New analytical LC–MS/MS method for fluconazole and ivermectin estimation in combined pharmaceutical dosage form: development and validation

Abstract

Abstract Background Fluconazole, an antifungal drug, prevents fungi growth by inhibiting the formation of a protective covering. Ivermectin has several biological activities, such as antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-cancer characteristics, and offers various therapeutic outcomes. There are several commercial products containing these two drugs. Therefore, developing a method that can allow the simultaneous estimation of Fluconazole and ivermectin is inevitable to monitor them in commercial dosage forms. The hyphenated methodology that combines spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques is gaining high interest in the pharmaceutical industry. Consequently, the objective of present research work was to investigate robust and sensitive LC–MS/MS avenue for simultaneous determination of Fluconazole and ivermectin in pure material and combined dosage form. Results The simultaneous quantification of Fluconazole and ivermectin in tablet dosage form has been developed and validated using a straightforward, sensitive, practical, and repeatable LC–MS/MS approach. The separation was performed using a C18 (150 × 4.6 mm) column, injection volume of 10 µL, and elution with acetonitrile: formic acid at a ratio of 70:30, with the column temperature at 30 °C, and a flow rate of 4.0 mL/min. The retention times of Ivermectin and Fluconazole were 1.10 min and 1.05 min, respectively. The calibration curves for Fluconazole and ivermectin demonstrated significant linearities indicated by the correlation coefficients (r2 = 0.999 and r2 = 0.997) and precision (% R.S.D. of 1.58 and 1.13). The linear correlation between peak area and concentration allowed high percentage recoveries of 98.5%–99.4% and 97.8%–99.3% for Fluconazole and Ivermectin, respectively. The L.O.D.s for Fluconazole and ivermectin were found to be 0.0034 and 0.074 g/mL, respectively. The L.O.Q.s for Fluconazole and ivermectin were 0.010 and 0.225 g/mL, respectively. Conclusion All the analytical parameters were identified and found to be within the acceptable range set forth by the ICH guidelines, demonstrating the devised method's acceptability in the simultaneous detection and estimation of Fluconazole and ivermectin in the commercial dosage forms.