UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS METHOD FOR EVALUATION OF MOXIFLOXACIN LOADED NANOPLEXES AS VEHICLES FOR OCULAR DRUG DELIVERY

Abstract

A simple, sensitive, and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) method with quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometric (Q-TOF-MS/MS) detection was developed for the determination of moxifloxacin (moxi) in rabbit aqueous humor. After a simple protein-precipitation by acetonitrile, the post-treatment samples were separated on a UPLC Bridged Ethyl Hybrid (BEH) C-18 column with 0.1% formic acid in water as a mobile phase and analyzed in positive ion mode. The method developed was validated in rabbit aqueous humor with a daily working range of 0.1–200 ng/mL with correlation coefficient, r² > 0.999 and a sensitivity of 0.12 ng/mL as limit of quantification. The method proved to be accurate (recovery, 96.0–99.3%), precise (%RSD, ≤0.71%), and specific and was applied to evaluate the moxifloxacin loaded nanoplexes (moxi-NPX) as vehicles for ocular drug delivery. Moxi-NPX (4037 ± 45.9 ng/mL hr) provided approximately five-fold increase in the relative ocular bioavailability compared with moxi solution (806.5 ± 32.5 ng/mL hr). In conclusion, moxi-NPX increases ocular bioavailability of moxi, prolongs its residence time in the eye, and are efficient ocular drug delivery vehicles.

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Keywords:

• aqueous humor
• moxifloxacin
• nanoplexes
• ocular pharmacokinetics
• validation UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS

Notes

Results represents mean values (standard deviation), n = 2.