Validation of a LC method for the analysis of oxaliplatin in a pharmaceutical formulation using an experimental design

Study on the Use of Ozone Water as a Chemical Decontamination Agent for Antineoplastic Drugs in Clinical Settings

The exposure of healthcare workers to antineoplastic drugs in hospitals has been recognized to be harmful. To minimize the risk of exposure, the removal of these drugs from work environments, such as compounding facilities, has been recommended. In our previous paper, the degradation and inactivation efficacy of ozone water, which is being introduced into Japanese hospitals as a chemical decontamination agent, was reported for its effects on typical antineoplastic drugs (gemcitabine, irinotecan, paclitaxel). This article aims to further investigate the efficacy of ozone water for eight antineoplastic drugs to clarify its application limitations. A small amount (medicinal ingredient: typically ca. 1.5 μmol) of formulation containing 5-fluorouracil, pemetrexed, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, or docetaxel was mixed with 50 mL of ozone water (~8 mg/L), and the resulting solutions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography over time to observe the degradation. Consequently, the ozonation was overall effective for the degradation of the drugs, however this varied depending on the chemical structures of the drugs and additives in their formulations. In addition, after the parent drugs were completely degraded by the ozonation, the degradation mixtures were subjected to 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and evaluated for mutagenicity against Salmonella typhimurium strains and cytotoxicity against human cancer cells. The degradation mixtures of cisplatin and ifosfamide were mutagenic while those of the other drugs were non-mutagenic. Further, the ozonation resulted in clear decreases of cytotoxicity for 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and doxorubicin, but increases of cytotoxicity for pemetrexed, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and ifosfamide. These results suggest that the ozone water should be restrictedly used according to the situation of contamination in clinical settings because the ozonation enhances toxicity depending on the drug even if degradation is achieved.

Quality by design approach for development and validation of a RP-HPLC method for simultaneous estimation of xipamide and valsartan in human plasma

A new rapid, simple, and sensitive RP-HPLC method was carried out through applying Quality by Design approach for determination of xipamide and valsartan in Human plasma. Fractional factorial design was used for screening of four independent factors: pH, flow rate, detection wavelength, and % of MeOH. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed that flow rate and % of MeOH were only significant. Chromatographic conditions optimization was carried out through using central composite design. Method analysis was performed using BDS Hypersil C8 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and an isocratic mobile phase of MeOH and 0.05 M KH₂PO₄ buffer pH 3 (64.5:35.5, v/v) at 1.2 mL/min flow rate with UV detection at 240 nm and 10 μL injection volume. According to FDA guidelines, the method was then validated for the determination of the two drugs clinically in human plasma in respect of future pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence simulation studies. The standard curve was linear in the concentration range of 5–100 µg/mL for both drugs, with a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.999. Also, the average recoveries lied within the range from 99.89 to 100.03%. The proposed method showed good predictability and robustness.

Development and Validation of an HPLC Method Using an Experimental Design for Analysis of Amlodipine Besylate and Enalapril Maleate in a Fixed-dose Combination

Objectives

The aim of this study was to develop and optimize a simple, cost-effective, and robust high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method by taking an experimental design approach to the assay and dissolution analysis of amlodipine besylate and enalapril maleate from a fixed-dose combination tablet.

Materials and Methods

The chromatographic analysis was performed on a C18 column (4.6x250 mm id., particle size of 5 μm). The injection volume was 5 μL, and the detection wavelength was 215 nm. A Box-Behnken design was used to test the robustness of the method. The flow rate (1, 1.2, and 1.4 mL/min), column temperature (25°C, 30°C, and 35°C), methanol ratio of the mobile phase (5, 10, and 15%), and pH of the mobile phase (2.8, 3, and 3.2) were selected as independent variables. The method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. Dissolution of the tablets was performed by using USP apparatus 2 and analyzed using the optimized HPLC method. Multivariate linear regression analysis and ANOVA were used in the statistical evaluation.

Results

Linear models were fitted for all variables. The flow rate was the most significant factor affecting the APIs' concentrations. The optimized method included the following parameters: Column temperature of 25°C, 10% methanol as the mobile phase, pH of 2.95, and flow rate of 1.205 mL/min. Retention times were 3.8 min and 7.9 min for enalapril and amlodipine, respectively. The method was found to be linear in the range of 0.8-24 μg/mL (R² >0.999) and 1.6-48 μg/mL (R² >0.999) for amlodipine and enalapril, respectively. Both APIs were dissolved more than 85% within 10 min.

Conclusion

The experimental design was proved as a useful tool for the determination and separation of enalapril maleate and amlodipine besylate in dosage forms. The optimized method can be used for in vitro performance and quality control tests of fixed-dose tablet combinations containing enalapril maleate and amlodipine besylate.

Determination of six drugs used for treatment of common cold by micellar liquid chromatography

The use of organic solvents as eluants in RP-HPLC has an important role to decrease retention time and improve peak shape; however, it has high environmental impacts. Their production and disposal represent economic and biohazard problems. So, alternatives had to be introduced and studied to minimize such pollution. Combination of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) together with polyoxyethylene-23-lauryl ether (Brij-35) was studied as an alternative to the presence of organic solvents on the separation performance of six active pharmaceutical ingredients. Response surface methodology was applied to test the impact of three independent variables; concentrations of SDS and Brij-35, as well as, pH of the mobile phase; on retention, peak symmetry, and resolution of the analytes using a rotatable central composite design. Significant variables were determined and the suggested models for predicting retention and resolution parameters were significant. Meanwhile, the common cold is the most abundant disease treated with over-the-counter (OTC) medications worldwide. In 2015, the USA recorded $9.56 billion total sales of OTC cold and cough medicaments alone, with average individual patient expenditure of $338. The worldwide sales and generics of common cold and cough products keep growing annually. The six active pharmaceutical molecules under study, namely, paracetamol, guaifenesin, pseudoephedrine, ibuprofen, chlorpheniramine, and dextromethorphan, are widely used in common cold products. The predicted optimum conditions were validated using mobile phase consisting of 93.6 mM SDS, 32.0 mM Brij-35, and 10.0 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate, adjusted at pH 5.2, column temperature 35° C, and detection at 215-nm wavelength. The method was successfully applied to determine 12 different combination formulae of the analytes in their pharmaceutical products and was assessed for greenness on two novel metrics. A thorough comparison to previously reported methods was included and methods were assessed against greenness metrics Green Analytical Procedure Index and Analytical Greenness Metric to demonstrate superiority.

Improvements in the Oral Absorption and Anticancer Efficacy of an Oxaliplatin-Loaded Solid Formulation: Pharmacokinetic Properties in Rats and Nonhuman Primates and the Effects of Oral Metronomic Dosing on Colorectal Cancer

Objective

The anticancer efficacy of orally administered chemotherapeutics is often constrained by low intestinal membrane permeability and oral bioavailability. In this context, we designed a solid oral formulation of oxaliplatin (OP), a third-generation cisplatin analog, to improve oral bioavailability and investigate its application in metronomic chemotherapy.

Methods

An ion-pairing complex of OP with a permeation enhancer, N^α-deoxycholyl-l-lysyl-methylester (DLM), was successfully prepared and then mixed with dispersing agents (including poloxamer 188 and Labrasol) to form the solid, amorphous oral formulation OP/DLM (OP/DLM-SF; hereafter, ODSF).

Results

The optimized powder formulation was sized in the nanoscale range (133±1.47 nm). The effective permeability of OP increased by 12.4-fold after ionic complex formation with DLM and was further increased by 24.0-fold after incorporation into ODSF. ODSF exhibited respective increases of 128% and 1010% in apparent permeability across a Caco-2 monolayer, compared to OP/DLM and OP. Furthermore, inhibition of bile acid transporters by actinomycin D and caveola-mediated uptake by brefeldin in Caco-2 cell monolayers reduced the apparent permeability values of ODSF by 58.4% and 51.1%, respectively, suggesting predominant roles for bile acid transporters and caveola-mediated transport in intestinal absorption of ODSF. In addition, macropinocytosis and paracellular and transcellular passive transport significantly influenced the intestinal permeation of ODSF. The oral bioavailabilities of ODSF in rats and monkeys were 68.2% and 277% higher, respectively, than the oral bioavailability of free OP. In vivo analyses of anticancer efficacy in CT26 and HCT116 cell-bearing mice treated with ODSF demonstrated significant suppression of tumor growth, with respective maximal tumor volume reductions of 7.77-fold and 4.07-fold, compared to controls.

Conclusion

ODSF exhibits therapeutic potential, constituting an effective delivery system that increases oral bioavailability, with applications to metronomic chemotherapy.

A New Fluorometric Method for the Determination of Oxaliplatin Based on Cucurbit[7]uril Supramolecular Interaction

This paper proposed new competitive methods for fluorescence detection of the anti-cancer drug oxaliplatin. The methods were based on the competitive reaction of palmatine (PAL)/berberine (BER)/coptisine (COP) with oxaliplatin for the occupancy of cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) cavities. The results showed that the fluorescence intensity of PAL, BER, and COP regularly increased upon addition of CB[7] until a certain amount of oxaliplatin was added, at which stage the fluorescence intensity of the system quenched. Using the CB[7]–PAL, CB[7]–BER, and CB[7]–COP systems, linear ranges in the detection of oxaliplatin of 0.005–1.75, 0.010–1.50, and 0.020–1.05 μg mL–1, with detection limits of 2, 3, and 7 ng mL–1, respectively, were obtained. These results suggest that cucurbit[7]uril is a promising drug carrier for delivering and monitoring targeted oxaliplatin, with improved anti-tumour efficacy and reduced toxicity in normal tissues.

Automated preparation of chemotherapy: quality improvement and economic sustainability

PURPOSE

The quality and economic implications of manual versus automated preparation of antineoplastic drugs were compared.

METHODS

This four-week study evaluated 10 routinely used antineoplastic drugs (fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, gemcitabine, trastuzumab, bevacizumab, oxaliplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, irinotecan, and etoposide) prepared by manual and automated procedures. The accuracy of the dose of the active ingredient was calculated in terms of percent relative error for the difference between the nominal value indicated on the prescription and the actual value of the drug in the finished product. A comparative economic analysis of the manual and automated preparation procedures was performed by calculating the mean unit cost for each preparation at different production levels. Participating pharmacists and technicians completed a survey rating each preparation method in terms of performance, operator satisfaction, technology, and safety.

RESULTS

Of the 2500 i.v. antineoplastic preparations made in the pharmacy during the four-week study period, 681 were analyzed (348 using the automated procedure and 333 manually). Of these, 17 varied by more than 5% of the prescribed dose, and 1 varied by over 10%. Accuracy, calculated in terms of average percent relative error, was the highest and lowest during manual preparation. The preparation time for individual drugs was always higher when prepared using the automated procedure. A lower mean variable unit cost was observed for preparations made using the automated procedure. Questionnaire results revealed that operators preferred the automated procedure over the manual procedure.

CONCLUSION

Both the automated and manual procedures for preparing antineoplastic preparations proved to be accurate and precise. The automated procedure resulted in substantial advantages in terms of quality maintenance standards and risk lowering.

Precision of the reportable result. Simultaneous optimisation of number of preparations and injections for sample and reference standard in quantitative liquid chromatography

In pharmaceutical analysis, the precision of the reportable result, i.e. the result which is to be compared to the specification limit, is relevant for the evaluation of the suitability of the analytical procedure. But also for other applications, the precision of the result is important and an optimisation often of interest. However, increasing the number of determinations (e.g. injections or preparations) will reduce only the variability (or standard error) of the corresponding precision level. Therefore, the knowledge of the individual variance contributions, obtained from reliable precision studies is important to determine on a scientific basis which format of the (reportable) result, i.e. the number of injections and sample preparations (or even series), should be used. In case of relative analytical procedures such as LC, the calibration model and format, i.e. the number of determinations of the reference standard is one of the factors (besides instrument, operator, reagents, etc.) affecting the between-series variance contribution at intermediate precision/reproducibility level. Consequently, the precision of the reportable result is only valid for the calibration format used to obtain intermediate precision/reproducibility. Instead of repeating the whole precision study to optimize the calibration format, the present paper describes a statistical approach using variability results from the original precision study.

Design and development of ligand-appended polysaccharidic nanoparticles for the delivery of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer. Nanomedicine. 2010;6:179-190. [PMID: 19447205 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2009.03.002]

Hyaluronic acid-coupled chitosan nanoparticles bearing oxaliplatin (L-OHP) encapsulated in Eudragit S100-coated pellets were developed for effective delivery to colon tumors. The in vitro drug release was investigated using a USP dissolution rate test paddle-type apparatus in different simulated gastrointestinal tract fluids. In therapeutic experiments the pellets of free drug, and hyaluronic acid-coupled and uncoupled chitosan nanoparticles bearing L-OHP were administered orally at the dose of 10 mg L-OHP/kg body weight to tumor-bearing Balb/c mice. In vivo data showed that hyaluronic acid-coupled chitosan nanoparticles delivered 1.99 +/- 0.82 and 9.36 +/- 1.10 microg of L-OHP/g of tissue in the colon and tumor, respectively after 12 hours, reflecting its targeting potential to the colon and tumor. These drug delivery systems show relatively high local drug concentration in the colonic milieu and colonic tumors with prolonged exposure time, which provides a potential to enhance antitumor efficacy with low systemic toxicity for the treatment of colon cancer.

FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR

In this study, a nanoparticle system was developed to deliver oxaliplatin to colorectal tumors. In murine models, the drug delivery system showed relatively high local drug concentration in colonic tumors with prolonged exposure time, which provides a potential for enhanced antitumor efficacy with low systematic toxicity.

Validation of a dissolution method with HPLC analysis for lasofoxifene tartrate low dose tablets

A dissolution method with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was validated for an immediate release low dose tablet formulation. The method was validated to meet requirements for a global regulatory filing and this validation included specificity, precision, linearity, accuracy and range. Validation of precision included an intermediate precision study using an experimental design in order to satisfy Japanese regulatory requirements. In addition, filter suitability, standard and sample solution stability and method robustness were demonstrated. A statistical design of experiments was used for the robustness evaluation of both the dissolution method and the HPLC analysis method. All results were acceptable and confirmed that the method is suitable for its intended use.

Ruggedness and robustness testing

Due to the strict regulatory requirements, especially in pharmaceutical analysis, analysis results with an acceptable quality should be reported. Thus, a proper validation of the measurement method is required. In this context, ruggedness and robustness testing becomes increasingly more important. In this review, the definitions of ruggedness and robustness are given, followed by a short explanation of the different approaches applied to examine the ruggedness or the robustness of an analytical method. Then, case studies, describing ruggedness or robustness tests of high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC), capillary electrophoretic (CE), gas chromatographic (GC), supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC), and ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) assay methods, are critically reviewed and discussed. Mainly publications of the last 10 years are considered.

Validation of an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of eletriptan and UK 120.413

Arapid and sensitive RPHPLCmethod was developed for the routine control analysis of eletriptan hydrobromide and its organic impurity UK 120.413 in Relpax? tablets. The chromatography was performed at 20?C using a C18 XTerra ? (5 ?m, 150 x 4,6 mm) column at a flow rate 1.0 ml/min. The drug and its impurity were detected at 225 nm. The mobile phase consisted of TEA (1 %) - methanol (67.2:32.8 v/v), the pH of which was adjusted to 6.8 with 85 % orthophosphoric acid. Quantification was accomplished by the internal standard method. The developed RP HPLC method was validated by testing: accuracy, precision, repeatability, specificity, detection limit, quantification limit, linearity, robustness and sensitivity. High linearity of the analytical procedure was confirmed over the concentration range of 0.05 - 1.00 mg/ml for eletriptan hydrobromide and from 0.10 - 1.50 ?g/ml for UK 120.413, with correlation coefficients greater than r = 0.995. The low value of the RSD expressed the good repeatability and precision of the method. Experimental design and a response surface method were used to test robustness of the analytical procedure and to evaluate the effect of variation of the method parameters, namely the mobile phase composition, pH and temperature. They showed small deviations from the method setting. The good recovery and low RSD confirm the suitability of the proposed RP HPLC method for the routine determination of eletriptan hydrobromide and its impurity UK 120.413 in Relpax? tables.

Experimental design in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of imatinib mesylate and its impurity

For the determination of the optimal RP-HPLC chromatographic conditions for the separation of imatinib mesylate and its impurity STI 509-00 experimental design 2(4) was applied. All the factors that affect imatinib mesylate/STI 509-00 separation, as well as their mutual interactions were investigated. Methanol and triethylamine content in the mobile phase, pH of the mobile phase and column temperature were independent variables or factors to be investigated in two levels: "low" and "high". Capacity factor was chosen as a dependent variable. From the experimentally determined capacity factor values, it was defined the factors that affect to chromatographic system the most. Applying response surface methodology the appropriate graphs were constructed from experimental points and optimal chromatographic conditions for the separation were defined. Optimal conditions for the separation of imatinib mesylate and STI 509-00 were obtained using X Terra 150 mm x 4.6 mm, particle size 5 microm column at 25 degrees C. Mobile phase consisted of 250 ml of methanol, 740 ml of water and 10 ml of triehylamine. pH of water phase was adjusted to 2.4 with 85% orthophosphoric acid and then methanol was added.