- British Pharmacopoeia Volume III
- Formulated Preparations: Specific Monographs
Gentamicin Ear Drops |
Aminoglycoside antibacterial.
Gentamicin Ear Drops are a solution of Gentamicin Sulfate in Purified Water.
The ear drops comply with the requirements stated under Ear Preparations and with the following requirements.
A. Carry out the method for thin-layer chromatography, Appendix III A, using the following solutions.
(1) A volume of the ear drops containing the equivalent of 30 µg of gentamicin.
(2) 0.1 mg of gentamicin sulfate BPCRS dissolved in a volume of water equal to the volume of the ear drops used.
(a) Use a silica gel precoated plate (Merck silica gel 60 plates are suitable).
(b) Use the mobile phase as described below.
(c) Apply all of solutions (1) and (2) to the plate.
(d) Develop the plate to 15 cm.
(e) After removal of the plate, allow it to dry in air, spray with ninhydrin solution R1 and heat at 105° for 2 minutes.
The lower layer obtained by shaking together equal volumes of 13.5m ammonia, chloroform and methanol and allowing to separate.
The three principal spots in the chromatogram obtained with solution (1) correspond to the three principal spots in the chromatogram obtained with solution (2).
B. In the test for Composition of gentamicin sulfate, the retention times of the four principal peaks in the chromatogram obtained with solution (1) correspond to those of the four principal peaks in the chromatogram obtained with solution (2).
Carry out the method for liquid chromatography, Appendix III D, using the following solutions.
(1) Add 5 mL of methanol to 10 mL of a solution prepared by diluting a suitable volume of the ear drops with water to contain the equivalent of 0.045% w/v of gentamicin. Swirl and add 4 mL of phthalaldehyde reagent, mix and add sufficient methanol to produce 25 mL, heat in a water bath at 60° for 15 minutes and cool. If the solution is not used immediately, cool to 0° and use within 4 hours.
(2) Prepare in the same manner as solution (1) but using 10 mL of a 0.065% w/v solution of gentamicin sulfate BPCRS in place of 10 mL of the preparation being examined.
(a) Use a stainless steel column (12.5 cm × 4.6 mm) packed with end-capped octadecylsilyl silica gel for chromatography (5 µm) (Hypersil ODS and Kromasil C18 are suitable).
(b) Use isocratic elution and the mobile phase described below.
(c) Use a flow rate of 1.5 mL per minute.
(d) Use an ambient column temperature.
(e) Use a detection wavelength of 330 nm.
(f) Inject 20 µL of each solution.
0.025m sodium heptanesulfonate monohydrate in a mixture of 5 volumes of glacial acetic acid, 25 volumes of water and 70 volumes of methanol.
When the chromatograms are recorded under the prescribed conditions the retention time of component C2 is 10 to 20 minutes. The retention times relative to component C2 are: about 0.13 (reagent); about 0.27 (component C1); about 0.65 (component C1a); about 0.85 (component C2a).
The test is not valid unless, in the chromatogram obtained with solution (2), the resolution factor between the peaks due to components C2a and C2 is at least 1.3.
Using the chromatogram obtained with solution (1) calculate the percentage content of components C1, C1a, C2 and C2a in the ear drops by normalisation. The proportions are within the following limits:
C1, 25.0 to 50.0%;
C1a, 10.0 to 35.0%;
C2 plus C2a, 25.0 to 55.0%.
Dilute a volume of the ear drops containing the equivalent of 15 mg of gentamicin to 50 mL with sterile phosphate buffer pH 8.0 and dilute 10 mL of the resulting solution to 50 mL with the same solvent. Carry out the microbiological assay of antibiotics, Appendix XIV A. The precision of the assay is such that the fiducial limits of error are not less than 95% and not more than 105% of the estimated potency.
Calculate the content of gentamicin in the ear drops, taking each 1000 IU found to be equivalent to 1 mg of gentamicin. The upper fiducial limit of error is not less than 90.0% and the lower fiducial limit of error is not more than 120.0% of the stated content.
The quantity of active ingredient is stated in terms of the equivalent amount of gentamicin.