Sensitive and rapid spectrophotometric methods for sertraline monitoring in pharmaceutical formulations

Abstract

Purpose: To develop simple, rapid, and selective spectrophotometric methods for the assay of sertraline in a pharmaceutical formulation. Method: These methods depend on the formation of colored ion-pair complexes between the drug and five different reagents; methyl blue (MB), bromophenol red (BPR), methyl green (MG), phenol red (PR), and methyl orange (MO) in B-R buffer solutions of pH ranging from 2.0 – 8.0. The colored products were measured at 668, 747, 647, 717, and 553 nm, respectively. Results: The calibration graphs were linear over the concentration range of 2 – 18 μg/mL for MB and BPR, and 2 – 16 μg/mL for MG, PR, and MO. In all cases, the reaction stoichiometry was 1:1. The proposed methods were successfully applied to solid-dose pharmaceutical preparations (tablets). Excipients in the commercial formulation did not interfere with the analysis. Conclusion: The investigated methods can be recommended for routine analysis and quality control where cost-effectiveness, high specificity of the analytical technique, and time are of great importance.