Development of a RP-HPLC method for simultaneous determination of reference markers used for in-situ rat intestinal permeability studies

One of the most common techniques for assessing the intestinal absorption characteristics of drugs is single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) method. Metoprolol tartrate (MT, reference standard) and phenol red (PR, zero permeability marker) are the compounds that are normally used in SPIP studies. The aim of this study was to develop a reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method combined with UV-detection for the simultaneous determination of MT and PR in the perfusion medium used in SPIP experiments. Elution was performed using a Restek Raptor C18 column (5 μm, 4.6 mm × 250) at a temperature of 25 °C. The mixture of the mobile phase consisted of (MeOH):(Phosphate buffer solution, PBS), (20 mM, pH 3.0 adjusted with ortho-phosphoric acid),(55:45, v/v). Flow rate and column temperature were set at 1.2 mL min^-1 and 25 °C, respectively. MT and PR were injected as 20 µL into the HPLC system. UV detection was performed at 227 nm. The obtained retention times were reported as 2.89 and 3.80 min for MT and PR, respectively. The developed RP-HPLC method was validated according to Q2(R1) guideline of The International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The method was linear within the range of 2-50 μg mL^-1 for PR and 10-75 μg mL^-1 for MT. The developed RP-HPLC method was successfully applied on determination of MT and PR in perfusion medium. The developed method could be helpful for researchers working on in-situ rat intestinal permeability studies and it could be easily modified on further studies.