Gas Chromatographic and Spectrophotometric Determination of Diclofenac Sodium, Ibuprofen, and Mefenamic Acid in Urine and Blood Samples

Objectives: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for the treatment of acute to chronic pain. A simple, fast, and reliable gas chromatographic (GC) method with flame ionization detection has been developed for the determination of NSAIDs such as diclofenac sodium, ibuprofen, and mefenamic acid after derivatization with ethyl chloroformate. Materials and Methods: The GC conditions were optimized as elution from a DB-1 column (30 mx0.32 mm id) at column temperature 150 degrees C for 3 min, followed by a heating rate of 20 degrees C/min up to 280 degrees C and a hold time of 5 min. The nitrogen flow rate was 2.5 mL/min. For spectrophotometric studies, the absorbance was measured against methanol at a wavelength of 200-500 nm. Results: The calibration curves were linear within 2-10 mu g/mL with limits of detection of 0.4-0.6 mu g/mL of each drug. The derivatization elution, separation, and quantitation were repeatable (n=3) with relative standard deviation (RSD) within 3.9%. The method was applied for the analysis of the drugs from pharmaceutical formulations and the results of the analysis agreed with labeled values with RSDs within 0.5-3.9%. The results were also confirmed by standard addition method. The percent recovery was calculated with spiked deproteinized human blood serum and urine samples and % recovery of the drugs was obtained within 96-98% with RSDs within 3.1%. Conclusion: The validated method proved its ability for the assay of NSAIDs in bulk and dosage form in a short analysis time. The method was also useful for the analysis of biological samples.