A high-performance liquid-chromatographic assay for amphotericin B in a hydrophilic colloidal paste base

A stability-indicating high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) assay has been developed for amphotericin B (AmB) in a paste, containing AmB, tobramycin (or gentamicin) sulphate, colistin sulphate, liquid paraffin and Orabase. Extraction of AmB was performed by partitioning the antibiotic between N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and cyclohexane, which led to precipitation of the polymeric materials and extraction of the liquid paraffin into the cyclohexane and AmB into the DMF. Analysis by HPLC of the latter layer gave a linear relationship between concentration and peak area response for the AmB over the range 5.0 x 10(-4) to 7.5 x 10(-3)% (w/v) (r = 0.9995) with a relative standard deviation of +/- 1.46% (n = 8). The efficiency of extraction was 1006 +/- 2.4% (n = 5).