Determination of Three Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Human Plasma by LC Coupled with Chemiluminescence Detection

Abstract

A simple and sensitive method was developed for the determination of three nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—ibuprofen, naproxen and fenbufen in human plasma. The method involved in column liquid chromatographic separation and chemilumenescence (CL) detection based on the CL reaction of NSAIDs, potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) and sodium sulfite (Na₂SO₃) in sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) medium. The chromatographic separation was carried out using a reversed-phase C₁₈ column, which allowed the selective determination of the three medicines in the complicated samples. The special features of the CL detector provided lower LOD for determination than that of existing chromatographic alternatives. The results indicated that the linear ranges were 0.01–10.0 μg mL⁻¹ for ibuprofen, 0.001–1.0 μg mL⁻¹ for naproxen, and 0.01–10.0 μg mL⁻¹ for fenbufen. The limits of detection were 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ for ibuprofen, 0.05 ng mL⁻¹ for naproxen and 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ for fenbufen (S/N = 3). All average recoveries were in the range of 90.0–102.3%. Finally, the method had been satisfactorily applied for the determination of ibuprofen, naproxen and fenbufen in human plasma samples.