Analytical review: analytical techniques for hyoscine N butyl bromide.

It is not a simple task to develop techniques for analyzing tricyclic quaternary ammonium alkaloids (TCQAAs) because of the relative polarity and alkalinity of the latter. Moreover, less volatility of these alkaloids prevents the establishment of direct GC methods. Hyoscine N Butyl Bromide (HNBB) is one of the most frequently used antispasmodic TCQAAs. There are many therapeutic uses of HNBB other than in antispasmodic activity. It may be used as an analgesic and local cervical antispasmodic drug in maternity labor. A variety of analytical techniques (colorimetric, spectrophotometric, chromatographic, electrophoretic, and electrochemical techniques) have been reported for HNBB analysis. Moreover, two stability-indicating chromatographic methods have also been developed for the drug. Many multistep colorimetric techniques have been developed for HNBB analysis on two main bases; charge-complex formation and the reduction properties of the drug. No spectrofluorometric methods have been reported for HNBB measurement. Many chromatographic methods have been mentioned for HNBB analysis. However, most of them are quite low in terms of sensitivity because of the low ultraviolet (UV) absorbance character of the drug. Therefore, testing the drug by using other detectors, such as refractive index or corona charged aerosol detectors, is strongly recommended. The most sensitive methods are liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) techniques since they can detect as low as 1 ng mL-1 and 0.03 ng mL-1, respectively. Determination of the drug by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is possible only with the use of a reversed-phase TLC plate because of the high polarity of HNBB. A few electrophoresis techniques and many electrochemical methods have also been reported. Two accelerated stability studies were performed for HNBB using LC/MS and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) methods. The time of the stability study and the presence of mefenamic acid greatly affect the percentage of drug degradation. As a general observation by comparing those two stability methods, strict guidelines for performing stability studies are strongly recommended. Further evaluation of the greenness of all analytical methods for the drug is highly recommended for the choice of more eco-friendly techniques for the safety of the environment.

The pharmacokinetics of orally administered butylscopolamine in greyhound dogs.

The oral tablet formulation of butylscopolamine, which is available without prescription, is commonly used by trainers of racing greyhounds to treat functional urethral obstruction. As medication control of butylscopolamine is therefore required for such use to ensure the integrity of greyhound racing, an administration study was performed in six greyhounds to determine the pharmacokinetics of orally administered butylscopolamine. A single dose of one 10 mg butylscopolamine tablet was administered orally to simulate this use in greyhound racing. Blood, urine and faeces were collected at regular intervals from the greyhounds for up to 9 days and butylscopolamine concentrations determined. There was some, but very limited, absorption of butylscopolamine, with rapid elimination from plasma with a mean half-life of 2 hr. Urine concentrations initially declined in a similar manner to the plasma pharmacokinetics but then entered a much longer half-life of approximately 50 hr. Faecal concentrations declined to very low levels between 48 and 120 hr. The use of orally administered butylscopolamine for functional urethral obstruction in greyhounds is unjustified due to this very limited drug absorption. Medication control of butylscopolamine's antispasmodic effect on the digestive tract is possible by setting screening limits based on the urinary and faecal drug levels as determined in this study.