Simple, accurate and rapid HPTLC method for analysis of theophylline in post-mortem blood and validation of the method

Abstract

Theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine) is used both in the prophylaxis of chronic asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD), and to treat emergencies in acute severe asthma. Administration of theophylline to patients in respiratory distress can be fatal and, therefore, it is essential to know whether the person has achieved a theophylline blood concentration expected to produce therapeutic effects or otherwise. A method using sodium fluoride-preserved post-mortem blood samples has been established to enable evaluation of theophylline levels in the blood at the time of death. The simple, rapid, and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method with UV-densitometric detection at 277 nm was validated for analysis of theophylline in postmortem blood. Theophylline was extracted at pH 8.5 with chloroform-isopropanol 8:2 from post-mortem blood after acid hydrolysis. Recovery ranged from 89.1 to 93.4% at a concentration of 10 μg mL −1 in the pH range 8.3 to 8.6. An average analytical...