Micellar-based spectrofluorimetric method for the selective determination of ledipasvir in the presence of sofosbuvir: application to dosage forms and human plasma

Trio-Colored Appraisal of Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots as a Fluorescence Turn Off Nanoprobe for Analyzing Ledipasvir in Tablets and Rat Feces: Study of Silymarin Impact on Excretion Recovery

The current work offers a rigorous way for the microwave-assisted synthesis of N and S doped carbon quantum dots (QDs). The latter are deemed highly sensitive and selective fluorescence sensors that were widely investigated in pharmaceutical analysis. Quenching of luminescence of the prepared QDs in lab fabricated sensor at λ emission = 418 nm after excitation at 370 nm was implemented to quantify the anti-HCV drug Ledipasvir (LDP). LDP showed a linear response within the dynamic range of 1-40 μM. The calculated LDP detection and quantification limits were 313.06 and 948.67 nM, respectively. Besides the analysis of LDP in bulk and commercial dosage form, the scope of application extended to evaluate the effect of the nutraceutical silymarin (liver support) on the excretion of LDP in rat feces. The compliance with the green and white analytical chemistry fundamentals is comprehensively investigated and compared with selected versatile reported procedures. Numerous prevalent metrics, namely, analytical eco-scale, AGREE, RGB12, RGB fast, BAGI, and complex GAPI, were employed. Our developed fluorometric procedure demonstrated great sensitivity, selectivity, and functionality that outperformed other sophisticated platforms. Thus, the utility of the depicted procedure in pharmaceutical analysis and studying pharmacokinetics aspects is profoundly proven.

A new fluorescence probe for sofosbuvir analysis in dosage form and spiked human plasma

A simple, rapid, and low-cost technique was developed to allow reliable analysis of the anti-hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir in bulk, tablet form, and spiked human plasma. This method depends on the ability of sofosbuvir to quench the fluorescence of the newly synthesized 2-amino-3-cyano-4,6-dimethylpyridine (reagent 3). Elemental analysis and spectral data were used to validate the structure of the synthesized reagent. The newly synthesized reagent exhibited a satisfactory level of fluorescence emission at 365 nm after excitation at 247 nm. All experimental variables that might affect the quenching process were analyzed and optimized. Linearity, range, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were all validated in accordance with the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines. The concentration range was shown to be linear between 0.1 and 1.5 μg/mL. The technique was effectively utilized for sofosbuvir analysis in both its tablet dosage form and spiked human plasma, with mean percentage recoveries of 100.13 ± 0.35 and 94.26 ± 1.69, respectively.

Enhanced fluorimetric detection of diphenylpyraline HCl using micelle and cyclodextrin mediated approach: Spectrofluorimetric and micellar liquid chromatographic application for either single or combined formulation with caffeine and paracetamol

Highly sensitive micellar spectrofluorimetric method (Method I) has been developed and validated for the determination of diphenylpyraline HCl in pharmaceutical tablets and in plasma. Sodium dodecyl sulfate improves the intensity of fluorescence of diphenylpyraline at 286 nm at pH 5 that allow its determination in plasma at nano-level. the mean percent recovery ± S.D was 99.719 ± 0.338 in plasma. In addition, Green cyclodextrin-modified micellar liquid chromatographic method (Method II) has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of diphenylpyraline, paracetamol and caffeine using cyclodextrin micellar mobile phase consisted of 30 mM Brij*35, 0.5 mM hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin and phosphate buffer pH 4: MeOH (95:5, %v/v) that allows their simultaneous determination with enhanced spectrofluorimetric detection of diphenylpyraline. Method II was effectively applied for the simultaneous determination of diphenylpyraline, paracetamol and caffeine in a ternary laboratory prepared mixture which contained all possible excipients with mean percent recoveries ± S.D of 100.176 ± 1.008, 101.166 ± 0.415 and 100.708 ± 1.836, respectively. Linearity range for Method I was 0.1-1 μg. mL^-1 for diphenylpyraline and for Method II was 0.3-50, 25-350, and 0.5-50 for caffeine, paracetamol and diphenylpyraline, respectively. Method I was also applied in spiked human plasma with linearity range 0.2-0.5 μg. mL^-1. The methods are verified to have excellent greenness.

Analytical approaches for determination of COVID-19 candidate drugs in human biological matrices

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of antiviral and other available drugs has been considered to combat or reduce the clinical symptoms of patients. In this regard, it would be necessary to choose sensitive and selective analytical techniques for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, monitoring of drug concentration in biological fluids, and determination of the most appropriate dose to achieve the desired effect on the disease. In the present study, the analytical techniques based on spectroscopy and chromatography with different detectors for diagnosis and determination of candidate drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 in human biological fluids are reviewed during the period 2015-2022. Moreover, various sample preparation and extraction techniques, are being used for this purpose, such as protein precipitation (PP), solid-phase extraction (SPE), liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), and QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) are investigated.

Bioanalytical Validated Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Determination of Prucalopride succinate in Human Urine Samples and Its Greenness Evaluation

An economical & eco-friendly spectrofluorometric method has been developed for the determination of prucalopride succinate (PRU) in human urine on the basis of the drug's native fluorescence. The type of solvent and the wavelengths of excitation and emission have been carefully selected for optimal experimental conditions. In deionized water, the fluorescence intensity was measured at λ emission 362 nm upon excitation at 310 nm. This bio-validated method was carried out using 30uL urine without any preliminary steps. The calibration curve for prucalopride succinate shows a linear relationship in a concentration range of 0.75-5.5 µg/mL. Accuracy and precision were obtained using 4 quality control samples which are: 0.75 μg/ mL (LLOQ), 2.25 μg/mL (QCL), 2.5 μg/mL (QCM) & 4.125 µg/mL (QCH). The validation of this proposed technique obeys European Medicines Agency (EMA) Guidelines for validating bioanalytical methods and the greenness assessment was evaluated according to the Analytical GAPI approach.

A novel spectrofluorimetric method based on a reaction with an azoisoxazoles-benzenesulfonamide derivative for determination of uranium (VI) ions in water samples

Selective fluorometric detection and determination of uranium ions is provided here using a novel fluorescent reagent, namely (E)-4-([4-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl]diazenyl)-N-(5-methyleisoxazol-3-yl) benzenesulfonamide (UVI reagent). The UVI reagent offers a selective fluorescence enhancement behaviour at emission wavelength = 557 nm. The parameters affecting fluorometric detection of uranium ions, such as the pH, solvent type, ligand concentration, interaction time, and interfering ions, were investigated and adjusted. The proposed UVI reagent can detect and determine uranium ions even at low concentrations, for which the obtained limit of detection was 0.1 ppm. Additionally, this proposed determination protocol was successfully used to detect, monitor, and determine uranium ions in actual water samples.

Spectrofluorimetric Determination of the Anti-Covid 19 Agent; Remdesivir in Vials and Spiked Human Plasma

Following the sudden widespread of the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) which first appeared in Wuhan city. Remdesivir (REM) was the first medicine licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for COVID‐19 infected hospitalized patients. Hence, there was an urgent demand for the optimization of efficient selective and sensitive methods to be developed for the determination of REM in pharmaceuticals as well as biological samples. A sensitive and simple green spectrofluorimetric method has been developed to determine REM in pharmaceutical formulation, in addition to, spiked human plasma. The technique involves measuring the native fluorescence of REM in distilled water at 410 nm followed by excitation at 241 nm, giving a linear relationship over the range 50.00–500.00 ng/mL, and then improving the sensitivity of REM through micellar formation using 2.00% w/v sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). A linear relationship has been obtained over the range 10.00–350.00 ng/mL having detection and quantitation limits of 2.34 and 7.10 ng/mL, respectively. Different analytical parameters have been carefully studied. A validation study has been conducted successfully in accordance with the FDA and the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines. The developed methods' greenness was assessed utilizing a greenness profile and analytical eco‐scale standards. Both methods were discovered to be environmentally friendly and could be successfully used for the determination of the studied drugs in pharmaceutical formulation and human plasma with good accuracy and high precision. As a result, the developed spectrofluorimetric methods could be ideally suited for determination of REM in quality control and medicinal laboratories.

Utilization of the peroxidase-like activity of silver nanoparticles nanozyme on O-phenylenediamine/H2O2 system for fluorescence detection of mercury (II) ions

Polyvinylpyrrolidone stabilized silver nanoparticles (PV-AgNPs) were synthesized from AgNO₃/trisodium citrate and with the assistance of microwave energy. The synthesized PV-AgNPs were found to own an actual peroxidase mimicking activity. This catalytic activity can oxidize the non-fluorescence reagent (o-phenylenediamine) to a high fluorescence reaction product (2,3-diaminophenazine). The reaction product exhibited a fluorescence emission at 563 nm upon the excitation at 420. Among many metals, only mercury (II) ions can inhibit the catalytic activity of PV-AgNPs nanozyme. Accordingly, the fluorescence intensity of the reaction product has been successfully quenched. This quenching effect in the fluorescence intensity was directly proportional to the concentration of mercury (II). Depending on this finding, a simple, cost-effective, and selective spectrofluorimetric approach has been designed for mercury (II) detection in water samples. The linear relationship between the inhibition in fluorescence intensity and mercury (II) concentration was found in 20–2000 nM with a detection limit of 8.9 nM.

Micellar sensitized Resonance Rayleigh Scattering and spectrofluorometric methods based on isoindole formation for determination of Eflornithine in cream and biological samples

α-Difluoromethylornithine or Eflornithine is an FDA-approved drug used for the treatment of Sleeping Sickness (as vials dosage form) and also used for diminishing the unwanted excess facial hair in the hirsutism (as creams dosage form). The proposed work is based on the condensation interaction between the amino moiety of Eflornithine and O-phthalaldehyde/2-mercaptoethanol to form a highly fluorescent isoindole derivative. The fluorescence and the Resonance Rayleigh Scattering (RRS) intensities of the reaction product were greatly augmented upon the addition of hexadecyl-trimethyl ammonium bromide by 153% and 250%, respectively. After optimization of the reaction conditions, the formed isoindole derivative was measured fluorometrically at λ_emission= 429 nm after λ_excitation= 337 nm. Moreover, the significant augmentation in the RRS intensity of the formed product was measured at λ_max= 422 nm. In regards to accuracy, sensitivity, robustness and precision, the proposed methods were validated according to ICH guidelines. Furthermore, the proposed methods were successfully applied for the assay of Eflornithine in various commercial brands of the pharmaceutical cream samples with good recovery. In addition to the current fluorometric method was confirmed to be effective in the assaying of Eflornithine in spiked plasma and urine specimens with good recovery.

Innovative Thin-Layer Chromatography/Fluorescence Detection Approach for Sensitive and Specific Determination of Ledipasvir in Rats' Feces and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

An innovative thin-layer chromatography method coupled with the fluorescence detection was developed for a specific estimation of ledipasvir. The separation was achieved on plates of silica gel 60 F254 using ethylacetate: hexane: acetonitrile: triethylamine; (6: 3.5: 1.5: 0.5, $\mathrm{v}/\mathrm{v}/\mathrm{v}/\mathrm{v}$) as a mobile phase system. The method involved the exposure of the developed thin-layer chromatography plate of ledipasvir to strong ultraviolet irradiation, resulting in a great enhancement in the fluorescence properties of ledipasvir. The irradiated plates were scanned after the excitation at 315 $\mathrm{nm}$. The method provided a sufficient separation of ledipasvir from sofosbuvir with ${R}_F$values of 0.28 and 0.36 for ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, respectively. The developed procedures were validated based on guidelines from the International Conference on Harmonization and Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 5-50 $\mathrm{ng}/\mathrm{band}$. The excellent analytical features of the proposed method allow to the specific determination of ledipasvir in pharmaceutical tablets without interference from sofosbuvir or excipients. As the main elimination route for ledipasvir is via the fecal excretion (86%), the method was applied for the estimation of ledipasvir in fecal specimens with adequate recovery. In addition, the proposed method was applied for testing the content uniformity of ledipasvir in the pharmaceutical tablets.

A Review on Analytical Strategies for the Assessment of Recently Approved Direct Acting Antiviral Drugs

Human beings are in dire need of developing an efficient treatment against fierce viruses like hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Coronavirus (COVID-19). These viruses have already caused the death of over two million people all over the world. Therefore, over the last years, many direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAADs) were developed targeting nonstructural proteins of these two viruses. Among these DAADs, several drugs were found more effective and safer than the others as sofosbuvir, ledipasvir, grazoprevir, glecaprevir, voxilaprevir, velpatasvir, elbasvir, pibrentasvir and remdesivir. The last one is indicated for COVID-19, while the rest are indicated for HCV treatment. Due to the valuable impact of these DAADs, larger number of analytical methods were required to meet the needs of the clinical studies. Therefore, this review will highlight the current approaches, published in the period between 2017 to present, dealing with the determination of these drugs in two different matrices: pharmaceuticals and biological fluids with the challenges of analyzing these drugs either alone, with other drugs, in presence of interferences (pharmaceutical excipients or endogenous plasma components) or in presence of matrix impurities, degradation products and metabolites. These approaches include spectroscopic, chromatographic, capillary electrophoretic, voltametric and nuclear magnetic resonance methods that have been reported during this period. Moreover, the analytical instrumentation and methods used in determination of these DAADs will be illustrated in tabulated forms.

Utility of 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan for spectrofluorimetric and spectrophotometric determinations of the anti-hirsutism agent (α-difluoromethylornithine) in pharmaceutical cream samples

α-Difluoromethylornithine is an effective medication for the treatment of African Trypanosomiasis and widely distributed for the treatment of hirsutism. This work provides an adequate analytical protocol for the spectrophotometric and the spectrofluorimetric determination of α-difluoromethylornithine through its interaction with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-chloride) reagent. After optimization of the reaction conditions (NBD-chloride volume, buffer volume, the best diluting solvent, heating time and temperature and pH of the medium) the reaction product was measured spectrophotometrically at λ_max = 478 nm and spectrofluorimetrically at λ_emission = 540 nm after λ_excitation = 475 nm. The proposed methods were linear over the ranges 5-30 μg ml^-1 and 0.4-2 μg ml^-1 for the spectrophotometric method and the spectrofluorimetric method, respectively. Moreover, the proposed work offers an adequate sensitive and selective determination for α-difluoromethylornithine where the detection limits were 0.90 μg ml^-1 and 0.071 μg ml^-1 for the spectrophotometric method and the spectrofluorimetric method, respectively. Furthermore, both methods were successfully applied for the quantification of α-difluoromethylornithine in the pharmaceutical cream samples with acceptable recovery results.

Investigating the interaction of terbinafine with xanthenes dye for its feasible determination applying the resonance Rayleigh scattering technique

Terbinafine hydrochloride is a potent antifungal drug indicated for oral and topical treatment of mycoses. A resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) method was developed for the determination of terbinafine hydrochloride through a feasible complexation reaction with erythrosine B. In a weakly acidic medium (acetate buffer, pH 5.0), terbinafine hydrochloride can react with erythrosine B through the electrostatic attraction and virtue of hydrophobic force to form an ion-association complex. The reaction resulted in the appearance of a new RRS peak at 369 nm. The RRS peak was increased by increasing the concentration of terbinafine hydrochloride in the linear range of 0.1-1.5 µg ml-1. All the reaction conditions (erythrosine B concentration, buffer volume, diluting solvent and pH) were optimized. The detection limit was 0.029 µg ml-1 while the quantitation limit was 0.089 µg ml-1. The suggested method after its validation was successfully applied for the determination of terbinafine hydrochloride in different pharmaceutical formulations (tablets and cream) with sufficient recovery.

Micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of diphenhydramine: application to human plasma and its simultaneous determination with naproxen in pharmaceutical tablets

Two simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods were developed and validated for determination of diphenhydramine. The use of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant at pH 7 enhances the fluorescence intensity of diphenhydramine at 286 nm (method I) enabling its nanodetermination in biological samples with mean per cent recovery ± SD of 100.33 ± 1.519. Method I was validated according to ICH-Q2R1 guidelines and was successfully applied for determination of diphenhydramine in pharmaceutical dosage form and spiked human plasma in the concentration ranges 0.1-4.0 μg/mL and 0.2-1.0 μg/mL, respectively. Method I acted as a basis for the development of a first derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry (method II) for simultaneous analysis of diphenhydramine and naproxen using a zero-crossing approach. Method II determines both drugs with linearity ranges of 0.05-3.0 μg/mL and 0.1-0.9 μg/mL for diphenhydramine and naproxen, respectively. The developed method was applied for the simultaneous determination of both drugs in their laboratory-prepared mixtures containing all expected excipients. Method II determines both drugs with a mean percent recovery ± SD of 100.56 ± 0.891 and 100.20 ± 1.125 for diphenhydramine and naproxen, respectively. The method was statistically compared with a reported method using Student's t- and F- tests, and no significant differences were observed.

Resonance Rayleigh scattering and spectrofluorimetric approaches for the selective determination of rupatadine using erythrosin B as a probe: application to content uniformity test

In this study, spectrofluorimetric and resonance Rayleigh scattering techniques were applied for the first time for determination of rupatadine through two validated methods. The proposed methods were based on a facile association complex formation between rupatadine and erythrosin B reagent in acidic medium. Spectrofluorimetric determination relied on the quenching effect of rupatadine on the fluorescence intensity of erythrosin B at 556 nm (excitation = 530 nm). Conversely, the resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) method relied on enhancement in the resonance Rayleigh scattering spectrum of erythrosin B at 344 nm after the addition of rupatadine. The developed methods produced linear results over ranges 0.15-2.0 μg/ml and 0.1-1.5 μg/ml, with detection limits of 0.030 μg/ml and 0.018 μg/ml for the spectrofluorimetric method and the RRS method, respectively. All reaction conditions for rupatadine-erythrosin B formation were optimized experimentally and both methods were validated according to International Council for Harmonisation guidelines. The developed methods were applied to estimate rupatadine content in its pharmaceutical tablet dosage form with acceptable recoveries. Furthermore, a content uniformity test for the commercial rupatadine tablets was successfully applied by the suggested spectroscopic methods according to United States Pharmacopeia guidelines.