Direct determination of praziquantel in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma by cathodic adsorptive stripping...

The polarographic and cyclic voltammetric behaviour of praziquantel was studied in B.R. buffers of different pH values. Contradictory to that mentioned in a previously published work, praziquantel is an electro-active compound. Its polarogram exhibited a single 2-electron irreversible reduction wave in B.R. buffer of pH 5, the wave height decreased on the increase of pH till it disappeared in solution of pH >7. This wave was attributed to the reduction of the Cz.dbnd6;O double bond. The quantitative trace determination of bulk praziquantel was studied at a hanging mercury drop electrode by cathodic adsorptive stripping differential-pulse voltammetry. A fully validated sensitive procedure based on controlled adsorptive accumulation of the drug onto a HMDE was developed for its direct determination without derivatization. Accumulation of praziquantel was found to be optimized in 0.1 M Na(2)SO(4) solution as supporting electrolyte under the following conditions: accumulation potential, -1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl(s)); accumulation time, 30 s; scan rate, 10 mV/s and pulse height 100 mV. The proposed procedure was applied successfully for determination of praziquantel in its pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. The mean recoveries of the drug were 98.85-99.42% and 99.12-100.47% with RSD of 0.49-0.95% and 0.45-0.52% in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma, respectively. Limits of detection and quantitation of 1.14x10(-9) and 3.80x10(-9) M praziquantel, respectively, were achieved.