A Reverse Phase HPLC Assay for the Determination of Calcium Pantothenate Utilizing Column Switching

HPLC determination of calcium pantothenate and two preservatives in topical cream

A RP-HPLC method for simultaneous determination of calcium pantothenate and two preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben present in topical cream was developed. Different analytical columns with various stationary phases were tested. During method development, Supelco Discovery C18 column (125 mmx4.0 mm, 5 microm) and Zorbax SB-CN column (150 mmx4.6 mm, 5 microm) were tested. Both were not convenient for analytical separation because of the co-elution of calcium pantothenate with dead volume, and problems with the peak-shape of all components. Good separation was achieved using Zorbax TSM (250 mmx4.6 mm, 5 microm) and Hypersil ODS column (250 mmx4.6 mm, 5 microm), the latter was finally used for the analysis. The analysis time was 12 min, at flow rate 0.7 ml min-1. Chromatography was performed using binary mobile phase composed of methanol and phosphoric acid, pH 2.5, 65:35 (v/v). UV detection was accomplished at 214 nm. The method was validated according to ICH guideline recommendations. The method is suitable for practical routine analysis of commercially produced topical pharmaceutical preparations.

Determination of vitamin B5 in a range of fortified food products by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation

Methods for Vitamin B5 determination in food products remain limited by their low sensitivity and poor selectivity. Here, we have developed a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for Vitamin B5 determination in wide range of fortified food products. Vitamin B5 was extracted from food samples by heat treatment and analysed by LC-MS in the positive mode using electrospray ionisation (ESI). Vitamin B5 was quantified using hopantenic acid (HOPA) as internal standard after their separation on a C18 narrow-bore column with a gradient of mobile phase made of water/acetonitrile and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) 0.025%. MS with single ion monitoring mode at mass m/z 220 was used for Vitamin B5 quantification. Calibration curve between 0.5 and 10 microg/ml of Vitamin B5 was linear (r2=0.9993) and the detection limit was determined to be 800 pg. The overall quantitative efficiency of the method was evaluated using Nestle reference sample (infant formula). The intra-assay RSD was 4.8% (n=8), the inter-assay RSD 6.4% (n=4) and the recoveries of the spiked samples were above 95%. Application of the LC-MS method to Vitamin B5 determination in wide range of fortified food products including three US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference samples (RM 8435, RM 8415 and SRM 1546) shows consistent results with those obtained by microbiology and recoveries of Vitamin B5 between 93 and 104% for the spiked samples.