Michele De Luca

Kinetic studies of nitrofurazone photodegradation by multivariate curve resolution applied to UV-spectral data

This work aims at describing the kinetic model of nitrofurazone photodegradation by a novel chemometric technique, hybrid hard-soft multivariate curve resolution (HS-MCR). The study was applied to UV-spectral data from the photolysis of nitrofurazone solutions at different concentrations and exposed under varying illuminance power. The HS-MCR method was able to elucidate the kinetics of the photodegradation process and to determine the rate constants, and estimating at the same time the pure spectra of the degradation products. Exposure to light of the drug gave a first rapid isomerization to the syn-form that in turn underwent degradation furnishing a mixture of yellow-red products. The photodegradation process could be explained with a kinetic model based on three consecutive first-order reactions (A>B, B>C and C>D). These results were confirmed by application of the MCR procedure to the analysis of the data obtained from HPLC-DAD analysis of the nitrofurazone samples at different reaction times. The kinetic model was observed to be dependent on experimental conditions. The samples at higher concentrations showed rate constants lower than the diluted samples, whereas an increase of the rate of all degradation processes was observed when the light power also increased. This work shows the power of the hybrid hard- and soft-multivariate curve resolution as a method to deeply study degradation processes of photolabile drugs.

Multivariate analysis of paracetamol, propiphenazone, caffeine and thiamine in quaternary mixtures by PCR, PLS and ANN calibrations applied on wavelet transform data.

The quantitative resolution of a quaternary pharmaceutical mixture consisting of paracetamol, propiphenazone, caffeine and thiamine was performed by the simultaneous use of fractional wavelet transform (FWT) with principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS) and artificial neural networks (ANN) methods. A calibration set consisting of 22 mixture solutions was prepared by means of an orthogonal experimental design and their absorption spectra were recorded in the spectral range of 210.0-312.3nm and then transferred into the fractional wavelet domain and processed by FWT. The chemometric calibrations FWT-PCR, FWT-PLS and FWT-ANN were computed by using the relationship between the coefficients provided by FWT method and the concentration data from calibration set. An external validation was carried out by applying the developed methods to the analysis of synthetic mixtures of the related compounds, obtaining successful results. The models were finally used to assay the studied drugs in the commercial pharmaceutical formulations.

Prediction of photosensitivity of 1,4-dihydropyridine antihypertensives by quantitative structure-property relationship

A quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR) model, correlating the light sensitivity against theoretical molecular descriptors, was developed for a set of 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist drugs. These compounds are characterized by a high tendency to degradation when exposed to light, furnishing in the most of cases a related oxidation product from aromatization of the dihydropyridinic ring. Photodegradation was forced by exposing the drugs to a Xenon lamp, in accordance with the ICH international rules, and degradation kinetics was monitored by spectrophotometry. The photodegradation rates combined with a series of descriptors related to the chemical structures were computed by Partial Least Squares (PLS) multivariate analysis. An accurate selection of the variables, fitting at the best the PLS model, was performed. Two descriptors related to the substituent information on both the dihydropyridinic and benzenic rings and four molecular descriptors, were selected. The QSPR model was fully cross validated and then optimized with an external set of novel 1,4-dihydropyridine drugs, obtaining very satisfactory statistical results. The good agreement between predicted and measured photodegradation rate (R(2)=0.8727) demonstrated the high accuracy of the QSPR model in predicting the photosensitivity of the drugs belonging to this class. The model was finally proposed as an effective tool to design new congeneric molecules characterized by high photostability.

Study of photodegradation kinetics of melatonin by multivariate curve resolution (MCR) with estimation of feasible band boundaries.

Multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) has been applied to data collected from UV spectrophotometric analysis of melatonin samples exposed to light with varying irradiance power. MCR-ALS was able to explain the degradation kinetics of this drug, deducing the pure spectra and concentration changes of the different species present throughout the entire process. Possible rotational ambiguities associated with MCR solutions were investigated and their extent was evaluated. The extent of the rotation ambiguity was estimated from the band boundaries of feasible solutions calculated using the MCR-BANDS procedure. The use of a non-linear fitting routine allowed improving kinetic information and provided a method of evaluation of the rate constants of the degradation process. The degradation pathway was found to follow a first-order reaction model, in which melatonin underwent photo-oxidation of the indole ring to give a formylamine group. Kinetics of the reaction was shown to be dependent on irradiation conditions, with an increase of the rate constants when light power also increased.

Photostability and ex-vivo permeation studies on diclofenac in topical niosomal formulations.

Photostability studies were performed on topical formulations containing diclofenac (DC). Niosomal gels were designed as photostabilization systems and ascorbic acid was also added to the new topical formulations because of its antioxidant property. Photodegradation tests were applied on commercial formulations containing DC and novel prepared gels, according to the ICH rules. The experiments were monitored by spectrophotometry and the data processed by multivariate curve resolution analysis to estimate the spectra and concentration profiles of evolved components. Characterization of niosomes was evaluated by size and distribution measurement, morphological analysis and encapsulation efficiency. Permeation experiments were performed across rabbit ear skin up to 24 h. Photodegradation rate of DC was found very fast in commercial formulation, with a residual content of 90% after only 4.38 min under a radiant exposure of 450 W/m(2). Photostability resulted increased significantly when the drug was entrapped in niosomal systems. The best results were obtained by reaching a 10% degradation after 50.00 min of light exposure after incorporation of DC in niosomes in presence of 5% ascorbic acid. Moreover, niosomal gel also influenced the permeation capability of DC by enhancing the transdermal delivery of the drug. The cumulative dose permeated of DC from niosomal gel was about three times that obtained with the commercial gel.

Multivariate curve resolution of incomplete fused multiset data from chromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses for drug photostability studies

An advanced and powerful chemometric approach is proposed for the analysis of incomplete multiset data obtained by fusion of hyphenated liquid chromatographic DAD/MS data with UV spectrophotometric data from acid-base titration and kinetic degradation experiments. Column- and row-wise augmented data blocks were combined and simultaneously processed by means of a new version of the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) technique, including the simultaneous analysis of incomplete multiset data from different instrumental techniques. The proposed procedure was applied to the detailed study of the kinetic photodegradation process of the amiloride (AML) drug. All chemical species involved in the degradation and equilibrium reactions were resolved and the pH dependent kinetic pathway described.

The difficulties for a photolabile drug in topical formulations: the case of diclofenac.

Topical commercial formulations containing diclofenac (DC) were submitted to photostability tests, according to the international rules, showing a clear degradation of the drug. The degradation process was monitored by applying the multivariate curve resolution technique to the UV spectral data from samples exposed to stressing irradiation. This method was able to estimate the number of components evolved as well as to draw their spectra and concentration profiles. Three photoproducts (PhPs) were resolved by the analysis of photodegradation kinetics, according to two consecutive reactions with a mechanism postulated as DC>PhP₁>PhP₂ and PhP₃. Photodegradation rate of DC in gel was found to be very fast, with a residual content of 90% only after 3.90 min under a radiant exposure of 450 Wm(-2). Because of a very slow skin uptake of DC, a prolonged time of exposure to light could lead to a significant decrease of drug available or the uptake of undesired photoproducts. New gel formulations were designed to increase the photostability of DC by incorporating chemical light-absorbers or entrapping the drug into cyclodextrin. Drug photostability resulted increased significantly in comparison with that of the commercial formulations. The gel containing the light-absorbers such as octisilate, octyl methoxycinnamate and a combination thereof showed a residual DC of 90% up to 12.22 min, 13.75 min and 15.71 min, respectively, under the same irradiation power. The best results were obtained by incorporating the drug in β-cyclodextrin with a degradation of 10% after 25.01 min of light exposure.

Chemometric analysis for discrimination of extra virgin olive oils from whole and stoned olive pastes

Chemometric discrimination of extra virgin olive oils (EVOO) from whole and stoned olive pastes was carried out by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS1-DA) approach. Four Italian commercial EVOO brands, all in both whole and stoned version, were considered in this study. The adopted chemometric methodologies were able to describe the different chemical features in phenolic and volatile compounds contained in the two types of oil by using unspecific IR spectral information. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed in cluster analysis to capture data patterns and to highlight differences between technological processes and EVOO brands. The PLS1-DA algorithm was used as supervised discriminant analysis to identify the different oil extraction procedures. Discriminant analysis was extended to the evaluation of possible adulteration by addition of aliquots of oil from whole paste to the most valuable oil from stoned olives. The statistical parameters from external validation of all the PLS models were very satisfactory, with low root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and relative error (RE%).

Fractional Wavelet Transform–Continous Wavelet Transform for the Quantification of Melatonin and Its Photodegradation Product

ABSTRACT In this study a new signal processing approach based on the simultaneous use of fractional and continuous wavelet transforms was suggested for the quantitative estimation of melatonin and its photodegradation products in their samples. The UV spectra of melatonin and its degradation product were recorded between 200.0 and 455.0 nm and processed by the fractional wavelet algorithm. The obtained fractional wavelet coefficients were treated by biorthogonal and symplets wavelet families in order to quantify melatonic and its photodegradation product, respectively. The calibration graphs for the related main compound and its degradation product were obtained by measuring the fractional–continuous wavelet amplitudes at 432.0 nm for melatonin and 435.0 nm for its degradation product. The validity and applicability of the double transforms based on fractional and continuous wavelets were confirmed by analyzing various synthetic mixtures of melatonin and its degradation product. Successful results were reported in the application of the improved fractional–continuous wavelet transform to the sample analysis.

Optimization of wavelength range and data interval in chemometric analysis of complex pharmaceutical mixtures

The performance of different chemometric approaches was evaluated in the spectrophotometric determination of pharmaceutical mixtures characterized by having the amount of components with a very high ratio. Principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares with one dependent variable (PLS1) or multi-dependent variables (PLS2), and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) were applied to the spectral data of a ternary mixture containing paracetamol, sodium ascorbate and chlorpheniramine (150:140:1, m/m/m), and a quaternary mixture containing paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine and chlorpheniramine (125:6. 25:1.25:1, m/m/m/m). The UV spectra of the calibration samples in the range of 200–320 nm were pre-treated by removing noise and useless data, and the wavelength regions having the most useful analytical information were selected using the regression coefficients calculated in the multivariate modeling. All the defined chemometric models were validated on external sample sets and then applied to commercial pharmaceutical formulations. Different data intervals, fixed at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 point/nm, were tested to optimize the prediction ability of the models. The best results were obtained using the PLS1calibration models and the quantification of the species of a lower amount was significantly improved by adopting 0.5 data interval, which showed accuracy between 94.24% and 107.76%.