phase; simultaneous parallel separations; static detection free of time constraints; storage device for chromatographic information; all sample components are observed in the chromatogram. Future prospects for improved separation performance in TLC using zone refocusing, forced flow and electroosmotic flow methods are discussed as well as increasing zone capacity by using two-dimensional development and coupling to column chromatographic methods. Advances in coupling thin-layer chromatography with spectroscopic methods for structural elucidation are also considered. Finally, some predictions are made for how thin-layer chromatography will be practiced in the future.

High-performance thin-layer chromatography/fast atom bombardment (tandem) mass spectrometry of Pseudomonas rhamnolipids

Several rhamnolipid preparations from Pseudomonas strains were studied by thin-layer chromatography/fast atom bombardment (TLC/FAB) mass spectrometry and TLC/FAB tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The preparations were separated with normal-phase (Silica 60) and reversed-phase (RP-8) chromatography. Silica 60 plates appeared to be very useful in the separation of rhamnolipids according to the number of monosaccharide residues present. Spectra which show characteristic fragment ions could be obtained from components of mixtures with a total sample size of less than 200 ng. Chromatography on RP-8 plates gave a good separation of the rhamnolipids based on the length of the fatty acid alkyl chain. MS/MS of the sodium cationized molecules gave information about the sequence of the building blocks. Particularly, heterogeneity in beta-hydroxy fatty acid composition was determined for the principal as well as minor components present in natural rhamnolipid mixtures.

Assays for investigations of signal transduction mechanisms involving phospholipase D: mass measurements of phosphatidate, phosphatidylethanol, and diacylglycerol in cultured cells

With the intent of achieving a better understanding of agonist-induced phospholipase D activity, we have developed simple, rapid assays for quantitating the mass of phosphatidate, phosphatidylethanol, and diacylglycerol. Crude lipid extracts of cultured cells are used; preliminary sample cleanup or derivatization procedures are not necessary. The assays resolve the particular lipids by short-bed/continuous-development thin-layer chromatography. Quantitative assessments are derived from photodensitometric analysis of charred lipid spots. The assays may be employed for as little as 45 pmol of diacylglycerol and 50 pmol of phosphatidate or phosphatidylethanol. The newly developed assays are compared to other procedures for quantitating lipid mediators. The utility of the assays is illustrated in experiments that use a variety of cultured cells to demonstrate the agonist activation of the phospholipase D pathway. In addition, experiments designed to screen various agonists for signal-response coupling to phospholipase D are described.