A RAPID, COST-EFFECTIVE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CHLOROQUINE AND DESETHYLCHLOROQUINE IN BIOLOGICAL-FLUIDS

We have developed a rapid and cost-effective method for the analysis o f chloroquine (CQ) and desethylchloroquine in biological samples. The extraction procedure is a simple two-step process that has eliminated the need for costly extraction and evaporation equipment. The mobile p hase consists largely of a buffer that was mostly water, making the me thod cheap to run. The calibration curves were linear from 0 to 200 ng /ml for plasma and from 0 to 3,000 ng/ml for urine. The regression coe fficients were of the order of 0.99 and above in all instances. The in terassay coefficient of variation (CV) for the assay of CQ was 4.8% in plasma and 4.4% in urine. The intraassay CV for CQ was 3.8% in plasma and 4.2% in urine. There were no interfering peaks from presently use d antimalarial drugs. Baseline resolution and separation were very goo d. The method was found to be applicable for pharmacokinetic studies.