J Chrom Sci, bmad045 (2022). Standards were azilsartan medoxomil (AZL) and cilnidipine (CLN). Samples were acetonitrile solutions of commercial tablets of AZL and CLN, and purified human blood plasma as biological fluid spiked with AZL and CLN. The following method was developed by a software-assisted AQbD approach (analytical quality by design): (1) Taguchi orthogonal array design was implemented in 8 screening experiments in order to identify the 3 critical method variables (CMVs), which were: volume ratio of toluene – ethyl acetate, volume of methanol and saturation time. These CMVs had statistically significant impact (one-way ANOVA and Pareto charts) on the 3 critical analytical attributes (CAAs, they were: resolution between AZL and CLN and their hRF values). (2) To optimize these CMVs, the Box–Behnken design was implemented in 15 software-proposed experiments; the impacts of the 3 CMVs on the 3 CAAs were evaluated by ANOVA, multiple regression analysis, and 2D and 3D contour plots; the response surface analysis allowed the software to find a mathematical (quadratic or linear) equation for each CAA, based on the CMVs values. (3) The optimal CMVs ranges were determined by defining an analytical design space (ADS) on the superposed contour plots, and one TLC condition was selected as analytical control point.
TLC on silica gel pre-washed with 10 mL methanol, dried and activated 15 min at 110° C. Separation with toluene – ethyl acetate – methanol 13:3:4 after 15 min pre-saturation with 35 % relative humidity. Absorption measurement at UV 254 nm. The hRF values were 49–51 for AZL and 70–71 for LRT. Linearity range was 400–2000 ng/zone for AZL and 100–500 ng/zone for CLN. Intermediate precision was below 1.6 % (n=3). LOQ were 121 ng/zone for AZL and 34 ng/zone for CLN. Recovery rates were 99.3–99.7 % for AZL and 98.1–99.5 % for CLN. Recovery rates from spiked plasma were 83.3 % for both molecules.

J Chrom Sci, bmad025 (2023). Standards (separated and mixed) were montelukast sodium (MKT) and loratadine (LRT). Samples were methanolic solutions of commercial tablets, and purified blood plasma as biological fluid, from patients taking MKT or LRT as oral treatment. TLC on silica gel with ethyl acetate – ethanol 9:1. Visualization under UV 254nm. The hRF values were 80 for MKT and 71 for LRT. Densitometric absorbance measurement at 260 nm (20 mm/s scanning speed). System suitability was verified by resolution, selectivity, capacity and absence of tailing. The method was validated for linearity range (0.3–3.6 μg/zone for MKT, 0.2–4 µg/zone for LRT), for precision, for reproducibility, for robustness, and for accuracy expressed as average recovery values (100 % overall mean) at different concentrations. The TLC-densitometric method was also found statistically equivalent (Student’s t-test and F-test) to a previously described method (HPLC – spectrophotometry), but was better in terms of environmental and health impacts, using green analytical procedure index (GAPI) and analytical eco-scale (scores based on solvents/reagents, energy consumption, occupational hazard and waste generation). The TLC method was also compared to three (equally “green”) different analytical methods of spectrophotometry (without chromatography): response correlation, absorptivity-centering and LRT-MKT ratio derivatives. The TLC method was more sensitive (LOQ values were 82 ng/zone for MKT, 20 ng/zone for LRT).

J Chrom Sci, bmad025 (2023). Standards (separated and mixed) were montelukast sodium (MKT) and loratadine (LRT). Samples were methanolic solutions of commercial tablets, and purified blood plasma as biological fluid, from patients taking MKT or LRT as oral treatment. TLC on silica gel with ethyl acetate – ethanol 9:1. Visualization under UV 254nm. The hRF values were 80 for MKT and 71 for LRT. Densitometric absorbance measurement at 260 nm (20 mm/s scanning speed). System suitability was verified by resolution, selectivity, capacity and absence of tailing. The method was validated for linearity range (0.3–3.6 μg/zone for MKT, 0.2–4 µg/zone for LRT), for precision, for reproducibility, for robustness, and for accuracy expressed as average recovery values (100 % overall mean) at different concentrations. The TLC-densitometric method was also found statistically equivalent (Student’s t-test and F-test) to a previously described method (HPLC – spectrophotometry), but was better in terms of environmental and health impacts, using green analytical procedure index (GAPI) and analytical eco-scale (scores based on solvents/reagents, energy consumption, occupational hazard and waste generation). The TLC method was also compared to three (equally “green”) different analytical methods of spectrophotometry (without chromatography): response correlation, absorptivity-centering and LRT-MKT ratio derivatives. The TLC method was more sensitive (LOQ values were 82 ng/zone for MKT, 20 ng/zone for LRT).

J Chrom Sci, bmad042 (2023). Standards (separated and mixed) were antazoline (ANT) and tetryzoline (TET) hydrochlorides. Samples were one commercial ophthalmic solution containing both molecules (unspiked and spiked), and aqueous humour of untreated rabbits as biological fluid, spiked with various concentrations of ANT and TET. TLC on silica gel with ethyl acetate – ethanol 1:1. Visualization under UV 254 nm. Densitometric absorbance measurement at 220 nm (20mm/s scanning speed). The hRF was 47 for TET and 71 for ANT. System suitability was verified by resolution, selectivity, capacity and absence of tailing. The method was validated for linearity range (0.2 – 18 µg/band), for precision, for reproducibility, for robustness, and for accuracy expressed as average recovery values (100 % overall mean) at different concentrations. The method was also found statistically equivalent (Student’s t-test and F-test) to the official corresponding titrimetric methods of the European Pharmacopoeia. Finally, environmental and health impacts of the methods were qualitatively and quantitatively assessed better as the other described methods, using analytical greenness (AGREE), green analytical procedure index (GAPI), national environmental method index (NEMI), and analytical eco-scale (scores based on solvents/reagents, energy consumption, occupational hazard and waste generation).

J Chromatogr A 1638, 461830 (2021). The purpose was to find the first universal HPTLC mixture (UHM), a mixture of reference compounds that could be used for the system suitability test (SST) for the full RF range in all HPTLC experiments.
(Part 1) UHM composition: First, 56 organic molecules, detectable without derivatization, were tested on HPTLC silica gel with 20 different mobile phases (MP) belonging to different Snyder’s selectivity groups and with several polarity indices. Visualization under UV 254 nm and 366 nm. Densitometry scanning at 254 nm in absorption mode, and at 366 nm in a fluorescence mode (mercury lamp 366 nm, with wavelength filter <400 nm). For selected bands, spectra were recorded in absorbance-reflectance mode (wavelength range 190 – 450 nm, deuterium and tungsten lamp). This procedure allowed 8 molecules to be selected for their better spot resolution and for their specific RF values (at least 3 different values distributed throughout the full RF range for each MP). The final composition of UHM was: thioxanthen-9-one (0.001 %), guanosine (0.05 %), phthalimide (0.2 %), 9-hydroxyfluorene, octrizole, paracetamol, sulisobenzone and thymidine (each 0.1 %), in methanol.
(Part 2) UHM validation: Afterwards, UHM was submitted again to a panel of HPTLC assays with always two MP: (A) toluene – methanol – diethylamine 8:1:1; (B) ethyl acetate – formic acid – water 15:1:1; and for each MP, the means, standard deviation and 95 % confidence intervals of the RF values were calculated. (a) UHM was validated for intermediate intra-laboratory precision, as well as for inter-laboratory reproducibility, with ΔRF 0.045. (b) The capacity of UHM to detect small variations was demonstrated by significant changes in at least some RF values, when separation was deliberately performed at different levels of relative humidity (0 %, 33 %, 75 %, 100 %), or with smaller humidity variations (7 % compared to 0–5 %, and 49 % compared to 33 %), or when performing vs. omitting the 10min chamber pre-saturation, or when modifying the MP (+/-10% of one solvent at each time). These response characteristics (the opposite of robustness) made UHM a powerful tool for SST. (c) Finally, UHM stability was studied with UHM aliquots under several storage conditions (-78 °C, -20 °C, 4 °C, room temperature, 45 °C; or 40 °C with 75 % relative humidity) and durations (2 weeks or 2 months). The densitometric peak profiles at 254 nm were compared to those of the fresh compounds, qualitatively (RF value, UV spectrum) and quantitatively (peak area). UHM was stable at room temperature or below, for 2 months (at higher temperature, guanosine, phthalimide and paracetamol degraded).

J Chromatogr A, 1619, 460945 (2020). Samples were lamotrigin as standard, or extracted with an oil-in-water microemulsion (10 µL butyl acetate, 4 mL n-butanol, 925 mg sodium dodecyl sulphate, 8.6 mL water) either from patients’ raw plasma (for separation from blood proteins) after spiking, or from commercial tablets dissolved in methanol. TLC on silica gel with a water-in-oil microemulsion of 9 mL butyl acetate, 1 mL n-butanol, 250 mg sodium dodecyl sulphate, 250 µL water. Both optimal microemulsions were predicted using Taguchi orthogonal array and Plackett-Burman design. Evaluation in UV 254 nm, quantification from the digital picture using four image processing software programs. For lamotrigin (hRF 24), limits of quantification were 170 ng for pure drug and 10 ng for spiked plasma. Linearity (in range 20–200 ng/spot) was directly obtained for the calibration curve in spiked plasma; however, for pure drug, linearity was obtained only when using log values of the calculated densities (300–3000 ng/spot).

J. Planar Chromatogr. 35, 349-362 (2022). HPTLC of 1‑acridinyl‑1,2,3‑triazole derivatives (compounds 6 to 10) on silica gel with chloroform - methanol 9:1 for compounds (6) to (8) and hexane - ethyl acetate 3:2 for compounds (9) and (10). Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 254 and fluorescence measurement at 254/>362 nm. The hRF values for (6) to (10) were 38, 29, 46, 36 and 65, respectively. Linearity was between 50 and 330 ng/zone for (6), 30 and 330 ng/zone for (7), 120 and 420 ng/zone for (8), 75 and 500 ng/zone for (9) and 100 and 500 ng/zone for (10). Interday and intra-day precisions were below 5 % (n=3). The LOD and LOQ were 16 and 48 ng/zone for (6), 11 and 33 ng/zone for (7), 51 and 155 ng/zone for (8), 21 and 63 ng/zone for (9) and 32 and 96 ng/zone for (10).

J. Planar Chromatogr. 35, 273-279 (2022). HPTLC of sweetener saccharin (1), acesulfame-K (2), neohesperidin (3), aspartame (4), stevioside (5), rebaudioside A (6), sucralose (7), and Na-cyclamate (8) in food samples on silica gel with ethyl acetate - methanol - acetic acid 5:1:1. Detection by dipping into the following reagent sequece, followed each by plate heating and image documentation or densitometry: 1) Primuline reagent (100 mg primuline in 20 mL water and 80 mL acetone), followed by solvent evaporation and detection at 366 nm; 2) ninhydrin reagent (0.3 g ninhydrin dissolved in 95 mL isopropyl alcohol and 5 mL glacial acetic acid), followed by heating at 120 °C for 5 min and detection at white light; 3) 2-naphthol sulfuric acid reagent (1 g 2-naphthol dissolved in 90 mL ethanol and 6 mL 50 % sulfuric acid added dropwise), followed by heating at 120 °C for 5 min and detection at white light. Quantification by absorbance measurement at 200 nm for (1), 230 nm for (2), 290 nm for (3), 500 nm for (4) to (7) and 650 nm for (8).  Linearity was between 30 and 600 ng/zone for (5) and (6) and 800 and 1600 ng/zone for (8).