Development and validation of a LC method for the enantiomeric purity determination of S-ropivacaine in a pharmaceutical formulation using a recently commercialized cellulose-based chiral stationary phase and polar non-aqueous mobile phase.

Ropivacaine is the first enantiomerically pure long-acting local anaesthetic used for surgical anaesthesia and post-operative pain relief. A liquid chromatographic (LC) method using acetonitrile as the main solvent and cellulose tris(4-chloro-3-methylphenylcarbamate) coated on silica as chiral stationary phase was successfully developed and applied for the enantiomeric purity determination of S-ropivacaine in a pharmaceutical formulation (Naropin((R))). The key role played by the acidic additive (trifluoroacetic acid or formic acid) in the enantioseparation of basic drugs in these LC systems was demonstrated by the reversal of ropivacaine enantiomers elution order observed when both acids were compared. In order to elute the enantiomeric impurity (R-ropivacaine) before S-ropivacaine, formic acid (FA) was selected. The temperature and the percentages of acidic additive and hexane in the mobile phase were found to significantly influence the retention and resolution of these enantiomers. The optimized mobile phase consisted of ACN/0.1% DEA/0.2% FA/5% hexane (v/v/v/v). The temperature was set at 35 degrees C to avoid the interference from a peak system related to the presence of water in the sample on ropivacaine enantiomers. The LC method was then fully validated applying the strategy based on total measurement error and accuracy profiles. The accuracy profile obtained by linear regression after square root transformation was selected, the acceptance limits being settled at +/-10% for the intended use of this analytical method. The relative bias was lower than 1.5%, while the RSD values for repeatability and intermediate precision were both below 1.0%. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be about 0.2 and 1.0 mug/mL, respectively, corresponding to 0.02 and 0.1% of the enantiomeric impurity in S-ropivacaine