Sci. Pharm., Volume 84, Issue 2 (June 2016) – 12 articles , Pages 233-408

Efficacy assessments using a combination of baricitinib and methotrexate necessitate the development of an analytical method for the determination of both drugs in plasma with precision. A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of baricitinib and methotrexate in rat plasma. Extraction of baricitinib, methotrexate, and tolbutamide (internal standard; IS) from 50 µL of rat plasma was carried out by protein precipitation with methanol. Chromatographic separation of the analytes was performed on the YMC pack ODS AM (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column under gradient conditions with methanol: 2.0 mM ammonium acetate buffer as the mobile phases at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The precursor ion and product ion transition for both analytes and IS were monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operated with selective reaction monitoring in positive ionization mode. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.5-250.00 ng/mL for baricitinib and methotrexate. Mean extraction recoveries for baricitinib, methotrexate, and IS of 86.8%, 89.4%, and 91.8% were consistent across low, medium, and high QC levels, respectively. Precision and accuracy at low, medium, and high quality control levels were less than 15% across the analytes. Benchtop, wet, freeze-thaw, and long-term stability were evaluated for both of the analytes. The analytical method was applied to support the pharmacokinetic study of simultaneous estimation of baricitinib and methotrexate in Wistar rats. Assay reproducibility was demonstrated by reanalysis of 18 incurred samples. Full article

Lisinopril is a drug of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor class that is primarily used in the treatment of hypertension. During the scale-up of the lisinopril process, one unknown impurity was observed and is identified. The present work describes the origin, synthesis, characterization, and control of this impurity. This paper also describes the synthesis and characterization of three other impurities listed in the European Pharmacopoeia 8.4 (Impurity C, D, and F). Full article

Methods of 1-[2-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-R¹-phenyl]-3-R²-phenyl(ethyl)ureas and R¹-tetrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolin-5(6H)-ones synthesis were designed. IR, LC-MS, ¹H NMR, and elemental analysis data evaluated the structure and purity of the obtained compounds. Different products, depending on the reaction conditions, were distinguished and discussed. The preliminary hypoglycemic activity of 36 synthesized compounds was revealed. Docking studies to 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1, γ-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 were conducted. Eight of these substances were further tested on glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance models, namely glucose tolerance, oral rapid insulin, and adrenalin tests. One of the most active compounds turned out to be tetrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolin-5(6H)-one 3.1, exceeding the reference drugs Metformin (50 and 200 mg/kg) and Gliclazide (50 mg/kg). Full article

A robust and rapid analysis method was developed and validated for the simultaneous assay of paclitaxel (PTX) and lapatinib (LPT) in a polymeric micelle formulation as a novel drug delivery system using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The assay was performed using the C18 MZ-Analytical Column (5 μm, 150 × 4.6 mm, OSD-3) which was protected with the C18 pre-column (5 μm, 4.0 × 4.6 mm, OSD-3). The mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water (70/30; V/V) with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and detection wavelength of 227 nm. Accuracy was reported as the relative error and was found to be less than 6.8%. The interday assay was evaluated to be 3.22% and 5.76% RSD for PTX and LPT, respectively. The intraday precision was found to be at its maximum value of 5.83% RSD. The limit of detection for both PTX and LPT was found to be 1 µg/mL by means of the newly developed method. The limit of quantitation for PTX and LPT was found to be 5 µg/mL. The calibration curves for both drugs were linear in the concentration range of 5 to 80 μg/mL. In vitro release for both drugs from the polymeric micelle was evaluated using the newly developed analysis method. Full article

A capillary gas chromatography method with a short run time, using a flame ionization detector, has been developed for the quantitative determination of trace level analysis of mesityl oxide and diacetone alcohol in the atazanavir sulfate drug substance. The chromatographic method was achieved on a fused silica capillary column coated with 5% diphenyl and 95% dimethyl polysiloxane stationary phase (Rtx-5, 30 m x 0.53 mm x 5.0 µm). The run time was 20 min employing programmed temperature with a split mode (1:5) and was validated for specificity, sensitivity, precision, linearity, and accuracy. The detection and quantitation limits obtained for mesityl oxide and diacetone alcohol were 5 µg/g and 10 µg/g, respectively, for both of the analytes. The method was found to be linear in the range between 10 µg/g and 150 µg/g with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.999, and the average recoveries obtained in atazanavir sulfate were between 102.0% and 103.7%, respectively, for mesityl oxide and diacetone alcohol. The developed method was found to be robust and rugged. The detailed experimental results are discussed in this research paper. Full article

Simple, sensitive, precise, and specific high-performance liquid chromategraphic (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methods for the determination of dolutegravir sodium in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage form were developed and validated. In the HPLC method, analysis of the drug was carried out on the ODS C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size) using a mixture of acetonitrile: water (pH 7.5) in the ratio of 80:20 v/v as the mobile phase at the flow rate 1 mL/min at 260 nm. This method was found to be linear in the concentration range of 5-35 μg/mL. The peak for dolutegravir sodium was observed at 3.0 ± 0.1 minutes. In the HPTLC method, analysis was performed on aluminum-backed plates pre-coated with silica gel G60 F254 using methanol: chloroform: formic acid in the proportion of 8:2:0.5 v/v/v as the mobile phase. This solvent system was found to give compact spots for dolutegravir sodium with the Rf value 0.77 ± 0.01. Densitometric analysis of dolutegravir sodium was carried out in the absorbance mode at 265 nm. Linear regression analysis showed good linearity with respect to peak area in the concentration range of 200-900 ng/spot. The methods were validated for precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, and specificity. Statistical analysis showed that both of the methods are repeatable and specific for the estimation of the said drug. The methods can be used for routine quality control analysis of dolutegravir sodium. Full article

A series of novel 2-(N-pyrrolidino, N-piperidino or N-morpholino)-7-phenyl(α-furoyl or α-thienyl)-[1,3]thiazolo[4,5-d]pyridazinones 10a-c, 14-16a,b was synthesized in 78-87% yields via the reaction of methyl 5-benzoyl(α-furoyl or α-thienyl)-2-aminosubstituted-thiazol-4-carboxylates 9a-c, 13a-e with hydrazine. These new compounds have been tested for their in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. All compounds have been characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Full article

The photolysis of riboflavin (RF) in aqueous solution in the presence of nicotinamide (NA) by visible light has been studied in the pH range 1.0-12.0 and the various photoproducts have been identified as known compounds. RF has been determined in degraded solutions by a specific multicomponent spectrometric method in the presence of its photoproducts and NA. The second-order rate constants (k₂) for the bimolecular interaction of RF and NA range from 0.54 (pH 1.0) to 9.66 M^-1 min^-1 (pH 12.0). The log k₂-pH profile for the photolysis reaction follows a sigmoid curve showing a gradual increase in the rate of pH due to a change in the ionization behavior of the molecule. The lower rate in the acid region is probably due to protonation of the molecule since the cationic form of RF is less susceptible to photolysis than the neutral form. Similarly, a slowing of the rate in the alkaline region is due to anion formation of the molecule. NA is involved as an electron acceptor during the sequence of reactions and thus enhances the rate of photolysis of RF. Absorption and fluorescence measurements did not provide evidence for the complex formation between the two compounds under the present conditions. Full article

This research focuses on the development of enteric microparticles of lansoprazole in a single step by employing the spray drying technique and studies the effects of variegated formulation/process variables on entrapment efficiency and in vitro gastric resistance. Preliminary trials were undertaken to optimize the type of Eudragit and its various levels. Further trials included the incorporation of plasticizer triethyl citrate and combinations of other polymers with Eudragit S 100. Finally, various process parameters were varied to investigate their effects on microparticle properties. The results revealed Eudragit S 100 as the paramount polymer giving the highest gastric resistance in comparison to Eudragit L 100-55 and L 100 due to its higher pH threshold and its polymeric backbone. Incorporation of plasticizer not only influenced entrapment efficiency, but diminished gastric resistance severely. On the contrary, polymeric combinations reduced entrapment efficiency for both sodium alginate and glyceryl behenate, but significantly influenced gastric resistance for only sodium alginate and not for glyceryl behenate. The optimized process parameters were comprised of an inlet temperature of 150°C, atomizing air pressure of 2 kg/cm², feed solution concentration of 6% w/w, feed solution spray rate of 3 ml/min, and aspirator volume of 90%. The SEM analysis revealed smooth and spherical shape morphologies. The DSC and PXRD study divulged the amorphous nature of the drug. Regarding stability, the product was found to be stable under 3 months of accelerated and long-term stability conditions as per ICH Q1A(R2) guidelines. Thus, the technique offers a simple means to generate polymeric enteric microparticles that are ready to formulate and can be directly filled into hard gelatin capsules. Full article

Buccal bioadhesive bilayer tablets of prochlorperazine maleate were designed and formulated by using buccoadhesive polymers such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, Carbopol 934P, and sodium alginate. Physicochemical characteristics like the uniformity of weight, hardness, thickness, surface pH, drug content, swelling index, microenvironment pH, in vitro drug release, and in vivo buccoadhesion time of the prepared tablets were found to be dependent on the type and composition of the buccoadhesive materials used. The effect of bile salts on the permeation was studied through porcine buccal mucosa and it was found that out of three bile salts incorporated (sodium glycholate, sodium taurocholate, and sodium deoxycholate), sodium glycholate enhanced the permeation rate of prochlorperazine maleate by an enhancement factor of 1.37. Full article

The present investigation was aimed at studying the possible role of curcumin against N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced toxicity in albino rats. Administration of NDEA to rats at a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml in drinking water ad libitum for 21 days produced toxicity in them, which was evident from histopathological changes in the rat livers, and increased levels of blood serum enzyme markers, i.e. aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase. In addition, the levels of oxidative stress markers like lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyl (PCC), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity were elevated and the total glutathione (GSH) content was reduced in the livers. The administration of curcumin to rats at concentrations of 10, 20, and 40 mg/ml in drinking water along with 0.1 mg/ml of NDEA for 21 days effectively suppressed NDEA-induced toxicity and also resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the levels of blood serum enzyme markers (AST, ALT, ALP, and LDH). Moreover, LPO, PCC, and GST activity were reduced and the GSH level was increased upon the administration of curcumin along with NDEA. The results obtained for the comet assay in rat hepatocytes and blood lymphocytes showed a significant dose-dependent decrease in the mean tail length. The micronucleus assay performed on rat hepatocytes also showed a dose-dependent reduction in the frequency of micronucleated cells along with curcumin administration. These results suggest that curcumin has a protective role against NDEA-induced toxicity in albino rats. Full article

Pristinamycin is an antibiotic used mainly in the treatment of Staphylococcus infections. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and simple stability-indicating RP-HPLC method for the determination of pristinamycin in tablet dosage form. Pristinamycin was eluted on the ACE-5, C₁₈-HL, 250 x 4.6 mm, 5 µm analytical column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.2% orthophosphoric acid and acetonitrile 63:37 v/v, pumped at 1.5 ml/min flow rate. The column was maintained at 40°C and 10 μl of the solutions were injected. UV detection was performed at 206 nm. The procedure separated pristinamycin and its potential degradation products in an overall analysis time of less than 10 min with pristinamycin eluting at about 3 min. The method was validated according to the regulatory guidelines with respect to specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, and robustness. Forced degradation studies were also performed for pristinamycin bulk drug samples to demonstrate the stability-indicating power of the HPLC method. The % RSD of system precision and method precision was found to be 0.64 and 1.49%, respectively. The procedure provided a linear response over the concentration range 25-150 μg/ml (r = 0.9998). Finally, the applicability of the method was evaluated in the tablet dosage form as well as in stability samples. Full article