A simple, sensitive, rapid and economic chromatographic method has been developed for determination of metoprolol tartarate and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma using paracetamol as an internal standard. The analytical technique used for method development was high-performance thin-layer chromatography. HPTLC Camag with precoated silica gel Plate 60F254 (20 cm×10 cm) at 250 µm thicknesses (E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) was used as the stationary phase. The mobile phase used consisted of chloroform: methanol: ammonia (9:1:0.5v/v/v). Densitometric analysis was carried out at a wavelength of 239 nm. The rf values for hydrochlorothiazide, paracetamol and metoprolol tartarate were 0.13±0.04, 0.28±0.05, 0.48±0.04, respectively. Plasma samples were extracted by protein precipitation with methanol. Concentration ranges of 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 ng/mL and 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000, 10000, 12000 ng/mL of hydrochlorothiazide and metoprolol tartarate, respectively, were used with plasma for the calibration curves. The percent recovery of metoprolol tartarate and hydrochlorothiazide was found to be 77.30 and 77.02 %, respectively. The stability of metoprolol tartarate and hydrochlorothiazide in plasma were confirmed during three freeze-thaw cycles (-20 ºC) on a bench for 24 hours and post-preparatively for 48 hours. The proposed method was validated statistically and proved suitable for determination of metoprolol tartarate and hydrochlorothiazide in human plasma.
High performance thin layer chromatography; Metoprolol tartarate; Hydrochlorothiazide; Human plasma; Protein precipitation
