ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To establish an HPLC method for rapid screening and simultaneous determination of 10 preservatives in eye drops and assess their antimicrobial effectiveness. METHODS: A Waters XBridge C18 column (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) was used, and the mobile phase was 0.1% phosphoric acid-methanol-THF eluted in gradient mode at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1. The detection wavelength was set at 214 nm. The antimicrobial effectiveness of the preservatives was assessed according to Ch. P 2015. RESULTS: The calibration curves were linear in the range of the corresponding test concentrations (r=0.999 3 -1.000 0). The recoveries were between 96.1%-101.8%. One of the eye drops products did not meet the requirement of Ch. P 2015. CONCLUSION: The established method is rapid and inexpensive. And it ensures excellent simplicity, sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility and can be used for rapid screening and determination of the contents of preservatives in eye drops. The amount of preservatives should be established during the R&D period or determined according to the results of antimicrobial effectiveness test rather than using empirical values.