Determination of ofloxacin in tablets by room-temperature phosphorimetry on a poly(vinyl alcohol) solid substrate

An easy and sensitive method for the quantitative determination of ofloxacin (OFLX), a new fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent, in a pharmaceutical formulation, tablet, was developed by using solid-substrate room-temperature phosphorimetry (RTP) on a poly(vinyl alcohol) substrate. The method did not require a dry gas flush during the measurement of phosphorescence. The influence of different conditions such as solution pH and concentrations of heavy atoms, used as the enhancer, were studied. The phosphorescence intensity of OFLX was enhanced using NaOH and KI as enhancers. A linear relationship between concentration and RTP intensity for each standard solution was obtained in the concentration range of 4-18000 ng/ml, and the determination limit was 4 ng/ml. The proposed method was applied to a determination of OFLX in a commercial tablet, and the results were compared with those of fluorescence and UV methods. It was proven that OFLX in a commercial tablet can be accurately measured by this method with a very small amount of sample solution.