Greenness, whiteness, and blueness assessment with spider chart solvents evaluation of HPTLC-densitometric method for quantifying a triple combination anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy

Abstract

Tackling environmental, economic, and practical issues necessitate analytical methods aligned with green and white chemistry principles. This study quantified a challenging combination of three anti-Helicobacter pylori drugs: omeprazole (OMZ), tinidazole (TNZ), and clarithromycin (CLR) using a novel high-performance thin-layer chromatographic approach. The eco-friendly mobile phase comprised a mixture of ethyl acetate and ethanol (6.5:3.5, v/v), with densitometric detection at 290 nm, yielding compact spots for OMZ (Rf 0.27), TNZ (Rf 0.63), and CLR (Rf 0.73). The method demonstrated excellent linearity (r2 > 0.999) over ranges of 0.5–20, 1–50, and 1–25 μg spot−1 for OMZ, TNZ, and CLR, respectively. Method validation showed good precision (<2 %), accuracy (101.94, 100.65, 101.06 %), and the limit of detections (0.161, 0.269, and 0.283 μg spot-1), for OMZ, TNZ, and CLR, respectively. To ensure sustainability, hazardous solvents were replaced with greener alternatives selected using the Green Solvents Selecting Tool and assessed via greenness index spider charts. The greenness evaluation of the developed method achieved a greener National Environmental Method Index (NEMI), and Complementary Green Analytical Procedure Index (ComplexGAPI) quadrants with higher Analytical Greenness Metric (AGREE) (0.81) and lower carbon footprint (0.037) revealing the method's favorable environmental profile. We further applied the concepts of 'blueness' and 'whiteness' assessment using the recently introduced Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) and Red-Green-Blue 12 (RGB 12) algorithms. The high BAGI score (90) indicated excellent applicability, while the RGB12 score (88.9) confirmed cost-effectiveness and sustainability. This novel HPTLC approach offers a rapid, green-and-white alternative to conventional techniques for pharmaceutical analysis.