The Physicochemical Properties, Biopharmaceutics And Chromatographic Quantification Of Atovaquone, In Vitro And In Vivo

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to develop a reversed-phase chromatographic method for the quantification of atovaquone, with a view to establish the disposition of atovaquone in selected Nigerians, thereby validating the method developed. However, the parameters involved in the HPLC method developed, included the use of an appropriate internal standard, pyrimethamine. In the developmental phase of method development, the following parameters were established an appropriate internal standard (pyrimethamine), a selective, efficient, and reproducible column; Hypersil BDS C18 and an effective and efficient retrieval procedure; methanol : Aqueous phase (50: 50 % (v/v)], and highly reproducible mobile phase obtained from the modified method developed by De Angelis et al., 1994, given a recovery rate greater than those reported in literature.

The results obtained from several analytical runs of serial preparations of atovaquone standard and solutions of atovaquone retrieved from plasma in vitro and in vivo, using the HPLC method developed in this study, correlates very well with specific recommendations in literature report for method validation. Using structural and spectral characteristics of atovaquone, this study was able to confirm the atovaquone content of malarone tablets and support the observation that atovaquone is highly lipophilic.