Comparative Voltammetric Behavior and Determination of Mephenesin in Pure Form, Pharmaceuticals and Biological Fluids at Pencil Graphite and Glassy Carbon Electrodes

Ehab El-Kady

doi:10.11648/j.sjac.20190702.11

Abstract

New voltammetric methods are introduced for the determination of a skeletal muscle relaxant namely; mephenesin (Mep) in its pure form with the application in the pharmaceutical preparation and biological fluids. Three voltammetric methods namely; cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) using pencil graphite electrode (PGE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were used. Voltammetric behavior of Mep was investigated in Britton Robinson (BR) buffer as electrolyte in pH range 2-10. CV produced one irreversible anodic peak revealing oxidation reaction in pH 6 as maximum pH value at 1.33 and 1.36 V using PGE and GCE, respectively. At PGE, DPV and SWV were investigated and linearity ranges were 18.02-119.07 and 18.02-70.0 µg/mL with correlation coefficient 0.9997 and 0.9995, LOD values were found to be 0.113 and 0.059 µg/mL, respectively. At GCE, linearity ranges were 9.05-44.39 and 4.54-65.78 µg/mL with correlation coefficient 0.9996 and 0.9999, LOD values were 0.553 and 0.865 µg/mL at DPV and SWV, respectively. The proposed methods were applied with good recovery in pharmaceutical preparation, human mother milk and urine. They were validated and revealed accurate and precise results.

Highlights

Mephenesin, 3-(2-methylphenoxy)propane-1,2-diol (Mep) (Figure 1), is a centrally acting muscle relaxant drug [1, 2] that can be used as an antidote for strychnine poisoning and a topical analgesic
The development of new and simple analytical methods for rapid detection and quantification of Mep is of great importance that helps in earlier detection to prevent its side effects and intoxication
The voltammetric behavior of Mep was studied at pencil graphite electrode (PGE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using 0.04M B-R buffer solution as supporting electrolyte investigating different chemical and electrochemical parameters

Summary

Introduction

Mephenesin, 3-(2-methylphenoxy)propane-1,2-diol (Mep) (Figure 1), is a centrally acting muscle relaxant drug [1, 2] that can be used as an antidote for strychnine poisoning and a topical analgesic. It presents with the major drawbacks of having a short duration of action and much greater effect on the spinal cord than the brain, resulting in pronounced respiratory depression at clinical doses and a very low therapeutic index. Mep is especially dangerous and potentially fatal in combination with alcohol and other depressants. The development of new and simple analytical methods for rapid detection and quantification of Mep is of great importance that helps in earlier detection to prevent its side effects and intoxication

Objectives

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Conclusion