Optimización del protocolo SPE-HPLC para el análisis de fármacos presentes en soluciones acuosas

Abstract

The following research work sought to develop an optimal method of concentration and recovery of various commonly used medications, present in a water matrix, by using the solid phase extraction technique or by its acronym SPE (Solid Phase Extraction), which uses cartridges (columns with different supports that adsorb a wide variety of molecules according to their chemical structure). It consists of four main stages, conditioning of the cartridge, loading of the sample, washing of interferences, elution of the analytes of interest by means of a solvent. For the experimental design, three independent variables were taken into account (pH of the water sample, elution solvent and its pH), three types of cartridges were evaluated (anion exchange, cation exchange and reverse phase), each experiment was performed with solutions aqueous medications at known concentrations to calculate the recovery percentage. Once each test was completed, the concentration was measured by HPLC chromatography, and the recovery percentages were calculated from the results. At the end of the research work, an SPE method was optimized for the recovery of the five drugs analyzed, starting with solutions of 20µg/L, four of them, Sulfamethoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, Diclofenac and Ibuprofen, using the Hypersep PEP cartridge (reverse phase) obtaining percentages of recovery of 111%, 86%, 88% and 80% respectively and Paracetamol using the Hypersep AX cartridge, with a recovery percentage of 98%.