Quantification of Suvorexant in Human Urine Using a Validated HPTLC Bioanalytical Method

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Suvorexant (SUV) is a novel sedative-hypnotic medication for insomnia.
• Its sedative and depressant effects make it relevant for forensic analysis.
• No validated HPTLC bioanalytical methods existed for SUV in biological samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive, rapid HPTLC bioanalytical method for quantifying suvorexant in human urine.
• Establish a reliable method for forensic and clinical monitoring of SUV.

Main Methods:

• Developed a HPTLC method using silica gel plates and a chloroform/methanol eluent.
• Utilized densitometric detection at 254 nm after protein precipitation extraction with methanol.
• Sildenafil served as the internal standard (IS).

Main Results:

• The method demonstrated linearity over a range of 50-1600 ng/band.
• High precision (RSD ≤ 4.20%), accuracy (recovery 97.58-103.80%), and robustness were achieved.
• The method exhibited excellent sensitivity with limits of detection (LOD) of 3.73 ng/band and quantification (LOQ) of 11.20 ng/band.

Conclusions:

• The validated HPTLC method is suitable for routine determination of suvorexant in various urine samples.
• This provides a crucial tool for forensic investigations and clinical drug monitoring.