INTRODUCTION:

Secnidazole is 1-(2-methyl-5-nitro-1 himidazole-1-yl) propan-2-ol.Atiprotozoal and antiamoebic activity [1].The nitro group of secnidazole is chemically reduced by ferrodoxin which is ferrodoxin-Linked Metabolic process. After entering into the microorganism by diffusion, its nitro group is reduced to intermediate compound which cause cytotoxicity, by damaging DNA. Its selectivity high activity against anaerobic organism has suggested interference with electron transport from NADPH or other reduced substrate (2). Secnidazole revealed several methods based on techniques viz. HPLC [3, 4] and Spectrophotometric [5-7] for its determination in pharmaceutical dosage form and in human plasma.In the present study an attempt has been made to develop a new colorimetric method for the estimation of secnidazole in tablet dosage form.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

All the chemicals used were of analytical grade. Scenidazole tablets were procured from local pharmacy. Spectral and absorbance measurements were made on ELICO model Sl 164 double beam UV/Vis Spectrophotometer with a spectral width of 2nm, wavelength accuracy of 0.5nm and a pair of matched quartz cells, was used to measure the absorbance of the resulting solutions.

Scenidazole procured from AstraZeneca Private Limited, Bangalore.

This method is based on the reduction of secnidazole, were the nitro group of nitroimidazole is chemically reduced to amino group which is yellow colored chromogen in the presence of 4N Hydrochloric acid, zinc dust and ethanol. The maximum absorbance was shown at 477.5nm against reagent blank.

SECNIDAZOLE YELLOW COLORED

CHROMOGEN

FIG-1: Standard curve of secnidazole

Procedure for Standard Preparation;

The standard stock solution of secnidazole was prepared by dissolving 100mg of secnidazole in 6ml of 4N HCl, 1.2g of zinc dust and 2ml of ethanol after dissolving the volume is made up to 100ml of ethanol. From the above solution 1ml, 2ml up to 5ml were taken and further diluted into 10ml with ethanol to get the final concentration of 100μg/ml-500 μg/ml. Then the absorbance of the yellow colored species was measured at 477.5nm.A calibration curve was constructed (Fig-1).

FIG-2: Overlain Spectra of Secnidazole

Procedure for Sample Preparation:

For the analysis of Scenidazole in tablet, twenty tablets were taken and grinded into fine powder. The powder equivalent to 100 mg was taken in 100ml volumetric flask and reduced by the proposed method then the resulting solution was filtered through Whatman No. 41 and the filtrate was made up to 100ml with ethanol. This was further diluted to have a concentration in between the linearity range obtained. Further analysis was carried out as described under standard curve.

RESULTS AND DISCUSION:

The proposed method for the determination of obeyed Beer’s law in the concentration range of 100-500μg/ml.The regression line was found to be Y = 0.00015x+0.003 with correlation coefficient (r) 0.9999. When pharmaceutical preparations containing secnidazole were analyzed, the results obtained by the proposed method are in good agreement with the labeled amounts and the results are comparable. Thus the proposed method is simple, sensitive, reproducible and applicable for the determination of secnidazole in pharmaceutical formulations.

TABLE-I: Optical Characteristics and statistical data of the Regression equation for the standard Secnidazole, Precision and Accuracy Data

S. No.

Parameter

Value

λmax

Beer’s law limit (μg/ml)

Molar absorptivity (L/mol.cm)

Sandell’s sensitivity

(μg/cm2 /AU)

Correlation coefficient (r)

Regression equation

Intercept (a)

Slope (b)

477.5nm

100-500 μg/ml

1.53X10³

0.0153

0.9999

Y=0.0015x + 0.003

0.003

0.0015

TABLE-II: Recovery study of secnidazole

S.NO

Label

Claim (gm/tab)

Amount found * %

Standard

Deviation

% Recovery

1gm

98%

±0.2203

98.5%

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The authors are grateful to RVS College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sulur, Coimbatore for providing necessary facilities

REFERENCE:

1. Laurence L. Brunton, Louis Sanford Goodman, John S. Lazo., Goodman and Gilman , The Pharmacological Basis of Terapeutics, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,11th edition, 2006.

2. Gillis JC and Wiseman LR., Secnidazole A review of its antimicrobial activity, pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic use in the management of protozoal infections and bacterial vaginosis.Drug,51(4),621-38,1996.

3. Sekhar K, Ravi, M. U. R. Naidu, E. C. Sekhar, T. R. K. Rao, J. C. Shobha, P. U. Rani and Kumar J. Surya., Biomedical Sciences and Applications, J. Chrom., 691(1), 208-211, 1997.

4. Xiaoyu Li, Jianguo Sun, Guangji Wang *, Yuanting Zheng, Bei Yan, Haitang Xie, Yi Gu, Hongchan Ren, Biomed. Chrom., 21(3), 304-309, 2007.

5. Saffaj M, Charrouf M, Abourriche A, Abboud Y, Bennamara A and Berrada M, Farmaco., 59 (10), 843-846, 2004.

6. Afaf Abul khier, Magda M, Elhenawee and Manal S, Elmasry., Eur.J..Chem, 5 (S2), 1087-1097, 2008.

7. Ravichandran V, Sankar V, Sivanand V, Velrajan G and Raghuraman S., Ind. J. Pharm. Sci., 64 (4 ), 396-398, 2002.

Received on 24.01.2012 Accepted on 22.03.2012

Asian J. Pharm. Ana. 2(1): Jan.-Mar. 2012; Page 20-21