Highly Sensitive Fluorescence Quenching Method for Sulfasalazine Detection Using Fluorescein Probe: Application to...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Pharmaceutical Analysis

Background:

• Sulfasalazine is a crucial anti-inflammatory drug.
• Accurate quantification of sulfasalazine is essential for therapeutic monitoring and quality control.
• Existing analytical methods may require complex procedures or lack sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive spectrofluorometric method for sulfasalazine determination.
• To utilize fluorescein as a fluorescent probe for sulfasalazine analysis.
• To assess the method's applicability in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids.

Main Methods:

• Spectrofluorometric analysis utilizing fluorescein as a fluorescent probe.
• Measurement of fluorescence quenching at specific excitation (492 nm) and emission (513 nm) wavelengths.
• Validation according to ICH M10 guidelines, including linearity, LOD, LOQ, accuracy, and precision.

Main Results:

• A linear relationship was observed between fluorescence intensity and sulfasalazine concentration (1-45 μg/mL) with R² = 0.994.
• The method achieved a low limit of detection (2.64 × 10⁻² μg/mL) and limit of quantification (8.82 × 10⁻² μg/mL).
• Successful application to pure sulfasalazine, pharmaceutical formulations, and biological fluids with high recovery rates (97.05%-103.54%).

Conclusions:

• The developed spectrofluorometric method is accurate, precise, and sensitive for sulfasalazine determination.
• The method is robust and suitable for routine analysis in various matrices, including biological samples.
• Validation confirms the method's reliability for pharmaceutical quality control and clinical applications.